Two rhetorical questions are indirectly addressed to the community with the hope that those who have married wives from peoples of the lands will repent of their disobedience to the commandments. It is expected that they will answer “no” to the first question: shall we break thy commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? It is expected that they will answer “yes” to the second one: Wouldst thou not be angry with us…?

Shall we break thy commandments again is literally “shall we return to breaking your commandments?” The Hebrew construction expresses the notion of taking up the same action again or of repeating a habitual action. A different verb is used here for disobeying than in verse 10. There the meaning was leaving aside or abandoning the commandments, failing to follow them with obedience. Here the meaning is explicitly disobeying the commands that the people have received. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translates “shall we begin again to violate your commandments?”

Intermarry: The Hebrew verb means simply “to marry” or “to enter into a marriage contract.” In the context of verse 12, Revised Standard Version translates it as intermarry (also Good News Translation, New International Version). Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translates more closely the form of the original text: “to unite ourselves in marriage with.”

Peoples who practice these abominations is literally “peoples of abominations these.” There are two possible interpretations of this Hebrew construction. Revised Standard Version interprets it to mean that peoples are being referred to who practice customs that are characterized as abominations (see the comments on verse 1 above). Good News Translation interprets it to mean that the peoples themselves are being characterized as “wicked” or “abominable” (so Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Translators should refer to the practice rather than the character of the people since it is their practice that is being condemned.

Wouldst thou not be angry with us: The Hebrew verb for be angry here occurs only rarely in the Old Testament. It is used a total of 14 times and is always used in relation to God, usually in relation to some punishment given to the people. In some languages anger is expressed in terms of physical associations; for example, “he gets bad-liver,” “his liver hurts,” or “his heart becomes hot.” The preposition that relates God’s anger to the objects of his anger needs careful attention. In some languages it may be “with” as in English, but in others with us may be “toward us,” “against us,” “at us,” or “over us,” or it may be a longer expression, such as “on top of our heads,” “with regard to us,” or “with regard to our deeds.”

Till thou wouldst consume us: The basic meaning of the Hebrew verb for consume is “to cause to end” or “to finish,” therefore “to destroy” as in Good News Translation. The second question may be rendered “Would you not be angry with us to finish us…?”

So that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape: The result of God’s anger is stated in two nearly synonymous expressions. In the Hebrew text remnant and any to escape are two parallel nouns that are derived from the verbs “to remain” and “to escape.” The result of God’s total destruction will be that there will be no one remaining, no escapee (see verse 8 above). The Revised Standard Version translation is slightly misleading because any to escape translates the Hebrew word that is rendered “remnant” in verses 8, 13 and 15. Here, however, there is a second Hebrew word that means “remainder, rest, survivor” (see Ezra 1.4). According to context either of the two Hebrew words may be translated “remnant” (see Jer 23.3).

Good News Translation restructures to express the meaning of the first noun remnant with the preceding verb consume: “you will destroy us completely.” Then it introduces a verb to make the second expression any to escape become a parallel construction to the first one: “let no one survive.” Bible en français courant uses a similar restructuring: “exterminate us all without exception.”

In some languages it will be necessary to restructure these rhetorical questions in the form of exclamations, for example:

• We could surely not break your commandments again and intermarry with these people who do these horrible things! If we did that, you would become so angry with us that you would destroy us completely and leave none of us alive!

Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Ezra. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .