2 Tawarikh 20:8-9

20:8 They settled down in it and built in it a temple ¹  to honor you, ²  saying, 20:9 ‘If disaster comes on us in the form of military attack, ³  judgment, plague, or famine, we will stand in front of this temple before you, for you are present in this temple. ⁴  We will cry out to you for help in our distress, so that you will ⁵  hear and deliver us.’

Nehemia 1:5-6

1:5 Then I said, “Please, O LORD God of heaven, great and awesome God, who keeps his loving covenant ⁶  with those who love him and obey ⁷  his commandments, 1:6 may your ear be attentive and your eyes be open to hear the prayer of your servant that I am praying to you today throughout both day and night on behalf of your servants the Israelites. I am confessing the sins of the Israelites that we have committed ⁸  against you – both I myself and my family ⁹  have sinned.

[20:8]  ¹ tn Or “sanctuary.”

[20:8]  ² tn Heb “for your name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “to honor you”).

[20:9]  ³ tn Heb “sword.”

[20:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “for your name is in this house.” The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name. In this case the temple is referred to as a “house” where the Lord himself can reside.

[20:9]  ⁵ tn Or “so that you may.”

[1:5]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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.

[1:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “have sinned.” For stylistic reasons – to avoid redundancy in English – this was translated as “committed.”

[1:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “the house of my father.”