Nehemia 4:1

Opposition to the Work Continues

4:1 (3:33) ¹  Now when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall he became angry and was quite upset. He derided the Jews,

Nehemia 8:5

8:5 Ezra opened the book in plain view ²  of all the people, for he was elevated above all the people. When he opened the book, ³  all the people stood up.

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. ⁴ 

Nehemia 12:25

12:25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers who were guarding the storerooms at the gates.

Nehemia 6:18

6:18 For many in Judah had sworn allegiance to him, ⁵  because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah. His son Jonathan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah.

Nehemia 12:8

12:8 And the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who together with his colleagues ⁶  was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving.

Nehemia 3:15

3:15 Shallun son of Col-Hozeh, head of the district of Mizpah, worked on the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it, put on its roof, and positioned its doors, its bolts, and its bars. In addition, he rebuilt the wall of the Pool of Siloam, ⁷  by the royal garden, as far as the steps that go down from the City of David.

Nehemia 11:22

11:22 The overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mica. He was one of Asaph’s descendants who were the singers responsible for the service of the temple of God.

Nehemia 3:14

3:14 Malkijah son of Recab, head of the district of Beth Hakkerem, worked on the Dung Gate. He rebuilt it and positioned its doors, its bolts, and its bars.

Nehemia 7:63

7:63 And from among the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai (who had married a woman from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name).

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. ⁸  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 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 ⁹  him king over all Israel. But the foreign wives made even him sin!

Nehemia 8:1

8:1 all the people gathered together ¹⁰  in the plaza which was in front of the Water Gate. They asked ¹¹  Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the LORD had commanded Israel.

Nehemia 8:3

8:3 So he read it before the plaza in front of the Water Gate from dawn till noon ¹²  before the men and women and those children who could understand. ¹³  All the people were eager to hear ¹⁴  the book of the law.

Nehemia 13:13

13:13 I gave instructions ¹⁵  that Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and a certain Levite named Pedaiah be put in charge of ¹⁶  the storerooms, and that Hanan son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, be their assistant, ¹⁷  for they were regarded as trustworthy. It was then their responsibility to oversee the distribution to their colleagues. ¹⁸ 

Nehemia 13:5

13:5 He made for himself a large storeroom where previously they had been keeping ¹⁹  the grain offering, the incense, and the vessels, along with the tithes of the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil as commanded for the Levites, the singers, the gate keepers, and the offering for the priests.

Nehemia 1:11

1:11 Please, ²⁰  O Lord, listen attentively ²¹  to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who take pleasure in showing respect ²²  to your name. Grant your servant success today and show compassion to me ²³  in the presence of this man.”

Now ²⁴  I was cupbearer for the king.

Nehemia 5:13

5:13 I also shook out my garment, ²⁵  and I said, “In this way may God shake out from his house and his property every person who does not carry out ²⁶  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. ²⁷ 

Nehemia 2:8

2:8 and a letter for Asaph the keeper of the king’s nature preserve, ²⁸  so that he will give me timber for beams for the gates of the fortress adjacent to the temple and for the city wall ²⁹  and for the house to which I go.” So the king granted me these requests, ³⁰  for the good hand of my God was on me.

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. ³¹  Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Nehemia 11:6

11:6 The sum total of the descendants of Perez who were settling in Jerusalem was 468 exceptional men.

Nehemia 11:14

11:14 and his colleagues ³²  who were exceptional men – 128. The officer over them was Zabdiel the son of Haggedolim.

Nehemia 12:12

12:12 In the days of Joiakim, these were the priests who were leaders of the families: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;

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 7:3

7:3 I ³³  said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem must not be opened in the early morning, ³⁴  until those who are standing guard close the doors and lock them. ³⁵  Position residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their guard stations and some near their homes.”

