Translation commentary on 1 Esdras 4:1

Then the second, who had spoken of the strength of the king, began to speak: The second refers to the second bodyguard. Contemporary English Version says “The second young man.” As in 1 Esd 3.17b (see the comments there), had spoken is better rendered “had written” (Good News Bible). Here are alternative models for this verse:

• The next man [or, Another of the three men] had written about the power of the king. Now he began to speak:….

• … had written, “The [power of the] king.” Now he began to speak:….

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on 1 Esdras 4:39

With her there is no partiality or preference: Something that is reliable is always steady as a rock; therefore it cannot favor one side or another. The pronoun her refers to “reliability.” We may render this clause as “Reliability does not allow for prejudice or favorites” or “Reliability [or, That which is reliable] shows no partiality or favoritism.”

But she does what is righteous: Righteous here refers to something dependable—not deceitful (unrighteous). So this clause may be translated “When something is reliable, you can depend on it.”

Instead of anything that is unrighteous or wicked may be expressed as “It will not be deceitful or wicked” or even “There will be no deceit or wickedness.”

All men approve her deeds may be rendered “Everyone approves of things that are reliable” or “Everyone approves what reliability does.”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• Reliability does not allow for prejudice or favorites. When something is reliable, you can depend on it. There will be no deceit or wickedness. Everyone approves of things that are reliable.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on 1 Esdras 5:28

The gatekeepers were also Levites. They were in charge of the Temple gates and had other responsibilities (see the comments on 1 Esd 1.15-16).

Compare the parallel passages of Ezra 2.42 and Neh 7.45.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• The members of the Shalom, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai families also returned, 139 of them. These were some of the families who had responsibility for the Temple gates.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on 1 Esdras 5:73

And by plots and demagoguery and uprisings: Plots are “secret plans” (Contemporary English Version). By plots may be rendered “These people plotted [or, made secret plans] against the Jews.” In this context the Greek word for demagoguery refers to “agitations” (New English Bible), causing disturbances among the people by urging them to do certain things. Uprisings refers to the same idea, so demagoguery and uprisings may be translated “created disturbances.”

They prevented the completion of the building as long as King Cyrus lived may be expressed as “they stopped the Jews from working on the Temple for the rest of King Cyrus’ life.”

And they were kept from building for two years, until the reign of Darius: Here the author may have misunderstood a reference to the work on the Temple stopping “until the second year of the reign of Darius” in Ezra 4.24. According to Ezra, the work on the Temple stopped from the time of this incident, in the second year of Cyrus’ reign (538 B.C.; see Ezra 3.8) until the second year of Darius’ reign (520 B.C.; see Ezra 4.24), a time span of seventeen years, hardly two. For this sentence Good News Bible has “The work was halted until Darius became emperor, two years later.” Good News Bible‘s translation implies that work began again as soon as Darius became king, but the Greek does not say this, only that Darius, not Cyrus, was king at the time the work was begun again.

We suggest the following models for this verse:

• These people plotted against the Jews and created disturbances so violent that they brought work on the Temple to a stop [or, stopped the Jews from working on the Temple]. It did not begin again until two years later, when King Cyrus was dead and Darius was king.

• These people made secret plans against the Jews and caused great riots that stopped them from working on the Temple. The work did not begin….

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on 1 Esdras 6:33

Therefore may the Lord …: This verse is a curse formula. Darius calls on the Lord to destroy any ruler or nation that tries to stop the rebuilding of the Temple or damage it. The conjunction Therefore may be rendered “Finally.”

Whose name is there called upon means the Lord is worshiped in the Jerusalem Temple.

