Discovery BoxNehemiah 5:7 
Context5:7 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
Context5:12 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
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.”