Nehemia 10:1

10:1 On the sealed documents were the following names: ³⁶ 

Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah, along with Zedekiah,

Nehemia 4:2

4:2 and in the presence of his colleagues ³⁷  and the army of Samaria ³⁸  he said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they be left to themselves? ³⁹  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 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 ⁴⁰  would be discredited. ⁴¹ 

Nehemia 7:2

7:2 I then put in charge over Jerusalem ⁴²  my brother Hanani and Hananiah ⁴³  the chief of the citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many do.

Nehemia 3:12

3:12 Shallum son of Hallohesh, head of a half-district of Jerusalem, worked on the section adjacent to him, assisted by his daughters. ⁴⁴ 

Nehemia 2:2

2:2 So the king said to me, “Why do you appear to be depressed when you aren’t sick? What can this be other than sadness of heart?” This made me very fearful.

Nehemia 12:33

12:33 Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,

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 7:7

7:7 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

The number of Israelite men ⁴⁵  was as follows:

Nehemia 11:7

11:7 These are the descendants of Benjamin:

Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah,

Nehemia 11:15

11:15 From the Levites:

Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni;

Nehemia 7:60

7:60 All the temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon, 392.

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. ⁴⁶  May your glorious name ⁴⁷  be blessed; may it be lifted up above all blessing and praise.

Nehemia 9:29

9:29 And you solemnly admonished them in order to return them to your law, but they behaved presumptuously and did not obey your commandments. They sinned against your ordinances – those by which an individual, if he obeys them, ⁴⁸  will live. They boldly turned from you; ⁴⁹  they rebelled ⁵⁰  and did not obey.

Nehemia 9:16

9:16 “But they – our ancestors ⁵¹  – behaved presumptuously; they rebelled ⁵²  and did not obey your commandments.

Nehemia 11:13

11:13 and his colleagues who were heads of families ⁵³  – 242; and Amashsai son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer,

Nehemia 12:35

12:35 some of the priests ⁵⁴  with trumpets, Zechariah son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph,

Nehemia 13:24

13:24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod (or the language of one of the other peoples mentioned ⁵⁵ ) and were unable to speak the language of Judah.

Nehemia 11:4

11:4 some of the descendants of Judah and some of the descendants of Benjamin settled in Jerusalem.)

Of the descendants of Judah:

Athaiah son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, from the descendants of Perez;

Nehemia 2:6

2:6 Then the king, with his consort ⁵⁶  sitting beside him, replied, “How long would your trip take, and when would you return?” Since the king was amenable to dispatching me, ⁵⁷  I gave him a time.

Nehemia 3:8

3:8 Uzziel son of Harhaiah, a member of the goldsmiths’ guild, worked on the section adjacent to him. Hananiah, a member of the perfumers’ guild, worked on the section adjacent to him. They plastered ⁵⁸  the city wall of Jerusalem ⁵⁹  as far as the Broad Wall.

Nehemia 3:16

3:16 Nehemiah son of Azbuk, head of a half-district of Beth Zur, worked after him as far as the tombs of David and the artificial pool and the House of the Warriors.

Nehemia 4:4

4:4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised! Return their reproach on their own head! Reduce them to plunder in a land of exile!

Nehemia 4:22

4:22 At that time I instructed ⁶⁰  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 5:17

5:17 There were 150 Jews and officials who dined with me routinely, ⁶¹  in addition to those who came to us from the nations ⁶²  all around us.

Nehemia 6:16

6:16 When all our enemies heard and all the nations who were around us saw ⁶³  this, they were greatly disheartened. ⁶⁴  They knew that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.

Nehemia 6:19

6:19 They were telling me about his good deeds and then taking back to him the things I said. ⁶⁵  Tobiah, on the other hand, sent letters in order to scare ⁶⁶  me.

Nehemia 7:43

7:43 The Levites:

the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel, through the line of Hodaviah), 74.

Nehemia 9:23

9:23 You multiplied their descendants like the stars of the sky. You brought them to the land you had told their ancestors to enter in order to possess.

