Nehemiah, cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, reveals his deep sorrow over Jerusalem's ruined walls. He requests and receives the king's permission, letters of passage, and timber to go and rebuild the city. Upon arriving in Jerusalem, he secretly inspects the extensive damage to the walls and gates. He then inspires the Jewish leaders and people to begin the work, despite the immediate scorn and opposition from adversaries like Sanballat and Tobiah.
In the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, I took up the wine, and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad before in his presence.
I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why shouldn’t my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates have been consumed with fire?”
I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you would send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may build it.”
The king said to me (the queen was also sitting by him), “For how long shall your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
Moreover I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah;
and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple, for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into.” The king granted my requests, because of the good hand of my God on me.
When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, because a man had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem; neither was there any animal with me, except the animal that I rode on.
I went out by night by the valley gate, even toward the jackal’s well, and to the dung gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and its gates were consumed with fire.
The rulers didn’t know where I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest who did the work.
Then I said to them, “You see the evil case that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we won’t be disgraced.”
I told them of the hand of my God which was good on me, as also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. They said, “Let’s rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they ridiculed us, and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?”
Then answered I them, and said to them, “The God of heaven will prosper us. Therefore we, his servants, will arise and build; but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.”
Study Notes for Nehemiah 2
Verse 1
The twentieth year of Artaxerxes I corresponds to 445 BC. Nehemiah, as the king's cupbearer, held a highly trusted and visible position; appearing sad without permission was a risky breach of court etiquette.
Verse 2
The king's direct observation placed Nehemiah in immediate danger, as sorrow could be interpreted as dissatisfaction with the king's rule or even plotting rebellion, leading Nehemiah to be 'very sore afraid.'
Verse 4
Before answering the king's crucial question, Nehemiah offers a silent, instantaneous prayer. This demonstrates his habitual reliance on divine guidance (The God of heaven) in moments of high pressure and decision.
Verse 6
The queen's presence suggests this was a formal, high-level consultation. By setting a specific time for his return, Nehemiah assures the king of his loyalty and prevents the mission from being seen as an open-ended defection.
Verse 8
Nehemiah’s detailed requests for letters show strategic foresight, securing both safe passage and necessary materials (timber). The phrase 'the good hand of my God upon me' is a theological hallmark of Nehemiah, attributing all success to divine favor.
Verse 10
Sanballat (governor of Samaria) and Tobiah (a leader associated with Ammon) are introduced as the main adversaries. Their immediate grief stems from the political threat posed by a strong, autonomous Jewish community.
Verse 12
Nehemiah’s secrecy was strategic. He needed to assess the true scope of the damage and formulate a plan before mobilizing the people or alerting the hostile local leaders.
Verse 17
This verse marks the pivot from planning to action. Nehemiah frames the rebuilding not just as a construction project but as a means to remove the national 'reproach' (shame) caused by their defenseless state.
Verse 18
Nehemiah uses both theological evidence (God’s favor) and secular authorization (the king’s words) to persuade the leaders. This combined testimony strengthened their resolve, leading to the collective decision: 'Let us rise up and build.'
Verse 19
Geshem the Arabian joins the opposition, completing the encirclement of Jerusalem (Samaria, Ammon, Arabia). Their tactic is slander, accusing the builders of rebelling against the Persian king, a serious charge designed to halt the work.
Verse 20
Nehemiah firmly rejects the opponents’ claims to authority in Jerusalem. By declaring, 'ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial,' he asserts that the city belongs exclusively to the covenant people of God, who are acting under divine mandate.
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