Nehemiah 2:1

1 And it was done in the month of Nisan, that is, April, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, the king, and wine was before him, and I took up the wine, and I gave it to the king, and I was as languishing before his face.

Nehemiah 2:1 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 2:1

And it came to pass in the month Nisan; in the twentieth
year of Artaxerxes
It was still but in the twentieth year of his reign; for though Nisan or March was the first month of the year with the Jews, and from whence the reigns of their kings were dated {l}; yet, with other nations, Tisri or September was the beginning of the reigns of their kings ^F13; so that Chisleu or November being since, see ( Nehemiah 1:1 ) , it was no more in Nisan or March than the twentieth of the said king's reign, and was three or four months after Nehemiah had first heard of the distress of his people; which time he either purposely spent in fasting and prayer on that account, or until now his turn did not come about to exercise his office, in waiting upon the king as his cupbearer: but now it was

that wine was before him;
the king; it was brought and set in a proper place, from whence it might be taken for his use:

and I took up the wine, and gave it to the king;
according to Xenophon {n}, the cupbearer with the Persians and Medes used to take the wine out of the vessels into the cup, and pour some of it into their left hand, and sup it up, that, if there was any poison in it, the king might not be harmed, and then he delivered it to him upon three fingers {o}:

now I had not been before time sad in his presence;
but always pleasant and cheerful, so that the sadness of his countenance was the more taken notice of.

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FOOTNOTES:

F12 Misn. Roshhashanah, c. 1. sect. 3.
F13 T. Bab. Rashhashanah, fol. 3. 1.
F14 Cyropaedia, l. 1. c. 11.
F15 Vid. Heliodor. Ethiopic. l. 7. c. 27.

Nehemiah 2:1 In-Context

1 And it was done in the month of Nisan, that is, April, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, the king, and wine was before him, and I took up the wine, and I gave it to the king, and I was as languishing before his face.

2 And the king said to me, Why is thy cheer sorry, or heavy, since I see not thee sick? This is not without cause; but I know not what evil is in thine heart. And I dreaded full greatly; (And the king said to me, Why is thy face so sad? for I see that thou art not sick. This is not without a cause; but I do not know what the problem is in thy heart. And I greatly feared;)

3 and I said to the king, King, live thou (into) without end; why should not my cheer mourn? for the city of the house of the sepulchres of my father[s] is deserted, either forsaken, and the gates thereof be burnt with fire. (and I said to the king, O king, may thou live forevermore; but why should my face not look sad? for the city of the house of my forefathers? graves, or tombs, is deserted, and its gates be burned down.)

4 And the king said to me, For what thing askest thou? And I prayed (to the) God of heaven,

5 and I said to the king, If it seemeth good to the king, and if it pleaseth thy servants which be before thy face, I beseech thee, that thou send me into Judah, to the city of the sepulchre(s) of my father(s), and I shall build it (again). (and I said to the king, If it seemeth good to the king, and if thy servant who is before thy face pleaseth thee, I beseech thee, that thou send me to Judah, to the city of my forefathers? graves, and I shall rebuild it.)