Nehemiah being sorrowful in the king's presence, the reason of it was asked by the king, which he declared, and then took the opportunity to request of the king that he might be sent to Jerusalem to rebuild it, which was granted him, Ne 2:1, upon which he set out, and came to Jerusalem, to the great grief of the enemies of Israel, Ne 2:9 and after he had been three days in Jerusalem, he privately took a survey of it, to see what condition it was in, unknown to the rulers there, Ne 2:12, whom he afterwards exhorted to rise up and build the wall of the city, which they immediately set about, Ne 2:17 not regarding the scoffs and taunts of their enemies, Ne 2:19.
Ver. 1. And it came to pass in the month Nisan; in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes,.... It was still but in the twentieth year of his reign; for though Nisan or March was the first month of the year with the Jews, and from whence the reigns of their kings were dated ; yet, with other nations, Tisri or September was the beginning of the reigns of their kings ; so that Chisleu or November being since, see Ne 1:1, it was no more in Nisan or March than the twentieth of the said king's reign, and was three or four months after Nehemiah had first heard of the distress of his people; which time he either purposely spent in fasting and prayer on that account, or until now his turn did not come about to exercise his office, in waiting upon the king as his cupbearer: but now it wasthat wine was before him; the king; it was brought and set in a proper place, from whence it might be taken for his use:and I took up the wine, and gave it to the king; according to Xenophon , the cupbearer with the Persians and Medes used to take the wine out of the vessels into the cup, and pour some of it into their left hand, and sup it up, that, if there was any poison in it, the king might not be harmed, and then he delivered it to him upon three fingers :now I had not been before time sad in his presence; but always pleasant and cheerful, so that the sadness of his countenance was the more taken notice of.
Misn. Roshhashanah, c. 1. sect. 3. T. Bab. Rashhashanah, fol. 3. 1. Cyropaedia, l. 1. c. 11. Vid. Heliodor. Ethiopic. l. 7. c.