OET interlinear NEH 8:6

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וַ⁠יְבָ֣רֶךְ עֶזְרָ֔א אֶת־יְהוָ֥ה הָ⁠אֱלֹהִ֖ים הַ⁠גָּד֑וֹל

and=he/it_blessed ˊEzrāʼ DOM YHWH the=ʼElohīm (Some words not found in UHB: and=he/it_blessed ˊEzrāʼ DOM YHWH the=ʼElohīm (the),great and,they_answered all the,people amen amen in,the_raising_of their_hands_of,their and,they_bowed_low and,they_bowed_down to/for=YHWH faces ground,to_[the] )

This means that before Ezra read from the law, he prayed out loud. If it would be helpful in your language, you could say that explicitly. Alternate translation: [Before he read from the law, Ezra prayed to Yahweh, the great God]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / events

וַ⁠יַּֽעֲנ֨וּ כָל־הָ⁠עָ֜ם אָמֵ֤ן ׀ אָמֵן֙

(Some words not found in UHB: and=he/it_blessed ˊEzrāʼ DOM YHWH the=ʼElohīm (the),great and,they_answered all the,people amen amen in,the_raising_of their_hands_of,their and,they_bowed_low and,they_bowed_down to/for=YHWH faces ground,to_[the] )

Since the people lifted their hands to show that they were joining Nehemiah in prayer, they would have done this before they said “Amen” at the end of his prayer. If it would be helpful in your language, you could describe the events in that order. Alternate translation: [The people lifted their hands to show that they were praying with Ezra, and when he finished praying, they shouted, ‘Amen! Amen!’]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

אָמֵ֤ן ׀ אָמֵן֙

amen amen

As in 5:13, Amen is a Hebrew word that means, “Truly, it is so.” The word expresses agreement with what someone has just said. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express that meaning with a phrase such as, “We agree!” Or you could use the Hebrew term and explain what it means in this context: “Amen! Yahweh is truly great!”

Note 4 topic: translate-symaction

בְּ⁠מֹ֣עַל יְדֵי⁠הֶ֔ם

(Some words not found in UHB: and=he/it_blessed ˊEzrāʼ DOM YHWH the=ʼElohīm (the),great and,they_answered all the,people amen amen in,the_raising_of their_hands_of,their and,they_bowed_low and,they_bowed_down to/for=YHWH faces ground,to_[the] )

In ancient Israel, lifted hands were the posture of prayer. By this gesture, the people showed that they were joining Nehemiah in prayer before he read from the law.

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche

וַ⁠יִּקְּד֧וּ וַ⁠יִּשְׁתַּחֲוֻּ֛ לַ⁠יהוָ֖ה אַפַּ֥יִם אָֽרְצָ⁠ה

(Some words not found in UHB: and=he/it_blessed ˊEzrāʼ DOM YHWH the=ʼElohīm (the),great and,they_answered all the,people amen amen in,the_raising_of their_hands_of,their and,they_bowed_low and,they_bowed_down to/for=YHWH faces ground,to_[the] )

Nostrils here represent the nose, and the nose represents all of the face. Alternate translation: [they knelt down and then lay down with their faces on the ground to worship Yahweh.]