9:19 “Due to your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. The pillar of cloud did not stop guiding them in the path by day, 9 nor did the pillar of fire stop illuminating for them by night the path on which they should travel.
9:32 “So now, our God – the great, powerful, and awesome God, who keeps covenant fidelity 11 – do not regard as inconsequential 12 all the hardship that has befallen us – our kings, our leaders, our priests, our prophets, our ancestors, and all your people – from the days of the kings of Assyria until this very day!
For this please remember me, O my God, and have pity on me in keeping with your great love.
1 tn Heb “And I saw.”
2 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
3 tn Heb “houses.”
4 tn Heb “my heart was advised upon me.”
5 tn Heb “nobles.”
6 tn Heb “taking a creditor’s debt.” The Hebrew noun מַשָּׁא (masha’) 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 (masha’ah, “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 (masa’, “burden”), following several medieval Hebrew
7 tn Heb “his brothers.”
8 tn Heb “I gave.”
9 tn Heb “did not turn from them by day to guide them in the path.”
10 tn Heb “they ate and were sated.” This expression is a hendiadys. The first verb retains its full verbal sense, while the second functions adverbially: “they ate and were filled” = “they ate until they were full.”
11 tn Heb “the covenant and loyal love.” The expression is a hendiadys. The second noun retains its full nominal sense, while the first functions adjectivally: “the covenant and loyalty” = covenant fidelity.
12 tn Heb “do not let it seem small in your sight.”