Translation commentary on Nehemiah 9:20

Thou gavest thy good Spirit: The Hebrew word rendered Spirit (ruach) literally means “breath” or “wind.” It was present at creation in Gen 1.2 and it is the source of life to human beings and to all living creatures (Gen 2.7; Psa 104.29-30). The Spirit is identified as good to distinguish it from an evil spirit (see 1 Sam 16.14-16). Many translations write “spirit” with a small initial letter to suggest that it refers to God’s presence (so Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Revised Standard Version, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Others write “Spirit” with a capital first letter to suggest that it refers to the Holy Spirit (so Contemporary English Version, New King James Version , New Living Translation, Bible en français courant, Segond). If this interpretation is followed, then the term “Holy Spirit” should be used so the hearer would know what is meant. Since the verse here is a reference to Num 11.17 where it is clear that the “spirit” refers to the ability given by God to the 70 elders to bear the burdens of Moses, it is advised that “spirit” with a small initial letter or an equivalent term be used. The alternative interpretation should be indicated in a footnote.

To instruct them: The Law is not given again here, but God’s good Spirit is given to instruct them in keeping the Law. Compare this with the example of the 70 elders who were given God’s spirit for helping Moses with judicial duties in Num 11.16-17, 24-29. Good News Translation expresses the meaning in very general terms, omitting explicit reference either to the Spirit or to instruction, and translators should do likewise. Bible en français courant translates “to render them intelligent,” and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible says “that they might have discernment.”

Didst not withhold thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst: God gave them manna to eat and water to drink. Manna was the food that God provided for the Israelites to eat during the forty years that they were in the wilderness. It was a small substance that had the shape of a flake or a wafer (see Exo 16.14, 31). An explanation of manna may be included in the glossary. There is a play on the Hebrew words withhold (manaʿta) and thy manna (maneka). The translator should not try to imitate or reproduce this wordplay in the receptor language if it will not sound natural. In many languages the word “manna” is borrowed and adapted to local pronunciation and spelling.

From their mouth is an idiom that refers to eating. For the first half of this sentence, Revised English Bible leaves this information implicit by saying “you did not withhold your manna.” Other versions that use a more common style of English change the sentence to a positive affirmation as Good News Translation has done (also Contemporary English Version, Bible en français courant). This will be more natural in many language, but it loses some of the poetic flavor of the Hebrew.

For their thirst may be stated more fully; for example, “when they were thirsty” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or “to quench their thirst.”

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 .

Translation commentary on Nehemiah 11:1

The leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem: Jerusalem was the administrative capital of the province of Judah; therefore, the leaders lived there. See Neh 9.32 where Revised Standard Version renders the Hebrew word for leaders as “princes.” Good News Translation interprets and makes it explicit that “The leaders settled in Jerusalem” (also Bible en français courant, New International Version, Nouvelle version Segond révisée). It is probable that they already lived there before the other people were chosen to move there. This would not have included all leaders such as family heads and rulers of the provincial districts, but those related to the central government of the province.

The rest of the people cast lots …: The rest of the people included all categories of people: laity, priests, Levites, and Temple workers. According to the Hebrew text, they cast lots to determine who would move to live in Jerusalem. This is similar to the way in which they determined the order of people who should supply firewood for the Temple (see Neh 10.34). It is not indicated how the casting of lots was done. The procedure was probably carried out by the priests, and the results were accepted as indicating the will of God.

One out of ten of the people are to live in Jerusalem. This is equivalent to a tithe of the people (see Neh 10.37). Nine tenths remained in the other towns refers to the people who were to remain outside Jerusalem in the other cities and towns. Good News Translation makes explicit what is implied in the text, that is, that it was not individual people who would move to Jerusalem but families.

Jerusalem is here called the holy city for the first time in Ezra and Nehemiah (also in verse 18 below). Elsewhere in the Old Testament this description of Jerusalem occurs only in Isa 48.2; 52.1 and Dan 9.24. It is probably called holy because it was a special city dedicated to God for the location of the Temple and for the most holy place located inside the Temple. BNT describes it as “the consecrated city.” This could also be an allusion to Isa 52.1, where it is said that “the uncircumcised and the unclean” will no longer enter Jerusalem. These were categories of people who could not enter the Temple. Revised English Bible begins the two words with capital letters, “the Holy City,” treating them as a title for Jerusalem. Translators should consider these words as a description of Jerusalem rather than as a title.

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 .

