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Nehemiah 2

Neh. 2:1 KJV (With Strong’s)

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And it came to pass in the month
chodesh (Hebrew #2320)
the new moon; by implication, a month
KJV usage: month(-ly), new moon.
Pronounce: kho'-desh
Origin: from 2318
Nisan
Niycan (Hebrew #5212)
Nisan, the first month of the Jewish sacred year
KJV usage: Nisan.
Pronounce: nee-sawn'
Origin: probably of foreign origin
, in the twentieth
`esriym (Hebrew #6242)
twenty; also (ordinal) twentieth
KJV usage: (six-)score, twenty(-ieth).
Pronounce: es-reem'
Origin: from 6235
year
shaneh (Hebrew #8141)
from 8138; a year (as a revolution of time)
KJV usage: + whole age, X long, + old, year(X -ly).
Pronounce: shaw-neh'
Origin: (in plura or (feminine) shanah {shaw-naw'}
ofg Artaxerxes
'Artachshashta' (Hebrew #783)
or by permutation gArtachshactu {ar-takh-shast'}; of foreign origin; Artachshasta (or Artaxerxes), a title (rather than name) of several Persian kings
KJV usage: Artaxerxes.
Pronounce: ar-takh-shash-taw'
Origin: or mArtachshasht {ar-takh- shasht'}
the king
melek (Hebrew #4428)
a king
KJV usage: king, royal.
Pronounce: meh'-lek
Origin: from 4427
, that wine
yayin (Hebrew #3196)
wine (as fermented); by implication, intoxication
KJV usage: banqueting, wine, wine(-bibber).
Pronounce: yah'-yin
Origin: from an unused root meaning to effervesce
was before
paniym (Hebrew #6440)
the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.)
KJV usage: + accept, a-(be- )fore(-time), against, anger, X as (long as), at, + battle, + because (of), + beseech, countenance, edge, + employ, endure, + enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, X him(-self), + honourable, + impudent, + in, it, look(-eth) (- s), X me, + meet, X more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), X on, open, + out of, over against, the partial, person, + please, presence, propect, was purposed, by reason of, + regard, right forth, + serve, X shewbread, sight, state, straight, + street, X thee, X them(-selves), through (+ - out), till, time(-s) past, (un-)to(-ward), + upon, upside (+ down), with(- in, + -stand), X ye, X you.
Pronounce: paw-neem'
Origin: plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun (paneh {paw-neh'}; from 6437)
him: and I took up
nasa' (Hebrew #5375)
a primitive root; to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absol. and rel. (as follows)
KJV usage: accept, advance, arise, (able to, (armor), suffer to) bear(-er, up), bring (forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease, exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further, give, go on, help, high, hold up, honorable (+ man), lade, lay, lift (self) up, lofty, marry, magnify, X needs, obtain, pardon, raise (up), receive, regard, respect, set (up), spare, stir up, + swear, take (away, up), X utterly, wear, yield.
Pronounce: naw-saw'
Origin: or nacah (Psalm 4 : 6 (7)) {naw-saw'}
i the wine
yayin (Hebrew #3196)
wine (as fermented); by implication, intoxication
KJV usage: banqueting, wine, wine(-bibber).
Pronounce: yah'-yin
Origin: from an unused root meaning to effervesce
, and gave
nathan (Hebrew #5414)
to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
KJV usage: add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, X avenge, X be ((healed)), bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, + cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, X doubtless, X without fail, fasten, frame, X get, give (forth, over, up), grant, hang (up), X have, X indeed, lay (unto charge, up), (give) leave, lend, let (out), + lie, lift up, make, + O that, occupy, offer, ordain, pay, perform, place, pour, print, X pull , put (forth), recompense, render, requite, restore, send (out), set (forth), shew, shoot forth (up), + sing, + slander, strike, (sub-)mit, suffer, X surely, X take, thrust, trade, turn, utter, + weep, + willingly, + withdraw, + would (to) God, yield.
Pronounce: naw-than'
Origin: a primitive root
it unto the king
melek (Hebrew #4428)
a king
KJV usage: king, royal.
Pronounce: meh'-lek
Origin: from 4427
. Now I had not been beforetime sad
ra` (Hebrew #7451)
bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)
KJV usage: adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, + displease(-ure), distress, evil((- favouredness), man, thing), + exceedingly, X great, grief(-vous), harm, heavy, hurt(-ful), ill (favoured), + mark, mischief(-vous), misery, naught(-ty), noisome, + not please, sad(-ly), sore, sorrow, trouble, vex, wicked(-ly, -ness, one), worse(-st), wretchedness, wrong. (Incl. feminine raaah; as adjective or noun.).
Pronounce: rah
Origin: from 7489
in his presence
paniym (Hebrew #6440)
the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.)
KJV usage: + accept, a-(be- )fore(-time), against, anger, X as (long as), at, + battle, + because (of), + beseech, countenance, edge, + employ, endure, + enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, X him(-self), + honourable, + impudent, + in, it, look(-eth) (- s), X me, + meet, X more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), X on, open, + out of, over against, the partial, person, + please, presence, propect, was purposed, by reason of, + regard, right forth, + serve, X shewbread, sight, state, straight, + street, X thee, X them(-selves), through (+ - out), till, time(-s) past, (un-)to(-ward), + upon, upside (+ down), with(- in, + -stand), X ye, X you.
Pronounce: paw-neem'
Origin: plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun (paneh {paw-neh'}; from 6437)
.
g
Ezra 7:1• 1Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, (Ezra 7:1)
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Neh. 1:11• 11O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer. (Neh. 1:11)

