From Bethgilgal and from the region of Geba and Azmaveth: Bethgilgal may be a reference to the city of Gilgal near Jericho about 30 kilometers (18 miles) northeast of Jerusalem. Geba and Azmaveth were Benjaminite cities five or six miles northeast of Jerusalem.

In Hebrew, region is literally “fields,” indicating that the singers had lived outside these cities as New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh implies: “from the countryside of Geba and Azmaveth” (also Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Osty-Trinquet). New American Standard Bible follows the Hebrew very literally with “from their fields in Geba and Azmaveth.” This misleadingly suggests that the singers were actually in their fields when they were called. New Jerusalem Bible says “from their farms at….” However, many translations rightly take the meaning more generally as Revised Standard Version does. Thus, New International Version has “from the area of…,” Revised English Bible “the region of…,” and Jerusalem Bible “from the districts of….”

For the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem: With the words for themselves, the author is offering a brief explanation that the singers had built their own villages to live in. Translators should be careful about the chronology of these events. The building of the villages occurred before the event that is being recounted now. This is a very brief flashback. In English this is indicated by the verb in the pluperfect tense. In other languages an event in previous time may be indicated by a special verb form, by a verbal particle, by temporal marking, or perhaps by restructuring the syntax. It should be noted that Good News Translation has incorporated the essential meaning of this clause into verse 28. If verses 28-29 are restructured in this way, they should be written together and numbered 28-29.

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 .