Nehemiah 2:2-3

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Nehemiah 2:1-8

When Nehemiah had prayed for the relief of his countrymen, and perhaps in David's words (Ps. 51:18; Build thou the walls of Jerusalem), he did not sit still and say, ?Let God now do his own work, for I have no more to do,? but set himself to forecast what he could do towards it. Our prayers must be seconded with our serious endeavours, else we mock God. Nearly four months passed, from Chisleu to Nisan (from November to March), before Nehemiah made his application to the king for leave to go to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Nehemiah 2:2

Wherefore the king said unto me, why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick ?.... He had no disorder upon him to change his countenance and make him sorrowful, and therefore asks what should be the reason of it: this is nothing else but sorrow of heart; this is not owing to any bodily disease or pain, but some inward trouble of mind; or "wickedness of heart" F16 רע לב πονηρια καρδιας , Sept. "malum nescio quod in corde tuo est", V. L. , some ill design in his mind,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Nehemiah 2:3

And I said unto the king, let the king live for ever ,.... Which some think he said to take off the king's suspicion of his having a design upon his life, though it seems to be a common salutation of the kings in those times, see Daniel 6:6 , 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 ? a man's native place, and where his ancestors lie interred, being always reckoned near and... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Nehemiah 2:2

Then I was very sore afraid - Probably the king spoke as if he had some suspicion that Nehemiah harboured some bad design, and that his face indicated some conceived treachery or remorse. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Nehemiah 2:3

Let 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, Βασιλευ Αρταξερξη, δι ' αιωνος βασιλευοις , "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 more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 2:1-8

Prayer answered. Three or four months bad passed since Nehemiah first heard of the distressed condition of his brethren at Jerusalem, and began to pray for them, and that he might be permitted to visit and relieve them. So long the answer to his prayer was delayed. But he doubtless continued to pray, and at length the answer came. Meanwhile, he would be able to ripen his plans, and prepare himself for his enterprise. Notice— I. THE OPPORTUNITY AT LENGTH AFFORDED HIM .... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 2:1-8

Sadness. I. THAT IT WAS THE OUTCOME OF A TRUE PATRIOTISM ( Nehemiah 2:2 ). This sadness was not occasioned by temporal loss, by domestic bereavement, or by unfaithful friendship, but by the desolated condition of Jerusalem. The city was "waste." Many cities of our own country are laid waste by sin; the good man cannot be indifferent, he must sympathise with and help the work of moral restoration. If men are anxious about the walls, they ought to be much more so about the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 2:1-8

Gaining the cause. It was a time of great suspense, hardest of all things for human hearts to bear. The future of Jerusalem now hung on the building of the wall, and this depended on Nehemiah's personal interposition and upon Artaxerxes' pleasure. When great events depend on a single circumstance, issues deep and grave on the charge of a regiment, on the skill of a statesman, on the caprice of a king, we may well wait in anxiety. Nothing could be done now for Jerusalem, speaking humanly,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 2:1-8

These verses describe the circumstances in which Nehemiah obtained his commission as restorer of Jerusalem. They show that he was prospered, and that his prosperity was due to the blessing of God. We may notice— I. The REWARD OF FAITH IN THE ANSWER TO PRAYER . 1. The faith was tried by waiting . Opportunity must not be made by hasty, presumptuous attempts to command events, but by watching Providence. Nehemiah still prayed, and then on a certain day he could say, It... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 2:2

The king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad? This "kindly question" put by the great king to his humble retainer is his best claim to the favourable judgment of later ages. History puts him before us as a weak monarch, one who could compromise the royal dignity by making terms with a revolted subject, while he disgraced it by breaking faith with a conquered enemy. But if weak as a king, as a man he was kind-hearted and gentle. Few Persian monarchs would have been sufficiently... read more

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