Nehemia 10:14

10:14 The leaders ⁶⁷  of the people were as follows:

Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,

Nehemia 11:10

11:10 From the priests:

Jedaiah son of Joiarib, Jakin,

Nehemia 11:12

11:12 and their colleagues ⁶⁸  who were carrying out work for the temple – 822; and Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malkijah,

Nehemia 13:7

13:7 and I returned to Jerusalem. Then I discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah by supplying him with a storeroom in the courts of the temple of God.

Nehemia 1:3

1:3 They said to me, “The remnant that remains from the exile there in the province are experiencing considerable ⁶⁹  adversity and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem lies breached, and its gates have been burned down!” ⁷⁰ 

Nehemia 2:1

Nehemiah Is Permitted to Go to Jerusalem

2:1 Then in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought to me, ⁷¹  I took the wine and gave it to the king. Previously ⁷²  I had not been depressed ⁷³  in the king’s presence. ⁷⁴ 

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. ⁷⁵  But you have no just or ancient right in Jerusalem.” ⁷⁶ 

Nehemia 5:8

5:8 I said to them, “To the extent possible we have bought back our fellow Jews ⁷⁷  who had been sold to the Gentiles. But now you yourselves want to sell your own countrymen, ⁷⁸  so that we can then buy them back!” They were utterly silent, and could find nothing to say.

Nehemia 5:15

5:15 But the former governors who preceded me had burdened the people and had taken food and wine from them, in addition to ⁷⁹  forty shekels of silver. Their associates were also domineering over the people. But I did not behave in this way, due to my fear of God.

Nehemia 5:18

5:18 Every day one ox, six select sheep, and some birds were prepared for me, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Despite all this I did not require the food allotted to the governor, for the work was demanding on this people.

Nehemia 6:6-7

6:6 Written in it were the following words:

“Among the nations it is rumored ⁸⁰  (and Geshem ⁸¹  has substantiated ⁸²  this) that you and the Jews have intentions of revolting, and for this reason you are building the wall. Furthermore, according to these rumors ⁸³  you are going to become their king. 6:7 You have also established prophets to announce ⁸⁴  in Jerusalem ⁸⁵  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.” ⁸⁶ 

Nehemia 7:61

7:61 These are the ones who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer (although they were unable to certify ⁸⁷  their family connection ⁸⁸  or their ancestry, ⁸⁹  as to whether they were really from Israel):

Nehemia 8:7

8:7 Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah – all of whom were Levites ⁹⁰  – were teaching the people the law, as the people remained standing.

Nehemia 8:15

8:15 and that they should make a proclamation and disseminate this message ⁹¹  in all their cities and in Jerusalem: ⁹²  “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 9:8

9:8 When you perceived that his heart was faithful toward you, you established a ⁹³  covenant with him to give his descendants ⁹⁴  the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites. You have fulfilled your promise, ⁹⁵  for you are righteous.

Nehemia 9:30

9:30 You prolonged your kindness ⁹⁶  with them for many years, and you solemnly admonished them by your Spirit through your prophets. Still they paid no attention, ⁹⁷  so you delivered them into the hands of the neighboring peoples. ⁹⁸ 

Nehemia 10:29

10:29 hereby participate with their colleagues the town leaders ⁹⁹  and enter into a curse and an oath ¹⁰⁰  to adhere to ¹⁰¹  the law of God which was given through Moses the servant of God, and to obey ¹⁰²  carefully all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, ¹⁰³  along with his ordinances and his statutes.

Nehemia 11:1

The Population of Jerusalem

11:1 So the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem, ¹⁰⁴  while the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of every ten to settle in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the other nine ¹⁰⁵  remained in other cities.

Nehemia 11:25

11:25 As for the settlements with their fields, some of the people of Judah settled in Kiriath Arba and its neighboring villages, ¹⁰⁶  in Dibon and its villages, in Jekabzeel and its settlements,

Nehemia 12:24

12:24 And the leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their colleagues, who stood opposite them to offer praise and thanks, one contingent corresponding to the other, as specified by ¹⁰⁷  David the man of God.

