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I considered these things carefully[a] and then registered a complaint with the wealthy[b] and the officials. I said to them, “Each one of you is seizing the collateral[c] from your own countrymen!”[d] Because of them I called for[e] a great public assembly.

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Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 5:7 tn Heb “my heart was advised upon me.”
  2. Nehemiah 5:7 tn Heb “nobles.”
  3. Nehemiah 5:7 tn Heb “taking a creditor’s debt.” The Hebrew noun מַשָּׁא (mashaʾ) 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 (mashaʾah, “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 (masaʾ, “burden”), following several medieval Hebrew mss; however, the result is not entirely clear: “you are bearing a burden, a man with his brothers.”
  4. Nehemiah 5:7 tn Heb “his brothers.”
  5. Nehemiah 5:7 tn Heb “I gave.”