The people blessed …: This is taken by the Good News Translation as praising or congratulating them for doing this. New International Version and New Living Translation say “The people commended,” and Bible en français courant expresses it as being “especially grateful.” The more literal Hebrew sense of blessing is to ask God to prosper or provide well-being and long life to someone (see Ezra 7.27). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible both say “The people gave their blessing,” and Revised English Bible states it more formally with “The people invoked a blessing.” Those who received a blessing were those who volunteered to live in Jerusalem. They were men who chose themselves to be part of the ten percent rather than being chosen by lot so that fewer people would be obliged to move. Obviously it was considered a sacrifice to leave one’s traditional home.

In Hebrew, willingly offered is a masculine plural participle meaning “those offering themselves” or “those being willing” to do something. This expression was used of men who volunteered for military service. The people here who are willing to go to Jerusalem are considered to be brave. They are called “valiant men” (verse 6 below) and “mighty men of valor” (verse 14 below). They would be a kind of paramilitary reserve to supplement the governor’s guard. Such a practice was a policy of the Persian government. For the last half of the verse, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translates “all the men who willingly settled in Jerusalem.”

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 .