Nehemia 2:3

2:3 I replied to the king, “O king, live forever! Why would I not appear dejected when the city with the graves of my ancestors ¹  lies desolate and its gates destroyed ²  by fire?”

Nehemia 4:12

4:12 So it happened that the Jews who were living near them came and warned us repeatedly ³  about all the schemes ⁴  they were plotting ⁵  against us.

Nehemia 5:9

5:9 Then I ⁶  said, “The thing that you are doing is wrong! ⁷  Should you not conduct yourselves ⁸  in the fear of our God in order to avoid the reproach of the Gentiles who are our enemies?

Nehemia 6:9

6:9 All of them were wanting ⁹  to scare us, supposing, “Their hands will grow slack from the work, and it won’t get done.”

So now, strengthen my hands! ¹⁰ 

Nehemia 6:11

6:11 But I replied, “Should a man like me run away? Would someone like me flee to the temple in order to save his life? ¹¹  I will not go!”

[2:3]  ¹ tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 5).

[2:3]  ² tn Heb “devoured” or “eaten” (so also in Neh 2:13).

[4:12]  ³ tn Heb “ten times.”

[4:12]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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.”

[5:9]  ⁶ tc The translation reads with the Qere and the ancient versions וָאוֹמַר (va’omar, “and I said”) rather than the MT Kethib, וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyo’mer, “and he said”).

[5:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “not good.” The statement “The thing…is not good” is an example of tapeinosis, a figurative expression which emphasizes the intended point (“The thing…is wrong!”) by negating its opposite.

[5:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “[should you not] walk.”

[6:9]  ⁹ tn The participle has a desiderative nuance here, describing the desire of the subject and not necessarily the actual outcome. See also v. 14.

[6:9]  ¹⁰ tn The statement “So now, strengthen my hands” is frequently understood as an implied prayer, but is taken differently by NAB (“But instead, I now redoubled my efforts”).

[6:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “go into the temple and live.”