Revised Webster's Bible
Nehemiah 2:3
3And said to 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 its gates are consumed with 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?”
- 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
1And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it to the king. Now I had not in times past been sad in his presence. 2Therefore the king said to me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing but sorrow of heart. Then I was very greatly afraid, And said to 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 its gates are consumed with fire? 4Then the king said to me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5And I said to the king, If it should please the king, and if thy servant hath found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build 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
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- liveחָיָהchâyâh · to liveH2421
- everעוֹלָם‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm · forever: enduringH5769
- countenanceפָּנֶהpânîym · faceH6440
- sadיָרַעyâra‛ · quiverH3415
- cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- placeבֵּיתbayith · betweenH1004
- fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1
- sepulchresקֶ֫בֶרqeber qibrâh · graveH6913
- wasteחָרֵבchârêb · desolateH2720
- gatesשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179
- consumedאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
Cross-references for Nehemiah 2:3
- 1 Kings 1:31Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever.
- Daniel 2:4Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Syrian, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.
- Daniel 3:9They spoke and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.
- Daniel 5:10Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spoke and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:
- Daniel 6:6Then these presidents and princes assembled to the king, and said thus to him, King Darius, live for ever.
- Nehemiah 1:3And they said to me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.
- Psalms 102:14For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour her dust.
- Psalms 137:6If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
- Lamentations 2:9Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars: her king and her princes are among the Gentiles: the law is no more ; her prophets also find no vision from the LORD.
- 2 Chronicles 21:20Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years, and departed without being desired. Yet they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings.
- 2 Chronicles 28:27And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem: but they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.
- 2 Chronicles 32:33And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the chief of the sepulchres of the sons of David: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honour at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.
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
Revised Webster's Bible — 1833 — Public Domain
Commentaries