And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it.
And I said to the king, 'If it pleases you, and if I have found favor with you, would you send me to Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, so that I may rebuild it?'
Nehemiah is respectfully asking the Persian king for permission to return to Jerusalem and rebuild his ancestral city.
📚 Historical Context
In the 5th century BC, Nehemiah served as the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia, a position of great trust that gave him direct access to the king. When he received news that the walls of Jerusalem were in ruins and the city vulnerable, he was overcome with grief and spent time in prayer before approaching the king. In this verse, Nehemiah humbly requests permission to return to Judah to rebuild Jerusalem, specifically mentioning the tombs of his ancestors as a personal and cultural motivation tied to his heritage.
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