This frankincense was very costly; it was brought on camels' backs from Arabia, where it was obtained by making incisions in the bark of a tree which grew in no other country.

Out of these incisions oozed the gummy juice of the tree, and from this was made the frankincense.

It was very rare, and could only be obtained occasionally, and therefore it was important to store it carefully in the temple.
Nehemiah wonders if the stores of the temple are in good condition, and he throws open the door of one of the chambers, to see if its contents are plentiful and well-stored.

As he does so, he starts back in dismay.
The whole place is altered, utterly and completely transformed.

The small rooms have all been thrown into one vast chamber, the partition walls have been removed, the corn, the wine, the oil, the frankincense, and all the other stores are nowhere to be seen, they have all been cleared away; the vessels in use in the temple, the knives for cutting up the sacrifices, the censers for incense, the priests' robes and other garments have all disappeared.