Nehemiah 2:7

7 I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may letters be given to me for the governors west of the Euphrates, ^[a] so that they will grant me safe passage until I reach Judah.

Nehemiah 2:7 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 2:7

Moreover, I said unto the king, let letters be given me to
the governors beyond the river
The river of Euphrates, on that side of it towards the land of Judea:

that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;
furnish him with provisions, and a guard to protect him.

Nehemiah 2:7 In-Context

5 and answered the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city where my fathers are buried, so that I may rebuild it.”

6 Then the king, with the queen seated beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set a time.

7 I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may letters be given to me for the governors west of the Euphrates, so that they will grant me safe passage until I reach Judah.

8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house I will occupy.” And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.

9 Then I went to the governors west of the Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew beyond the River; also in verse 9