Nehemia 5:13

5:13 I also shook out my garment, ¹  and I said, “In this way may God shake out from his house and his property every person who does not carry out ²  this matter. In this way may he be shaken out and emptied!” All the assembly replied, “So be it!” and they praised the LORD. Then the people did as they had promised. ³ 

Nehemia 6:10

6:10 Then I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel. He was confined to his home. ⁴  He said, “Let’s set up a time to meet in the house of God, within the temple. Let’s close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. It will surely be at night that they will come to kill you.”

Nehemia 4:3

4:3 Then Tobiah the Ammonite, who was close by, said, “If even a fox were to climb up on what they are building, it would break down their wall of stones!”

Nehemia 8:10

8:10 He said to them, “Go and eat delicacies and drink sweet drinks and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy to our Lord. ⁵  Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Nehemia 1:8

1:8 Please recall the word you commanded your servant Moses: ‘If you act unfaithfully, I will scatter you among the nations. ⁶ 

Nehemia 5:12

5:12 They replied, “We will return these things, ⁷  and we will no longer demand anything from them. We will do just as you say.” Then I called the priests and made the wealthy and the officials ⁸  swear to do what had been promised. ⁹ 

Nehemia 13:21

13:21 But I warned them and said, ¹⁰  “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you repeat this, I will forcibly remove you!” ¹¹  From that time on they did not show up on the Sabbath. ¹² 

Nehemia 2:17

2:17 Then I said to them, “You see the problem that we have: Jerusalem is desolate and its gates are burned. Come on! Let’s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that this reproach will not continue.”

Nehemia 4:2

4:2 and in the presence of his colleagues ¹³  and the army of Samaria ¹⁴  he said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they be left to themselves? ¹⁵  Will they again offer sacrifice? Will they finish this in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones to life again from piles of dust?”

Nehemia 4:14

4:14 When I had made an inspection, ¹⁶  I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the great and awesome Lord, ¹⁷  and fight on behalf of your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your families!” ¹⁸ 

Nehemia 5:8

5:8 I said to them, “To the extent possible we have bought back our fellow Jews ¹⁹  who had been sold to the Gentiles. But now you yourselves want to sell your own countrymen, ²⁰  so that we can then buy them back!” They were utterly silent, and could find nothing to say.

Nehemia 2:18

2:18 Then I related to them how the good hand of my God was on me and what ²¹  the king had said to me. Then they replied, “Let’s begin rebuilding right away!” ²²  So they readied themselves ²³  for this good project.

Nehemia 8:11

8:11 Then the Levites quieted all the people saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy. Do not grieve.”

Nehemia 9:18

9:18 even when they made a cast image of a calf for themselves and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up from Egypt,’ or when they committed atrocious ²⁴  blasphemies.

Nehemia 5:4

5:4 Then there were those who said, “We have borrowed money to pay our taxes to the king ²⁵  on our fields and our vineyards.

Nehemia 7:3

7:3 I ²⁶  said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem must not be opened in the early morning, ²⁷  until those who are standing guard close the doors and lock them. ²⁸  Position residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their guard stations and some near their homes.”

Nehemia 6:19

6:19 They were telling me about his good deeds and then taking back to him the things I said. ²⁹  Tobiah, on the other hand, sent letters in order to scare ³⁰  me.

Nehemia 4:19

4:19 I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “The work is demanding ³¹  and extensive, and we are spread out on the wall, far removed from one another.

Nehemia 4:12

4:12 So it happened that the Jews who were living near them came and warned us repeatedly ³²  about all the schemes ³³  they were plotting ³⁴  against us.

Nehemia 9:5

9:5 The Levites – Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah – said, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God!”

“May you be blessed, O LORD our God, from age to age. ³⁵  May your glorious name ³⁶  be blessed; may it be lifted up above all blessing and praise.

Nehemia 4:22

4:22 At that time I instructed ³⁷  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 4:11

4:11 Our adversaries also boasted, ³⁸  “Before they are aware or anticipate ³⁹  anything, we will come in among them and kill them, and we will bring this work to a halt!”

Nehemia 2:7

2:7 I said to the king, “If the king is so inclined, let him give me letters for the governors of Trans-Euphrates ⁴⁰  that will enable me to travel safely until I reach Judah,

Nehemia 1:5

1:5 Then I said, “Please, O LORD God of heaven, great and awesome God, who keeps his loving covenant ⁴¹  with those who love him and obey ⁴²  his commandments,

Nehemia 6:8

6:8 I sent word back to him, “We are not engaged in these activities you are describing. ⁴³  All of this is a figment of your imagination.” ⁴⁴ 

Nehemia 5:6

5:6 I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints. ⁴⁵ 

Nehemia 5:3

5:3 There were others who said, “We are putting up our fields, our vineyards, and our houses as collateral in order to obtain grain during the famine.”

