Here follows Nehemiah’s listing of the offerings and sacrifices that were associated with Temple worship. The Revised Standard Version translation of this verse repeats the concise citation of the Hebrew list while Good News Translation makes explicit the kind or the purpose of each offering and sacrifice. This kind of explanation is very helpful to readers.
The showbread, which is literally “the bread that is set in rows,” was put in two rows of six loaves on the table in the Temple (see Lev 24.5-9). New Revised Standard Version and Nouvelle version Segond révisée speak of “rows of bread” (also Osty-Trinquet). It is referred to in different ways. Like Revised Standard Version, many versions call it showbead (so New American Bible, New King James Version , Amplified Bible). Nouvelle Bible Segond describes it as “bread that was shown [or, exposed].” Good News Translation refers to it as “sacred bread,” while Bible en français courant and Parole de Vie say “bread offered to God.” New Jerusalem Bible says “loaves of permanent offering” because the offering of this bread was supposed to never cease. It is also called “Bread of the Presence” (so Revised English Bible) because the Presence represents God and this bread was offered to God. These twelve loaves were an offering from the twelve tribes of Israel giving thanks to God. See A Handbook on Exodus, especially its comments on Exo 25.30.
The continual cereal offering and the continual burnt offering were offerings given daily with one lamb sacrificed each morning and each evening (see Exo 29.38-42; Num 28.3-8). These offerings had been provided earlier by the Persian authorities (see Ezra 6.9; 7.17). In this context the Hebrew word for continual means “regular” (New Revised Standard Version, New International Version) or “daily” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). A cereal offering was an offering or a sacrifice of grain usually in the form of fine flour or unleavened cakes. The burnt offering was a lamb that was sacrificed and the meat was burned (see Ezra 3.2).
The sabbaths, the new moons, and the appointed feasts (that is, the Festival of Unleavened Bread and Passover, the Festival of Weeks, the Festival of Trumpets or New Year, and the Festival of Booths) all refer to the offerings to be provided on those occasions (see Num 28.9–29.39).
The holy things refers to public offerings provided on special occasions (see for example, 2 Chr 29.33; 35.13). These items may be described as “holy-gifts” (New English Bible), “holy offerings” (New Living Translation, Osty-Trinquet) and “consecrated things” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), which Bible en français courant expands to “other offerings that are consecrated to God.”
Sin offerings to make atonement for Israel: These were for unintentional sins (see Lev 4.1–5.13; Num 15.22-29) and were offered on special occasions like days of national penitence (see for example Ezra 6.17; 8.35). Traduction œcuménique de la Bible makes the meaning explicit by using very technical terminology with “sacrifices for the expiation of the sins of Israel,” while Bible en français courant says “sacrifices offered by Israel to obtain forgiveness.” Contemporary English Version expresses this very simply: “sacrifices to forgive our sins.” “Sacrifices in order for God to forgive the sins of the people of Israel” is a full description of this type of sacrifice.
For all the work of the house of our God probably refers to the care of the buildings and property of the Temple (so 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 .