1.
And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.
Nisan. The first month (Abib, Exodus 12:2 , &c), called Nisan after the Captivity. This was four months after receiving the news (see App-51 .)
the twentieth year. The "seventy sevens" of Daniel 9:24-27 begin here (454 B.C.) The "seven sevens" (Daniel 9:25 ), or forty-nine years begin here, and end in 405 B.C.; marked by the completion and dedication of the second Temple. The "threescore and two sevens" (Daniel 9:26 ), or 434 years begin (or rather, follow on) in 405 B. C, and end in A.D. 29, the year of the Cross. The last "seven "is therefore, still future. The first four of the "seven sevens" ended in 426 B. C, marked by the Decree of Cyrus, which ended the Babylonian Servitude of seventy years. See App-50 , App-57 ,and App-58 .
Artaxerxes = the great king. An appellative (like Pharaoh, Czar, &c.) used of several kings of Persia. Synonymous with Artachshast (Arta = great, and Kshatza = king, preserved in the modern "Shah"). See App-57 and App-58 . This Artaxerxes was the great king ASTYAGES (of Herodotus), and ARSAMES (of Darius Hystaspis' Inscription), the husband of Esther, and father of Cyrus. He was also the Ahasuerus of Esther 1:1 , which means "the venerable king"; and he was also the "Darius the Mede" of Ezra 6:14 and Daniel 5:31 . See App-57 and App-58 .
wine. Hebrew. yayin. See App-27 .
2.
Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,
sorrow of heart. See Proverbs 15:13 .
3.
And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: 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?
Let the king live. The usual Oriental salutation.
lieth waste. Compare Nehemiah 1:3 . Impossible if Ezra with his 42,360 returned exiles were already there, and had rebuilt the temple! See notes on Nehemiah 1:2 ; Nehemiah 5:5 , and on the Chronological Structure (p. 617, with the notes on p. 618). See also note on Ezra 4:12 , p. 624.
God of heaven. See note on Nehemiah 1:5 .
4.
Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5.
And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.
6.
And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
the queen. Hebrew. ha-shegal = wife. Occurs only here and in Psalms 45:9 . Daniel 5:2 , Daniel 5:3 , Daniel 5:23 . Not a Hebrew word, but borrowed from the Akkadian sha = a bride, and gal = great. Used of a foreign queen. Here it would exactly suit "the great bride" or "foreign (Jewish) queen", Esther. (See notes on the Chronological Structure of Ezra-Nehemiah, p. 618.) Esther is introduced here (parenthetically) because of her sympathy and interest, which Nehemiah so greatly needed at this juncture, as Mordecai had needed it before (Esther 4:14 ).
sitting. Not reclining.
by = close to.
it pleased the king. The fruit of Nehemiah's prayer (Nehemiah 2:4 ).
7.
Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;
governors = pashas.
8.
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.
forest = park. Hebrew. pardes. A Persian word which occurs only here, Ecclesiastes 2:5 , and Song of Solomon 4:13 , where it is rendered "orchards". Septuagint renders it "paradise", which occurs twenty-eight times: (nine times = Eden, nineteen times = garden, Hebrew. gan .)
wall. Some codices, with one early printed edition, Syriac, and Vulgate, read "walls" (plural) These walls are the main subject of Nehemiah's section of the joint book.
that I shall enter into: or, whereunto I shall come.
hand. Figure of speech Anthropopatheia. Also put by Figure of speech Metonymy for God's purpose (Acts 4:28 , Acts 4:30 ); power (1 Chronicles 29:16 ), &c.
9.
Then 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.
captains = princes.
army = force.
10.
When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
SanbalLatin An Aramaic papyrus, recently (1909) discovered at Elephantine (in Egypt), was written by two Jews (Delaya and Shelemya) to the sons of this Sanballat, who is called the "governor of Samaria". Here ends the fourth of the ten Sedarim (or, Cycles for public reading) which commenced with Ezra 8:35 ; thus showing that the two books were and are to be regarded as one.
Tobiah the servant. Probably a freed slave.
heard. Nehemiah had come through Samaria. Compare Nehemiah 4:1-13 .
it grieved them. This is the first of six (see App-10 ) forms which the opposition took.
children = sons.
Israel. Again used of Judah. See note on Ezra 2:2 , and 1 Kings 12:17 .
11.
So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
12.
And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.
at Jerusalem: or, for Jerusalem.
13.
And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire.
by night. Could Nehemiah have gone thus secretly if Ezra had 42,360 Jews there? And what need for it? Nehemiah had only a few men, and was in the midst of enemies.
the gate. Note the twelve gates (corresponding with the twelve gates of Revelation 21:21 ). See App-59 .
port = gate.
viewed = kept peering into.
which were, &c. Hebrew text so written; but to be read, with some codices and three early printed editions, "how they were broken down".
14.
Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king's pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.
15.
Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned.
the brook. Hebrew. nahal, a torrent, mostly fed by rains. Not nahar, a constant river.
16.
And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work.
rulers. Hebrew. seganim, used of the Babylonian magistrates or prefects; occurs only in Ezra and Nehemiah.
did = was doing.
nor. Note the Figure of speech Paradiastole. App-6 .
the rest: i.e. of those who had accompanied Nehemiah.
17.
Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.
the distress. How so, if the Temple was already built?
18.
Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.
good work. This work was "good" because it was "prepared" by God. See Ephesians 2:10 .
19.
But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?
Gesnem. Called Gashmu (Nehemiah 6:6 ), an Arab Sheik. Like the other two, an alien. In Psalms 83:6 , all three nationalities associated as the enemies of Israel.
Arabian. Descendants of Hagar. Hence Hagarenes.
they laughed, &c The second form of opposition. See note on "grieved", Nehemiah 2:10 .
20.
Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.