Nehemiah 2: The king sends Nehemiah, and the night ride around the wall
A free study, verse by verse. Text: World English Bible. Notes come from the Hebrew. How to read a study
What happens?
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, the king sees that Nehemiah's face is sad. Nehemiah tells him the city of his fathers' tombs lies waste, prays to the God of heaven, and asks to be sent to Judah to rebuild it. The king sends him with letters, and Sanballat and Tobiah are very displeased. After three days in Jerusalem Nehemiah goes out by night to look at the wall, then tells the Jews, priests, nobles and officials. They say, "Let's rise up and build." Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem mock them, and Nehemiah answers.
Who is speaking?
God does not speak in this chapter, so nothing is in gold. Nehemiah tells it as "I". The king speaks in verses 2, 4 and 6, and Nehemiah answers him in verses 3, 5 and 7 to 8. In verse 17 Nehemiah speaks to the Jews, priests, nobles and officials. In verse 18 "they" say "Let's rise up and build." In verse 19 Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem speak, and in verse 20 Nehemiah answers them. The "God of heaven" in verses 4 and 20 is named by Nehemiah, not speaking. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1In the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, I picked up the wine, and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad before in his presence.
In plain English: In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, wine was in front of the king. I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before.
Good to know: The text says "the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king". also says "the twentieth year" and does not say of whom. This verse names the month, Nisan, and gives no calendar date. It says here that Nehemiah had not been sad before the king.
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2The king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart.” Then I was very much afraid.
In plain English: The king said to me, "Why is your face sad, when you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart." Then I was very much afraid.
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3I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why shouldn’t my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates have been consumed with fire?”
In plain English: I 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 have been consumed by fire?"
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4Then the king said to me, “What is your request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
In plain English: Then the king said to me, "What are you asking for?" So I prayed to the God of heaven.
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5I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you would send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may build it.”
In plain English: I said to the king, "If it seems good to the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, so that I can rebuild it."
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6The king said to me (the queen was also sitting by him), “How long will your journey be? When will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set a time for him.
In plain English: The king said to me, with the queen sitting beside him, "How long will your journey be, and when will you come back?" It seemed good to the king to send me, and I gave him a time.
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7Moreover I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah;
In plain English: I also said to the king, "If it seems good to the king, let letters be given to me for the governors beyond the River, so that they let me pass through until I come to Judah,
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8and 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 citadel by the temple, for the wall of the city, and for the house that I will occupy.” The king granted my requests, because of the good hand of my God on me.
In plain English: and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest (or: park, orchard), so that he gives me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel that belongs to the house, for the wall of the city, and for the house that I will go into." The king gave them to me, because of the good hand of my God on me (or: the hand of my God, which was good, on me).
The Hebrew word: "Forest" is pardes, which the dictionary gives as "a park". The word is in this verse only in Nehemiah, and the WEB says "forest".
What changes: With "forest" the letter goes to the keeper of the king's woodland. With "park" or "orchard" it goes to the keeper of a king's enclosed grounds. Either way the letter asks him for timber.
The Hebrew words: "The good hand of my God on me" is yad (hand), elohim (God) and tov (good), then "on me". The word "good" comes after "my God", so it can go with "hand" (the hand that was good) or tell how the hand was on him (for good).
What changes: The verse says the king gave the letters because of God's hand. With either reading the hand is God's. The text does not say how the hand was on him.
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9Then I came to the governors beyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.
In plain English: Then I came to the governors beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. The king had also sent army commanders and horsemen with me.
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10When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, because a man had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
In plain English: Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard about it. It was very displeasing to them that someone had come to seek good for the children of Israel.
Good to know: The text names Sanballat as "the Horonite" and Tobiah as "the servant, the Ammonite". It says nothing more about either man here. In verse 19 Geshem is named "the Arab".
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11So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
In plain English: So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days.
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12I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I didn’t tell anyone what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There wasn’t any animal with me except the animal that I rode on.
In plain English: I got up in the night, I and a few men with me. I told no one what my God was putting into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me except the one I was riding.
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13I went out by night by the valley gate toward the jackal’s well, then to the dung gate; and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and its gates were consumed with fire.
In plain English: I went out by night by the valley gate, toward the jackal's well (or: the Spring of the Dragons), and to the dung gate. I looked over the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and its gates, which had been consumed by fire.
The Hebrew word: "Jackal's well" is the Hebrew ain hatannin, spring of the tannin. The dictionary gives tannin as "a marine or land monster, i.e. sea-serpent or jackal". The word is in this verse only in Nehemiah, and the WEB says "jackal".
What changes: With "jackal" the spring is named for the animal. With the dictionary's "sea-serpent" or "monster" it is named for a creature of that kind, so the name can also be read "Spring of the Dragons". The text does not say why the spring has that name.
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14Then I went on to the spring gate and to the king’s pool, but there was no place for the animal that was under me to pass.
In plain English: Then I passed on to the spring gate and to the king's pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to pass through.
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15Then I went up in the night by the brook and inspected the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley gate, and so returned.
In plain English: So I went up in the night by the brook (or: stream bed) and looked over the wall. Then I turned back, entered by the valley gate, and returned.
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16The rulers didn’t know where I went, or what I did. I had not as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest who did the work.
In plain English: The officials (or: rulers) did not know where I had gone or what I was doing. I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials or the rest who did the work.
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17Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let’s build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we won’t be disgraced.”
In plain English: Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, so that we will no longer be a disgrace (or: reproach)."
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18I told them about the hand of my God which was good on me, and also about the king’s words that he had spoken to me. They said, “Let’s rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
In plain English: I told them about the hand of my God, which was good on me (or: how the hand of my God was on me for good), and also about the king's words that he had spoken to me. They said, "Let us get up and build." So they made their hands strong for the good work.
Good to know: "The hand of my God which was good on me" is the same phrase as in , with the same two readings of where "good" goes.
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19But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they ridiculed us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?”
In plain English: When Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arab heard it, they mocked us and despised us. They said, "What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?"
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20Then I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven will prosper us. Therefore we, his servants, will arise and build; but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem.”
In plain English: I answered them, "The God of heaven will give us success. So we, his servants, will get up and build, but you have no share, no right and no memorial in Jerusalem."
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