The number of Israelites 1 was as follows: 2
“To King Artaxerxes, 6 from your servants in 7 Trans-Euphrates:
6:1 So Darius the king issued orders, and they searched in the archives 8 of the treasury which were deposited there in Babylon.
1 tn Heb “men of the people of Israel.”
2 tn The words “was as follows” are not in the Hebrew text but are used in the translation for clarity.
3 tn The Hebrew phrase אֶת חַג־הַסֻּכּוֹת (’et khag-hassukot, “festival of huts” [or “shelters”]) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The rendering “booths” (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV) is probably better than the traditional “tabernacles” in light of the meaning of the term סֻכָּה (sukkah, “hut; booth”), but “booths” are frequently associated with trade shows and craft fairs in contemporary American English. The nature of the celebration during this feast as a commemoration of the wanderings of the Israelites after they left Egypt suggests that a translation like “temporary shelters” is more appropriate.
4 tn Heb “according to what is written.”
5 tn Heb “by number.”
6 tn The Masoretic accents indicate that the phrase “to Artaxerxes the king” goes with what precedes and that the letter begins with the words “from your servants.” But it seems better to understand the letter to begin by identifying the addressee.
7 tn Aram “men of.”
8 tn Aram “the house of the archives.”
9 tn Aram “for the life of the king and his sons.”
10 sn The sixth year of the reign of Darius would be ca. 516
11 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
12 tn Aram “according to the writing of.”
13 tn Heb “hand.”