Nehemiah 1:2 — compare Bible translations

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Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal Speaker(s)=Narrator (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX (EZR 11:2) καὶ ἦλθεν Ἀνανὶ εἷς ἀπὸ ἀδελφῶν μου, αὐτὸς καὶ ἄνδρες Ἰούδα· καὶ ἠρώτησα αὐτοὺς περὶ τῶν σωθέντων, οἳ κατελείθησαν ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας, καὶ περὶ Ἱερουσαλήμ.
(kai aʸlthen Anani heis apo adelfōn mou, autos kai andres Youda; kai aʸrōtaʸsa autous peri tōn sōthentōn, hoi kateleithaʸsan apo taʸs aiⱪmalōsias, kai peri Hierousalaʸm.)

BrTr And Anani, one of my brethren, came, he and some men of Juda; and I asked them concerning those that had escaped, who had been left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

ULT And Hanani, one of my brothers, came, he and men from Judah. And I asked them about the Jews who escaped, who were left behind from the captivity, and about Jerusalem.

UST Hanani, one of my brothers, came to see me, along with some other people from the province of Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had escaped and remained in Judah many years earlier when soldiers had forced many Jews to go to Babylon. I also asked about the condition of the city of Jerusalem.

BSB Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with men from Judah. So I questioned them about the remnant of the Jews who had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.

OEB No OEB NEH 1:2 book available

WEBBE Hanani, one of my brothers, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them about the Jews who had escaped, who were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

NET Hanani, who was one of my relatives, along with some of the men from Judah, came to me, and I asked them about the Jews who had escaped and had survived the exile, and about Jerusalem.

LSV and Hanani, one of my brothers, he and men of Judah come in, and I ask them concerning the Jews, the escaped part that have been left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem;

FBV Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men. I asked them about the remnant of the Jewish exiles who had returned from captivity, and also about Jerusalem.

T4T My brother Hanani came to visit me. He and some other men had just returned from Judah. I queried them about the Jews who were living there, whose parents had been ◄exiled/taken forcefully► to Babylonia many years previously. I also asked them about what was happening in Jerusalem.

LEB and one of my brothers, Hanani, came with some men from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had escaped the captivity and about Jerusalem.

BBE That Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah; and in answer to my request for news of the Jews who had been prisoners and had got away, and of Jerusalem,

Moff that Hanani, one of my kinsmen, came to me, along with some men from Judah. I asked them about the Judaean remnant who had survived the exile and also about Jerusalem.

JPS that Hanani, one of my brethren, came out of Judah, he and certain men; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, that were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

ASV that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, that were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

DRA That Hanani one of my brethren came, he and some men of Juda; and I asked them concerning the Jews, that remained and were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

YLT and come in doth Hanani, one of my brethren, he and men of Judah, and I ask them concerning the Jews, the escaped part that have been left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem;

Drby that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and [certain] men of Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, who were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

RV that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
(that Hanani, one of my brethren/brothers, came, he and certain men out of Yudah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Yerusalem.)

SLT And Hanani one of my brethren will come, he and men from Judah; and I shall ask them concerning the Jews of the escaping which were left from the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

Wbstr That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, who were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

KJB-1769 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
(That Hanani, one of my brethren/brothers, came, he and certain men of Yudah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Yerusalem.)

KJB-1611 That Hanani, one of my brethren came, he and certaine men of Iudah, and I asked them concerning the Iewes that had escaped, which were left of the captiuitie, and concerning Ierusalem.
(That Hanani, one of my brethren/brothers came, he and certain men of Yudah, and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Yerusalem.)

Bshps Came Hanani, one of my brethren, he and the men of Iuda: and I asked them howe the Iewes dyd that were deliuered and escaped from the captiuitie, and howe it went at Hierusalem.
(Came Hanani, one of my brethren/brothers, he and the men of Yuda: and I asked them how the Jews did that were delivered and escaped from the captivity, and how it went at Yerusalem.)

Gnva Came Hanam, one of my brethren, he and the men of Iudah, and I asked them concerning the Iewes that were deliuered, which were of the residue of the captiuitie, and concerning Ierusalem.
(Came Hanam, one of my brethren/brothers, he and the men of Yudah, and I asked them concerning the Jews that were delivered, which were of the residue of the captivity, and concerning Yerusalem.)

