Nehemia 2:19

2:19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard all this, ¹  they derided us and expressed contempt toward us. They said, “What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”

Nehemia 4:12

4:12 So it happened that the Jews who were living near them came and warned us repeatedly ²  about all the schemes ³  they were plotting ⁴  against us.

Nehemia 4:22

4:22 At that time I instructed ⁵  the people, “Let every man and his coworker spend the night in Jerusalem and let them be guards for us by night and workers by day.

Nehemia 6:3

6:3 So I sent messengers to them saying, “I am engaged in ⁶  an important work, and I am unable to come down. Why should the work come to a halt when I leave it to come down to you?”

Nehemia 6:14

6:14 Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat in light of these actions of theirs – also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who were trying to scare me!

Nehemia 8:12

8:12 So all the people departed to eat and drink and to share their food ⁷  with others ⁸  and to enjoy tremendous joy, ⁹  for they had gained insight in the matters that had been made known to them.

[2:19]  ¹ tn The Hebrew text does not include the words “all this,” but they have been added in the translation for clarity.

[4:12]  ² tn Heb “ten times.”

[4:12]  ³ tc The MT reads the anomalous מִכָּל־הַמְּקֹמוֹת (mikkol hammÿqomot, “from every place”) but the BHS editors propose כָּל־הַמְּזִמּוֹת (kol hammÿzimmot, “about every scheme”). The initial mem (מ) found in the MT may have been added accidentally due to dittography with the final mem (ם) on the immediately preceding word, and the MT qof (ק) may have arisen due to orthographic confusion with the similar looking zayin (ז). The emendation restores sense to the line in the MT, which makes little sense and features an abrupt change of referents: “Wherever you turn, they will be upon us!” The threat was not against the villagers living nearby but against those repairing the wall, as the following context indicates. See also the following note on the word “plotting.”

[4:12]  ⁴ tc The MT reads תָּשׁוּבוּ (tashuvu, “you turn”) which is awkward contextually. The BHS editors propose emending to חָשְׁבוּ (hashÿvu, “they were plotting”) which harmonizes well with the context. This emendation involves mere orthographic confusion between similar looking ח (khet) and ת (tav), and the resultant dittography of middle vav (ו) in MT. See also the preceding note on the word “schemes.”

[4:22]  ⁵ tn Heb “said [to].”

[6:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “[am] doing.”

[8:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “to send portions.”

[8:12]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew text does not include the phrase “with others” but it has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[8:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “to make great joy.”