Chapter Two

1–5. Nehemiah’s request for permission to go to Judah. 7–8. Royal letters given to Nehemiah. 9–10. Nehemiah’s arrival in Jerusalem. 11–16. Nehemiah’s inspection of the ruined walls of Jerusalem. 17–18. The decision to rebuild the walls. 19–20. The attitude of the enemies of the Jewish people toward Nehemiah’s undertaking.

Nehemiah 2:1. In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, wine was before him. And I took wine and gave it to the king, and I appeared not sad in his presence. Nehemiah 2:2. But the king said to me: Why is your countenance sad? You are not ill—this is not the case—but surely there is sadness in your heart? I became very afraid. Nehemiah 2:3. And I said to the king: May the king live forever! How should my face not be sad when the city, the place of the tombs of my fathers, is in ruin, and its gates are burned with fire? Nehemiah 2:4. And the king said to me: What do you desire? I prayed to the God of heaven. Nehemiah 2:5. And I said to the king: If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, send me to Judah, to the city where the tombs of my fathers are, that I may rebuild it. Nehemiah 2:6. And the king said to me, and the queen who was sitting beside him: How long shall your journey take, and when will you return? And it pleased the king to send me, after I had specified a time. The event recounted in verses 1–6 happened in the same year, but a month later than what is mentioned in chapter I. According to the Jewish calendar, Kislev was the ninth month and Nisan the first; according to the civil calendar, however, Kislev was the third month and Nisan the seventh. Apparently Nehemiah uses civil reckoning. From the biblical account it is not evident why Nehemiah turned to the king with his request only four months after receiving the news about the sad condition of affairs in Jerusalem. It is possible that the duty of cupbearer was not performed by him constantly, but in turn with others, and therefore he had to wait for a time when he could see the king. Nehemiah addressed his request to the king during a feast (“wine was before him”; the LXX and Syriac read: “wine was before me,” ἐνώπιον ἐμοῦ), while serving him wine from a cup. The conversation was begun by the king himself, who noticed that Nehemiah, contrary to the customs of the court (Esth 4:2), had a sad appearance, though he was trying to hide his sorrow. In the LXX instead of the Hebrew: “and I appeared not sad in his presence,” καὶ ὀυκ ἤ ἕτεπος ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, Slavonic: “and it was not otherwise before him.”

Nehemiah 2:2. But the king said to me: Why is your countenance sad? You are not ill—this is not the case—but surely there is sadness in your heart? I became very afraid. In spite of the king’s sympathetic question, Nehemiah, by his own account, “became very afraid”—perhaps for the outcome of his request, which could anger the king. Parallel to verse 2 is the account by the historian Herodotus about Darius and Xerxes, that they put to death courtiers suspected of unwillingness to accompany them on campaigns and of desire to withdraw from court.

Nehemiah 2:3. And I said to the king: May the king live forever! How should my face not be sad when the city, the place of the tombs of my fathers, is in ruin, and its gates are burned with fire? The words “May the king live forever!” constituted the usual expression of good wishes which was ordinarily used when addressing the king (cf. Dan 2:4; 1 Kgs 1:31). In answer to the king’s question, Nehemiah states the cause of his sorrow—the ruin of Jerusalem. By the “place of the tombs of his fathers” he designates Jerusalem itself, wishing to convey how close the fate of the city was to his heart. He does not mention a higher, religious significance of the city, perhaps because it would not have been fully understood by the pagan king. The word beith “place” is used in the expression instead of ir “city” in a broad sense, as it is used in names of cities like Beth-Galchol, Beth-Nimrah and others.

Nehemiah 2:4. And the king said to me: What do you desire? I prayed to the God of heaven. Nehemiah 2:5. And I said to the king: If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, send me to Judah, to the city where the tombs of my fathers are, that I may rebuild it. Nehemiah 2:6. And the king said to me, and the queen who was sitting beside him: How long shall your journey take, and when will you return? And it pleased the king to send me, after I had specified a time. In response to the king’s question about Nehemiah’s desire, the latter, having silently offered a prayer to God, addresses a request to the king to send him to Judah to rebuild Jerusalem. After he indicated the time necessary for the journey, the king gave his consent to grant the request. The brief does not tell exactly what time was fixed by Nehemiah. But from the course of the narrative it can be concluded that Nehemiah fixed a short time, and if he stayed in Jerusalem for 12 years (Neh 5:14), it was probably at the request of subsequent extensions of his time away.

