Nehemiah 2:3

What does Nehemiah 2:3 mean?

A plain-English look at Nehemiah 2:3 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Nehemiah 2:3 means

Nehemiah answers with reverence and reason. He wishes the king well and then explains that his grief is tied to the honor of his ancestors and the desolation of their city. By speaking of his fathers’ tombs and burned gates, he appeals to values the king would respect—reverence for the dead and the shame of a ruined city. He does not yet name Jerusalem, but he makes the issue clear: the place bound to his identity and people lies in disgrace. His words are measured, respectful, and honest. They convert private sorrow into public purpose without sounding rebellious or ungrateful for his position.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

And 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?

KJV

King James Version · 1611

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?

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

And 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?

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

and 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, <FI>is<Fi> a waste, and its gates have been consumed with fire?'

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

And I said to the king: O king, live for ever: why should not my countenance be sorrowful, seeing the city of the place of the sepulchres of my fathers is desolate, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire?

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

And 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?

Context

This verse is Nehemiah’s first explanation of his sadness. It bridges his fear and the king’s forthcoming invitation to request help. The deference he shows (“Let the king live for ever”) frames his appeal as loyal, not seditious. Having set the moral weight of the problem—ancestral graves, a burned city—he readies the ground for a concrete request. In the very next verse, the king will ask what Nehemiah seeks, opening space for prayer and a bold, specific petition to rebuild.

v.2And 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.

v.3This passage

v.4Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

2 Chronicles 21:20
Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years: and he departed without being desired; and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings.
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.
Psalms 137:6
Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, If I remember thee not; If I prefer not Jerusalem Above my chief joy.
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 nations where the law is not; Yea, her prophets find no vision from Jehovah.
Daniel 5:10
Nowthe queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever; let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed.
Daniel 6:21
Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.

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