And all the congregation of them that had come back from the captivity made booths, and dwelt in the booths. For since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun until that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.
Nehemiah 8:15 and that they should publish and proclaim through all their cities, and at Jerusalem, saying, Go forth to the mount, and fetch olive-branches, and wild olive-branches, and myrtle-branches, and palm-branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.
Nehemiah 8:16 And the people went forth and brought [them], and made themselves booths, everyone upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the open space of the water-gate, and in the open space of the gate of Ephraim.
Nehemiah 8:17 And all the congregation of them that had come back from the captivity made booths, and dwelt in the booths. For since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun until that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.
Nehemiah 8:18 Also day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they observed the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.
The verse centers on "congregation", "come", "back", "captivity", "booths", "dwelt", and "since". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "congregation" and "come", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 16's "And the people went forth and brought..." into verse 18's "Also day by day from the first...", so "congregation" and "come" belong inside that flow. In Nehemiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "congregation" and "come" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.