When the two companies met together in the Temple, they offered great sacrifices. The text does not indicate who offered the sacrifices or what kind of sacrifices they were (see Ezra 3.2). The people undoubtedly provided the animals that were to be sacrificed, and the priests performed the sacrifices. The sacrifices would have been thank-offerings of which all but the fat was eaten by the people. Revised English Bible considers that collectively “A great sacrifice was celebrated that day,” while Good News Translation interprets the expression in terms of a great number of individual sacrifices (also Bible en français courant, Nouvelle version Segond révisée). Good News Translation is a good model to follow here.

That day: This temporal phrase holds a prominent position in the Hebrew clause, which is literally “they sacrificed that day great sacrifices.” The author is drawing attention to the importance of the event and he highlights the fact that sacrifices were performed that very day as part of the celebration. Bible en français courant and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh therefore bring the time reference forward to the beginning of the sentence: “On that day.” If this is acceptable style in the receptor language, similar highlighting of the temporal phrase should be done by the translator.

And rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy …: The keynote of the celebration was joy. This is a theme that is repeated several times in the books of Ezra (3.12-13; 6.16, 22) and Nehemiah (8.10) The words joy and rejoice occur five times in this verse. The Hebrew says “they rejoiced because God caused them to rejoice a great rejoicing, and also the women and children rejoiced, and the rejoicing of Jerusalem was heard afar.” The joy was so great that it was heard afar off. It could be heard from far away like the celebration when the foundation of the Temple was completed (Ezra 3.13). The emphasis on the joyful nature of the occasion is heightened by the author’s repeated use of various forms of “rejoice.” The translator should try to achieve the same effect even if it is by using synonyms and equivalent expressions. Good News Translation may be used as a model, but it does not achieve the same emphasis on joyful celebration and it leaves ambiguous the cause of the noise that “could be heard for miles.” “For miles” also may seem to be anachronistic.

This was a family occasion that included women and children (compare Neh 8.2).

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 .