8:9 Then Nehemiah the governor, 1 Ezra the priestly scribe, 2 and the Levites who were imparting understanding to the people said to all of them, 3 “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping when they heard the words of the law.
9:32 “So now, our God – the great, powerful, and awesome God, who keeps covenant fidelity 4 – do not regard as inconsequential 5 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!
10:28 “Now the rest of the people – the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple attendants, and all those who have separated themselves from the neighboring peoples 6 because of the law of God, along with their wives, their sons, and their daughters, all of whom are able to understand –
1 tc The unexpected reference to Nehemiah here has led some scholars to suspect that the phrase “Nehemiah the governor” is a later addition to the text and not original.
2 tn Heb “the priest, the scribe.”
3 tn Heb “the people.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
4 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.
5 tn Heb “do not let it seem small in your sight.”
6 tn Heb “from the peoples of the lands.” Cf. vv. 30, 31.