¹map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
²tn Some have suggested that “Hananiah” is another name for Hanani, Nehemiah’s brother, so that only one individual is mentioned here. However, the third person plural in v. 3 indicates two people are in view.
³tc The translation reads with the Qere, a Qumran text, and the ancient versions rmaw (wa’omar, “and I said”) rather than the Kethib of the MT, which reads rmaYw (wayyo’mer, “and he said”).
⁴tn Heb “until the heat of the sun.” The phrase probably means that the gates were to be opened only after the day had progressed a bit, not at the first sign of morning light. It is possible, however, that the Hebrew preposition du (`ad), here translated as “until,” has a more rare sense of “during.” If so, it would mean that the gates were not to be left open and unattended during the hot part of the day when people typically would be at rest.
<sup>5</sup>tn Presumably this would mean the gates were not to be opened until later in the morning and were to remain open until evening. Some, however, have understood Nehemiah’s instructions to mean that the gates were not to be left open during the hottest part of the day, but must be shut and locked while the guards are still on duty. See J. Barr, “Hebrew du^, especially at Job i.18 and Neh vii.3,” JJS 27 (1982):177-88.
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “wide of two hands.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “the people were few in its midst.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “the book of genealogy.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “in it.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “the sons of.”
<sup>11</sup>tc One medieval Hebrew manuscript has “to Babylon.” Cf. Ezra 2:1.
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “the men of the people of Israel.”
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “the sons of.”
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “to the sons of.”
<sup>15</sup>map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4.
<sup>16</sup>tc The translation reads ynB (bene, “the sons of”) rather than the MT reading tyb yvna (‘anse bet, “men of the house of”). Cf. Ezra 2:24.
<sup>17</sup>tc The translation reads <yru (`arim) rather than the MT reading <yruy (ye`arim).
¹⁸map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
¹⁹tn Heb “to the house of.”
²⁰tn Heb “relate.”
²¹tn Heb “the house of their fathers.”
²²tn Heb “their seed.”
²³tn Heb “they were desecrated.”
²⁴tn The Hebrew term atvrT (tirsata’) is the official title of a Persian governor in Judea. In meaning it may be similar to “excellency.” See further BDB 1077; W. L. Holladay, Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 395; HALOT 4:1798.
²⁵tn Heb “stood.”
²⁶tc Most Hebrew MSS omit 7:68 ET, which reads “They had 736 horses, 245 mules,” and thus have one less verse in chap. 7, ending the chapter at 7:72. This reading is found in the LXX. Cf. Ezra 2:66.
²⁷tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”
²⁸tn Heb “darics” (also in vv. 71, 72).
²⁹tn Heb “the sons of Israel.” So also in vv. 14, 17; 9:1.
³⁰tn The traditional understanding of the chapter and verse division is probably incorrect. The final part of v. 73 is best understood as going with 8:1.