The term is a reference to the geographical area over which Jerusalem was once the capital. It is part of the Persian province Beyond the River
(see on Nehemiah 2:7). It is striking that Nehemiah still does not mention the name Jerusalem,
though that city is clearly the object of his interest. (See on Nehemiah 2:3.) With the use of the term Judah,
Nehemiah homes in close enough on where he wants to go. The use of that term in conjunction with the reference to the city of my fathers’ graves
also underscores what the king may or may not have already known about Nehemiah, that he was a Jew (as, he certainly knew, his father’s wife was; Esther 7:4; Esther 8:5).
5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.”