5:9 Then I 1 said, “The thing that you are doing is wrong! 2 Should you not conduct yourselves 3 in the fear of our God in order to avoid the reproach of the Gentiles who are our enemies?
5:17 There were 150 Jews and officials who dined with me routinely, 4 in addition to those who came to us from the nations 5 all around us.
1 tc The translation reads with the Qere and the ancient versions וָאוֹמַר (va’omar, “and I said”) rather than the MT Kethib, וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyo’mer, “and he said”).
2 tn Heb “not good.” The statement “The thing…is not good” is an example of tapeinosis, a figurative expression which emphasizes the intended point (“The thing…is wrong!”) by negating its opposite.
3 tn Heb “[should you not] walk.”
4 tn Heb “who were gathered around us at my table.”
5 tn Or “from the Gentiles.” The same Hebrew word can refer to “the Gentiles” or “the nations.” Cf. the phrase in 6:16.
7 tc The MT understands the root here to be יָרֵא (yare’, “to fear”) rather than רָאָה (ra’ah, “to see”).
8 tn Heb “they greatly fell [i.e., were cast down] in their own eyes.” Some scholars suggest emending the reading of the MT, וַיִּפְּלוּ (vayyipÿlu) to וַיִּפָּלֵא (vayyippale’, “it was very extraordinary in their eyes”).