The pronoun it
is a plain reference to the city of my fathers’ graves,
whose walls were in ruins and its gates burned (Nehemiah 2:3). We are to understand that Nehemiah is awakening in the mind of the king the (re)construction of a walled city somewhere in the western extremity of his kingdom. Such a request could be beneficial to the king if there were threats from further western extremities (think Egypt). Conversely, the appearance of a new walled city could be a threat if its governor and/or people were likely to rebel against the king. He needed, then, some assurance of the city’s future loyalty. By offering his own services for the task, Nehemiah -known as he is to the king- provides an agent of loyalty.
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.”