English Standard Version
Nehemiah 2:3
3I 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?"
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?”
- 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?”
- New Living Translation (NLT)but I replied, “Long live the king! How can I not be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”
Context of Nehemiah 2:3
1In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 2And the king said to me, "Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart." Then I was very much afraid. 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?" 4Then the king said to me, "What are you requesting?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5And 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."
Read all of Nehemiah 2Nehemiah 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 bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and said, "May my lord King David live forever!"
- Daniel 2:4Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, "O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation."
- Daniel 3:9They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live forever!
- Daniel 5:10The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, "O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change.
- Daniel 6:6Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, "O King Darius, live forever!
- Nehemiah 1:3And they said to me, "The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire."
- Psalms 102:14For your servants hold her stones dear and have pity on her dust.
- Psalms 137:6Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!
- Lamentations 2:9Her gates have sunk into the ground; he has ruined and broken her bars; her king and princes are among the nations; the law is no more, and her prophets find no vision from the Lord.
- 2 Chronicles 21:20He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed with no one's regret. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
- 2 Chronicles 28:27And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Chronicles 32:33And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the upper part of the tombs of the sons of David, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honor at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his place.
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
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries