Nehemiah 5:7

5:7 I considered these things carefully ¹  and then registered a complaint with the wealthy ²  and the officials. I said to them, “Each one of you is seizing the collateral ³  from your own countrymen!” ⁴  Because of them I called for ⁵  a great public assembly.

Nehemiah 8:6

8:6 Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people replied “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

Nehemiah 8:12

8:12 So all the people departed to eat and drink and to share their food ⁶  with others ⁷  and to enjoy tremendous joy, ⁸  for they had gained insight in the matters that had been made known to them.

Nehemiah 12:22

12:22 As for the Levites, ⁹  in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan and Jaddua the heads of families were recorded, as were the priests during the reign of Darius the Persian.

[5:7]  ¹ tn Heb “my heart was advised upon me.”

[5:7]  ² tn Heb “nobles.”

[5:7]  ³ tn Heb “taking a creditor’s debt.” The Hebrew noun מַשָּׁא (masha’) means “interest; debt” and probably refers to the collateral (pledge) collected by a creditor (HALOT 641-42 s.v.). This particular noun form appears only in Nehemiah (5:7, 10; 10:32); however, it is related to מַשָּׁאָה (masha’ah, “contractual loan; debt; collateral”) which appears elsewhere (Deut 24:10; Prov 22:26; cf. Neh 5:11). See the note on the word “people” at the end of v. 5. The BHS editors suggest emending the MT to מָשָׂא (masa’, “burden”), following several medieval Hebrew MSS; however, the result is not entirely clear: “you are bearing a burden, a man with his brothers.”

[5:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “his brothers.”

[5:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “I gave.”

[8:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “to send portions.”

[8:12]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew text does not include the phrase “with others” but it has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[8:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “to make great joy.”

[12:22]  ¹¹ tn Some scholars delete these words, regarding them as a later scribal addition to the text.