Cvdl and Hanani one of my brethren came with certayne me of Iuda, and I axed them how the Iewes dyd that were delyuered and escaped from the captiuyte, & how it wente at Ierusale.
(and Hanani one of my brethren/brothers came with certain me of Yuda, and I asked them how the Jews did that were delivered and escaped from the captivity, and how it went at Yerusalem.)

Wycl and Ananye, oon of my britheren, cam to me, he and men of Juda; and Y axide hem of the Jewis, that weren left, and weren alyue of the caitifte, and of Jerusalem.
(and Ananye, one of my brethren/brothers, came to me, he and men of Yuda; and I asked hem of the Jews, that were left, and were alive of the captivity, and of Yerusalem.)

Luth da kam Hanani, einer meiner Brüder, mit etlichen Männern aus Juda. Und ich fragte sie, wie es den Juden ginge, die errettet und übrig waren von dem Gefängnis, und wie es zu Jerusalem ginge?
(there came Hanani, one/a mine brothers, with several men out_of Yuda. And I asked they/she/them, as/like it the Jews go, the saved/rescued and left-over were from to_him prison/jail, and as/like it to/for Jerusalem go?)

ClVg Et venit Hanani, unus de fratribus meis, ipse et viri ex Juda: et interrogavi eos de Judæis qui remanserant, et supererant de captivitate, et Jerusalem.
(And he_came Hanani, one from/about brothers mine, exactly_that/himself and men from Yuda: and I_asked them from/about To_the_Jews who/which they_remained, and they_were_left_over from/about captivity, and Yerusalem.)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: translate-names

חֲנָ֜נִי

Ḩₐnānī

This is the name of a man.

חֲנָ֜נִי אֶחָ֧ד

Ḩₐnānī one(ms)

The term brother is often used in this book, but here it most likely means that Hanani was Nehemiah’s biological brother.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

ה֥וּא וַ⁠אֲנָשִׁ֖ים

he/it (Some words not found in UHB: and,he_came Ḩₐnānī one(ms) of,brothers_of,my he/it and,people from,Judah and,I,asked_them on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in the,Jews the_escaped,remnant that survived from/more_than the,captivity and,on Yərūshālaim/(Jerusalem) )

This was a delegation that had come from one Jewish community to visit another Jewish community in another part of the world. So it’s possible that it included women as well as men. Alternate translation: [along with some other people]

Note 3 topic: translate-names

מִֽ⁠יהוּדָ֑ה

from,Judah

Judah was formerly the southern kingdom of the Israelites. It was now a Persian province. Alternate translation: [the province of Judah]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

הַ⁠יְּהוּדִ֧ים הַ⁠פְּלֵיטָ֛ה אֲשֶֽׁר־נִשְׁאֲר֥וּ מִן־הַ⁠שֶּׁ֖בִי

(Some words not found in UHB: and,he_came Ḩₐnānī one(ms) of,brothers_of,my he/it and,people from,Judah and,I,asked_them on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in the,Jews the_escaped,remnant that survived from/more_than the,captivity and,on Yərūshālaim/(Jerusalem) )

These two phrases mean the same thing. Nehemiah uses them together for clarity to describe one particular group of people, and perhaps also to express his particular concern for them. You do not need to repeat both phrases in your translation if that would be confusing for your readers. Alternate translation: [the Jews who had escaped the exile]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

הַ⁠יְּהוּדִ֧ים הַ⁠פְּלֵיטָ֛ה אֲשֶֽׁר־נִשְׁאֲר֥וּ מִן־הַ⁠שֶּׁ֖בִי

These two phrases refer to the same group of people. This could mean: (1) the few Jews who were taken as exiles to Babylon but who later were able to return and live in Jerusalem or (2) the few Jews who had escaped from those who were trying to take them into exile in Babylon and so remained in Jerusalem. It is probably best to translate this in a way that can include both groups. Alternate translation: [the Jews who had escaped the exile and who remained in Jerusalem]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

