OET interlinear EZRA 10:9

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

וַ⁠יִּקָּבְצ֣וּ

and,assembled

The word so indicates that the sentence it introduces explains the results of what the previous sentence described. Alternate translation: “As a result … gathered”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche

כָל־אַנְשֵֽׁי־יְהוּדָה֩ וּ⁠בִנְיָמִ֨ן

all men_of Yehuda and,Benjamin

Since the assembly included Israelites from other tribes (for example, the priests and the Levites, who were both from the tribe of Levi), the book is using the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (or their territory), to represent all of the Israelite tribes. Alternate translation: “all of the Israelite men”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

כָל־אַנְשֵֽׁי־יְהוּדָה֩ וּ⁠בִנְיָמִ֨ן

all men_of Yehuda and,Benjamin

The book may be describing all of the Israelites by reference to the area in which all of them were now living, which had previously been the territory of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Alternate translation: “all the Israelite men”

Note 4 topic: translate-hebrewmonths

ה֛וּא חֹ֥דֶשׁ הַ⁠תְּשִׁיעִ֖י בְּ⁠עֶשְׂרִ֣ים בַּ⁠חֹ֑דֶשׁ

he/it month the,ninth in/on/at/with,twentieth in/on/at/with,month

You could convert the Hebrew day and month into an approximate date on the calendar that your culture uses. However, the Jews used a lunar calendar, so if you use a solar calendar, the date will be different every year and the translation will not be entirely accurate. You may just want to use the numbers of the Hebrew day and month. Alternate translation: “It was the twentieth day of the ninth month”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ה֛וּא חֹ֥דֶשׁ הַ⁠תְּשִׁיעִ֖י בְּ⁠עֶשְׂרִ֣ים בַּ⁠חֹ֑דֶשׁ

he/it month the,ninth in/on/at/with,twentieth in/on/at/with,month

Since the story does not say otherwise, the implication is that this was still the same year in which Ezra returned to Jerusalem, that is, the seventh year of Artaxerxes. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say that explicitly. Alternate translation: “It was the twentieth day of the ninth month in the seventh year of Artaxerxes as king of Persia”

Note 6 topic: translate-ordinal

בְּ⁠עֶשְׂרִ֣ים בַּ⁠חֹ֑דֶשׁ

in/on/at/with,twentieth in/on/at/with,month

The Hebrew uses a cardinal number here, 20, but there is not a significant difference in meaning between that and the way the Hebrew uses an ordinal number, “twentieth” in similar contexts elsewhere. If your language customarily uses ordinals for the numbers of days, you can do that here in your translation. Alternate translation: “on the twentieth day of month”

Note 7 topic: translate-unknown

בִּ⁠רְחוֹב֙ בֵּ֣ית הָ⁠אֱלֹהִ֔ים

in/on/at/with,open_square house_of the=ʼElohīm

The phrase open place means a “plaza” or a “square” in the city where there were no buildings and so where large gatherings like this could be held. Alternate translation: “in the temple square”

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

מַרְעִידִ֥ים עַל־הַ⁠דָּבָ֖ר וּ⁠מֵ⁠הַ⁠גְּשָׁמִֽים

trembling on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in the,matter and,because_of,the,heavy_rain

As elsewhere in the book, trembling here may be a metaphor for regarding someone or something with respect and reverential fear. However, the people were likely trembling literally because of the rain, that is, shaking with cold. So the book is either mixing figurative and literal uses of the same term, or the people were literally shaking because they were all being called to account for a serious disobedience. Alternate translation: “deeply fearful about the issue of disobedience and shaking with cold from the rain” or “shaking with fear because they were being called to account for disobedience and shaking with cold because of the rain”