Charles Ellicott Commentary Nehemiah 2:17

"Then said I unto them, Ye see the evil case that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach." — Nehemiah 2:17 (ASV)

Then. —There is no note of time. When his plans were matured, Nehemiah made an earnest appeal to their patriotism.