The Pulpit Commentary on Nehemiah 2:3

The Pulpit Commentary · Joseph S. Exell and contributors · Public domain

May the king live for ever. A common form of Oriental compliment (1 Kings 1:31; Daniel 2:4; Daniel 3:9, etc. ), but said now with special intention to conciliate, and meant to express a deep interest in the royal life and person.

The city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres. We see by this that Nehemiah's family must have belonged to the capital. The Persians, like the Jews, had a great respect for the tomb, and regarded its violation with horror.

Artaxerxes would naturally sympathise with the wish of his follower to give security to the city where his ancestors were interred. It would seem that the Persians generally at this time (Herod; 1.140), the kings certainly, buried their dead.

Lieth waste. Nehemiah's warmth of feeling exaggerates the fact; but he may have been unconscious of the exaggeration. He repeats the phrase to the chief men of Jerusalem after making his survey of the wall (verse 17).

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commentaryMatthew Henry on Nehemiah 2:1-8Our prayers must be seconded with serious endeavours, else we mock God. We are not limited to certain moments in our addresses to the King of kings, but have liberty to go to him at all times; approaches to the throne o…Matthew Henry commentaryNehemiah's Request to the King. (b. c. 445.)NEHEMIAH'S REQUEST TO THE KING. (B. C. 445.) When Nehemiah had prayed for the relief of his countrymen, and perhaps in David's words (Psalm 51:18, Build thou the walls of Jerusalem), he did not sit still and say, "Let G…Matthew Henry commentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Nehemiah 2:1-8Gaining 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 an…Joseph S. Exell and contributors commentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Nehemiah 2:1-8Sadness. 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 Jerusale…Joseph S. Exell and contributors commentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Nehemiah 2:1-8EXPOSITIONJoseph S. Exell and contributors commentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Nehemiah 2:1-8Prayer 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.…Joseph S. Exell and contributors commentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Nehemiah 2:1-8These 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…Joseph S. Exell and contributors commentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Nehemiah 2:3Sadness, when and how far justifiable. "Why should not my countenance be sad?" I. SADNESS IS OFTEN JUSTIFIABLE, OR EVEN COMMENDABLE. 1. Under great troubles. Stoicism is neither natural nor Christian. Troubles are meant…Joseph S. Exell and contributors