Nehemiah asked his brother about two (related) matters, designated by the term concerning.
The first was about people (that is, the Jews who escaped
—which is the remnant from captivity) and the second was about the city Jerusalem. The latter, of course, was the historic centre of Israel’s political and religious life, and so its well-being would reveal much about how the remnant was doing.
2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem.