Bede

And I appointed watchmen from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, etc. The watchmen of souls are not from the neophytes, nor from the common crowd, but they are to be established from those who, having been liberated by the grace of God from the struggle with vices, have accustomed their minds to Jerusalem, that is, to the vision of tranquil peace, who can say with the Apostle: "But our conversation is in heaven" (Philippians 3). …

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah ↗