OET interlinear NEH 4:3

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: translate-names

וְ⁠טוֹבִיָּ֥ה הָ⁠עַמֹּנִ֖י

(Some words not found in UHB: and,Tobiah the,Ammonite [was]_beside,him and=he/it_said also/yet which/who they building if it_will_ascend fox and,it_will_break_down wall_of their_stones_of,their )

This is a man’s name. See how you translated this in [2:10](../02/10.md).

גַּ֚ם

(Some words not found in UHB: and,Tobiah the,Ammonite [was]_beside,him and=he/it_said also/yet which/who they building if it_will_ascend fox and,it_will_break_down wall_of their_stones_of,their )

This word indicates that Tobiah agrees with Sanballat and that he is going to say something to support him. Alternate translation: [That’s right!]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / hyperbole

אֲשֶׁר־הֵ֣ם בּוֹנִ֔ים אִם־יַעֲלֶ֣ה שׁוּעָ֔ל וּ⁠פָרַ֖ץ חוֹמַ֥ת אַבְנֵי⁠הֶֽם

(Some words not found in UHB: and,Tobiah the,Ammonite [was]_beside,him and=he/it_said also/yet which/who they building if it_will_ascend fox and,it_will_break_down wall_of their_stones_of,their )

Tobiah probably does not believe that the wall would really fall down if a fox walked along the top of it. He is exaggerating to mock the work the Jews are doing. You could use a plain expression in your translation instead, such as, “It would not take much to make that wall fall over.” However, Tobiah’s expression is so colorful that you may want to retain it, but be sure that your readers understand he is exaggerating. Alternate translation: [Tobiah made fun of the Jews by saying, ‘That wall they are building is so weak that if a fox climbed up on it, the stones would fall to the ground’]