OET interlinear EZRA 4:7

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-time-sequential

וּ⁠בִ⁠ימֵ֣י

and,in/on/at/with,days_of

Here the word And introduces another event in the sequence of actions by the enemies of the Jews. Use the form in your language that is most natural for marking events in a sequence.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

וּ⁠בִ⁠ימֵ֣י אַרְתַּחְשַׁ֗שְׂתָּא

and,in/on/at/with,days_of ʼArtaḩshashtāʼ

The term days is used here to refer to a particular period of time. In this context, it means during the reign of the next Persian king, Artaxerxes, the son of Ahasuerus (Xerxes). Alternate translation: “during the reign of Artaxerxes”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וּ⁠בִ⁠ימֵ֣י אַרְתַּחְשַׁ֗שְׂתָּא

and,in/on/at/with,days_of ʼArtaḩshashtāʼ

If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain that Artaxerxes was the next king of Persia. Alternate translation: “during the reign of the next Persian king, Artaxerxes”

Note 4 topic: translate-names

אַרְתַּחְשַׁ֗שְׂתָּא

ʼArtaḩshashtāʼ

Artaxerxes is the name of a man.

Note 5 topic: translate-names

בִּשְׁלָ֜ם מִתְרְדָ֤ת טָֽבְאֵל֙

Bishlām Mitrədāt Ţₑⱱə\sup_ʼēl

These are the names of three men.

וּ⁠שְׁאָ֣ר כנותו

and,rest_of (Some words not found in UHB: and,in/on/at/with,days_of ʼArtaḩshashtāʼ wrote Bishlām Mitrədāt Ţₑⱱə^ʼēl and,rest_of colleagues_of,his on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in ʼArtaḩshashtāʼ king Pāraş and,letter_of the,letter written Aramit and,translated Aramit )

The term companions here describes people who hold a similar position. Alternate translation: “and his other associates”

Note 6 topic: writing-background

וּ⁠כְתָב֙ הַֽ⁠נִּשְׁתְּוָ֔ן כָּת֥וּב אֲרָמִ֖ית וּ⁠מְתֻרְגָּ֥ם אֲרָמִֽית

and,letter_of the,letter written Aramit and,translated Aramit

This is background information that helps readers understand how these officials went about writing to the king. Aramaic was the official language for government correspondence within the Persian empire. These officials apparently spoke Samaritan, a language similar to Hebrew. So they had someone express their message for them in the Aramaic language. The term interpreted does not necessarily indicate that the officials first wrote out their letter in Samaritan, and then someone translated it into Aramaic for them. Instead, they may have told someone what they wanted to say, and that person composed the letter in Aramaic. Since Aramaic also used differently shaped letters from the ones that Hebrew and Samaritan used, that person wrote the letter using those characters. Alternate translation: “these officials arranged for someone to write their letter for them in the Aramaic script and language”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

וּ⁠כְתָב֙ הַֽ⁠נִּשְׁתְּוָ֔ן כָּת֥וּב אֲרָמִ֖ית וּ⁠מְתֻרְגָּ֥ם אֲרָמִֽית

and,letter_of the,letter written Aramit and,translated Aramit

If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this with an active form, and you could say who did the action. Alternate translation: “and these officials hired a scribe who wrote the letter in Aramaic”

וּ⁠כְתָב֙ הַֽ⁠נִּשְׁתְּוָ֔ן כָּת֥וּב אֲרָמִ֖ית וּ⁠מְתֻרְגָּ֥ם אֲרָמִֽית

and,letter_of the,letter written Aramit and,translated Aramit

If it would be helpful in your language, you could simply say that the letter was written in Aramaic, rather than mentioning both the script and the language. Alternate translation: “and these officials hired a scribe who wrote the letter in Aramaic”

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וּ⁠מְתֻרְגָּ֥ם אֲרָמִֽית

and,translated Aramit

We might expect that, logically, this phrase would come before the previous one, written in the Aramaic script, since the letter had to be composed before it was written down. But in its present position at the end of this sentence, this phrase actually serves a larger purpose within the book. It signals readers that what follows, through 6:18, is itself written in Aramaic. Presumably the original readers, who were clearly expected to understand both languages, would have been alert to such a signal. (A long Aramaic section in the book of Daniel is introduced similarly: “Then the wise men spoke to the king in Aramaic,” Daniel 2:4.) Alternate translation: “and was translated into Aramaic such as the following:”