Destroy every king and nation that shall stretch out their hands to hinder or damage that house of the Lord in Jerusalem: The phrase stretch out their hands to is an idiomatic expression meaning “try to.”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• “Finally, I call on the Lord, who is worshiped in Jerusalem, to destroy any king or nation that will attempt to stop the work on the Temple or damage it in any way.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on 1 Esdras 8:22

You are also informed that no tribute or any other tax is to be laid on any of the priests or Levites or temple singers or gatekeepers or temple servants or persons employed in this temple: The Greek pronoun for You is plural, referring to the royal treasurers responsible for the province in which Judah was located (see verse 19). It is good to make this clear (see the model below). The Greek word for tribute refers to a form of tax (see 1 Esd 2.19; 6.29). Good News Bible renders tribute or any other tax as “any taxes,” which covers the meaning adequately. For priests and Levites, see 1 Esd 1.2-3; for temple singers and gatekeepers see 1 Esd 1.15-16; and for temple servants, see 1 Esd 5.29-32. Persons employed in this temple refers to anyone else working at the Temple in Jerusalem.

And that no one has authority to impose any tax upon them: This clause simply repeats information earlier in the verse, so it may be combined with it (see the models below).

We suggest the following models for this verse:

• I also want it known that no one, not even a royal treasurer, has any authority to lay any kind of tax whatever on any of the priests, the Levites, the Temple singers, the men who stand at the Temple gates, the Temple workmen, or anyone else working at the Temple.

• I also want the royal treasurers to know that no priests, Levites, Temple singers, men who stand at the Temple gates, or anyone else who works at the Temple will have to pay any kind of taxes.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on 1 Esdras 8:71

As soon as I heard these things: Ezra’s response to the accusation is introduced by a temporal clause in Greek, as translated in both Revised Standard Version and Good News Bible. This new event must be introduced by an appropriate discourse marker to signal the change in actor and action.

I rent my garments and my holy mantle: Ezra responded to the information that he received with three personal actions of ritual mourning. First, he tore his clothes. Tearing clothes was a sign of grief or despair (compare Josh 7.6; Jdg 11.35; Isa 37.1; 1 Macc 2.14). My garments probably refers to his inner clothes, and my holy mantle was the outer robe he wore as a priest. This clause may be rendered “I tore my priestly robe and other garments in despair” or “I was so upset [or, depressed] that I tore my garments, even my priestly robe.”

And pulled out hair from my head and beard was another sign of extreme grief or despair. Ezra did not pull out all his hair, only a few hairs as a symbolic gesture. In our opinion it is more likely that he simply grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled on it.

And sat down in anxiety and grief: Ezra also sat down directly on the ground to show his grief. Anxiety and grief may be translated “overwhelmed by grief and worry.”

Here are possible models for this verse:

• “As soon as I heard this, I tore my garments in despair, and even my priestly robe. I sat down on the ground, pulling at my hair and beard, overwhelmed by grief and worry.

• “As soon as I heard this, I was so upset that I tore my garments, even my priestly robe. Then I sat down on the ground, pulling out some of the hair on my head and beard. I was full of grief and worry.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on 1 Esdras 9:11

Three reasons are given here not to carry out Ezra’s instructions that same day: 1) it will take too long with such a large crowd, 2) it is too cold to stand for a long time in the open, and 3) the cases to be decided are complex. As mentioned in the discussion on the previous verse, Good News Bible breaks the speech of the Jewish assembly here by beginning this verse with “But they added,” which we recommend.

But the multitude is great and it is winter, and we are not able to stand in the open air may be rendered “There are too many people. It is winter, and we are very cold standing out here in the open [or, outside].”

This is not a work we can do in one day or two: The work refers to making a permanent break with their non-Jewish wives and the children of these wives.

For we have sinned too much in these things: Good News Bible renders this clause as “since so many of us are involved in this sin” (similarly Contemporary English Version), which is almost identical to Good News Bible‘s rendering in the parallel passage of Ezra 10.13. However, this rendering does not seem to be the plain meaning of the Greek text here. We think Revised Standard Version is closer to the Greek, which may be translated “because the sin we have committed involves some complicated matters.” What requires more time is the fact that complex family relationships are involved. There will be emotional separations but also the division of property. We believe the Greek text support this sense.

Here is a possible model for this verse:

• But they added, “There are a lot of people here, and it’s winter. We can’t [or, It’s too cold to] stand around in the open like this. The sin that we have committed involves some complicated matters, so we can’t work everything out in a day or two.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.