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Kretzmann's Popular Commentary

Nehemiah 2:3

and said unto the king, Let the king live forever! the common formula of address to the king. Why should not my countenance be sad when the city, the place of my father's sepulchers, for Nehemiah seems to have been a descendant of the royal house of David, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? This explained the dejected air which Nehemiah wore even in the presence of the king.

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See also Nehemiah 2:3 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Nehemiah 2:3. _LET THE KING LIVE FOR EVER_] Far from wishing ill to my master, I wish him on the contrary to live and prosper for ever. AELIAN, _Hist. Var_. lib. i. c. 32, uses the same form of...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    THE CITY ... OF MY FATHERS’ SEPULCHRES - We may conclude from this that Nehemiah was of the tribe of Judah, as Eusebius and Jerome say that he was....

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 2 _ 1. The King's question (Nehemiah 2:1)_ 2. The King's permission (Nehemiah 2:3) 3. The arrival in Jerusalem and the night-ride (Nehemiah 2:9) 4. The resolution to build the wall ...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    NEHEMIAH 1:11 B - NEHEMIAH 2:8. NEHEMIAH RECEIVES PERMISSION FROM ARTAXERXES TO GO TO JERUSALEM AND REBUILD THE CITY WALLS. Nehemiah 1:1. the twentieth year of Artaxerxes: 444 B.C. I HAD NOT BEEN AFOR...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    LET THE KING LIVE. The usual Oriental salutation. LIETH WASTE. Compare Nehemiah 1:3. Impossible if Ezra with his 42,360 returned exiles were already there, and had rebuilt the temple! See notes on Neh...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _Let the king live for ever_ For this formula opening an address to a king see Daniel 2:4; Daniel 3:9. Cf. 1 Kings 1:31. _why should not my countenance be sad?_ i.e. how could it be otherwise than sa...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    WHY SHOULD NOT MY COUNTENANCE BE SAD, &C.— There is a piety due to one's own country, which cannot be extinguished by the pleasure or plenty of any other. It is no weakness to be deeply affected with...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    TEXT AND VERSE-BY-VERSE COMMENTS B. Nehemiah comes to Jerusalem 1. Nehemiah is given permission by Artaxerxes to make the trip. TEXT, NEHEMIAH 2:1-10 1 And it came about in the month Nisan, in the...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _AND SAID UNTO THE KING, LET THE KING LIVE FOR EVER: WHY SHOULD NOT MY COUNTENANCE BE SAD, WHEN THE CITY, THE PLACE OF MY FATHERS' SEPULCHRES, LIETH WASTE, AND THE GATES THEREOF ARE CONSUMED WITH FIRE...

  • Darby's translation notes (1890)

    2:3 place (c-24) Lit. 'house.'...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    NEHEMIAH'S RESOLVE TO REBUILD JERUSALEM This chapter gives an account of Nehemiah's request for leave to rebuild Jerusalem, his arrival there, and his survey of the ruined walls, which it was decided...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    When Nehemiah heard the bad news from *Judah, he prayed. He asked God to help him so that he could say the right thing to the king. 4 months later he had his opportunity. He did not waste the 4 months...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    THE *JEWS BUILD JERUSALEM’S CITY WALL AGAIN NEHEMIAH _ROBERT BRYCE AND ROBERT BETTS_ CHAPTER 2 V1 It was the month called Nisan in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes’ rule. I was serving the king w...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    Nehemiah’s family was of Jerusalem. He does not as yet betray to the king the deepest desire of his heart, but simply refers to the desecration of his fathers’ sepulchres, an appeal which had great fo...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    II. (1-8) Nehemiah’s appeal to the king....

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וָ אֹמַ֣ר לַ † מֶּ֔לֶךְ הַ מֶּ֖לֶךְ...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    THE PRAYER ANSWERED Nehemiah 2:1 NEHEMIAH'S prayer had commenced on celestial heights of meditation among thoughts of Divine grace and glory, and when it had stooped to earth it had swept over the wi...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    A PATRIOT'S SELF-SACRIFICE Nehemiah 2:1 The seventh month answers to our March or April, so that four months had passed since Nehemiah had set himself to special prayer. Between the king's second que...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    Nehemiah's sadness could not wholly be hidden. He had not been habitually a sad man, as he himself declares; but the sorrow of his nation manifested itself as he stood before the king. It has been sug...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Live; an usual salutation, Daniel iii. 9., and v. 10. So \'c6lian (var. i. 32.) says, "O king Artaxerxes, mayst thou reign for ever." --- Father, ver. 5. He knew that the Persians shewed great regard...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    (2) Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, (3) And said unto the king, Let the ki...

