Nehemia 1:5

1:5 Then I said, “Please, O LORD God of heaven, great and awesome God, who keeps his loving covenant ¹  with those who love him and obey ²  his commandments,

Nehemia 8:18

8:18 Ezra ³  read in the book of the law of God day by day, from the first day to the last. ⁴  They observed the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day they held an assembly ⁵  as was required. ⁶ 

Nehemia 13:26

13:26 Was it not because of things like these that King Solomon of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made ⁷  him king over all Israel. But the foreign wives made even him sin!

[1:5]  ¹ tn Heb “the covenant and loyal love.” The phrase is a hendiadys: the first noun retains its full nominal sense, while the second noun functions adjectivally (“loyal love” = loving). Alternately, the first might function adjectivally and the second noun function as the noun: “covenant and loyal love” = covenant fidelity (see Neh 9:32).

[1:5]  ² tn Heb “keep.” The Hebrew verb שָׁמַר (shamar, “to observe; to keep”) is often used as an idiom that means “to obey” the commandments of God (e.g., Exod 20:6; Deut 5:16; 23:24; 29:8; Judg 2:22; 1 Kgs 2:43; 11:11; Ps 119:8, 17, 34; Jer 35:18; Ezek 17:14; Amos 2:4). See BDB 1036 s.v. 3.c.

[8:18]  ³ tn Heb “He”; the referent (Ezra) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “the last day.”

[8:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “on the eighth day an assembly.” The words “they held” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[8:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “according to the judgment.”

[13:26]  ⁷ tn Heb “gave.”