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Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Return their reproach on their own head. Reduce them to plunder in a land of exile! Do not cover their iniquity, and do not wipe out their sin from your sight, for they have bitterly offended[a] the builders.[b]

So we rebuilt the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height.[c] The people were enthusiastic in their work.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 4:5 tn The Hiphil stem of כָּעַס (kaʿas) may mean: (1) “to provoke to anger”; (2) “to bitterly offend”; or (3) “to grieve” (BDB 495 s.v. Hiph.; HALOT 491 s.v. כעס hif). The Hebrew lexicons suggest that “bitterly offend” is the most appropriate nuance here.
  2. Nehemiah 4:5 tn Heb “before the builders.” The preposition נֶגֶד (neged, “before”) here connotes “in the sight of” or “in the view of” (BDB 617 s.v. 1.a; HALOT 666 s.v. 1.a).
  3. Nehemiah 4:6 tn Heb “up to its half.”
  4. Nehemiah 4:6 tn Heb “the people had a heart to work.”