הַ⁠שֶּׁ֖בִי

Captivity is an abstract noun that refers to the Jews being taken away from their homeland. Judah had been conquered by the Babylonians about 150 years before this. At that time, the Babylonians took many people away from Judah and relocated them to different parts of their empire. About 50 years later, the Persian Empire conquered Babylon and so the Babylonian empire became the Persian empire. The Jews who had been captured by Babylon now lived in Persia, although some had since returned to Judah. You can translate the idea of captivity with a phrase such as “the time when the Jews were taken away” or “the time when soldiers forced many Jews to go to Babylon”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וְ⁠עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם

and,on (Some words not found in UHB: and,he_came Ḩₐnānī one(ms) of,brothers_of,my he/it and,people from,Judah and,I,asked_them on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in the,Jews the_escaped,remnant that survived from/more_than the,captivity and,on Yərūshālaim/(Jerusalem) )

Jerusalem had been the capital city of the kingdom of Judah. Nehemiah was asking specifically about the physical condition of the buildings and walls in the city, in addition to asking about the welfare of the Jewish community in Judah. Alternate translation: [about the condition of Jerusalem]

BMM BibleMapper.com Maps:

Poster Map of Jerusalem during the Time of Nehemiah, circa 445 B.C.

Author’s Note: This map draws heavily upon the careful work of Dr. Leen Ritmeyer (www.ritmeyer.com) regarding the probable location of gates, walls, and other features, though I have deviated at points from his data, based on my own research and conclusions.

A wealth of archaeological evidence supports the existence and location of many of the structures shown on this map, and great care has been taken to correlate them as faithfully as possible with the data provided in the book of Nehemiah and other biblical texts. Nevertheless, the specific identification of virtually all of these items is open to great debate. For this reason, no attempt has been made on this map to indicate any degree of uncertainty for the identifications that have been included, since the vast majority of these would be marked as uncertain anyway.

The shaded relief has been overlaid with the Ordnance Survey of Jerusalem (1865), by Charles Wilson.

The book of Nehemiah is one of the last books of the Old Testament written, and it recounts the efforts of Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem long after they had been destroyed by the Babylonians (2 Kings 24-25; 2 Chronicles 36:17-21; Jeremiah 39:1-10; see “Nebuchadnezzar’s Final Campaign against Judah” map). Nehemiah had been a trusted official in the Persian royal court who acquired a special commission to return to his ancestral land of Judea for the rebuilding effort (Nehemiah 1-2; see “Jews Return from Exile” map). After arriving in Jerusalem, he quickly surveyed the condition of the walls and then organized the people of Judea into work teams (Nehemiah 2-3). These teams each worked on a designated portion of the walls, and the entire project was completed in 52 days (Nehemiah 6:15). The builders came from Jerusalem and from towns throughout the greater province of Judea, and most of these towns are included in the map of “Judea under Persian Rule”.

It is far beyond the scope of this article to present all the textual and archaeological evidence that forms the basis for the identifications made on this map, but two specific portions of this map seem to warrant explanation:

One Gate of Ephraim or Two?

The Gate of Ephraim is mentioned in Nehemiah 8:16 and 12:39, and it is noted as lying along the path of the walls that Nehemiah rebuilt. This has indirectly led to some confusion, however, regarding the location of another gate called the Gate of Ephraim in 2 Kings 14:13 and 2 Chronicles 25:23, which both note that King Jehoash of Israel broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, a distance of 400 cubits. This confusion stems from equating the Gate of Ephraim mentioned in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles with the Gate of Ephraim mentioned in Nehemiah. Assuming the biblical text to be reliable, this assumption would require that the Corner Gate, which is mentioned also in 2 Chronicles 26:9; Jeremiah 31:38; and Zechariah 14:10, would have been located somewhere along the wall about 600 feet (183 meters) from the Gate of Ephraim. Placing it directly west of the Gate of Ephraim of Nehemiah would place it very close to the Middle Gate, perhaps suggesting that the Middle Gate was in fact the Corner Gate. But Jeremiah’s mention of both the Middle Gate (39:3) and the Corner Gate (Jeremiah 31:38) in the same book makes this equation unlikely. Placing the Corner Gate directly north of the Gate of Ephraim near the northwestern corner of the Temple Mount seems plausible at first glance, but this location is very hard to reconcile with both Jeremiah 31:38 and Zechariah 14:10. Jeremiah 31:38 traces a line from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate, but this would make little sense if the Corner Gate were located in very close proximity to the Tower of Hananel. Similarly, Zechariah 14:10 appears to be using the Corner Gate as a marker for the far western extreme of Jerusalem, but a location at the northwest corner of the Temple Mount hardly seems like the intended location.

