translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: NEH

label: NET translator note

text: That is, the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign (cf. 2:1 ).


text: Heb “Shushan.”


text: Heb “brothers.”


text: The Hebrew text does not include the words “to me”; these words were supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.


text: For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


text: Heb “great.”


text: Heb “have been burned with fire” (so also in Neh 2:17 ). The expression “burned with fire” is redundant in contemporary English; the translation uses “burned down” for stylistic reasons.


text: Heb “sat down.” Context suggests that this was a rather sudden action, resulting from the emotional shock of the unpleasant news, so “abruptly” has been supplied in the present translation.


text: Heb “the covenant and loyal love.” The phrase is a hendiadys: the first noun retains its full nominal sense, while the second noun functions adjectivally (“loyal love” = loving). Alternately, the first might function adjectivally and the second noun function as the noun: “covenant and loyal love” = covenant fidelity (see Neh 9:32 ).


text: Heb “keep.” The Hebrew verb שָׁמַר ( shamar , “to observe; to keep”) is often used as an idiom that means “to obey” the commandments of God (e.g., Exod 20:6 ; Deut 5:16; 23:24; 29:8 ; Judg 2:22 ; 1 Kgs 2:43; 11:11 ; Ps 119:8, 17, 34 ; Jer 35:18 ; Ezek 17:14 ; Amos 2:4 ). See BDB 1036 s.v. 3 .c.


text: Heb “have sinned.” For stylistic reasons – to avoid redundancy in English – this was translated as “committed.”


text: Heb “the house of my father.”


text: Heb “peoples.”


text: Heb “turn to me.”


text: Heb “keep.” See the note on the word “obey” in Neh 1:5 .


text: Heb “at the end of the heavens.”


text: The interjection אָנָּא (’ anna ’) is an emphatic term of entreaty: “please!” (BDB 58 s.v.; HALOT 69-70 s.v.). This term is normally reserved for pleas for mercy from God in life-and-death situations ( 2 Kgs 20:3 = Isa 38:3 ; Pss 116:4; 118:25 ; Jonah 1:14; 4:2 ) and for forgiveness of heinous sins that would result or have resulted in severe judgment from God ( Exod 32:31 ; Dan 9:4 ; Neh 1:5, 11 ).


text: Heb “let your ear be attentive.”


text: Heb “fear.”


text: Heb “grant compassion.” The words “to me” are supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness and style in English.


text: The vav ( ו ) on וַאֲנִי ( va ’ ani , “Now, I”) introduces a disjunctive parenthetical clause that provides background information to the reader.