Nehemiah2
English Standard Version
1In the of , in the of , when was him, I the and it to the . Now I had been in his .
2And the to me, is your , seeing you are ? is of the . Then I was .
3I to the , Let the ! should my be , the , the of my ’ , lies in , and its have been by ?
4Then the to me, are you ? So I to the of .
5And I to the , it , and your has in your , you me to , to the of my ’ , that I may it.
6And the to me ( the ), How will you be , and will you ? So it to me when I had him a .
7And I to the , it , let be me the of the province the , they may let me I to ,
8and a to , the the , he may me to make for the of the of the , and the of the , and for the I shall . And the me what I asked, the of my was me.
9Then I to the of the province the and them the . had me of the and .
10But when the and the this, it them that had to the of the of .
11So I to and was .
12Then I in the , and a me. And I my had into my to for . There was me the on .
13I by by the the and to the , and I the of were and its that had been by .
14Then I to the and to the , but there was for the that was me to .
15Then I in the by the and the , and I and by the , and so .
16And the did I had or was , and I had the , the , the , the , and the who were to the .
17Then I to them, You the are in, lies in with its . , let us the of , that we may .
18And I them of the of my had been me for , and of the the had to me. And they , Let us rise and . So they their for the work.
19But when the and the and the of it, they at us and and , is you are ? Are you the ?
20Then I to them, The of will make us , and we his will and , but you have or or in .
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Nehemiah 2.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Nehemiah's request to the king. (1–8). Nehemiah comes to Jerusalem. (9–18). The opposition of the adversaries. (19, 20).
vv1-8
Our prayers must be seconded with serious endeavours, else we mock God. We are not limited to certain moments in our addresses to the King of kings, but have liberty to go to him at all times; approaches to the throne of grace are never out of season. But the sense of God's displeasure and the afflictions of his people, are causes of sorrow to the children of God, under which no earthly delights can comfort. The king encouraged Nehemiah to tell his mind. This gave him boldness to speak; much more may the invitation Christ has given us to pray, and the promise that we shall speed, encourage us to come boldly to the throne of grace. Nehemiah prayed to the God of heaven, as infinitely above even this mighty monarch. He lifted up his heart to that God who understands the language of the heart. Nor should we ever engage in any pursuit in which it would be wrong for us thus to seek and expect the Divine direction, assistance, and blessing. There was an immediate answer to his prayer; for the seed of Jacob never sought the God of Jacob in vain.
vv9-18
When Nehemiah had considered the matter, he told the Jews that God had put it into his heart to build the wall of Jerusalem. He does not undertake to do it without them. By stirring up ourselves and one another to that which is good, we strengthen ourselves and one another for it. We are weak in our duty, when we are cold and careless.
vv19-20
The enmity of the serpent's seed against the cause of Christ is confined to no age or nation. The application to ourselves is plain. The church of God asks for our help. Is it not desolate, and exposed to assaults? Does the consideration of its low estate cause you any grief? Let not business, pleasure, or the support of a party so engage attention, as that Zion and her welfare shall be nothing to you.
Key Words
חֹדֶשׁ: the new moon; by implication, a month
נִיסָן: Nisan, the first month of the Jewish sacred year
עֶשְׂרִים: twenty; also (ordinal) twentieth
שָׁנֶה: a year (as a revolution of time)
מֶלֶךְ: a king
אַרְתַּחְשַׁשְׁתָּא: Artachshasta (or Artaxerxes), a title (rather than name) of several Persian kings
יַיִן: wine (as fermented); by implication, intoxication
פָּנִים: the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.)
נָשָׂא: to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absolute and relative
נָתַן: to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
Cross References
Nehemiah 2Direct connection to Nehemiah's previous prayer to God for mercy in the king's presence.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB
Illuminates Persian court protocol making it dangerous or illegal to show sadness or mourning before the king.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Parallel phrase attributing safety, favor, and success to the gracious hand of God upon His servants.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Identical theological boundary set against foreign adversaries having a portion or right in Jerusalem's rebuilding.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Expresses identical deep sorrow and remembrance of Jerusalem above personal joy while in exile.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Identifies the duration of Nehemiah's government commission in Judah as lasting twelve years.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Theological parallel of God directing the heart of the king to grant Nehemiah's request.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Connects Nehemiah's appeal to his actual night inspection of the broken-down walls and gates.
Supported by JFB
Contrasts Ezra declining a military escort with Nehemiah accepting captains and horsemen.
Supported by JFB
Records the continuation of mockery and scorn from Sanballat and Tobiah as building begins.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The standard respectful formula of loyalty addressed to kings ('Let the king live for ever').
Supported by Matthew Poole
Repeats the precise distressful report that Jerusalem lies waste with its gates consumed by fire.
Supported by JFB
Shows standard formal Persian petition language ('If it please the king').
Supported by Matthew Poole
Identifies the gate of the fountain and pool of Siloah in the subsequent rebuilding list.
Supported by JFB