Nehemia 6:16

6:16 When all our enemies heard and all the nations who were around us saw ¹  this, they were greatly disheartened. ²  They knew that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.

Nehemia 8:3

8:3 So he read it before the plaza in front of the Water Gate from dawn till noon ³  before the men and women and those children who could understand. ⁴  All the people were eager to hear ⁵  the book of the law.

[6:16]  ¹ tc The MT understands the root here to be יָרֵא (yare’, “to fear”) rather than רָאָה (ra’ah, “to see”).

[6:16]  ² tn Heb “they greatly fell [i.e., were cast down] in their own eyes.” Some scholars suggest emending the reading of the MT, וַיִּפְּלוּ (vayyipÿlu) to וַיִּפָּלֵא (vayyippale’, “it was very extraordinary in their eyes”).

[8:3]  ³ tn Heb “from the light till the noon of the day.”

[8:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “all who could hear with understanding.” The word “children” is understood to be implied here by a number of English versions (e.g., NAB, TEV, NLT).

[8:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “the ears of all the people were toward.”