Discovery BoxNehemiah 1:3 
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
Nehemiah 2:17
Context2:17 Then I said to them, “You see the problem that we have: Jerusalem is desolate and its gates are burned. Come on! Let’s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that this reproach will not continue.”
Nehemiah 5:9
Context5:9 Then I 3 said, “The thing that you are doing is wrong! 4 Should you not conduct yourselves 5 in the fear of our God in order to avoid the reproach of the Gentiles who are our enemies?
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 tc The translation reads with the Qere and the ancient versions וָאוֹמַר (va’omar, “and I said”) rather than the MT Kethib, וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyo’mer, “and he said”).
4 tn Heb “not good.” The statement “The thing…is not good” is an example of tapeinosis, a figurative expression which emphasizes the intended point (“The thing…is wrong!”) by negating its opposite.
5 tn Heb “[should you not] walk.”
