King James Version

Nehemiah 2:4

Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.

Study

Hebrew

Tap a word to see its meaning. Words run left to right in English reading order.

וַיֹּ֤אמֶרvayomerand sayאָמַרconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and say”, the next action in the storyH559to say (used with great latitude)answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [id…לִי֙litoלִי֙preposition, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “to”toהַמֶּ֔לֶךְhamelekhthe kingמֶלֶךְdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the king”, the ordinary formH4428a kingking, royal.עַלalaboveעַלpreposition — “above”H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsabove, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of,…מַהmahhowמָהparticle, interrogative — “how”H4100properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senseshow (long, oft, (-soever)), (no-) thing, what (end, good, purpose, thing), whereby(-fore, -in, -to, -with), (for) why.זֶּ֖הzehthe one...the otherזֶהpronoun, demonstrative, masculine, singular — “the one...the other”H2088the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this or thathe, [idiom] hence, [idiom] here, it(-self), [idiom] now, [idiom] of him, the one...the other, [idiom] than the other, ([idiom] out of) the (self) same, such (a one) that, these, this (hath, man), on this side...on that side, [idiom] thus,…אַתָּ֣הatahtheeאַתָּהpronoun, personal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “thee”H859thou and thee, or (plural) ye and youthee, thou, ye, you.מְבַקֵּ֑שׁmevaqeshbeseechבָּקַשׁverb, piel, participle, absolute — “beseech”, a verb used as a describing wordH1245to search out (by any method, specifically in worship or prayer); by implication, to strive afterask, beg, beseech, desire, enquire, get, make inquisition, procure, (make) request, require, seek (for).וָֽאֶתְפַּלֵּ֔לvaetpaleland judgeפָּלַלconjunction, verb, hithpael, sequential imperfect, 1st person, common, singular — “and judge”, the next action in the storyH6419to judge (officially or mentally); by extension, to intercede, prayintreat, judge(-ment), (make) pray(-er, -ing), make supplication.אֶלelamongאֵלpreposition — “among”H413near, with or among; often in general, toabout, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, [idiom] hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).אֱלֹהֵ֖יeloheGodאֱלֹהִיםnoun, common, masculine, plural, construct — “God”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH430gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlativeangels, [idiom] exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), [idiom] (very) great, judges, [idiom] mighty.הַשָּׁמָֽיִםhashamayimthe heavenשָׁמַיִםdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “the heaven”, the ordinary formH8064the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve)air, [idiom] astrologer, heaven(-s).

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Then the king said unto me: 'For what dost thou make request?' So I prayed to the God of heaven.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.

Young’s Literal Translation

And the king saith to me, 'For what art thou seeking?' and I pray unto the God of the heavens,

World English Bible

Then the king said to me, “What is your request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.

Darby Translation

And the king said to me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of the heavens.

Douay-Rheims

Then the king said to me: For what dost thou make request? And I prayed to the God of heaven,

Jewish Publication Society (1917)