9:8 “But now briefly 1 we have received mercy from the Lord our God, in that he has left us a remnant and has given us a secure position 2 in his holy place. Thus our God has enlightened our eyes 3 and has given us a little relief in our time of servitude. 9:9 Although we are slaves, our God has not abandoned us in our servitude. He has extended kindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, in that he has revived us 4 to restore the temple of our God and to raise 5 up its ruins and to give us a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem. 6
1 tn Heb “according to a little moment.”
2 tn Heb “a peg” or “tent peg.” The imagery behind this word is drawn from the experience of nomads who put down pegs as they pitched their tents and made camp after times of travel.
3 tn Heb “to cause our eyes to shine.” The expression is a figure of speech for “to revive.” See DCH 1:160 s.v. אור Hi.7.
4 tn Heb “has granted us reviving.”
5 tn Heb “to cause to stand.”
6 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.