What do the words, “so they strengthened their hands,” add?
Nehemiah 2:18 (ESV)
18And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
Here is the notion of enthusiasm being contagious. The eagerness of the one to begin the work rubbed off on the other so that in turn their communal hands were keen to begin the project.
18 And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.