OET interlinear NEH 1:9

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / you

וְ⁠שַׁבְתֶּ֣ם אֵלַ֔⁠י וּ⁠שְׁמַרְתֶּם֙ מִצְוֺתַ֔⁠י וַ⁠עֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑⁠ם אִם־יִהְיֶ֨ה נִֽדַּחֲ⁠כֶ֜ם

and,return to=me and,keep commandments_of,my and,do DOM=them if will_belong outcasts_of,your_all's

The pronouns you and your refer to the Israelite people, so they are plural.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וְ⁠שַׁבְתֶּ֣ם אֵלַ֔⁠י וּ⁠שְׁמַרְתֶּם֙ מִצְוֺתַ֔⁠י וַ⁠עֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑⁠ם אִם־יִהְיֶ֨ה נִֽדַּחֲ⁠כֶ֜ם

and,return to=me and,keep commandments_of,my and,do DOM=them if will_belong outcasts_of,your_all's

Return is a figurative way of saying “become loyal again.” Alternate translation: “If you become loyal to me again”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

וּ⁠שְׁמַרְתֶּם֙ מִצְוֺתַ֔⁠י וַ⁠עֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑⁠ם

and,keep commandments_of,my and,do DOM=them

These two statements mean similar things. They are used together for emphasis. You do not need to repeat both phrases in your translation if that would be confusing for your readers. Alternate translation: “start obeying my commandments once more”

נִֽדַּחֲ⁠כֶ֜ם

outcasts_of,your_all's

This refers to the exile. Alternate translation: “all of you who were taken away”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / hyperbole

בִּ⁠קְצֵ֤ה הַ⁠שָּׁמַ֨יִם֙

in/on/at/with,farthest_of the=heavens

This means “the most distant point under the sky.” In this culture the sky was understood to be a solid dome with a flat earth beneath it. The phrase is describing a point beyond which no one could go any farther because they would have reached the edge of the dome of the sky. This is an overstatement because even from the perspective of this culture, no one could really reach such a point. Alternate translation: “places very far away”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / 123person

אֲקַבְּצֵ֔⁠ם וַהֲבִֽיאוֹתִים֙

gather,them (Some words not found in UHB: and,return to=me and,keep commandments_of,my and,do DOM=them if will_belong outcasts_of,your_all's in/on/at/with,farthest_of the=heavens from=there gather,them and,bring,them to/towards the,place which/who chosen to,dwell DOM name_of,my there )

Since God is actually addressing the Israelites here, you can say “you” in the plural. Alternate translation: “I will bring you back”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

אֲקַבְּצֵ֔⁠ם וַהֲבִֽיאוֹתִים֙

gather,them (Some words not found in UHB: and,return to=me and,keep commandments_of,my and,do DOM=them if will_belong outcasts_of,your_all's in/on/at/with,farthest_of the=heavens from=there gather,them and,bring,them to/towards the,place which/who chosen to,dwell DOM name_of,my there )

These two statements mean similar things. They are used together to emphasize that God will definitely keep this promise. If it would be helpful in your language, you could combine the phrases. Alternate translation: “I will bring you back”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

אֶל־הַ⁠מָּק֔וֹם אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּחַ֔רְתִּי לְ⁠שַׁכֵּ֥ן אֶת־שְׁמִ֖⁠י שָֽׁם

to/towards the,place which/who chosen to,dwell DOM name_of,my there

Here God’s name is spoken of as if it were capable of living in a place. The phrase indicates the place from which God chose to start making himself famous throughout the world. You can say something like that as an alternate translation.

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

אֶל־הַ⁠מָּק֔וֹם אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּחַ֔רְתִּי לְ⁠שַׁכֵּ֥ן אֶת־שְׁמִ֖⁠י שָֽׁם

to/towards the,place which/who chosen to,dwell DOM name_of,my there

This phrase refers initially to Jerusalem because that was where God chose to put his temple. You could say that explicitly. Alternate translation: “to Jerusalem, where I have chosen for my name to remain”

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

אֶל־הַ⁠מָּק֔וֹם אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּחַ֔רְתִּי לְ⁠שַׁכֵּ֥ן אֶת־שְׁמִ֖⁠י שָֽׁם

to/towards the,place which/who chosen to,dwell DOM name_of,my there

Nehemiah is actually using this phrase to refer to all of Judah. As the book explains later, when the Jews returned there, they each settled in their own former towns, though one in ten of them were recruited to live in Jerusalem. So Judah is being described by something associated with it, the capital city. Alternate translation: “to your homeland of Judah.”

Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

אֶת־שְׁמִ֖⁠י

DOM name_of,my

Here, name is a figurative way of referring to the fame or reputation of a person. Their fame is described by something associated with it, how well known their name is and how people react to hearing it. Alternate translation: “reputation”