John Trapp on Nehemiah 7:4

Verſe 4. Now the City was large] Heb. Broad in ſpannes, or ſpaces. And great] Yet nothing ſo great as Niniveh was of old; or Babylon then; or Alcair, and Quinſay at this day. Of the former, Bunting ſaith, that it is threeſcore miles in compaſſe. Of the Later Paulus Venetus (who himſelf dwelt therein about the year 1260) writeth, that it is an hundred miles about, being of all the Cities in the World the greateſt. Jeruſalem was a great City and ſpacious, though it fell far ſhort of theſe.

And the people were few therein] But how exceedingly they multiplyed afterwards appeareth by thoſe many thouſands of perſons there deſtroyed and carried away by the Romanes at the laſt deſolation: as teſtifieth Joſephus an eye-witneſſe, quem lege, & luge. For preſent, they were ſo few, that they were not able, without help; to defend the walles in ſo large a circuit.

And the houſes were not builded] All could not be done in a day. But ſome ſeiled houſes there were, Hag. 1. ver. 4. and Nehemiah was all his time buſie in building the old waſt places, and raiſing up the foundations of many generations: ſo that he was worthily called, The Repairer of the breach, the Reſtorer of paths to dwell in, Eſay 58.12. Euſebius ſaith Nehemiah was twelve years in building the Walls: he ſhould have ſaid, the City: Hierome likewiſe ſaith, that he came to Jeruſalem, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes: and made an end of building the Wall and City in the two and thirtieth year: ſo that, during the whole twelve years of his Government, he was in action.