Nehemia 13:17

13:17 So I registered a complaint with the nobles of Judah, saying to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day?

Nehemia 4:10

4:10 Then those in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers ⁴⁶  has failed! The debris is so great that we are unable to rebuild the wall.”

Nehemia 5:2

5:2 There were those who said, “With our sons and daughters, we are many. We must obtain ⁴⁷  grain in order to eat and stay alive.”

Nehemia 13:11

13:11 So I registered a complaint with the leaders, asking “Why is the temple of God neglected?” Then I gathered them and reassigned them to their positions. ⁴⁸ 

Nehemia 2:19

2:19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard all this, ⁴⁹  they derided us and expressed contempt toward us. They said, “What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”

Nehemia 5:7

5:7 I considered these things carefully ⁵⁰  and then registered a complaint with the wealthy ⁵¹  and the officials. I said to them, “Each one of you is seizing the collateral ⁵²  from your own countrymen!” ⁵³  Because of them I called for ⁵⁴  a great public assembly.

Nehemia 8:9

8:9 Then Nehemiah the governor, ⁵⁵  Ezra the priestly scribe, ⁵⁶  and the Levites who were imparting understanding to the people said to all of them, ⁵⁷  “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping when they heard the words of the law.

Nehemia 8:1

8:1 all the people gathered together ⁵⁸  in the plaza which was in front of the Water Gate. They asked ⁵⁹  Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the LORD had commanded Israel.

Nehemia 6:13

6:13 He had been hired to scare me so that I would do this and thereby sin. They would thus bring reproach on me and I ⁶⁰  would be discredited. ⁶¹ 

Nehemia 6:12

6:12 I recognized the fact that God had not sent him, for he had spoken the prophecy against me as a hired agent of Tobiah and Sanballat. ⁶² 

Nehemia 2:20

2:20 I responded to them by saying, “The God of heaven will prosper us. We his servants will start the rebuilding. ⁶³  But you have no just or ancient right in Jerusalem.” ⁶⁴ 

Nehemia 6:7

6:7 You have also established prophets to announce ⁶⁵  in Jerusalem ⁶⁶  on your behalf, ‘We have a king in Judah!’ Now the king is going to hear about these rumors. So come on! Let’s talk about this.” ⁶⁷ 

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 ⁶⁸  him king over all Israel. But the foreign wives made even him sin!

Nehemia 8:15

8:15 and that they should make a proclamation and disseminate this message ⁶⁹  in all their cities and in Jerusalem: ⁷⁰  “Go to the hill country and bring back olive branches and branches of wild olive trees, myrtle trees, date palms, and other leafy trees to construct temporary shelters, as it is written.”

Nehemia 5:9

5:9 Then I ⁷¹  said, “The thing that you are doing is wrong! ⁷²  Should you not conduct yourselves ⁷³  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 ⁷⁴  to scare us, supposing, “Their hands will grow slack from the work, and it won’t get done.”

So now, strengthen my hands! ⁷⁵ 

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? ⁷⁶  I will not go!”

Nehemia 8:6

8:6 Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people replied “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

Nehemia 6:6

6:6 Written in it were the following words:

“Among the nations it is rumored ⁷⁷  (and Geshem ⁷⁸  has substantiated ⁷⁹  this) that you and the Jews have intentions of revolting, and for this reason you are building the wall. Furthermore, according to these rumors ⁸⁰  you are going to become their king.

Nehemia 6:2

6:2 Sanballat and Geshem sent word to me saying, “Come on! Let’s set up a time to meet together at Kephirim ⁸¹  in the plain of Ono.” Now they intended to do me harm.

Nehemia 6:5

6:5 The fifth time that Sanballat sent his assistant to me in this way, he had an open letter in his hand.

Nehemia 1:3

1:3 They said to me, “The remnant that remains from the exile there in the province are experiencing considerable ⁸²  adversity and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem lies breached, and its gates have been burned down!” ⁸³ 

Nehemia 6:3

6:3 So I sent messengers to them saying, “I am engaged in ⁸⁴  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 8:12

8:12 So all the people departed to eat and drink and to share their food ⁸⁵  with others ⁸⁶  and to enjoy tremendous joy, ⁸⁷  for they had gained insight in the matters that had been made known to them.

