Nehemiah 5:7

5:7 I considered these things carefully 1  and then registered a complaint with the wealthy 2  and the officials. I said to them, “Each one of you is seizing the collateral 3  from your own countrymen!” 4  Because of them I called for 5  a great public assembly.

Nehemiah 5:12

5:12 They replied, “We will return these things, 6  and we will no longer demand anything from them. We will do just as you say.” Then I called the priests and made the wealthy and the officials 7  swear to do what had been promised. 8 

1 tn Heb “my heart was advised upon me.”

2 tn Heb “nobles.”

3 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 MSS; however, the result is not entirely clear: “you are bearing a burden, a man with his brothers.”

4 tn Heb “his brothers.”

5 tn Heb “I gave.”

6 tn The words “these things” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

7 tn Heb “took an oath from them”; the referents (the wealthy and the officials, cf. v. 7) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

8 tn Heb “according to this word.”