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Nehemiah 5:9-11
New English Translation
Nehemiah 5:9-11
New English Translation
9 Then I[a] said, “The thing that you are doing is wrong![b] Should you not conduct yourselves[c] in the fear of our God in order to avoid the reproach of the Gentiles who are our enemies? 10 Even I and my relatives[d] and my associates[e] are lending them money and grain. But let us abandon this practice of seizing collateral![f] 11 This very day return to them their fields, their vineyards, their olive trees, and their houses, along with the interest[g] that you are exacting from them on the money, the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil.”
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- Nehemiah 5:9 tc The translation reads with the Qere and the ancient versions וָאוֹמַר (vaʾomar, “and I said”) rather than the MT Kethib, וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyoʾmer, “and he said”).
- Nehemiah 5:9 tn Heb “not good.” The statement “The thing…is not good” is an example of tapeinosis, a figurative expression which emphasizes the intended point (“The thing…is wrong!”) by negating its opposite.
- Nehemiah 5:9 tn Heb “[should you not] walk.”
- Nehemiah 5:10 tn Heb “brothers.”
- Nehemiah 5:10 tn Heb “servants.”
- Nehemiah 5:10 tn Heb “this debt.” This expression is a metonymy of association: “debt” refers to the seizure of the collateral of the debt.
- Nehemiah 5:11 tc The MT reads וּמְאַת (umeʾat, “and the hundredth”) which is somewhat enigmatic. The BHS editors suggest emending to וּמַשַּׁאת (umashaʾt, “and the debt”) which refers to the interest or collateral (pledge) seized by a creditor (Deut 24:10; Prov 22:26; see HALOT 641-42 s.v. מַשָּׁא). The term מַשַּׁאת (mashaʾt) is related to the noun מָשָּׁא (mashaʾ, “debt”) in 5:7, 10.
New English Translation (NET)
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