And they said to me: This introduces the answer to Nehemiah’s request for information. It is given in direct quotation. It is not indicated who gave the answer. They refers collectively to the people who came from Judah and to whom Nehemiah addressed his inquiry. The translator should use an appropriate pronoun of reference or possibly “Those people.”

The survivors there in the province who escaped exile: The Hebrew verb “to remain, to be left, to survive” is used twice here, first in a participial form and then in an indicative form. Literally, the Hebrew text reads “The remaining ones who remained from the captivity there in the province.” See the comments on the previous verse.

The province is not identified in the text. It probably refers to the Persian province of Beyond the River whose officials were opposed to the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Some commentators consider that it refers specifically to Judah, while others believe that it refers to the large province Beyond the River (see Ezra 4.10). Many versions translate “there in the province,” without specifying which province (so New Revised Standard Version). Good News Translation refers to the “homeland,” without specifying that it is Judah, while Bible en français courant translates “the province of Judah,” meaning the province where Jerusalem was located. This Handbook recommends following the model of Bible en français courant by referring to the province of Judah (also Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). For a discussion of the translation of the word province, see Ezra 2.1.

In great trouble and shame: Two Hebrew nouns are used together here to indicate that the people in Jerusalem were in an extremely difficult situation. Trouble, which is from the Hebrew word meaning “bad, evil,” refers to external pressures that were bringing disgrace upon the people of Jerusalem. The Jews were not in shame because of immoral or indecent acts that they had committed. Instead, they were in disgrace, that is, they were “looked down on” (Good News Translation) because of the misfortune that had happened to them. New Jerusalem Bible says that they were “in a very bad and demoralised condition.”

The response of Nehemiah in the next verse indicates that the speakers were referring to recent problems, not to the destruction of Jerusalem in the time of Nebuchadnezzar. The references to the wall of Jerusalem being broken down and its gates having been burned indicate that the residents had not been successful in restoring them as is indicated in the rendering of Good News Translation. This may refer to the events of Ezra 4.23 when a letter from Artaxerxes led the authorities of the province to stop the rebuilding of the city.

The wall of Jerusalem is broken down: The word translated wall is the most common Hebrew word for the wall of a city and it is used throughout the book of Nehemiah (see the comments at Ezra 4.12). It is always in the singular form except once in Neh 2.13. The Hebrew verb for broken down does not distinguish whether the protective wall around Jerusalem was lying in ruins (so New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible) or whether there were breaches or openings in the wall (so New American Bible, Bible en français courant, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). However, Neh 2.14 does make it clear that the damage to the wall was extensive. Neh 4.7 and 6.1 refer to the breaches in the wall that were being closed. The translator should choose an appropriate verb for describing a state of destruction of walls of a city that continued up to that present time.

Its gates are destroyed by fire: The gates for the wall of the city were very large doors that were opened and closed to allow people to enter or leave the city through openings in the wall. The gates had been made of wood and could therefore be burned. The Hebrew verb for destroyed means “to burn” or “to destroy by fire.” The Revised Standard Version rendering emphasizes destruction (also New English Bible). New American Bible says “its gates have been gutted with fire.” Other translations are less emphatic; for example, “its gates have been burned with fire” (New International Version, Nouvelle version Segond révisée) and “… were set on fire” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant).

The Hebrew style of this verse is relatively simple, but information is omitted, and this causes some ambiguity. Although clarity is important in the translation, it is preferable not to add as much to the text as Good News Translation has done. A possible model for this verse is:

• And they said to me, “The people in the province of Judah who have returned from exile are in serious trouble and are despised. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates have been destroyed by fire.”

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 .