Nehemiah 2

Nehemiah's Request to Artaxerxes

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.

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.

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?”

⁴Then the king said to me, “What is your request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.

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.”

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.

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;

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.

Nehemiah's Journey to Jerusalem

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.

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.

¹¹So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Call to Rebuild the Wall

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.”

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.

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?”

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.”

PreviousNehemiah 1

NextNehemiah 3

Nehemiah courageously approaches King Artaxerxes with his request to rebuild Jerusalem's walls, demonstrating remarkable faith and strategic planning. After receiving royal permission and resources, Nehemiah travels to Jerusalem where he conducts a secret nighttime inspection of the city's damaged fortifications. The chapter concludes with Nehemiah rallying the Jewish leaders and people to undertake the monumental task of reconstruction, marking the beginning of Jerusalem's physical and spiritual restoration.

Context

This chapter transitions from Nehemiah's initial grief and prayer in chapter 1 to the active implementation of God's calling, setting the stage for the detailed reconstruction efforts that follow.

Key Themes

Outline

1-8
Nehemiah's Request to ArtaxerxesNehemiah boldly asks the Persian king for permission and resources to rebuild Jerusalem, receiving favorable response through divine providence.
9-10
Journey to Jerusalem and Early OppositionNehemiah travels with royal escort to Jerusalem, immediately encountering hostility from regional opponents Sanballat and Tobiah.
11-16
Secret Inspection of the WallsNehemiah conducts a covert nighttime survey of Jerusalem's broken walls and burned gates to assess the scope of needed repairs.
17-20
The Call to RebuildNehemiah publicly challenges the people to rebuild the wall, sharing God's favor and the king's support, inspiring them to begin the work.

Nehemiah's Request to Artaxerxes

2:1–2:8

narrativedialoguehopeful

Nehemiah courageously presents his request to King Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem, receiving royal approval and resources. God's providential hand is evident in the king's favorable response.

person_contrast

Nehemiah transforms from cupbearer to construction manager in eight verses, uniquely combining his roles as royal servant and Jewish leader when requesting timber, letters, and military escort.

Nehemiah's Journey to Jerusalem

2:9–2:16

narrativenarrationcontemplative

Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem and secretly surveys the damaged walls by night, while facing initial opposition from local leaders. His careful reconnaissance demonstrates wise leadership preparation for the rebuilding project.

person_contrast

Nehemiah's nocturnal reconnaissance in verses 12-15 uniquely combines military strategy with divine guidance, as he alone surveys Jerusalem's ruins while emphasizing God's hand upon him.

The Call to Rebuild the Wall

2:17–2:20

narrativespeechurgent

Nehemiah calls the people to rebuild Jerusalem's wall despite opposition from local enemies. He emphasizes God's blessing and their divine mandate to restore the city.

person_contrast

Nehemiah's rallying cry "Come, let's build" (Hebrew *niv'neh*) echoes God's covenant language from Genesis, transforming construction vocabulary into covenant renewal terminology.

Nehemiah 2:4

2 Chronicles 7:14lexical

if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then…

Nehemiah 2:7

Ezra 8:36lexical

They delivered the king’s commissions to the king’s local governors and to the governors beyond the River. So they suppo…

Nehemiah 3:7lexical

Next to them, Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, repaired the residence…

Nehemiah 2:9

Nehemiah 3:7lexical

Next to them, Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, repaired the residence…

Ezra 8:36lexical

They delivered the king’s commissions to the king’s local governors and to the governors beyond the River. So they suppo…

1 Chronicles 19:16lexical

When the Syrians saw that they were defeated by Israel, they sent messengers and called out the Syrians who were beyond…

2 Samuel 10:16lexical

Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the River; and they came to Helam, with Shobach the captain o…

Nehemiah 2:10

Nehemiah 13:28lexical

One of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I ch…

Nehemiah 6:1lexical

Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arabian, and to the rest of our enemies that I had built the w…

Nehemiah 6:12lexical

I discerned, and behold, God had not sent him, but he pronounced this prophecy against me. Tobiah and Sanballat had hire…

Nehemiah 6:14lexical

“Remember, my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of…

Nehemiah 2:13

Nehemiah 3:13lexical

Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the valley gate. They built it, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its ba…

Nehemiah 12:31lexical

Then I brought the princes of Judah up on the wall, and appointed two great companies who gave thanks and went in proces…

Jeremiah 39:4lexical

When Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, then they fled and went out of the city by night, by th…

Jeremiah 52:7lexical

Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled, and went out of the city by night by the way of the gat…

2 Kings 25:4lexical

Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, w…

Nehemiah 2:15

Nehemiah 3:13lexical

Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the valley gate. They built it, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its ba…

Lamentations 2:18lexical

Their heart cried to the Lord. O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night. Give yours…

2 Chronicles 33:14lexical

Now after this, he built an outer wall to David’s city on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance at…

Jeremiah 52:7lexical

Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled, and went out of the city by night by the way of the gat…

2 Kings 25:4lexical

Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, w…

Nehemiah 2:16

Nehemiah 7:5lexical

My God put into my heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be listed by gen…

Nehemiah 5:7lexical

Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers, and said to them, “You exact usury, everyone…

Nehemiah 2:17

Nehemiah 1:3lexical

They said to me, “The remnant who are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach.…

Jeremiah 51:58lexical

The LORD of Armies says: “The wide walls of Babylon will be utterly overthrown. Her high gates will be burned with fire.…

Jeremiah 49:27lexical

“I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it will devour the palaces of Ben Hadad.”

Amos 1:14lexical

But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it will devour its palaces, with shouting in the day of battle, with…

Jeremiah 17:27lexical

But if you will not listen to me to make the Sabbath day holy, and not to bear a burden and enter in at the gates of Jer…

Nehemiah 2:19

Nehemiah 6:1lexical

Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arabian, and to the rest of our enemies that I had built the w…

Nehemiah 13:28lexical

One of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I ch…

Nehemiah 6:2lexical

Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come! Let’s meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they inten…

Nehemiah 6:6lexical

in which was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel. Beca…

Nehemiah 6:12lexical

I discerned, and behold, God had not sent him, but he pronounced this prophecy against me. Tobiah and Sanballat had hire…

Nehemiah 2:20

Ezra 4:3lexical

But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do…

Interlinear

Word-by-word original language

v. 1

v. 2

v. 3

v. 4

v. 5

v. 6

v. 7

v. 8

v. 9

v. 10

v. 11

v. 12

v. 13

v. 14

v. 15

v. 16

v. 17

v. 18

v. 19

v. 20

Historical Context

Places and events in this chapter

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