The sanction here was ordered by the governor, which is a translation of a Persian honorific title for a provincial governor, meaning “His Excellency” (New Jerusalem Bible). In this passage it probably refers to Zerubbabel. This title was also used for Nehemiah (Neh 7.65, 70; 8.9; 10.1). Note that Good News Translation makes explicit that this was the “Jewish governor.”
The Hebrew begins this verse with the connective conjunction to indicate the personal involvement of the governor. This is a dramatic detail in the narrative to which some translations draw attention. New Jerusalem Bible introduces it with the adverb “Consequently,” and Contemporary English Version is similar with “In fact.” Bible en français courant draws attention to the person by saying “The governor himself.”
They were not to partake of the most holy food: Those who could not prove their priestly lineage were forbidden to eat food from the offerings allotted to the priests (Lev 2.3; 7.1-6, 32-36). The most holy food is “the most sacred food” (Revised English Bible). New Jerusalem Bible refers to it as “the consecrated food,” that is, food that has been offered or dedicated to God. Good News Translation makes it explicit that this food was “offered to God.”
The order by the governor was to be in effect until there should be a priest to consult Urim and Thummim. It was the function of the high priest to check the sacred lots that were kept in his breastplate (Exo 28.30). Consult is used as a technical term here for the priest’s action of seeking God’s answer to a question or an issue. The two lots Urim (meaning “curses”) and Thummim (meaning “perfections”) were marked to indicate “No” or “Yes.” The high priest threw them like dice to determine a positive or negative answer to the matter being considered (1 Sam 14.41-42). The statement here seems to indicate that Jeshua the high priest had not yet returned to Jerusalem at the time the governor made this decision. Therefore there was no one present who was eligible to consult the Urim and Thummim. Translators should provide a brief explanation of the Urim and Thummim in a footnote or in the glossary, and Good News Translation offers a suitable model.
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 .