  • John Brown Commentaries Selected Books of the Bible

    Preparation and Equipment Luke 14:27-31 (NKJV) "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 2, 3, 4, 5, AND 6. The time in which Nehemiah laboured for the good of his people was not one of those brilliant phases which, if faith be there, awaken even...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, [lieth] waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fir...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Let the king live for ever_ My sadness comes not from any disaffection to the king, for whom my hearty prayers are that he may live for ever, but from another cause. _Why should I not be sad, when th...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    1 Artaxerxes vnderstanding the cause of Nehemiahs sadnesse, sendeth him with letters and commission to Ierusalem. 9 Nehemiah, to the griefe of the enemies, commeth to Ierusalem. 12 Hee vieweth secre...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    This exercise of Nehemiah continued for four months following the information he received, and finally came to a head in the month Nisan (corresponding to March or April), when Nehemiah was serving wi...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    1-8 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; ap...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    LET THE KING LIVE FOREVER: my sadness comes not from any discontent with my own condition, or any disaffection to the king, for whom my hearty prayers are that he may live forever; but from another ca...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Nehemiah 2:3 said H559 (H8799) king H4428 king H4428 live H2421 (H8799) forever H5769 face H6440 sad...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    NEHEMIAH'S SUCCESSFUL APPROACH TO THE KING AND HIS SUBSEQUENT COMMISSION (NEHEMIAH 2:1). Having reached his decision before God Nehemiah now carried it out into practise. He came into the king's pres...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Nehemiah's visit to Jerusalem by permission of Artaxerxes. CHARACTERS: God, Artaxerxes, Nehemiah, Sanballat, Tobiah, Asaph, Geshem. CONCLUSION: The Christian should be concerned in the sor...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Nehemiah 2:1. _Nisan._ See the chronology, Exodus 12. Artaxerxes was well disposed towards the Jews. He had sent Ezra to Jerusalem in the seventh year of his reign; he now sends Nehemiah in the twenti...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _And it came to pass in the month Nizan._ DIVINE INTERPOSITION I. Was opportune. 1. That God’s plans are worked out with the utmost precision. 2. That God often interferes on His people’s behalf w...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    NEHEMIAH 2:1 Nehemiah Gains Permission to Return and Inspects Jerusalem’s Walls. Nehemiah is allowed to go to Jerusalem (vv. Nehemiah 2:1). He surveys the walls, finding them in very poor condition (v...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    NEHEMIAH—NOTE ON NEHEMIAH 2:3 LET THE KING LIVE FOREVER! Nehemiah first shows his loyalty and explains the reason for his grief, without yet making his request. MY FATHERS’ GRAVES. He may think that t...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    EXPLANATORY NOTES.] NEHEMIAH 2:1. NISAN] Called Abib in Exodus 13:4, first month in Hebrew national year. Corresponds to parts of our March and April. NEHEMIAH 2:3. LET THE KING LIVE FOR EVER] (Heb....

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION NEHEMIAH 2:1 IN THE MONTH NISAN. The fourth month after Chisleu, corresponding nearly to our April. How it came about that Nehemiah did not put the king's favour to the proof until more th...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    "You've never been sad in my presence before, what's wrong with you?" And so Nehemiah opened up his heart. Actually, the king had asked him a question and the king discerned. He said, "It's obviously...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Kings 1:31; 2 Chronicles 21:20; 2 Chronicles 28:27; 2 Chronicles 32:33;...

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    REBUILDING THE WALL Nehemiah 2:1 INTRODUCTORY WORDS As we study the Book of Nehemiah we learn the truth of that old saying, "God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform." This was true in...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Why should, &c. — All the grievances of the church, but especially its desolations, ought to be matter of grief to all good people, to all that have a concern for God's honour, and are of a public spi...

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