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 5:17
Context5:17 There were 150 Jews and officials who dined with me routinely, 6 in addition to those who came to us from the nations 7 all around us.
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 Heb “who were gathered around us at my table.”
7 tn Or “from the Gentiles.” The same Hebrew word can refer to “the Gentiles” or “the nations.” Cf. the phrase in 6:16.
