NEH 1:3 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not necessarily natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for Bible-translators and others doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still early looks into the drafted texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

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 11:3) Καὶ εἴποσαν πρὸς μέ, Οἱ καταλειπόμενοι οἱ καταλειφθέντες ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐκεῖ ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ, ἐν πονηρίᾳ μεγάλῃ καὶ ἐν ὀνειδισμῷ, καὶ τείχη Ἱερουσαλὴμ καθῃρημένα, καὶ αἱ πύλαι αὐτῆς ἐνεπρήσθησαν ἐν πυρί.
(Kai eiposan pros me, Hoi kataleipomenoi hoi kataleifthentes apo taʸs aiⱪmalōsias ekei en taʸ ⱪōra, en ponaʸria megalaʸ kai en oneidismōi, kai teiⱪaʸ Hierousalaʸm kathaʸraʸmena, kai hai pulai autaʸs enepraʸsthaʸsan en puri.)

BrTr And they said to me, The remnant, even those that are left of the captivity, are there in the land, in great distress and reproach: and the walls of Jerusalem are thrown down, and its gates are burnt with fire.

ULT And they said to me, “The ones left behind, who were left behind from the captivity there in the province, are in great evil and in reproach. And the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”

UST They said to me, “The Jews who escaped the exile and remained in the province of Judah are in a desperate situation. The Babylonian soldiers broke down the wall of Jerusalem to get into the city, and they burned down all of its gates. The people living there are defenseless.”

BSB & MSB And they told me, “The remnant who survived the exile [are] there in the province, in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem [is] broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”

OEB No OEB NEH 1:3 book available

LSB They said to me, “The remnant there in the province who remain from the captivity are in great calamity and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire.”

WEBBE & WMBB They said to me, “The remnant who are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burnt with fire.”

MSG They told me, “The exile survivors who are left there in the province are in bad shape. Conditions are appalling. The wall of Jerusalem is still rubble; the city gates are still cinders.”

NET They said to me, “The remnant that remains from the exile there in the province are experiencing considerable adversity and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem lies breached, and its gates have been burned down!”

LSV and they say to me, “Those left, who have been left of the captivity there in the province, [are] in great evil, and in reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”

FBV They told me, “The remnant who are left from the exile are there in the province, but they are having a great deal of trouble and feel humiliated. Jerusalem's walls have been knocked over, and its gates burned down.”

T4T They said to me, “The Jews in Jerusalem who returned there from Babylonia are living in a very difficult situation. The walls of the city have been broken down, and even the city gates have been burned down.”

LEB They replied to me, “The survivors in the province who have survived the captivity are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned in the fire.”

NAB They answered me: “The survivors of the captivity there in the province are in great distress and under reproach. The wall of Jerusalem has been breached, its gates gutted by fire.”

BBE They said to me, The small band of Jews now living there in the land are in great trouble and shame: the wall of Jerusalem has been broken down, and its doorways burned with fire.

Moff “The survivors of the exile in the province there,” they told me, “suffer great misery and oppression; also, the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates have been burned with fire.”

JPS And they said unto me: 'The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach; the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.'

ASV And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

DRA And they said to me: They that have remained, and are left of the captivity there in the province, are in great affliction, and reproach: and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire.

YLT and they say to me, 'Those left, who have been left of the captivity there in the province, [are] in great evil, and in reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burnt with fire.'

Drby And they said to me, Those who remain, that are left of the captivity there in the province, are in great affliction and reproach; and the wall of Jerusalem is in ruins, and its gates are burned with fire.

RV And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
(And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Yerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire.)

SLT And they will say to me, They being left which were left of the captivity there in the province, in great evil and in reproach: and the walls of Jerusalem being broken down, and its gates were burnt with fire.

Wbstr And they said to me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.

KJB-1769 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
(And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Yerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire.)

KJB-1611 And they said vnto me, The remnant that are left of the captiuitie there in the prouince, are in great affliction and reproch: the wall of Ierusalem also is broken downe, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps And they sayde vnto me: The remnaunt that are left of the captiuitie there in the lande, are in great affliction and rebuke: the wall of Hierusalem also is broken downe, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire.
(And they said unto me: The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the land, are in great affliction and rebuke: the wall of Yerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire.)

