Translation commentary on Nehemiah 7:3

I said to them, “Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened”: Nehemiah gave instructions to the two commanders about opening and shutting the gates of Jerusalem. The command here is in the third person plural passive form referring to the gates. Good News Translation makes it clear that the commanders themselves will not open the gates but that they will have responsibility for the gates. In some languages a passive causative verb form may be used, for example, “May the gates of Jerusalem not be caused to be open.” Alternatively, an active form may be used: “People should not open the gates” or “Do not allow people to open the gates.”

Until the sun is hot …: The instructions about opening and shutting the gates are not clear. The gates would normally be opened at sunrise and closed when it got dark (see Josh 2.5). According to Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, the gates were supposed to be closed and barred in the evening while the guards were still on duty (also Bible en français courant, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). The Hebrew word for until can also mean “during.” This meaning would indicate that the gates were to be closed during the heat of the day when people took naps and the city was vulnerable (so New Living Translation, Revised English Bible). This would be the time when the gatekeepers are still standing guard and can shut and bar the doors. Translators are advised to translate until as both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation have done. A footnote may be used to explain the problem and the alternative interpretation of when the gates were to be closed. Most translations have understood the Hebrew to mean until the sun is hot, indicating that the gates were to be opened much later in the morning (see Gen 18.1; 1 Sam 11.9, 11; 2 Sam 4.5 for equivalent expressions). An exact time is not indicated by the expression until the sun is hot. Some translations keep the idea of the heat of the sun, for example, “until the heat of the sun has come” (Nouvelle version Segond révisée). Others focus on the position of the sun, for example, “until the sun has been up for a while” (Contemporary English Version) or “until the sun is high in the sky” (Bible en français courant).

Some translations (Luther, New Jerusalem Bible) have followed a proposed amendment of the text to change are … standing guard to the singular form and refer to the sun. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project supports the Hebrew text with an A rating and this should be followed by translators.

The word for bar can mean “to secure” or “to lock.” In some languages this may be expressed with an ideophone; for example, let them shut and bar the doors may be rendered “just let the gates remain closed kéng [tight]” (KKS).

Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem: The two commanders were responsible for the third appointment, the one of guards. The meaning of appoint here is to “station” or “set.” The guards were chosen from the local people and were a kind of home guard or militia. The word for guards in the plural usually means “divisions,” meaning lists of people for guard duty.

Each to his station and each opposite his own house: Each guard was to serve either at a station, that is, a place designated for guard duty, or opposite his own house (see Neh 3.28, 29).

Revised Standard Version retains the direct quotation of the Hebrew in this verse, while Good News Translation restructures in the form of indirect quotation. Revised Standard Version thus reflects the direct orders that were given by Nehemiah, while the style of Good News Translation appears to provide a summary of the instructions that he gave. The translator should use the form that is appropriate in the receptor culture, being careful not to weaken the authority of Nehemiah as conveyed by the direct speech form of the Hebrew.

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 .

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