Nehemiah 2:7

7 Then I asked him to grant me the favor of giving me letters to the governors of West-of-Euphrates Province, instructing them to let me travel to 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 then I said to the emperor, "If Your Majesty is pleased with me and is willing to grant my request, let me go to the land of Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, so that I can rebuild the city."

6 The emperor, with the empress sitting at his side, approved my request. He asked me how long I would be gone and when I would return, and I told him.

7 Then I asked him to grant me the favor of giving me letters to the governors of West-of-Euphrates Province, instructing them to let me travel to Judah.

8 I asked also for a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal forests, instructing him to supply me with timber for the gates of the fort that guards the Temple, for the city walls, and for the house I was to live in. The emperor gave me all I asked for, because God was with me.

9 The emperor sent some army officers and a troop of cavalry with me, and I made the journey to West-of-Euphrates. There I gave the emperor's letters to the governors.

Footnotes

• [a]. west-of-euphrates province: [Under Persian rule the land of Israel was part of this large Persian province west of the Euphrates River.]