Amplified Bible
Nehemiah 2:5
5I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your presence, [I ask] that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, so that I may rebuild it.”
Nehemiah 2:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it.
- New International Version (NIV)and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it."
- New King James Version (NKJV)And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”
Context of Nehemiah 2:5
3and I said to the king, “Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?” 4The king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your presence, [I ask] that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, so that I may rebuild it.” 6The king, beside whom the queen was sitting, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time [for my return]. 7Then I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the provinces beyond the [Euphrates] River, so that they will allow me to pass through until I reach Judah,
Read all of Nehemiah 2Nehemiah 2:5 word by word
וָאֹמַ֣ר לַמֶּ֔לֶךְ אִם־עַל־הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ ט֔וֹב וְאִם־יִיטַ֥ב עַבְדְּךָ֖ לְפָנֶ֑יךָ אֲשֶׁ֧ר תִּשְׁלָחֵ֣נִי אֶל־יְהוּדָ֗ה אֶל־עִ֛יר קִבְר֥וֹת אֲבֹתַ֖י וְאֶבְנֶֽנָּה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And I saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- If it pleaseטוֹבţôb · be pleasingH2895
- and if thy servantעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- have found favourיָטַבyâţab · be goodH3190
- in thy sightפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- that thou wouldest sendשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
- me unto Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
- unto the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- of my fathers’אָב'âb · fatherH1
- sepulchresקֶ֫בֶרqeber qibrâh · graveH6913
- that I may buildבָּנָהbânâh · to buildH1129
Cross-references for Nehemiah 2:5
- Ezra 5:17So now, if it pleases the king, let a search be conducted in the king’s treasure house [in the royal archives] there in Babylon to see if it is true that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to rebuild this house of God at Jerusalem; and let the king send us his decision concerning this matter.”
- Esther 1:19If it pleases the king, let a royal command be issued by him and let it be written in the laws of the Persians and Medes so that it cannot be repealed or modified, that Vashti is no longer to come before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to another who is better and more worthy than she.
- Esther 5:8if I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and to do as I request, may the king and Haman come to the banquet that I will prepare for them; and tomorrow I will do as the king says [and express my request].”
- Esther 7:3Then Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be spared as my petition, and my people [be spared] as my request;
- Esther 8:5Then she said, “If it pleases the king and if I have found favor before him and the matter is proper in the king’s view and I am pleasing in his sight, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, which he wrote [in order] to destroy the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces.
- Ruth 2:13Then she said, “Let me find favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not as one of your maidservants.”
- 2 Samuel 14:22Joab bowed his face toward the ground and lay himself down and blessed the king. Then Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has done the request of his servant.”
- Proverbs 3:4So find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.
Commentaries on Nehemiah 2:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5The city of my fathers' sepulchres - The tombs of the dead were sacred among the ancients, and nothing could appear to them more detestable than disturbing the ashes or remains of the dead. Nehemiah knew that in mentioning this circumstance he should strongly interest the feelings of the Persian king.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5send me to Judah...so that I may rebuild it: Artaxerxes’ willingness to consider this proposal is surprising given Jerusalem’s history of rebellions against Persia (Ezra 4:17–23). The king might have seen Nehemiah’s plan as a way to strengthen his control over a problematic area of his empire.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-52-5. the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad?--It was deemed highly unbecoming to appear in the royal presence with any weeds or signs of sorrow (Es 4:2); and hence it was no wonder that the king was struck with the dejected air of his cupbearer, while that attendant, on his part, felt his agitation increased by his deep anxiety about the issue of the conversation so abruptly begun. But the piety and intense earnestness of the man immediately…Read the comment
Topics related to Nehemiah 2:5
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Nehemiah 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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