Discovery BoxNehemiah 9:8-12 
Context9:8 When you perceived that his heart was faithful toward you, you established a 1 covenant with him to give his descendants 2 the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites. You have fulfilled your promise, 3 for you are righteous.
9:9 “You saw the affliction of our ancestors in Egypt, and you heard their cry at the Red Sea. 4 9:10 You performed awesome signs 5 against Pharaoh, against his servants, and against all the people of his land, for you knew that the Egyptians 6 had acted presumptuously 7 against them. You made for yourself a name that is celebrated to this day. 9:11 You split the sea before them, and they crossed through 8 the sea on dry ground! But you threw their pursuers 9 into the depths, like a stone into surging 10 waters. 9:12 You guided them with a pillar of cloud by day and with a pillar of fire by night to illumine for them the path they were to travel.
1 tn Heb “the” (so NAB).
2 tn Heb “seed.”
3 tn Heb “your words.”
4 tn Heb “the Sea of Reeds.” Traditionally this is identified as the Red Sea, and the modern designation has been used in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Heb “signs and wonders.” This phrase is a hendiadys. The second noun functions adjectivally, while the first noun retains its full nominal sense: “awesome signs” or “miraculous signs.”
6 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Egyptians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7 tn Or “arrogantly” (so NASB); NRSV “insolently.”
8 tn Heb “in the midst of.”
9 tn Heb “those who pursued them.”
10 tn Heb “mighty.”
