Nehemiah 1:11

“O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, etc.] To the prayer of Nehemiah, put up at this time: and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name; the prayer of the Jews in Judea, whose desire was to worship the Lord in his temple, according to his will: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day; meaning himself, who was to wait on the king of Persia that day, and, if he had opportunity, intended to lay the case of the Jews before him, and therefore entreats he might meet with success: and grant him mercy in the sight of this man; King Artaxerxes, who was but a man, and whose heart was in the hands of God, and he could easily move…”

“I was the king's cupbearer--This officer, in the ancient Oriental courts, was always a person of rank and importance; and, from the confidential nature of his duties and his frequent access to the royal presence, he possessed great influence. Next: Nehemiah Chapter 2”

“A Persian king had numerous cup-bearers, each of whom probably discharged the office in his turn. return to 'Top of Page' Footnotes: Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Bibliographical Information Barnes, Albert. "Commentary on Nehemiah 1". "Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/bnb/nehemiah-1.html. 1870. StudyLight.org © 2001-2026 Powered by Lightspeed Technology”

“To fear thy name - Those who truly desire to fear his name, shall be graciously accepted of God. This man - The king: who is but a man and therefore his heart is wholly at thy disposal. Favour with men is then comfortable, when we see it springing from the mercy of God. Cup - bearer - Whereby I had opportunity to speak to him, and some favour with him. Next: Nehemiah Chapter 2”

“1:11 making the king favorable to me: Nehemiah knew God could influence the king’s heart to be kind to Nehemiah. • As cup-bearer Nehemiah tasted the king’s wine to make sure it was not poisoned, which provided him daily access to King Artaxerxes.”

“Let now: Neh 1:6; Psa 86:6, Psa 130:2 who desire: Pro 1:29; Isa 26:8, Isa 26:9; Heb 13:18 grant: Neh 2:8; Gen 32:11, Gen 32:28, Gen 43:14; Ezr 1:1, Ezr 7:6, Ezr 7:27, Ezr 7:28; Pro 21:1 For I was: The office of cup-bearer was one of great trust, honour, and emolument, in the Persian court. To be in such a place of trust he must have been in the king's confidence; for no eastern potentate would have a cup-bearer to whom he could not trust his life, poison being often administered in that way. It was an office much desired, because it gave access to the king in those seasons of hilarity when men are most disposed to grant favours. Neh 2:1; Gen 40:2, Gen 40:9-13, Gen 40:21, Gen 40:23, Gen 41:9…”