complete verse (Nehemiah 5:1)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Nehemiah 5:1:

  • Kupsabiny: “Soon after, some people together with their wives grumbled/complained against the wealthy people.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Now some males and their wives complained against their fellow Jews.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Later, many of the men and their wives protested loudly about what some of the other Jews were doing.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Nehemiah 5:1

Verses 1-5 describe the desperate situation of the Jewish people during a famine. The first verse is a general introduction to the cry of distress being made by the people, verses 2-4 list the specific causes of their difficulties, and verse 5 is a summary of their complaints.

Now: Verse 1 begins with a feminine form of the Hebrew construction with the connective conjunction and the verb “to be.” This is a temporal construction that marks a new development in the narrative and therefore a new section (see Neh 1.1; 4.1).

There arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives: A great outcry is literally “a loud cry.” It refers to a cry of distress made by the people (see Ezra 1.3), including their wives. This is an echo of Exo 12.30 when the people of Egypt cried out in distress after the death of their firstborn. The reference to wives is unusual in Ezra and Nehemiah. It is one of only a few places where it is indicated that women take action (see also Neh 3.12; 12.43). The fact that women speak out shows the seriousness of the situation. This may also reflect the fact that they had to manage the affairs at home while their husbands were away in Jerusalem building the wall.

Against their Jewish brethren: Against is literally “to” in Hebrew but is an appropriate translation here. Arose a great outcry … against may be rendered “began to make a great complaint against” or “began to complain greatly against.” In some languages this concept will be expressed with a different preposition, for example, “began to speak much at” or “… on.” Jewish brethren refers to members of the Jewish community who were taking advantage of other members of their own community (see verse 5). New English Bible refers to them as “fellow-Jews.” The expression Jewish brethren appears to designate a prosperous segment of society, including Nehemiah himself (see verse 10), who had the wealth to make loans to others.

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 .