All the wall was joined together to half its height: Joined together may refer to the way in which the wall was built by sealing joints between the stones. However, the reference to all the wall indicates that it probably means that all the sections of the wall were joined together and the wall was completed to half its height, which is literally “up to its half.” Given the way in which the work was being distributed, this must refer to its height rather than its length.

The people had a mind to work: The insults only strengthened the resolve of the builders because the people had a mind [literally “heart”] to work; that is, their hearts were set on doing the work. The Hebrew idiom identifies the heart as the place of human emotion, in this case of will and determination. Other cultures use different expressions here as shown in English by Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. Some languages may refer to the liver or the entrails or the trunk of the body as the seat of emotion.

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