In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant …: The event seems to be repeating itself for a fifth time. Again Sanballat sent “with this word” (literal Hebrew for In the same way; see the previous verse), but this time he tried a new tactic. He sent his servant with the invitation in an open letter that included information about what he had heard. His servant was probably a minor official. New International Version says “his aide”, while Bible en français courant says “one of his collaborators.”

An open letter is a letter that was “unsealed” (Good News Translation). The message was sent on a piece of papyrus or pottery. Usually the seal or mark of the sender was placed on a message to identify who was sending it, and to close it so it would only be read by the one to whom it was sent. The seal was often a bit of wax with the mark of the sender imprinted on it. Because this letter was not closed by a seal, it could be read by anyone the messenger met on the way. Sanballat deliberately sent it this way so that the message would be known and would be spread among the people. Translators will need to express this in such a way as to make it clear that Sanballat was not sending a letter in a modern-day unsealed envelope. They may also find it helpful to include a short footnote on what is meant by an open letter or “an unsealed letter” as in Good News Translation.

In his hand: The Hebrew says that the letter was “in his hand” and many versions translate as Revised Standard Version has done. However, this expression does not need to be taken literally and may mean rather that he had a message (Good News Translation) or was carrying or bearing a message (Bible en français courant).

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 .