Why did so many local people oppose Nehemiah? After the exile, people who had been living in Judah for over a hundred years saw it as belonging to them and not to the returning Jews. Nehemiah had the blessing of King Artaxerxes to rebuild the walls, but the king was in Persia, more than 1,100 miles (1,770 km) away. This made Nehemiah’s enemies bolder in their opposition to him.