Discovery BoxNehemiah 1:3-4 
Context1:3 They said to me, “The remnant that remains from the exile there in the province are experiencing considerable 1 adversity and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem lies breached, and its gates have been burned down!” 2
1:4 When I heard these things I sat down abruptly, 3 crying and mourning for several days. I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
1 tn Heb “great.”
2 tn Heb “have been burned with fire” (so also in Neh 2:17). The expression “burned with fire” is redundant in contemporary English; the translation uses “burned down” for stylistic reasons.
3 tn Heb “sat down.” Context suggests that this was a rather sudden action, resulting from the emotional shock of the unpleasant news, so “abruptly” has been supplied in the present translation.
