Nehemiah 4:2 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Before his brethren; Nehemiah 4:3, and Geshem, Nehemiah 2:19, and others, whom he calls his brethren, because of their conjunction with him in office and interest. The army of Samaria; whom he designed hereby to incense against them, or at least to understand their minds herein. Will they make an end in a day? do they intend to begin and finish the work, and keep the feast of dedication by sacrifice, all in one day? for if they spend any long time about it, they cannot think that we, and the rest of their neighbours, will suffer them to do it. Thus he persuaded himself and his companions that their attempt was ridiculous; and this mistake kept him from giving them any disturbance till it was too late. So God infatuated him to his own grief and shame, and to the advantage of his people. Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish? will they pick up their broken stones out of the ruins, and patch them together? for other materials they want. Which are burned, i.e. which stones were burned, and broken, or consumed to powder, to wit, by the Chaldeans when they took the city. See Poole on "Nehemiah 1:3".