“What is your request?” replied the king. So I prayed to the God of heaven
Parallel translations
- WEB Then the king said to me, “What is your request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
- KJV Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
- NKJV Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
- NASB Then the king said to me, “What would you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
- NLT The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?” With a prayer to the God of heaven,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
When the king asks what he wants, Nehemiah breathes a silent prayer to the God of heaven before answering. This "arrow prayer" shows constant dependence on God even in the moment of decision.
Overview
Between the king's question and his reply, Nehemiah prays instantly and inwardly, a striking contrast to the long prayer of chapter 1. This brief, urgent prayer shows that a praying life undergirds spontaneous trust at critical moments. The verse models how believers may lift their hearts to God amid daily decisions, knowing He hears the unspoken cry and works through human conversation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Phil 4:6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- Neh 1:4When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
- Prov 3:6in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
- Neh 1:11O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (At that time I was the cupbearer to the king.)
- 1 Kgs 3:5One night at Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “Ask, and I will give it to you!”
- Mark 10:51“What do you want Me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “Rabboni,” said the blind man, “let me see again.”
- Esth 7:2and as they drank their wine on that second day, the king asked once more, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be fulfilled.”
- Esth 5:6And as they drank their wine, the king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be fulfilled.”
- Esth 5:3“What is it, Queen Esther?” the king inquired. “What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given to you.”
- 2 Sam 15:31Now someone told David: “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David pleaded, “O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The rebuilt walls and renewed covenant community foreshadow the greater builder who gathers and secures a people for God, the one who declares 'I will build my church.'
How Nehemiah 2:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.