More on:

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Artaxerxes,
King,
Months,
Nisan,
Wine,
Year

Cross References

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Ministry on This Verse

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1-8:  Artaxerxes, understanding the cause of Nehemiah's sadness, sends him with letters and commission to Jerusalem.
9-11:  Nehemiah, to the grief of the enemies, comes to Jerusalem.
12-16:  He views secretly the ruins of the walls.
17-20:  He incites the Jews to build.
Nisan.
Esther 3:7• 7In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar. (Esther 3:7)
the twentieth.
Neh. 1:1• 1The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, (Neh. 1:1)
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Ezra 7:1,7• 1Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,
 7And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king. (Ezra 7:1,7)
I took up.
Neh. 1:11• 11O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer. (Neh. 1:11)
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Gen. 40:11,21• 11And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.
 21And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand: (Gen. 40:11,21)
• Another Persian king, identified as Artaxerxes Longimanus (B.C. 474-434), son of Xerxes, the Ahasuerus of Esther. He greatly favored both Ezra and Nehemiah; he beautified the temple or bore the expense of its being done (Ezra 7:27), and under his protection the wall of the city was finished (Ezra 6:14; Ezra 7:1-21; Ezra 8:1; Neh. 2:1; Neh. 5:14; Neh. 13:6). (“Artaxerxes” by G. Morrish)
• Four months had passed since he had offered the prayer recorded in chapter 1. He is careful to give us the dates. In the month Chisleu (answering to our November) he had prayed; and in the month Nisan (answering to our March) the answer came. During this period, man of faith as he was, he must have waited in daily expectation upon God....But if He wait, it is only to shut His people up to more entire dependence upon Himself, and thus to prepare their hearts more fully for the blessing He is about to bestow. And when He steps in, it is oftentimes, as in this case, in such a quiet and unseen way—unseen by all but the eye of faith—that it needs the exercise of faith to detect His presence. (“Exposition on Nehemiah: Nehemiah 2” by E. Dennett)
• Wine and sadness are incongruous, and it was intolerable to the king that his cupbearer should wear a sorrowful face at such a time. It destroyed his own pleasure. (“Exposition on Nehemiah: Nehemiah 2” by E. Dennett)

J. N. Darby Translation

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1
And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxesb the king, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now, I had never been sad in his presence.

JND Translation Notes

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b
See Ezra 7.1.