Nehemia 13:27

13:27 Should we then in your case hear that you do all this great evil, thereby being unfaithful to our God by marrying ⁸⁸  foreign wives?”

Nehemia 13:25

13:25 So I entered a complaint with them. I called down a curse on them, and I struck some of the men and pulled out their hair. I had them swear by God saying, “You will not marry off ⁸⁹  your daughters to their sons, and you will not take any of their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves!

Nehemia 2:5

2:5 and said to the king, “If the king is so inclined ⁹⁰  and if your servant has found favor in your sight, dispatch me to Judah, to the city with the graves of my ancestors, so that I can rebuild it.”

Nehemia 2:16

2:16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had been doing, for up to this point I had not told any of the Jews or the priests or the nobles or the officials or the rest of the workers.

Nehemia 9:30

9:30 You prolonged your kindness ⁹¹  with them for many years, and you solemnly admonished them by your Spirit through your prophets. Still they paid no attention, ⁹²  so you delivered them into the hands of the neighboring peoples. ⁹³ 

Nehemia 5:5

5:5 And now, though we share the same flesh and blood as our fellow countrymen, ⁹⁴  and our children are just like their children, ⁹⁵  still we have found it necessary to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. ⁹⁶  Some of our daughters have been subjected to slavery, while we are powerless to help, ⁹⁷  since our fields and vineyards now belong to other people.” ⁹⁸ 

Nehemia 6:4

6:4 They contacted ⁹⁹  me four times in this way, and I responded the same way each time. ¹⁰⁰ 

Nehemia 1:4

1:4 When I heard these things I sat down abruptly, ¹⁰¹  crying and mourning for several days. I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Nehemia 2:4

2:4 The king responded, ¹⁰²  “What is it you are seeking?” Then I quickly prayed to the God of heaven

Nehemia 7:65

7:65 The governor ¹⁰³  instructed them not to eat any of the sacred food until there was a priest who could consult ¹⁰⁴  the Urim and Thummim.

Nehemia 8:13

8:13 On the second day of the month the family leaders ¹⁰⁵  met with ¹⁰⁶  Ezra the scribe, together with all the people, the priests, and the Levites, to consider the words of the law.

Nehemia 7:73

7:73 The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all the rest of Israel lived in their cities.

The People Respond to the Reading of the Law

When the seventh month arrived and the Israelites ¹⁰⁷  were settled in their cities, ¹⁰⁸ 

[5:13]  ¹ tn Heb “my bosom.”

[5:13]  ² tn Heb “cause to stand.”

[5:13]  ³ tn Heb “according to this word.”

[6:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “shut in.” The reason for his confinement is not stated. BDB 783 s.v. עָצַר suggests that it had to do with the fulfillment of a vow or was related to an issue of ceremonial uncleanness.

[8:10]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[1:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “peoples.”

[5:12]  ⁷ tn The words “these things” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “took an oath from them”; the referents (the wealthy and the officials, cf. v. 7) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “according to this word.”

[13:21]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew text includes the words “to them,” but they have been excluded from the translation for stylistic reasons.

[13:21]  ¹¹ tn Heb “I will send a hand on you.”

[13:21]  ¹² sn This statement contains a great deal of restrained humor. The author clearly takes pleasure in the effectiveness of the measures that he had enacted.

[4:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “brothers.”

[4:2]  ¹⁴ map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

[4:2]  ¹⁵ tc The Hebrew text is difficult here. The present translation follows the MT, but the text may be corrupt. H. G. M. Williamson (Ezra, Nehemiah [WBC], 213-14) translates these words as “Will they commit their cause to God?” suggesting that MT לָהֶם (lahem, “to them”) should be emended to לֵאלֹהִים (lelohim, “to God”), a proposal also found in the apparatus of BHS. In his view later scribes altered the phrase out of theological motivations. J. Blenkinsopp’s translation is similar: “Are they going to leave it all to God?” (Ezra–Nehemiah [OTL], 242-44). However, a problem for this view is the absence of external evidence to support the proposed emendation. The sense of the MT reading may be the notion that the workers – if left to their own limited resources – could not possibly see such a demanding and expensive project through to completion. This interpretation understands the collocation עָזַב (’azav, “to leave”) plus לְ (lÿ, “to”) to mean “commit a matter to someone,” with the sense in this verse “Will they leave the building of the fortified walls to themselves?”

[4:14]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “And I saw.”

[4:14]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[4:14]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “houses.”

[5:8]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “our brothers, the Jews.”

[5:8]  ²⁰ tn Heb “your brothers.”

