Nehemiah 2:20

2:20 I responded to them by saying, “The God of heaven will prosper us. We his servants will start the rebuilding. ¹  But you have no just or ancient right in Jerusalem.” ² 

Nehemiah 8:12

8:12 So all the people departed to eat and drink and to share their food ³  with others ⁴  and to enjoy tremendous joy, ⁵  for they had gained insight in the matters that had been made known to them.

Nehemiah 7:65

7:65 The governor ⁶  instructed them not to eat any of the sacred food until there was a priest who could consult ⁷  the Urim and Thummim.

Nehemiah 5:5

5:5 And now, though we share the same flesh and blood as our fellow countrymen, ⁸  and our children are just like their children, ⁹  still we have found it necessary to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. ¹⁰  Some of our daughters have been subjected to slavery, while we are powerless to help, ¹¹  since our fields and vineyards now belong to other people.” ¹² 

Nehemiah 8:10

8:10 He said to them, “Go and eat delicacies and drink sweet drinks and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy to our Lord. ¹³  Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

[2:20]  ¹ tn Heb “will arise and build.” The idiom “arise and…” means to begin the action described by the second verb.

[2:20]  ² tn Heb “portion or right or remembrance.” The expression is probably a hendiatris: The first two nouns retain their full nominal function, while the third noun functions adjectivally (“right or remembrance” = “ancient right”).

[8:12]  ³ tn Heb “to send portions.”

[8:12]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew text does not include the phrase “with others” but it has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[8:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “to make great joy.”

[7:65]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew term תִּרְשָׁתָא (tirshata’; KJV “Tirshatha”) is the official title of a Persian governor in Judea. In meaning it may be similar to “excellency” (cf. NAB). See further BDB 1077 s.v.; W. L. Holladay, Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 395; HALOT 1798 s.v.

[7:65]  ⁶ tn Heb “stood.”

[5:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “according to the flesh of our brothers is our flesh.”

[5:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “like their children, our children.”

[5:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “to become slaves” (also later in this verse).

[5:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “there is not power for our hand.” The Hebrew expression used here is rather difficult.

[5:5]  ¹¹ sn The poor among the returned exiles were being exploited by their rich countrymen. Moneylenders were loaning large amounts of money, and not only collecting interest on loans which was illegal (Lev 25:36-37; Deut 23:19-20), but also seizing pledges as collateral (Neh 5:3) which was allowed (Deut 24:10). When the debtors missed a payment, the moneylenders would seize their collateral: their fields, vineyards and homes. With no other means of income, the debtors were forced to sell their children into slavery, a common practice at this time (Neh 5:5). Nehemiah himself was one of the moneylenders (Neh 5:10), but he insisted that seizure of collateral from fellow Jewish countrymen was ethically wrong (Neh 5:9).

[8:10]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).