Nehemiah 2 · Verse 3

Nehemiah 2:3

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?
Nehemiah 2:3, King James Version

Nehemiah 2:3 in other translations

BSBand replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
WEBI 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?”
ASVAnd I 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?
YLTand say to the king, ‘Let the king to the age live! wherefore should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of the graves of my fathers, is a waste, and its gates have been consumed with fire?'
DARBYAnd I said to the king, Let the king live for ever! Why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lies waste, and its gates are consumed with fire?
BBEAnd said to the king, May the king be living for ever: is it not natural for my face to be sad, when the town, the place where the bodies of my fathers are at rest, has been made waste and its doorways burned with fire?
WebsterAnd said to the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchers, lieth waste, and its gates are consumed with fire?

What does Nehemiah 2:3 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Nehemiah 2:2-5

2-5. the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad?--It was deemed highly unbecoming to appear in the royal presence with any weeds or signs of sorrow (Es 4:2); and hence it was no wonder that the king was struck with the dejected air of his cupbearer, while that attendant, on his part, felt his agitation increased by his deep anxiety about the issue of the conversation so abruptly begun. But the piety and…

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Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 3 Let the king live for ever - Far from wishing ill to my master, I wish him on the contrary to live and prosper for ever. Aelian, Hist. Var. lib. i. c. 32, uses the same form of speech in reference to Artaxerxes Mnemon, one of the Persian kings, Βασιλευ Αρταξερξη, δι' αιωνος βασιλευοις, "O King Artaxerxes, may you reign for ever," when speaking of the custom of presenting them annually with an offering of earth and water; as if they had said, May you reign for ever over these!

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Nehemiah 2:1-8

Our 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 of grace are never out of season. But the sense of God's displeasure and the afflictions of his people, are causes of sorrow to the children of God, under which no earthly delights can comfort. The…

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Nehemiah 2:3 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וָאֹמַ֣רva.'o.Marand I saidH559
לַמֶּ֔לֶךְla.Me.lekhto the kingH4428
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
לְעוֹלָ֣םle.'o.Lamfor everH5769
יִחְיֶ֑הyich.Yehmay he liveH2421
מַדּ֜וּעַma.Du.a'why?H4069
לֹא\־lo'-notH3808
יֵרְע֣וּye.re.'Uwill they be sadH7489
פָנַ֗יfa.Naiface myH6440
אֲשֶׁ֨ר'a.SherthatH834
הָעִ֜ירha.'Irthe cityH5892
בֵּית\־beit-[the] house ofH1004
קִבְר֤וֹתkiv.Rot[the] tombs ofH6913
אֲבֹתַי֙'a.vo.Taiancestors myH1
חֲרֵבָ֔הcha.re.Vah[is] desolateH2720
וּשְׁעָרֶ֖יהָu.she.'a.Rei.haand gates itsH8179
אֻכְּל֥וּ'u.ke.Luthey have been consumedH398
בָאֵֽשׁ\׃\ \סva.'Eshby <the> fireH784

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Nehemiah 2:3

  • Nehemiah 1:3

    And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

  • 1 Kings 1:31

    Then Bath–sheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever.

  • Daniel 5:10

    Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:

  • Psalms 137:6

    If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

  • Daniel 2:4

    Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.

  • Daniel 6:6

    Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever.

  • 2 Chronicles 28:27

    And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem: but they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.

  • 2 Chronicles 32:33

    And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the chiefest of the sepulchres of the sons of David: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honour at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.

  • Daniel 6:21

    Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.

  • Lamentations 2:9

    Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars: her king and her princes are among the Gentiles: the law is no more; her prophets also find no vision from the Lord.

  • 2 Chronicles 21:20

    Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years, and departed without being desired. Howbeit they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings.

  • Psalms 102:14

    For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Let the king.Far from wishing ill to my master, I wish him to live for ever.
1Ki 1:31; Da 2:4; 3:9; 5:10; 6:6,21
the city.
1:3; Ps 102:14; 137:6; La 2:9
the place.
2Ch 21:20; 28:27; 32:33

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Nehemiah 2:2

    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,

  • Nehemiah 2:3

    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?

  • Nehemiah 2:4

    Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.

Read all of Nehemiah 2

Nehemiah 2:3 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y dije al rey: El rey viva para siempre. ¿Cómo no estará triste mi rostro, cuando la ciudad, casa de los sepulcros de mis padres, está desierta, y sus puertas consumidas del fuego?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et je dis au roi: Que le roi vive à toujours! Pourquoi mon visage ne serait-il pas triste, quand la ville, le lieu des sépulcres de mes pères, est dévastée, et que ses portes sont consumées par le feu?
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und ich sprach zu dem König: Der König lebe ewiglich! Warum sollte mein Angesicht nicht traurig sein, da die Stadt, die Begräbnisstätte meiner Väter, wüste liegt, und ihre Tore vom Feuer verzehrt sind?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		et dixi regi: Rex, in æternum vive: quare non mœreat vultus meus, quia civitas domus sepulchrorum patris mei deserta est, et portæ ejus combustæ sunt igni?