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
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