Nehemiah 2 · Verse 4

Nehemiah 2:4

Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
Nehemiah 2:4, King James Version

Nehemiah 2:4 in other translations

BSB“What is your request?” replied the king. So I prayed to the God of heaven
WEBThen the king said to me, “What is your request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
ASVThen the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
YLTAnd the king saith to me, ‘For what art thou seeking?' and I pray unto the God of the heavens,
DARBYAnd the king said to me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of the heavens.
BBEThen the king said to me, What is your desire? So I made prayer to the God of heaven.
WebsterThen the king said to me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.

What does Nehemiah 2:4 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 4 So I prayed to the God of heaven - Before he dared to prefer his request to the king, he made his prayer to God, that his suit might be acceptable: and this he does by mental prayer. To the spirit of prayer every place is a praying place.

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 2:4 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.

וַיֹּ֤אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
לִי֙lito me
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
עַל\־'al-onH5921
מַה\־mah-what?H4100
זֶּ֖הzehthisH2088
אַתָּ֣ה'a.Tah[are] youH859
מְבַקֵּ֑שׁme.va.KeshrequestingH1245
וָֽאֶתְפַּלֵּ֔לva.'et.pa.Leland I prayedH6419
אֶל\־'el-toH413
אֱלֹהֵ֖י'e.lo.Hei[the] God ofH430
הַשָּׁמָֽיִם\׃ha.sha.Ma.yimthe heavensH8064

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

Cross references for Nehemiah 2:4

  • Philippians 4:6

    Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

  • Proverbs 3:6

    In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

  • Nehemiah 1:4

    And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

  • Nehemiah 1:11

    O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cupbearer.

  • 1 Kings 3:5

    In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.

  • Mark 10:51

    And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.

  • Esther 7:2

    And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom.

  • Esther 5:6

    And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.

  • Esther 5:3

    Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom.

  • 2 Samuel 15:31

    And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O Lord, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
For what.
1Ki 3:5; Es 5:3,6; 7:2; Mr 10:51
So I prayed.
1:4,11; 2Sa 15:31; Pr 3:6; Php 4:6

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

Context

  • 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.

  • Nehemiah 2:5

    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.

Read all of Nehemiah 2

Nehemiah 2:4 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y díjome el rey: ¿Qué cosa pides? Entonces oré al Dios de los cielos,
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et le roi me dit: Que demandes-tu? Et je priai le Dieu des cieux;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und der König sprach zu mir: Um was bittest du denn? Da betete ich zu dem Gott des Himmels;
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et ait mihi rex: Pro qua re postulas? Et oravi Deum cæli,