Nehemiah 2:7. And I said to the king: If it please the king, let him give me letters to the governors beyond the river, that they may grant me passage until I come to Judah, Nehemiah 2:8. and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber for the gates of the fortress which is at the house of God, and for the city wall, and for the house in which I will live. And the king gave to me, for the hand of my God was good upon me. In order to achieve his goals more successfully, Nehemiah asks the king for letters to the governors beyond the river, that is, beyond the Euphrates, and to the keeper of the king’s forest Asaph. These letters given to Nehemiah evidently contained detailed explanations of the matter Nehemiah had planned. “To the keeper of the king’s forest” (pardes), compare (Song 4:3; Eccl 2:5). What forests are meant here is not known. According to ancient interpreters, here is meant regio a Libano ad Antilibanum protensa et arboribus amoenissimis consita—the northern end of Coele-Syria. But this is hardly correct, since the forest spoken of in the passage under consideration must have been near Jerusalem. Keil thinks that in (Neh 2:7) is meant the forest of olives and sycamores mentioned in (1 Chr 27:28) in the valley, which belonged to David and later, probably, passed into the possession of the conquering kings. But it is hardly possible that verse 7 refers to this forest, since it could not have provided material for the building undertaken by Nehemiah. Josephus (Antiquities VIII, 7, 3) speaks of beautiful gardens of Solomon in Etham, not far from Jerusalem to the south. It is possible that the passage in the book of Nehemiah refers to these gardens, which once belonged to the royal house. It is probable that the whole country from Etham to the so-called mountain of the Franks or Jebel el-Ferdis (pardes) was once covered with forest. The keeper of the king’s forest was to supply Nehemiah with material 1) for the gates of the fortress (birah), which was at the house of God, 2) for the city wall, and 3) for the building of his own house. The fortress of the temple mentioned in verse 8, birah, or in Greek pronunciation βᾶρις, was probably built where later the fortress was built by kings and high priests from the family of the Maccabees (Antiquities XV, 11, 4) and which later, at the restoration of the temple by Herod, was called Antonia. About the location of Antonia, which was a large four-sided fortress with towers, courts, and broad squares for soldiers, it is known precisely only that it was north of the temple square. Whether the birah of Nehemiah’s time was the same as the βᾶρις of the Maccabean princes and Antonia is not known. From the passage we are considering, we only know that it had many gates leading into it and that its walls enclosed, consequently, a considerable area. 2) The narrative is about one wall of the city. Wood was not used for the wall, but for the gates in the wall (Neh 3:3). Nehemiah’s request for material for the building of a house for himself is probably explained by the fact that Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem in the capacity of governor (pechah), (Neh 5:14).