[2:18]  ²¹ tn Heb “the words of the king which he had spoken to me.”

[2:18]  ²² tn Heb “Arise! Let us rebuild!”

[2:18]  ²³ tn Heb “strengthened their hands.”

[9:18]  ²⁴ tn Heb “great.”

[5:4]  ²⁵ tn Heb “for the tax of the king.”

[7:3]  ²⁶ tc The present translation (along with most English versions) reads with the Qere, a Qumran text, and the ancient versions וָאֹמַר (va’omar, “and I said”) rather than the Kethib of the MT, which reads וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyo’mer, “and he said”).

[7:3]  ²⁷ tn Heb “until the heat of the sun.” The phrase probably means that the gates were to be opened only after the day had progressed a bit, not at the first sign of morning light (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, TEV, CEV). It is possible, however, that the Hebrew preposition עַד (’ad), here translated as “until,” has a more rare sense of “during.” If so, this would mean that the gates were not to be left open and unattended during the hot part of the day when people typically would be at rest (cf. NLT).

[7:3]  ²⁸ tn Presumably this would mean the gates were not to be opened until later in the morning and were to remain open until evening. Some, however, have understood Nehemiah’s instructions to mean that the gates were not to be left open during the hottest part of the day, but must be shut and locked while the guards are still on duty. See J. Barr, “Hebrew עַד, especially at Job i.18 and Neh vii.3,” JJS 27 (1982): 177-88.

[6:19]  ²⁹ tn Heb “my words.”

[6:19]  ³⁰ tn Or “to intimidate” (so NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[4:19]  ³¹ tn Heb “much.”

[4:12]  ³² tn Heb “ten times.”

[4:12]  ³³ 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]  ³⁴ 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.”

[9:5]  ³⁵ tc The MT reads here only “from age to age,” without the preceding words “May you be blessed, O LORD our God” which are included in the present translation. But apparently something has dropped out of the text. This phrase occurs elsewhere in the OT as a description of the Lord (see Ps 41:13; 106:48), and it seems best to understand it here in that light. The LXX adds “And Ezra said” at the beginning of v. 6 as a transition: “And Ezra said, ‘You alone are the LORD.” Without this addition (which is not included by most modern English translations) the speakers of vv. 9:5b-10:1 continue to be the Levites of v. 5a.

[9:5]  ³⁶ tn Heb “the name of your glory.”

[4:22]  ³⁷ tn Heb “said [to].”

[4:11]  ³⁸ tn Heb “said.”

[4:11]  ³⁹ tn Heb “see.”

[2:7]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “across the river,” here and often elsewhere in the Book of Nehemiah.

[1:5]  ⁴¹ 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]  ⁴² 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.

[6:8]  ⁴³ tn Heb “We are not according to these matters that you are saying.”

[6:8]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “For from your heart you are inventing them.”

[5:6]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “words.”

[4:10]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “burden-bearers.”

[5:2]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “take” (so also in v. 3).

[13:11]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “and I stood them on their standing.”

[2:19]  ⁴⁹ tn The Hebrew text does not include the words “all this,” but they have been added in the translation for clarity.

[5:7]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “my heart was advised upon me.”

[5:7]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “nobles.”

[5:7]  ⁵² tn Heb “taking a creditor’s debt.” The Hebrew noun מַשָּׁא (masha’) means “interest; debt” and probably refers to the collateral (pledge) collected by a creditor (HALOT 641-42 s.v.). This particular noun form appears only in Nehemiah (5:7, 10; 10:32); however, it is related to מַשָּׁאָה (masha’ah, “contractual loan; debt; collateral”) which appears elsewhere (Deut 24:10; Prov 22:26; cf. Neh 5:11). See the note on the word “people” at the end of v. 5. The BHS editors suggest emending the MT to מָשָׂא (masa’, “burden”), following several medieval Hebrew MSS; however, the result is not entirely clear: “you are bearing a burden, a man with his brothers.”

[5:7]  ⁵³ tn Heb “his brothers.”

[5:7]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “I gave.”

[8:9]  ⁵⁵ tc The unexpected reference to Nehemiah here has led some scholars to suspect that the phrase “Nehemiah the governor” is a later addition to the text and not original.

[8:9]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “the priest, the scribe.”

[8:9]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “the people.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.

[8:1]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “like one man.”

[8:1]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “said [to].”

[6:13]  ⁶⁰ tc The translation reads לִי (li, “to me”) rather than the MT reading לָהֶם (lahem, “to them”).

[6:13]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “would have a bad name.”

[6:12]  ⁶² tn Heb “and Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.”

