19. They reported. The Hebrew text has a play on Tobiah’s name, which means “Goodness of Yahweh,” with the reporting of “good” deeds to Nehemiah by Jewish friends. The sarcasm is evident. The purpose of all this was to make Nehemiah think well of Tobiah. These efforts were therefore in line with those of the false prophet Shemaiah ( 10-13), their purpose being to confuse Nehemiah with advice that appeared to be friendly.
Letters. Probably similar in content to that of Sanballat ( 5, 6).
1. The porters. According to ancient custom it was the duty of the doorkeepers to keep watch over the house of God, and to open and close the gates of the Temple courts (1 Chron. 9:17-19; 26:12-19).
The singers. Ordinarily the singers and the Levites appointed to assist the priests were not expected to do guard duty for the Temple. Under the present extraordinary circumstance Nehemiah assigned to these two groups the additional task of keeping watch over the walls and gates of the city.