Nehemiah prefaces his request with two conditions. The first refers to the king’s personal point of view. The second refers to the king’s attitude toward Nehemiah. See Est 5.8, where similar expressions occur.

If it pleases the king is literally “If it is good to the king.” This was a standard expression of courtly etiquette that was used when a subordinate person wanted to make a request of a king.

If your servant has found favor in your sight is literally “if your servant is good in your eyes.” This second formula includes a play on words in relation to the first formula. In the first the adjectival form “good” is used and in this parallel expression a verbal form of the same basic word “good” is used. This double occurrence of “good” stands in marked contrast to the repetition of “bad” in the preceding verses. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translates the Hebrew fairly literally: “If it seems good to the king and if your servant is agreeable in your eyes” (also Darby). If there are equivalent idiomatic expressions in the receptor language, then the translator should retain this contrasting use of “bad” in verses 2-3 above and “good” in this verse. For your servant, see Ezra 4.11 and Neh 1.6.

You send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ sepulchres: Nehemiah asks that the king send him to Judah. Although he is requesting permission to go, he is asking for more than simply being allowed to go (Good News Translation). His wish is that the king will order him to go or cause him to go. In this way he will go with the king’s authority.

Nehemiah does not refer to the name of his city but only to the name of its location Judah. For a comment on Judah, see Ezra 1.2; 2.1.

I may rebuild it: The Hebrew verb here is “build” and does not indicate building the city again or rebuilding it. However, from the information that has been supplied to Nehemiah about the city and from what he has reported to the king, it is clear that he wishes to rebuild the city (see Ezra 1.3, 5; 4.12). Translators should use a verb that is appropriate to rebuilding a city, such as “to reconstruct the city” or “to raise the city up again.” Nehemiah’s request to rebuild the city implies that he is asking for a considerable amount of authority to carry out his wish. This is spelled out in his further requests in verses 7 and 8.

It is important to observe the complexity of Hebrew pronoun reference in Nehemiah’s response to the king. He uses the formal style of language that was suitable for addressing the king. He addresses the king by referring to the king in the third person singular (the king), but he shifts to the second person singular possessive construction when he says your servant, referring to himself in the third person. His request is then addressed to the king in the second person singular while he refers to himself in the first person singular. Translators must use pronoun references that are fitting for a similar setting in the receptor language.

Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Nehemiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .