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
Nehemiah 8:16
Context8:16 So the people went out and brought these things 9 back and constructed temporary shelters for themselves, each on his roof and in his courtyard and in the courtyards of the temple 10 of God and in the plaza of the Water Gate and the plaza of the Ephraim Gate.
Nehemiah 9:25
Context9:25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land. They took possession of houses full of all sorts of good things – wells previously dug, vineyards, olive trees, and fruit trees in abundance. They ate until they were full 11 and grew fat. They enjoyed to the full your great goodness.
Nehemiah 13:26
Context13:26 Was it not because of things like these that King Solomon of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made 12 him king over all Israel. But the foreign wives made even him sin!
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.”
9 tn The words “these things” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
10 tn Heb “the house.”
11 tn Heb “they ate and were sated.” This expression is a hendiadys. The first verb retains its full verbal sense, while the second functions adverbially: “they ate and were filled” = “they ate until they were full.”
12 tn Heb “gave.”
