And their brethren, mighty men of valor …: The members of Amashsai’s clan numbered 128 and they are described in military terms as mighty men of valor. In verse 6 above, the Hebrew expression was “men of power,” but here it is “warriors of power.” These were clearly “outstanding soldiers” (Good News Translation), “soldiers of valor” (Bible en français courant), or “brave warriors” (Contemporary English Version).

Their overseer was Zabdiel: The Hebrew word here for overseer is the same as the one used in verse 9 above. It refers to an administrator and is used for civil, religious, and military officers. In this context it may refer to a priest who also had a military rank and function.

Haggedolim in Hebrew means “the great ones,” which is why Good News Translation interprets it to mean “a leading family.” Most translations, however, interpret it as the name of a person as Revised Standard Version has done.

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 .