A more likely solution can be found by regarding the Gate of Ephraim of 2 Kings 14 and 2 Chronicles 25 as different than the Gate of Ephraim of Nehemiah, though perhaps the Gate of Ephraim had been renamed after the exile to hearken back to the old Gate of Ephraim, which had been destroyed. If this is true, the earlier Gate of Ephraim may actually have been the same as the Middle Gate of Jeremiah 39:3 (Jeremiah never mentions the Gate of Ephraim), or perhaps it was a gate near where the Middle Gate was built later. This location, then, would place the Corner Gate at the far western corner of the larger wall around greater Jerusalem, as shown on this map. The distance between these two gates is about 600 feet (183 meters), and the appropriately named Corner Gate would be a fitting candidate to mark the far western extreme of the city.

It should also be noted that this solution, however, requires that the first Gate of Ephraim existed prior to Hezekiah’s building activity. This stands in contrast to the common assertion that the wall encompassing greater Jerusalem (which Josephus calls the First Wall) was built by Hezekiah in response to the dramatic increase in residents that relocated to Jerusalem due to the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel. But the only mention in the Bible of Hezekiah building a new wall is 2 Chronicles 32:5, which notes that he built a wall “outside” the wall that was broken down (2 Chronicles 32:5). This is most likely referencing a wall in the Kidron Valley that has since been found by archaeology, and perhaps a second wall around the Temple Mount. So it would seem that elsewhere Hezekiah merely repaired or replaced portions of a wall that already existed but was in disrepair. This synchronizes well with Isaiah 22:11, where Isaiah rebukes a leader (perhaps Hezekiah) for breaking down houses “to fortify the wall” (not build a new one).

Wall Enclosing the King’s Pool

Another common assumption that is difficult to correlate with Nehemiah is the placement of the King’s Pool and the Lower Pool outside the main wall of the City of David. (The King’s Pool was likely the same as the Old Pool mentioned in Isaiah 22:11. The Lower Pool appears to be alternately called elsewhere the [Pool of] Shiloah/Siloam [Isaiah 8:6] and the Pool of Shelah [Nehemiah 3:15], which is fed by the Dragon’s Spring [Nehemiah 2:13].) Two different passages in Nehemiah (Nehemiah 3:13; 12:31) clearly trace a path along a wall from the Valley Gate (likely midway up the western wall of the City of David) directly to the Dung Gate, with no mention of any other gates or distinct changes in direction. Likewise, both Nehemiah 3:15 and 12:37 note that the Fountain Gate (likely located immediately northeast of the King’s Pool on this map) was reached after passing by the Dung Gate. This author has become convinced that this requires that the Dung Gate lay along a portion of the wall that must have extended directly from the area of the Valley Gate. Further details are given in Nehemiah 3:13, which notes that Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired 1000 cubits (1500 feet; 457 meters) of the wall from the Valley Gate to the Dung Gate. If the Valley Gate and the Dung Gate were indeed located at the two places shown on this map, and a wall between them followed the path shown here, the distance between them along the wall would have measured about 1548 feet (472 meters), or 1032 cubits–extremely close to the 1000-cubit distance given in Nehemiah 3:13. The existence of this wall is also supported by Isaiah 22:11-12, which notes that a reservoir for the waters of the Old Pool (likely the same as the King’s Pool on this map) had been built “between the two walls.” This could be understood to refer to Josephus’s First Wall and the wall immediately north of the King’s Pool, but this author suspects instead that it is referring to the wall that must have already existed immediately south of the Lower Pool and the King’s Pool on this map.

Parallel NEH 1:2

Poster Map of Jerusalem during the Time of Nehemiah, circa 445 B.C.