[4:1]  ¹ sn Beginning with 4:1, the verse numbers through 4:23 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 4:1 ET = 3:33 HT, 4:2 ET = 3:34 HT, 4:3 ET = 3:35 HT, 4:4 ET = 3:36 HT, 4:5 ET = 3:37 HT, 4:6 ET = 3:38 HT, 4:7 ET = 4:1 HT, etc., through 4:23 ET = 4:17 HT. Thus in the Hebrew Bible chap. 3 of the Book of Nehemiah has 38 verses, while chap. 4 has only 17 verses.

[8:5]  ² tn Heb “to the eyes.”

[8:5]  ³ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the book) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “and Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.”

[6:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “were lords of oath.”

[12:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “he and his brothers.”

[3:15]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew word translated “Siloam” is הַשֶּׁלַח (hashelakh, “water-channel”; cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV, TEV, CEV “Shelah”). It apparently refers to the Pool of Siloam whose water supply came from the Gihon Spring via Hezekiah’s Tunnel built in 701 B.C. (cf. Isa 8:6). See BDB 1019 s.v. שִׁלֹחַ; W. L. Holladay, Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 372. On the etymology of the word, which is a disputed matter, see HALOT 1517 s.v. III שֶׁלַח.

[6:10]  ⁸ 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.

[13:26]  ⁹ tn Heb “gave.”

[8:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “like one man.”

[8:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “said [to].”

[8:3]  ¹² tn Heb “from the light till the noon of the day.”

[8:3]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the ears of all the people were toward.”

[13:13]  ¹⁵ tc Probably one should read with the Lucianic Greek recension, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Vulgate וָאֲצַוֶּה (va’atsavveh, “and I commanded”) rather than the rare denominative verb וָאוֹצְרָה (va’otsÿrah, “and I appointed over the storeroom”) of the MT.

[13:13]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “be over”

[13:13]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “on their hand.”

[13:13]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “brothers.”

[13:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “giving.”

[1:11]  ²⁰ tn The interjection אָנָּא (’anna’) is an emphatic term of entreaty: “please!” (BDB 58 s.v.; HALOT 69-70 s.v.). This term is normally reserved for pleas for mercy from God in life-and-death situations (2 Kgs 20:3 = Isa 38:3; Pss 116:4; 118:25; Jonah 1:14; 4:2) and for forgiveness of heinous sins that would result or have resulted in severe judgment from God (Exod 32:31; Dan 9:4; Neh 1:5, 11).

[1:11]  ²¹ tn Heb “let your ear be attentive.”

[1:11]  ²² tn Heb “fear.”

[1:11]  ²³ tn Heb “grant compassion.” The words “to me” are supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness and style in English.

[1:11]  ²⁴ tn The vav (ו) on וַאֲנִי (va’ani, “Now, I”) introduces a disjunctive parenthetical clause that provides background information to the reader.

[5:13]  ²⁵ tn Heb “my bosom.”

[5:13]  ²⁶ tn Heb “cause to stand.”

[5:13]  ²⁷ tn Heb “according to this word.”

[2:8]  ²⁸ tn Or “forest.” So HALOT 963 s.v. פַּרְדֵּס 2.

[2:8]  ²⁹ tc One medieval Hebrew MS, the Syriac Peshitta, Vulgate, and the Arabic read here the plural וּלְחוֹמוֹת (ulÿkhomot, “walls”) against the singular וּלְחוֹמַת (ulÿkhomat) in the MT. The plural holem vav (וֹ) might have dropped out due to dittography or the plural form might have been written defectively.

[2:8]  ³⁰ tn The Hebrew text does not include the expression “these requests,” but it is implied.

