Nehemiah 2:3

Nehemiah 2:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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?
• New International Version (NIV)but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
• English Standard Version (ESV)I said to the king, "Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?"
• New King James Version (NKJV)and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?”

Context of Nehemiah 2:3

1It was the month of Nisan, when King Artaxerxes had ruled Babylon for 20 years. I had the king's wine ready for him to drink. I took it to give to him. He saw that I was sad. I had not been sad in front of the king before. 2The king asked me, ‘Why are you sad? You are not ill. This must mean that you are very upset.’ I was very frightened. I replied to the king, ‘May the king live for ever! I am sad because enemies have destroyed the city where my ancestors are buried. They burned the city's gates.’ 4The king asked me, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ So I prayed to our God who rules from heaven. 5Then I said to the king, ‘Please sir, if you think it is a good idea and you are pleased with me, let me go to Judah. If you agree to send me there, I can build again the city where my ancestors are buried.’

Nehemiah 2:3 word by word

וָאֹמַ֣ר לַמֶּ֔לֶךְ הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ לְעוֹלָ֣ם יִחְיֶ֑ה מַדּ֜וּעַ לֹא־יֵרְע֣וּ פָנַ֗י אֲשֶׁ֨ר הָעִ֜יר בֵּית־קִבְר֤וֹת אֲבֹתַי֙ חֲרֵבָ֔ה וּשְׁעָרֶ֖יהָ אֻכְּל֥וּ בָאֵֽשׁ׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• liveחָיָהchâyâh · to liveH2421
• for everעוֹלָם‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm · forever: enduringH5769
• why should not my countenanceפָּנֶהpânîym · faceH6440
• be sadיָרַעyâra‛ · quiverH3415
• when the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• the placeבֵּיתbayith · betweenH1004
• of my fathers’אָב'âb · fatherH1
• sepulchresקֶ֫בֶרqeber qibrâh · graveH6913
• wasteחָרֵבchârêb · desolateH2720
• and the gatesשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179
• thereof are consumedאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
• with fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784

Cross-references for Nehemiah 2:3

• 1 Kings 1:31Then Bathsheba bent down low with her face towards the ground. She said, ‘I pray that my master King David will live for ever!’
• Daniel 2:4Then the wise men answered the king. (This is in the Aramaic language. ) They said, ‘King, live for ever! We are your servants. Tell us the dream. Then we will tell you what it means.’
• Daniel 3:9They said to the king, ‘King, live for ever!
• Daniel 5:10The king's mother heard the voices of the king and his officers. So she came into the room where they were having the party. She said to the king, ‘King, live for ever! Do not be afraid. Do not shake with fear!
• Daniel 6:6So the officers and rulers agreed together what they would do. They went to the king and they said, ‘King Darius, live for ever!
• Nehemiah 1:3They told me, ‘The Jews who returned to Judah are in much trouble. The walls of the city still have lots of holes in them. Fire has burned the city's gates down to the ground. So the people are very ashamed.’
• Psalms 102:14Her buildings have become broken stones and dust. But your servants still love your city. We are sad to see that it is broken down.
• Psalms 137:6I would rather my tongue could no longer move! Yes, I will always remember you, Jerusalem. You are the most important thing that I think about, more than anything else that makes me happy.
• Lamentations 2:9Zion's gates fell down on the ground. He destroyed them and he has broken them in pieces. The enemies have taken away our king and his sons to a foreign country. The people no longer understand God's Law. The Lord does not give messages to his prophets any more.
• 2 Chronicles 21:20Jehoram was 32 years old when he started to rule. He ruled in Jerusalem for eight years. When he died, nobody was sad. They buried him in the City of David, but not in the place where they had buried the other kings.
• 2 Chronicles 28:27Ahaz died and his people buried him in the City of David. But they did not bury him near the graves of Israel's kings. His son Hezekiah became king after him.
• 2 Chronicles 32:33Hezekiah died and his people buried him beside the graves of King David's descendants, near the top of the hill. At his death, all the people of Judah and those who lived in Jerusalem gave him great honour. Hezekiah's son Manasseh became king after him.

Commentaries on Nehemiah 2:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Let 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 speech in reference to Artaxerxes Mnemon, one of the Persian kings, , ' , "O King Artaxerxes, may you reign for ever," when speaking of the custom of presenting them annually with an offering of earth and water; as if they had said, May you reign for ever over these!Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3The 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.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3Nehemiah showed his loyalty by saying, May the king live forever! (compare Daniel 2:4), but he still admitted his sadness.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 2:3

• Countenance
• Country
• Nehemiah
• Patriotism

In the dictionaries

• Gate
• Laugh
• Nehemiah
• Prayer
• Reproach
• Scorn
• Countenance
• Ezra-Nehemiah
• Greeting
• Siege

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