OET interlinear NEH 9:1

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: translate-hebrewmonths

וּ⁠בְ⁠יוֹם֩ עֶשְׂרִ֨ים וְ⁠אַרְבָּעָ֜ה לַ⁠חֹ֣דֶשׁ הַ⁠זֶּ֗ה

and,on,day_of (Some words not found in UHB: and,on,day_of twenty and,four of,month the=this assembled sons_of Yisrael with,fasting and,in,sackcloth(s) and,earth [was]_on,them )

This month means the seventh month of that year according to the Hebrew calendar, as specified in 8:2 and 8:14. The Law of Moses said to observe the Festival of Tabernacles from the fifteenth through the twenty-second days of that month. The implication is that after that joyful celebration, the people were given one full day to rest and prepare for the gathering that this chapter describes. It had a different and more solemn purpose. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say this explicitly. Alternate translation: [On the twenty-fourth day of the seventh month of that year, two days after the joyful Festival of Tabernacles had ended]

Note 2 topic: translate-ordinal

וּ⁠בְ⁠יוֹם֩ עֶשְׂרִ֨ים וְ⁠אַרְבָּעָ֜ה לַ⁠חֹ֣דֶשׁ הַ⁠זֶּ֗ה

and,on,day_of (Some words not found in UHB: and,on,day_of twenty and,four of,month the=this assembled sons_of Yisrael with,fasting and,in,sackcloth(s) and,earth [was]_on,them )

Alternate translation: [On day 24 of month 7]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

נֶאֶסְפ֤וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙

assembled sons_of (Some words not found in UHB: and,on,day_of twenty and,four of,month the=this assembled sons_of Yisrael with,fasting and,in,sackcloth(s) and,earth [was]_on,them )

If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this with an active form. Alternate translation: [the people of Israel gathered together]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

נֶאֶסְפ֤וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙

assembled sons_of (Some words not found in UHB: and,on,day_of twenty and,four of,month the=this assembled sons_of Yisrael with,fasting and,in,sackcloth(s) and,earth [was]_on,them )

The implication is that people from all the cities and towns the province of Judah gathered together again in Jerusalem. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say this explicitly. Alternate translation: [people from all over Judah gathered together again in Jerusalem]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙

sons_of (Some words not found in UHB: and,on,day_of twenty and,four of,month the=this assembled sons_of Yisrael with,fasting and,in,sackcloth(s) and,earth [was]_on,them )

Sons here means “descendants.” In this context it includes both men and women, and it refers specifically to the Israelites who were now living in Judah. Alternate translation: [the people of Israel] or [people from all over Judah]

Note 6 topic: translate-symaction

וּ⁠בְ⁠שַׂקִּ֔ים וַ⁠אֲדָמָ֖ה עֲלֵי⁠הֶֽם

(Some words not found in UHB: and,on,day_of twenty and,four of,month the=this assembled sons_of Yisrael with,fasting and,in,sackcloth(s) and,earth [was]_on,them )

The people did these things to show symbolically how sorry they were for their sins. If it would be helpful in your language, you could say that explicitly. Alternate translation: [The people refrained from eating, wore rough clothing, and put dust on their heads to show that they were sorry for their sins]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche

וַ⁠אֲדָמָ֖ה עֲלֵי⁠הֶֽם

and,earth [was]_on,them

Them in this sentence refers to the people, but it does not mean that they covered themselves entirely in dust. The story is using the whole person to refer to one part of the person, the head, which is where people in this culture put dust to express sorrow. Alternate translation: [the people … put dust on their heads]