George Leo Haydock, on Neh 2:8
“And a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, to give me timber that I may cover the gates of the tower of the house, and the walls of the city, and the house that I shall enter into. And the king gave me according to the good hand of my God with me.”
Forest. Hebrew pordes, “paradise,” or garden planted with trees. Pliny ([Natural History?] v. 23.) mentions a “paradise,” in Cœlosyria. (Grotius) — But Nehemias might petition to be supplied with cedars from Libanus, (Tirinus) as they had been given for the temple, 1 Esdras iii. 7. (Haydock) — Tower. Hebrew bira, means also “a palace or temple.” It may designate the porch of the temple, which was 120 cubits high; (2 Paralipomenon iii. 4.; Calmet) though that had been lately repaired by Esdras. (Menochius) — Others think the doors of the courts are meant, as they were as strong as those of towers. (Vatable) — They were not yet finished, chap. x. 9. Many believe that (Calmet) Nehemias speaks of the royal palace, which had been almost contiguous to the temple, (Menochius) where he intended to build one for himself, while he should reside in the city. (Tirinus) — But this might give umbrage to the king. (Calmet) — He could not, however, intend his favourite to remain without a suitable palace; and the latter seems to have designed not only to repair that which Solomon had founded, but also to erect another house for the governor. (Haydock) — Good hand; favour, (Menochius) and powerful aid. (Haydock)
Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.