The Meaning of Nehemiah 2:3 Explained

Nehemiah 2:3

KJV: 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?

YLT: 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, is a waste, and its gates have been consumed with fire?'

Darby: 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?

ASV: 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 Reverse Interlinear

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? 

What does Nehemiah 2:3 Mean?

Context Summary

Nehemiah 2:1-11 - A Patriot's Self-Sacrifice
The seventh month answers to our March or April, so that four months had passed since Nehemiah had set himself to special prayer. Between the king's second question and Nehemiah's answer, the simple-hearted cup-bearer found time to pray to the God of heaven. Then, with the assurance that God was with him, he did not scruple to ask great things: that he might be sent to the city of his fathers to build it, and that he might receive all the materials necessary for its construction. But he is careful to record that his requests were granted, not by the clemency of the king, but according to the good hand of God. Do we recognize that good hand enough? We get glimpses here into the inner workings of this man's heart. He felt that God had put His holy purpose there. He did not hesitate to confess this to the Jews and amid the opposition and scorn of their foes; he strengthened himself in his God, sure that He would not have brought him so far to put him to shame. Be sure you are on God's side, and nothing will be impossible to you. [source]

Chapter Summary: Nehemiah 2

1  Artaxerxes, understanding the cause of Nehemiah's sadness,
6  sends him with letters and commission to Jerusalem
9  Nehemiah, to the grief of the enemies, comes to Jerusalem
12  He views secretly the ruins of the walls
17  He incites the Jews to build

What do the individual words in Nehemiah 2:3 mean?

And said to the king the king forever May live why not should be sad my face when the city the place of tombs my fathers' [lies] waste and its gates are burned with fire -
וָאֹמַ֣ר לַמֶּ֔לֶךְ הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ לְעוֹלָ֣ם יִחְיֶ֑ה מַדּ֜וּעַ לֹא־ יֵרְע֣וּ פָנַ֗י אֲשֶׁ֨ר הָעִ֜יר בֵּית־ קִבְר֤וֹת אֲבֹתַי֙ חֲרֵבָ֔ה וּשְׁעָרֶ֖יהָ אֻכְּל֥וּ ؟ בָאֵֽשׁ ס

וָאֹמַ֣ר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לַמֶּ֔לֶךְ  to  the  king 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
לְעוֹלָ֣ם  forever 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֹולָם  
Sense: long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world.
יִחְיֶ֑ה  May  live 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָיָה  
Sense: to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health.
מַדּ֜וּעַ  why 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: מַדּוּעַ  
Sense: why?, on what account?, wherefore?.
יֵרְע֣וּ  should  be  sad 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: מֵרֵעַ 
Sense: to be bad, be evil.
פָנַ֗י  my  face 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
הָעִ֜יר  the  city 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
בֵּית־  the  place 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
קִבְר֤וֹת  of  tombs 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: קֶבֶר  
Sense: grave, sepulchre, tomb.
אֲבֹתַי֙  my  fathers' 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
חֲרֵבָ֔ה  [lies]  waste 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: חָרֵב 
Sense: to be waste, lay waste, make desolate, be desolate, be in ruins.
וּשְׁעָרֶ֖יהָ  and  its  gates 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: שַׁעַר  
Sense: gate.
אֻכְּל֥וּ  are  burned 
Parse: Verb, QalPass, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
؟ בָאֵֽשׁ  with  fire 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation