Nehemiah 2:13-15 - By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate.
I don't know the exact configuration of the city of Jerusalem -- the location of its buildings inside the walls and their relative locations compared to the walls. Neither do I know how broken a piece of the wall had to be before it was actually called "broken." Did it have to be leveled? Only chipped? Have a hole you could walk through? Did you have to be able to see over the top? What I'm leading up to is: If the wall was broken, why did Nehemiah have to go outside the city to examine it? Wouldn't the damage be just as visible from the inside?
I wonder if he went out during a full, or nearly full, moon. There was no electricity. No streetlights. No searchlights. No flashlights. Maybe torches. He only took a few men with him, so only a few torches at best.
I'm not sure why he kept his mission a secret at first. He doesn't seem to have been afraid to carry out the mission or afraid of those who opposed him. I wonder if he just wanted it to be a pleasant surprise.
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