[2:20]  ⁶³ tn Heb “will arise and build.” The idiom “arise and…” means to begin the action described by the second verb.

[2:20]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “portion or right or remembrance.” The expression is probably a hendiatris: The first two nouns retain their full nominal function, while the third noun functions adjectivally (“right or remembrance” = “ancient right”).

[6:7]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “call.”

[6:7]  ⁶⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[6:7]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “Let us consult together.”

[13:26]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “gave.”

[8:15]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “a voice.”

[8:15]  ⁷⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[5:9]  ⁷¹ 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]  ⁷² 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]  ⁷³ tn Heb “[should you not] walk.”

[6:9]  ⁷⁴ 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]  ⁷⁵ 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]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “go into the temple and live.”

[6:6]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “heard.”

[6:6]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “Gashmu”; in Neh 2:19 this name appears as Geshem. Since it is important for the modern reader to recognize that this is the same individual, the form of the name used here in the translation is the same as that in v. 19.

[6:6]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “is saying.”

[6:6]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “words.” So also in v. 7.

[6:2]  ⁸¹ tn It is not entirely clear whether the Hebrew word כְּפִירִים (kÿfirim) is a place-name not mentioned elsewhere in the OT (as indicated in the present translation; so also NAB, NASB) or whether it means “in [one of] the villages” (so, e.g., NIV, NRSV, NLT; see BDB 499 s.v.; HALOT 493 s.v.). The LXX and Vulgate understand it in the latter sense. Some scholars connect this term with the identically spelled word כּפירים (“lions”) as a figurative description of princes or warriors (e.g., Pss 34:11; 35:17; 58:7; Jer 2:15; Ezek 32:2, 13; Nah 2:14; see HALOT 493 s.v.): “let us meet together with the leaders in the plain of Ono.”

[1:3]  ⁸² tn Heb “great.”

[1:3]  ⁸³ tn Heb “have been burned with fire” (so also in Neh 2:17). The expression “burned with fire” is redundant in contemporary English; the translation uses “burned down” for stylistic reasons.

[6:3]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “[am] doing.”

[8:12]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “to send portions.”

[8:12]  ⁸⁶ tn The Hebrew text does not include the phrase “with others” but it has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[8:12]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “to make great joy.”

[13:27]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “give a dwelling to.”

[13:25]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “give.”

[2:5]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “If upon the king it is good.” So also in v. 7.

[9:30]  ⁹¹ tn The Hebrew expression here is elliptical. The words “your kindness” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:30]  ⁹² tn Heb “did not give ear to.”

[9:30]  ⁹³ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”

[5:5]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “according to the flesh of our brothers is our flesh.”

[5:5]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “like their children, our children.”

[5:5]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “to become slaves” (also later in this verse).

[5:5]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “there is not power for our hand.” The Hebrew expression used here is rather difficult.

[5:5]  ⁹⁸ sn The poor among the returned exiles were being exploited by their rich countrymen. Moneylenders were loaning large amounts of money, and not only collecting interest on loans which was illegal (Lev 25:36-37; Deut 23:19-20), but also seizing pledges as collateral (Neh 5:3) which was allowed (Deut 24:10). When the debtors missed a payment, the moneylenders would seize their collateral: their fields, vineyards and homes. With no other means of income, the debtors were forced to sell their children into slavery, a common practice at this time (Neh 5:5). Nehemiah himself was one of the moneylenders (Neh 5:10), but he insisted that seizure of collateral from fellow Jewish countrymen was ethically wrong (Neh 5:9).

[6:4]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “sent to.”

[6:4]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “and I answered them according to this word.”

[1:4]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “sat down.” Context suggests that this was a rather sudden action, resulting from the emotional shock of the unpleasant news, so “abruptly” has been supplied in the present translation.

[2:4]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “said to me.”

[7:65]  ¹⁰³ tn The Hebrew term תִּרְשָׁתָא (tirshata’; KJV “Tirshatha”) is the official title of a Persian governor in Judea. In meaning it may be similar to “excellency” (cf. NAB). See further BDB 1077 s.v.; W. L. Holladay, Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 395; HALOT 1798 s.v.

[7:65]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “stood.”

[8:13]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”

[8:13]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “were gathered to”; NAB, NIV “gathered around”; NRSV “came together to.”

[7:73]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “the sons of Israel.” So also in vv. 14, 17; 9:1.

[7:73]  ¹⁰⁸ tn The traditional understanding of the chapter and verse division here is probably incorrect. The final part of v. 73 is best understood as belonging with 8:1.