Until the sun be hot - An unusual precaution. The ordinary practice in the East is to open town gates at sunrise.
Related Commentaries of Nehemiah 7:3
Nehemiah 7:3
3 And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house.