Nehemiah 2:9. And I came to the governors beyond the river and gave them the king’s letters. The king also sent with me military commanders and horsemen. “And I came to the governors beyond the river.” Josephus (Antiquities XI, 5, 6–7) tells us that the governor of the regions—Syria, Phoenicia, and Samaria—at that time was Adaios. As an official and occupying a high position, Nehemiah was accompanied by a detachment of horsemen, who later, without doubt, remained with him also in Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 2:10. When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite, a servant, heard of this, it was very displeasing to them that someone had come to promote the welfare of the sons of Israel. Nehemiah’s arrival with the intention to arrange the affairs of the Jews alarmed the enemies of the Jews, and especially those persons who stood at their head. Sanballat—a name of Assiro-Babylonian origin (“Sin grants life”). The surname Horonite was given to him from the name Beth-horon. These names are known from two cities lying on the way from Jerusalem to Lydda, which once belonged to the tribe of Ephraim (Josh 16:3), and in the time of Nehemiah were part of the Samaria region (III, 34). Tobiah, “the Ammonite servant” was probably an official appointed by the Persian king over the Ammonites. He was, it seems, the favorite of Sanballat and his chief advisor. The reason for the displeasure of the named persons at Nehemiah’s arrival was the fear that Samaria, which had risen after the fall of Jerusalem, would lose its importance with the restoration of Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 2:11. So I came to Jerusalem. And I was there three days, Nehemiah 2:12. and I rose up in the night, I and a few men with me, and I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem; there was no animal with me except the one on which I rode. Nehemiah 2:13. And I went out by night through the Valley Gate toward the Dragon’s Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been burned with fire. After three days of rest, Nehemiah, intending to carry out his plans for the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem, first made an inspection of them. Fearing treachery from the enemies, Nehemiah made the inspection secretly—at night and without companions. “The Valley Gate,” mentioned also in (2 Chr 26:9; Neh 3:13), received its name from the fact that it led into the Valley of Hinnom (II, 20), which surrounded Jerusalem from the west and south. Most archaeologists point to this gate on the west, at the site of the Jaffa Gate, while others place it on the south, at the site of the so-called Gate of the Essenes. The Valley Gate probably corresponds to the present-day Jaffa Gate on the western side. The mention of the Dragon’s Spring (the LXX πρὸς στόμα πηγῆς τῶν συκῶν, Slavonic: “toward the mouth of the spring of figs”) is found only here. The location of this spring is not precisely known. Various authors have placed it in different locations and identified it with the present-day Birket Hammam Sitti Mariam, or with the spring of Rogel mentioned in (1 Kgs 1:9), with the Virgin’s Spring, or with the Siloam Spring, or with the Upper Pool (Birket Mamilla) or with the Lower Pool (Birket es-Sultan). The Dung Gate lay on the western side of the city. Thus Nehemiah first directed attention to the western wall, since, by the nature of the terrain, it had particular importance.

Nehemiah 2:14. Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no place for the animal that was under me to pass,— “And I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool.” The “Fountain Gate” was on the southeastern side of the city. By the “King’s Pool” is probably meant the pool which Josephus (Jewish War V, 4, 2) calls Solomon’s Pool and which lay, according to his account, to the east of the Siloam Spring. According to Thenius, this is the present-day “Virgin’s Spring,” which is located where the Valley of Kidron forms a gorge. Here, because of this, the rubble of walls and houses could easily block the way, so passage was impossible.

Nehemiah 2:15. and I went up in the night by way of the valley and inspected the wall. Then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate. “And I went up (vachi oleh) in the night by way of the valley.” According to the meaning of the Hebrew text, Nehemiah arose or rose up to inspect a part of the wall (Slavonic: “and I went up to the wall”). The Hebrew participle (went up—oleh) standing in the given place indicates time spent by Nehemiah inspecting a part of the wall. Probably Nehemiah traveled through the entire Valley of Kidron or the Valley of Jehoshaphat to the northern end of the city and then, having inspected the northern wall, returned by the same “Valley Gate” by which he had left.

Nehemiah 2:16. And the officials 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 were to do the work. Nehemiah 2:17. Then I said to them: You see the trouble we are in; Jerusalem is desolate and its gates are burned with fire; let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer reproach. Nehemiah 2:18. And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. And they said: Let us rise up and build. And they strengthened their hands for the good work. The inspection of the wall, done secretly to avoid premature disclosure of the plan to all, convinced Nehemiah of the possibility of restoring the wall, and so he apparently convened an assembly of representatives of the people and proposed that they undertake the building. To arouse the energy of his future co-workers, Nehemiah pointed out to them the divine favor manifested in regard to the undertaking by the king. After this, those assembled gave their consent to begin the building and, by the writer’s expression, “strengthened their hands for the good work,” that is, firmly resolved to complete it.

Nehemiah 2:19. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite, a servant, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us and said: What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king? Nehemiah 2:20. Then I answered them and said: The God of heaven, he will cause us to prosper, and we his servants will arise and build; but you have no portion or claim or memorial right in Jerusalem. Word of the Jews’ intention reached their enemies—Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem. The latter (according to (Neh 6:1) – Gashmu) was probably the chief of some Arab tribe living in the south of Palestine not far from Jerusalem. The enemies treated Nehemiah’s undertaking with mockery and contempt, but at the same time tried to cast a shadow on it, as an undertaking directed against the king. By such a presentation of the matter the enemies showed how to create great obstacles for the work in the future. And so Nehemiah expresses his hope in God.