I was very angry indicates distress, disgust, and anger. New Jerusalem Bible says more formally “I was extremely displeased.” An appropriate expression should be used here (see Good News Translation). Some languages may say “this spoiled my liver very much” or “my insides were blackened very much by what Eliashib had done” (see also Neh 2.10).

I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber: Nehemiah’s response was to remove everything belonging to Tobiah from the storeroom. Nehemiah acted on his authority as governor when he threw out Tobiah’s things. The word for threw in Hebrew is in the causative form indicating that Nehemiah caused this to happen. In some languages it will be preferable to indicate that Nehemiah caused Tobiah’s belongings to be thrown out of the Temple room, making it clear that he did not himself personally do the throwing out.

Household furniture refers to the equipment and belongings of Tobiah. The Hebrew term here is very general referring to objects that have been made, such as utensils, tools, clothing, or weapons. The last clause may be stated as “I caused to be thrown out everything that belonged to him that was in the room.”

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 .

A subtitle may be used here to focus on the night ride of Nehemiah to inspect the walls of Jerusalem in order to make a plan for what needed to be done. New Revised Standard Version has “Nehemiah’s Inspection of the Walls” for verses 11-16, while Bible en français courant says “Nehemiah inspects the city walls” for the rest of the chapter.

After only a few days Nehemiah began surveying the situation of the walls. Was there three days does not mean that he stayed there only for three days, but that his next action began after three days (compare Ezra 8.32). Although this may be a symbolic number indicating a short time, it should nevertheless be translated as “three days,” or the equivalent temporal expression in the receptor language should be used. In some languages length of time is counted by nights. Here this will be “three nights.”

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 .

The third group was composed of those who had enough for food, but paying the king’s tax created a hardship for them. Darius had instituted a fixed annual land tax on fields and vineyards based on the average harvest yield from the land (Williamson 1985). This meant that the same amount of tax had to be paid even when there was a famine. The amount was increased by Xerxes to pay for his military campaigns. The taxes had to be paid in silver and gold, and the money was taken out of the province. This created a shortage of capital for expenditures and investment and depressed the economy.

We have borrowed money for the king’s tax upon our fields and our vineyards: There are two ways to understand the relationship between borrowing the money and the fields and vineyards. Some versions understand the money to be borrowed against the fields and vineyards. That is to say that the land was mortgaged in order to obtain money for taxes (so Nouvelle version Segond révisée, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Others understand the tax to have been imposed upon the land (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation). Both are probably right since in the Persian Empire there was a fixed annual land tax that had to be paid and the landlords may have mortgaged their land in order to be able to pay the taxes on their lands. Translators are advised to follow the interpretation in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation.

Good News Translation calls the king’s tax a “royal tax” (also New Jerusalem Bible). For a general discussion of royal revenue, see Ezra 4.13.

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 .

The reason for so much correspondence between Tobiah and the leaders is explained by the fact that many in Judah were bound by oath to him. This bond is the result of two marriage relationships. Both Tobiah, a Gentile, and his son were married to Jewish women. His wife was from the Levite family of Shecaniah (see 2 Chr 31.15; Neh 3.29; 12.3). His son Jehohanan was married to the daughter of an important official, Meshullam, the leader of one of the groups that repaired the wall (see Neh 3.4, 30). These are two examples of close relationships, but there may have been other people who were related to Tobiah also. For example, he was also related to the priest Eliashib (Neh 13.4). These relationships with many in Judah put him into close contact with the prominent families of Judah. In addition, the phrase bound by oath may refer to a party or association supporting Tobiah that had its own covenant or compact indicating the purpose that bound them together and the consequences of breaking the agreement.

Bound by oath is literally “lords of oath,” and occurs only here in the Old Testament. For the whole clause New International Version translates “many in Judah were under oath to him,” while New Jerusalem Bible renders it “he had many sworn to his interest in Judah.” Other versions express it more generally as Good News Translation has done, allowing the information about marriage relationships to clarify the nature of the bond. This could also be rendered “many people in Judah were very closely attached to him.”

The Hebrew identifies Tobiah as the son-in-law of Shecaniah and this is followed by most translations. However, Good News Translation reverses the perspective and identifies Shecaniah as his “father-in-law” (also Contemporary English Version). The translator will need to make the appropriate identification according to the structure of the logic in the verse and the practice in the receptor culture.

Had taken … as his wife: This is a literal translation of the Hebrew and it simply means to marry someone (so Good News Translation). The English pluperfect verb tense reflects the fact that the marriage occurred first in time, and it was the marriage that established the in-law relationship. This is an obvious fact, but the translator needs to take into account the chronological sequence of events that are being referred to.

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 .

They found it written …: Found … written is a formula that Nehemiah uses to introduce a quotation or a statement from another writing (see Neh 7.5). Here he refers to the instructions in the law for the feast of the seventh month, which was known as the Festival of Booths (see Ezra 3.4). Commanded by Moses points to the actual command in Lev 23.42. The various instructions for the observance of this festival are found in Lev 23.39-43, namely, to observe it during the seventh month, to live in booths, and to bring branches. Instructions to read the Law to the people every seven years during the Festival of Booths are found in Deut 31.10-13.

Translators may need to restructure this verse in order to express the sequence of events clearly. First the instructions were given by God, then they were written down by Moses, and then the Jewish leaders came to Ezra and the instructions in the Law were read by Ezra to them. The command of God may be stated in indirect speech as in Revised Standard Version or in non-quotation form as in Good News Translation. It is important to convey the sense of command that is expressed in what they read.

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 .

For the third time in this account, God did not forsake the Israelites (repeat of the phrase in verses 17 and 19 above), for he is gracious and merciful (also in verse 17).

Nevertheless: This verse begins with a strong adversative as in verse 26. Good News Translation understands a similar meaning (also Bible en français courant). Other translations omit a conjunction and begin abruptly with a new sentence (Nouvelle Bible Segond, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), but this is not advised.

In thy great mercies: See the comment at verse 19 above. Mercies is associated with the verb bear with in verse 30 (compare Psa 36.10; 109.12; Jer 31.3), showing that God’s love is patient and does not abandon them.

Thou didst not make an end of them: The punishment was so great that they feared it was the end. Many translations explicitly render the meaning of the Hebrew expression here as Good News Translation has done with the phrase “destroy them.” Some languages may state the sense even more bluntly; for example, “you did not exterminate them” (Bible en français courant, Nouvelle Bible Segond), or there may be a verb that means to kill them all.

Or forsake them: See Ezra 9.9 and verses 17 and 19 above. In the logic of the English language, one often goes from the lesser to the greater. Good News Translation has therefore reversed the Hebrew order to place the idea of abandoning the people before the idea of destroying them. The translator should express these ideas in the normal logical pattern of receptor thought.

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 .

And their brethren who did the work of the house …: Their brethren refers to the clan of Jedaiah. The total number of this clan was 822. They are described as doing the work of the house. This refers to the religious duties of the priests in the Temple. Jerusalem Bible says they “were responsible for the Temple liturgy” and New Jerusalem Bible says they “performed the Temple liturgy.” In this context it is understood that the house refers to the house of God (see Neh 10.39), as Good News Translation makes explicit with a helpful model.

And Adaiah the son of …: The listing then continues into the next verse with the priest Adaiah.

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 .