[8:10]  ³¹ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[11:14]  ³² tc The translation reads with the LXX וְאֶחָיו (vÿ’ekhayv, “and his brothers”) rather than the MT reading וַאֲחֵיהֶם (va’akhehem, “and their brothers”).

[7:3]  ³³ 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]  ³⁴ 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]  ³⁵ 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.

[10:1]  ³⁶ tn The words “were the following names” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation for clarity. Cf. vv. 9, 10, 14.

[4:2]  ³⁷ tn Heb “brothers.”

[4:2]  ³⁸ map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

[4:2]  ³⁹ 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?”

[6:13]  ⁴⁰ tc The translation reads לִי (li, “to me”) rather than the MT reading לָהֶם (lahem, “to them”).

[6:13]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “would have a bad name.”

[7:2]  ⁴² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[7:2]  ⁴³ tn Some have suggested that “Hananiah” is another name for Hanani, Nehemiah’s brother, so that only one individual is mentioned here. However, the third person plural in v. 3 indicates two people are in view.

[3:12]  ⁴⁴ tc The reference to daughters, while not impossible, is odd in light of the cultural improbability that young women would participate in the strenuous labor of rebuilding city walls. All other such references in the Book of Nehemiah presuppose male laborers. Not surprisingly, some scholars suspect a textual problem. One medieval Hebrew MS and the Syriac Peshitta read וּבָנָיו (uvanayv, “and his sons”) rather than the MT reading וּבְנוֹתָיו (uvÿnotayv, “and his daughters”). Some scholars emend the MT to וּבֹנָיו (uvonayv, “and his builders”). On the other hand, the MT is clearly the more difficult reading, and so it is preferred.

[7:7]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “the men of the people of Israel.” Some English versions translate as “the people from Israel” (NCV) or “the Israelite people” (NRSV), but “men” should be retained because the following numbers presumably include only adult males.

[9:5]  ⁴⁶ 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]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “the name of your glory.”

[9:29]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “if a man keep.” See note on the word “obey” in Neh 1:5.

[9:29]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “they gave a stubborn shoulder.”

[9:29]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “they stiffened their neck.”

[9:16]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “and our fathers.” The vav is explicative.

[9:16]  ⁵² tn Heb “they stiffened their neck” (so also in the following verse).

[11:13]  ⁵³ tn Heb “heads of fathers.”

[12:35]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “some of the sons of the priests.”

[13:24]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “people and people.”

[2:6]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “queen,” so most English versions (cf. HALOT 1415 s.v. שֵׁגַל); TEV “empress.”

[2:6]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “It was good before the king and he sent me.”

[3:8]  ⁵⁸ tc Assuming that the MT reading וַיַּעַזְבוּ (vayya’azvu) is related to the root עָזַב I (“to abandon”) – which makes little sense contextually – some interpreters emend the MT to וַיַּעַזְרוּ (vayya’azru, “they aided”), as suggested by the editors of BHS. However, it is better to relate this term to the root II עָזַב meaning “to restore; to repair” (BDB 738 s.v. II עָזַב) or “to plaster” (HALOT 807 s.v. II עזב qal.1). This homonymic root is rare, appearing elsewhere only in Exod 23:5 and Job 9:27, where it means “to restore; to put in order” (HALOT 807-8 s.v. II עזב qal.2). The related Mishnaic Hebrew noun מעזיבה refers to a “plastered floor.” This Hebrew root is probably related to the cognate Ugaritic, Old South Arabic and Sabean verbs that mean “to restore” and “to prepare; to lay” (see BDB 738 s.v.; HALOT 807 s.v.). Some scholars in the nineteenth century suggested that this term be nuanced “paved.” However, most modern English versions have “restored” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or “rebuilt” (so NCV, CEV).

[3:8]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “[the city wall of] Jerusalem.” The term “Jerusalem” probably functions as a metonymy of association for the city wall of Jerusalem. Accordingly, the phrase “the city wall of” has been supplied in the translation to clarify this figurative expression.

[3:8]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[4:22]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “said [to].”

