Verse Nehemiah 1:11. Mercy in the sight of this man.] Favour before the king, Ahasuerus. He seems then to have been giving him the cup.

For I was the king's cup-bearer.] The king's butler, (the Persians call him [Arabic] saky,) which gave him the opportunity of being frequently with the king; and to be in such a place of trust, he must be in the king's confidence. No Eastern potentate would have a cup-bearer with whom he could not trust his life, poison being frequently administered in this way. This verse seems to have been a mental prayer, which Nehemiah now put up as he was delivering the cup into the king's hand.

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