Nehemiah 2:8

Nehemiah 2:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
• New International Version (NIV)And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests.
• English Standard Version (ESV)and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy." And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.
• New King James Version (NKJV)and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.” And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.

Context of Nehemiah 2:8

6Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you return?” Since it pleased the king to send me, I set a time for him. 7I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let him give me letters for the governors of Trans-Euphrates that will enable me to pass through until I arrive in Judah, as well as a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest so he will give me lumber to make beams for the gates of the fortress adjacent to the Temple, for the wall of the city and for the residence I will occupy.” The king granted me the requests because the good hand of my God was upon me. 9Then I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and I gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officials and cavalry with me. 10When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite officials heard all this, they were very displeased that a man had come to seek the welfare of Bnei-Yisrael.

Nehemiah 2:8 word by word

וְאִגֶּ֡רֶת אֶל־אָסָף֩ שֹׁמֵ֨ר הַפַּרְדֵּ֜ס אֲשֶׁ֣ר לַמֶּ֗לֶךְ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִתֶּן־לִ֣י עֵצִ֡ים לְ֠קָרוֹת אֶת־שַׁעֲרֵ֨י הַבִּירָ֤ה אֲשֶׁר־לַבַּ֙יִת֙ וּלְחוֹמַ֣ת הָעִ֔יר וְלַבַּ֖יִת אֲשֶׁר־אָב֣וֹא אֵלָ֑יו וַיִּתֶּן־לִ֣י הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ כְּיַד־אֱלֹהַ֖י הַטּוֹבָ֥ה עָלָֽי׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And a letterאִגֶּ֫רֶת'iggereth · letterH107
• unto Asaphאָסָף'âsâph · AsaphH623
• the keeperשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: guardH8104
• of the king’sמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• forestפַּרְדֵּסpardês · parkH6508
• that he may giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• me timberעֵץ‛êts · tree: woodH6086
• to make beamsקָרָהqârâh · to lay beamsH7136
• for the gatesשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179
• of the palaceבִּירָהbîyrâh · palaceH1002
• to the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
• and for the wallחוֹמָהchômâh · wallH2346
• of the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• that I shall enter intoבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• me, according to the goodטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
• handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
• of my Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430

Cross-references for Nehemiah 2:8

• Nehemiah 2:17Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation we are in: Jerusalem is desolate and its gates have been burnt. Come! Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a disgrace.”
• Nehemiah 3:1Then Eliashib the kohen gadol and his brothers, the kohanim, arose and built the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set up its doors, dedicating it as far as the Tower of the Hundred and as far as the Tower of Hananel.
• Nehemiah 3:7Adjacent to them worked Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, men from Gibeon and Mizpah who are under the jurisdiction of the governor of Trans-Euphrates.
• Nehemiah 7:2I put in charge over Jerusalem, my brother Hanani along with Hananiah the commander of the fortress, for he was a man of integrity and feared God more than many.
• Nehemiah 2:18Then I told them how the good hand of my God was on me and the words that the king had said to me. Then they replied, “Let us begin building!” So they prepared themselves for this good work.
• Genesis 32:28Then He said to him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he said.
• Ezra 5:5But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and a written reply about it be returned.
• Ezra 6:22They celebrated the Feast of Matzot with joy for seven days, because Adonai had given them joy and had changed the heart of the king of Assyria toward them so as to strengthen their hands in the work on the House of God, the God of Israel.
• Ezra 7:6this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the Torah of Moses that Adonai the God of Israel had given. The king granted him everything he requested, because the hand of Adonai his God was upon him.
• Proverbs 21:1A king’s heart is like a stream of water in the hand of Adonai; he directs it wherever He wants.
• Isaiah 66:14You will see, your heart will rejoice, and your bones will flourish like grass. So the hand of Adonai will be known to His servants, and His indignation to His enemies.
• Daniel 1:9Now God caused the chief official to show mercy and compassion to Daniel.
• Acts 7:10He rescued him out of all his troubles and granted him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him governor over Egypt and all his household.
• Acts 26:22Since I have had God’s help, to this day I have stood here testifying to both small and great. I am saying nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to happen—
• 2 Corinthians 8:16But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same devotion for you.

Commentaries on Nehemiah 2:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8Asaph the keeper of the king's forest - הפרדס hapardes of the paradise of the king. This I believe is originally a Persian word; it frequently occurs in Arabic, ferdoos, and in Greek, , and in both signifies a pleasant garden, vineyard, pleasure garden, and what we call a paradise. Above the hall of audience, in the imperial palace at Dehli, the following Persian couplet is inscribed: - "If there be a paradise on the face of the earth, this is it, this is…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8The king‘s forest - Rather, park. The word used פרדס pardês compare ́ paradeisos found only here, in Ecclesiastes 2:5, and in Song of Song of Solomon 4:13 ), is of Persian, or at any rate of Aryan origin. The Persians signified by pariyadeza a walled enclosure, ornamented with trees, either planted or of natural growth, and containing numerous wild animals. The “paradise” here mentioned must have been in the neighborhood of Jerusalem, and may have…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8Temple fortress might mean the Tower of Hananel or the Tower of the Hundred. the gracious hand of my God was upon me: Nehemiah understood that God guided the king to grant these requests.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 6-96-9. the queen also sitting by him--As the Persian monarchs did not admit their wives to be present at their state festivals, this must have been a private occasion. The queen referred to was probably Esther, whose presence would tend greatly to embolden Nehemiah in stating his request; and through her influence, powerfully exerted it may be supposed, also by her sympathy with the patriotic design, his petition was granted, to go as deputy governor of…Read the comment

Topics related to Nehemiah 2:8

• Asaph
• Country
• Letters
• Nehemiah
• Passports

In the dictionaries

• Asaph
• God
• Fenced cities
• Forest
• Gate
• Laugh
• Palace
• Reproach
• Scorn
• Appertain

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