[5:17]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “who were gathered around us at my table.”

[5:17]  ⁶² tn Or “from the Gentiles.” The same Hebrew word can refer to “the Gentiles” or “the nations.” Cf. the phrase in 6:16.

[6:16]  ⁶³ tc The MT understands the root here to be יָרֵא (yare’, “to fear”) rather than רָאָה (ra’ah, “to see”).

[6:16]  ⁶⁴ 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”).

[6:19]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “my words.”

[6:19]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “to intimidate” (so NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[10:14]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “heads”; ASV “chiefs.”

[11:12]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “brothers” (also in vv. 13, 14, 17, 19).

[1:3]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “great.”

[1:3]  ⁷⁰ 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.

[2:1]  ⁷¹ tc The translation reads with the LXX וְיַיִן לְפָנַי (vÿyayin lÿfanay, “and wine before me”) rather than יַיִן לְפָנָיו (yayin lÿfanayv, “wine before him”) of the MT. The initial vav (ו) on original וְיַיִן probably dropped out due to haplograpy or orthographic confusion with the two yods (י) which follow. The final vav on לְפָנָיו in the MT was probably added due to dittography with the vav on the immediately following word.

[2:1]  ⁷² tc The translation reads לְפָנֵים (lÿfanim, “formerly”) rather than לְפָנָיו (lÿfanayv, “to his face”) of the MT. The MT seems to suggest that Nehemiah was not sad before the king, which is contrary to what follows.

[2:1]  ⁷³ tn Or “showed him a sullen face.” See HALOT 1251 s.v. רַע, רָע 9.

[2:1]  ⁷⁴ tn This expression is either to be inferred from the context, or perhaps one should read לְפָנָיו (lÿfanayv, “before him”; cf. the MT) in addition to לְפָנִים (lÿfanim, “formerly”). See preceding note on the word “previously.”

[2:20]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “will arise and build.” The idiom “arise and…” means to begin the action described by the second verb.

[2:20]  ⁷⁶ 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”).

[5:8]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “our brothers, the Jews.”

[5:8]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “your brothers.”

[5:15]  ⁷⁹ tc The Hebrew term אַחַר (’akhar) is difficult here. It normally means “after,” but that makes no sense here. Some scholars emend it to אַחַד (’akhad) and supply the word “day,” which yields the sense “daily.” Cf. TEV “40 silver coins a day for food and wine.”

[6:6]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “heard.”

[6:6]  ⁸¹ 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]  ⁸² tn Heb “is saying.”

[6:6]  ⁸³ tn Heb “words.” So also in v. 7.

[6:7]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “call.”

[6:7]  ⁸⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[6:7]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “Let us consult together.”

[7:61]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “relate.”

[7:61]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “the house of their fathers.”

[7:61]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “their seed.”

[8:7]  ⁹⁰ tc The MT reads “and the Levites.” The conjunction (“and”) should be deleted, following the LXX, Aquila, and the Vulgate. That the vav (ו) of the MT is the vav explicativum (“even the Levites”) is unlikely here.

[8:15]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “a voice.”

[8:15]  ⁹² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[9:8]  ⁹³ tn Heb “the” (so NAB).

[9:8]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “seed.”

[9:8]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “your words.”

[9:30]  ⁹⁶ 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]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “did not give ear to.”

[9:30]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”

[10:29]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “the nobles.”

[10:29]  ¹⁰⁰ tn The expression “a curse and an oath” may be a hendiadys, meaning “an oath with penalties.”

[10:29]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “to walk in.”

[10:29]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “keep.” See the note on the word “obey” in Neh 1:5.

[10:29]  ¹⁰³ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[11:1]  ¹⁰⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[11:1]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “nine of the hands.” The word “hand” is used here in the sense or a part or portion.

[11:25]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “its daughters.” So also in vv. 27, 28, 30, and 31.

[12:24]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “in [accord with] the commandment of.”