Charles Ellicott Commentary Nehemiah 2:9-11

"Then I came to the governors beyond the River, and gave them the king`s letters. Now the king had sent with me captains of the army and horsemen. And when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, for that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel. So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days." — Nehemiah 2:9-11 (ASV)

His journey to Jerusalem, occupying some three months, and safe under good escort, is passed over in the narrative, as Ezra’s had been. It is mentioned, however, that Sanballat, one of the governors, was roused to hostility. After the laborious travelling Nehemiah rested three days, to review the past and prepare for the future.