And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
Timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, х habiyraah (H1002)] - of the fortress, which was close to the temple. This word was changed into the Greek Baris, which, as we learn from Josephus, was the name of the tower, afterward called Antonia, on the north side of the temple area ('Jewish Wars,' b. 5:, ch. 5:, sec. 8).
According to the good hand of my God upon me. The piety of Nehemiah appears in every circumstance. The conception of this patriotic design, the favourable disposition of the king, and the success of the undertaking, are all ascribed to God.