Nehemiah 1:11 (ASV)

Passage

O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who delight to fear thy name; and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. Now I was cupbearer to the king.

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 1:9 but if ye return unto me, and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts were in the uttermost part of the heavens, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen, to cause my name to dwell there.

Nehemiah 1:10 Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.

Nehemiah 1:11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who delight to fear thy name; and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. Now I was cupbearer to the king.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "mercy", "lord", "beseech", "thee", "thine", "attentive", and "prayer". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "light" and "mercy", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The prior verse says "Now these are thy servants and thy...", giving immediate footing for "light" and "mercy". In Nehemiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "light" and "mercy" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.