Translation commentary on Nehemiah 11:36

Some Levites who lived in Judah “were assigned” (so Good News Translation) to live among the tribe of Benjamin, possibly to collect the tithes and Temple taxes. A few Syriac and Vulgate manuscripts plus one Septuagint manuscript have “And among the Levites, sections [belonged] to Judah and to Benjamin,” which would mean the Levites lived in the villages of both areas (so New Jerusalem Bible, Luther). But Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives the Hebrew text a B rating with the translation “and among the Levites, [certain] sections of Judah [went] to Benjamin,” and is recommended to translators.

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 .

Translation commentary on Nehemiah 13:8

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 .

Translation commentary on Nehemiah 2:11

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 .

Translation commentary on Nehemiah 3:25 - 3:26

The verse break in the Hebrew text between verse 24 and verse 25 comes at the end of and to the corner. Most translations begin verse 25 with Palal the son of Uzai and translators should do the same.

Verses 25-26 are a continuation of verse 24 so that even though the verb repaired is not in the Hebrew text, it is understood from the previous verse.

The tower projecting from the upper house of the king at the court of the guard: The tower was a part of the court of the guard, which was included in the house of the king (see Jer 32.2). A tower is a tall building or an extension on top of a wall that can serve as an observation post (see verse 1 above). Grammatically, upper can refer to either the tower or the house of the king. There is archaeological evidence that Solomon’s palace was higher up the hill than David’s palace. So upper here could refer to the palace farther up the hill. This Handbook takes upper to refer to the palace, but “upper tower” is equally acceptable and can be mentioned in a footnote.

Pedaiah was the name of one of the men who stood beside Ezra when he read the Law (Neh 8.4) and of a Levite in charge of storerooms (Neh 13.13). His association with temple servants makes it likely that he was a Levite.

And the temple servants living on Ophel is parenthetical in the Hebrew text and appears to interrupt the statement about Pedaiah. It is literally “and the Temple servants were living on Ophel.” This clause is therefore presented in Good News Translation as a parenthetical statement. This is supported by Hebrew Old Testament Text Project with an A rating, which also judges “were living on Ophel” to be a gloss. Some commentators believe that this clause was copied here from Neh 11.21. So versions like Revised English Bible and New Jerusalem Bible omit it completely here. The two words “were living” in Hebrew can be contracted to form the participle living. This makes the temple servants to be builders along with Pedaiah (Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, New International Version). But it is recommended to translate the unchanged Hebrew text as Good News Translation represents it.

For temple servants, see the comments at Ezra 2.43-54.

Ophel means “swelling, bulge” and refers to the rise that extends southward from the Temple area into the Kidron Valley. Good News Translation makes explicit that Ophel was the name of a part of the city. According to verse 31 below, the house of the Temple servants was further north than this point.

Opposite the Water Gate on the east and the projecting tower: The Water Gate was located close to the Gihon Spring. It was situated in the old pre-exilic wall that was then down in the ravine above the spring. The section of the wall being built here was opposite the Water Gate; that is, it was “in front of the Water Gate” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or “near the Water Gate” (Good News Translation). It was between the Water Gate, which was on the eastern side of the city, and the projecting tower. The phrase on the east may also be understood to mean that the section of wall that was being built here ran in an east-west direction between the Water Gate, which was to the east, and the projecting tower, which was to the west.

The projecting tower may be a different tower from the one in verse 25 above. The Hebrew describes it as “the tower that extends forth” (so Nouvelle Bible Segond, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), but it does not indicate what shape this is. It may have been a projection out from the wall. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh calls it “the jutting tower.” A tower by its nature extends upwardly, but this one may have been especially remarkable in this way. In verse 27 it is described as being big. Good News Translation identifies it as a “the tower guarding the Temple,” but most translations do not do so. Translators should attempt to describe it in a way that expresses the sense of the original text.

Good News Translation restructures verses 25 and 26 to fit the pattern of the other verses in this section. It therefore sets the explanation about Ophel apart in parentheses at the end. Another possible model is:

• and to the corner of the wall. Next Palal the son of Uzai repaired the wall opposite the escarpment and the tower of the court of the guard of the upper palace. Next to him Pedaiah the son of Parosh and the Temple servants who lived in the Ophel Hill area of town repaired the wall up to a point opposite the Water Gate on the east and the tower that jutted out.”

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 .

Translation commentary on Nehemiah 5:4

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 .

Translation commentary on Nehemiah 6:18

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 .