Why is your face sad? is very literally “Why [is] your face bad?” (see the previous verse). The king notices that Nehemiah was unhappy. The question shows that Nehemiah’s feelings are apparent on his face. He has a downcast expression. Nehemiah’s face may be described by an idiom that shows unhappiness, for example, “Why this sorrowful air?” (Bible en français courant) or “Why are your brows knitted?” or “Why does your face show that heaviness is in your heart?”
Seeing you are not sick: The king notices that Nehemiah does not suffer from a physical illness. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible and Bible en français courant both present this observation in the form of a question: “You are not sick?” This Handbook recommends that this clause be translated as a statement that relates to the question in the first clause, as both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation have done in different ways.
This is nothing else but sadness of heart: The king gives the reason for Nehemiah’s distressed appearance as sadness of the heart, which is literally “badness of heart.” In Hebrew thought, the heart was often considered to be the center of intellectual thought, perception and emotion (see Ezra 6.22; 7.10). Traduction œcuménique de la Bible treats the king’s conclusion as a question: “Is it anything other than a sorrow of the heart?” (similarly Bible en français courant). This may be expressed idiomatically as “What is the sorrow that is eating at you?” or perhaps “What is burning your heart?” Contemporary English Version translates very informally as though in understatement: “Something must be bothering you.”
The same basic Hebrew word “bad” is used three times in close succession in the first two verses of this chapter. Twice it is an adjective referring to Nehemiah’s demeanor and to his facial expression. The third time it is a noun in a compound construction with heart and it refers to Nehemiah’s emotions. The triple repetition creates markedness that draws attention to the importance of Nehemiah’s emotional state in the king’s presence. Most versions translate the meaning according to the context by repeating a form of “sad” (Revised Standard Version) or “unhappy” (New English Bible). Some versions attempt to reflect the repetition of the Hebrew expression as much as possible:
New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh—“I had never been out of sorts in his presence.” “How is it that you look bad?” “It must be bad thoughts.”
Darby—“I had never been sorrowful in his presence.” “Why do you have a bad countenance?” “It is only sorrow of the heart.”
I was very much afraid: The Hebrew includes the infinitive of the verb “to increase, to multiply.” This verb strengthens the expression of being afraid and can be translated adverbially. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh renders it “I was very frightened,” New Jerusalem Bible says “Thoroughly alarmed by this,” while New American Bible translates more formally with “I was seized with great fear” (also Bible en français courant). Good News Translation “I was startled” expresses a sudden reaction, but “startled” is too casual for the royal setting and the gravity of the situation facing Nehemiah.
No reason is given for Nehemiah’s fear when the king asks about his sadness. Perhaps it was because he knew that his sad appearance was improper in the king’s presence. Or perhaps it was because this was the time when he had planned to make his request to the king. Maybe he was afraid that his request would be refused or that it would bring displeasure to the king and danger to himself.
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 .