1Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews.
The term Jews had become the accepted designation for the people of Israel after the exile (Esther 2:5; Ezra 4:12; Nehemiah 1:2). That Sanballat jeered at the Jews indicates that in his opinion, the Jews were an odious people.
1 Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews.