Commentaries:
Barnes' Notes
The king' s forest - Rather, park. The word used pardês ; compare ́ paradeisos , found only here, in Ecclesiastes 2:5, and in Song of Songs 4:13), is of Persian, or at any rate of Aryan origin. The Persians signified by pariyadeza a walled enclosure, ornamented with trees, either planted or of natural growth, and containing numerous wild animals. The "paradise" here mentioned must have been in the neighborhood of Jerusalem, and may have corresponded to the earlier "gardens of Solomon."
The palace - Rather, "the fortress." The word in the original has the double meaning of "palace" and "fortress," the fact being that in ancient times palaces were always fortified. "The fortress which pertained to the house (temple)" is first spoken of here. Under the Romans it was called "Antonia."
Other Barnes' Notes entries containing Nehemiah 2:8:
Ezra 7:6
Ecclesiastes 2:5
Song of Solomon 4:12-15
Isaiah 25:10
Daniel 9:25
2 Corinthians 12:4
Revelation 2:7
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