Gnva And they sayde vnto me, The residue that are left of the captiuitie there in the prouince, are in great affliction and in reproche, and the wall of Ierusalem is broken downe, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire.
(And they said unto me, The residue that are left of the captivity there in the province, are in great affliction and in reproach, and the wall of Yerusalem is broken down, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire.)

Cvdl And they sayde vnto me: The remnaunt of the captiuyte are there in the londe in greate mysfortune & rebuke. The walles of Ierusalem are broken downe, and the portes ther of are brent with fyre.
(And they said unto me: The remnant of the captivity are there in the land in great misfortune and rebuke. The walls of Yerusalem are broken down, and the ports there of are burnt with fire.)

Wycl And thei seiden to me, Thei that `dwelliden, and ben left of the caitifte there in the prouynce, ben in greet turment, and in schenship; and the wal of Jerusalem is destried, and the yatis therof ben brent with fier.
(And they said to me, They that dwelled/dwelt, and been left of the captivity there in the province, been in great torment, and in shame; and the wall of Yerusalem is destroyed, and the gates thereof been burnt with fire.)

Luth Und sie sprachen zu mir: Die übrigen von dem Gefängnis sind daselbst im Lande in großem Unglück und Schmach; die Mauern Jerusalems sind zerbrochen und ihre Tore mit Feuer verbrannt.
(And they/she/them said to/for to_me: The remaining from to_him prison/jail are there in_the land in large accident/misfortune/disaster and disgrace; the walls Jerusalem are broken and their/her gates/goals with fire(n) burnt.)

ClVg Et dixerunt mihi: Qui remanserunt, et relicti sunt de captivitate ibi in provincia, in afflictione magna sunt, et in opprobrio: et murus Jerusalem dissipatus est, et portæ ejus combustæ sunt igni.
(And they_said to_me: Who they_remained, and left are from/about captivity there in/into/on province, in/into/on affliction big are, and in/into/on reproach: and the_wall Yerusalem scattered it_is, and gates his/her burnt are fire.)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

הַֽ⁠נִּשְׁאָרִ֞ים אֲשֶֽׁר־נִשְׁאֲר֤וּ מִן־הַ⁠שְּׁבִי֙

(Some words not found in UHB: and=they_said to=me [those,who]_remain who survived from/more_than the,captivity there in,province [are]_in,trouble great and,in,disgrace and,the_wall_of Yerushalayim broken_down and,gates_of,its burnt with,fire )

These two statements mean similar things. Nehemiah says the same thing twice, in slightly different ways, to show his concern for this group. You do not need to repeat both phrases in your translation if that would be confusing for your readers. Alternate translation: [the Jews who escaped the exile and remained]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

בַּ⁠מְּדִינָ֔ה

Here province refers to Judah as an administrative district within the Persian Empire. Hanani is describing Judah by referring to something associated with it, its status as a province. Alternate translation: [in the province of Judah] or [in Judah]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

בְּ⁠רָעָ֥ה גְדֹלָ֖ה וּ⁠בְ⁠חֶרְפָּ֑ה

Difficulty and reproach mean similar things. Hanani uses them together to emphasize what a desperate situation the people are in. You do not need to repeat both words in your translation if that would be confusing for your readers. Alternate translation: [in a perilous situation]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

בְּ⁠רָעָ֥ה גְדֹלָ֖ה וּ⁠בְ⁠חֶרְפָּ֑ה

The abstract noun difficulty refers to a situation that is very hard for the people to live in. It describes a situation that is dangerous and insecure for the people in it. You can translate this idea with an adjective such as “bad.” Alternate translation: [in a very bad situation]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

וּ⁠בְ⁠חֶרְפָּ֑ה

Reproach is an abstract noun that describes how other people would see the situation of the Jews. The situation would lead them to say bad things about them. you could translate this idea with a verb such as “mock.” Alternate translation: [and people are mocking them.]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

וְ⁠חוֹמַ֤ת יְרוּשָׁלִַ֨ם֙ מְפֹרָ֔צֶת וּ⁠שְׁעָרֶ֖י⁠הָ נִצְּת֥וּ בָ⁠אֵֽשׁ

and,the_wall_of (Some words not found in UHB: and=they_said to=me [those,who]_remain who survived from/more_than the,captivity there in,province [are]_in,trouble great and,in,disgrace and,the_wall_of Yerushalayim broken_down and,gates_of,its burnt with,fire )

You can say this with an active form, and you can say who did the action. Alternate translation: [armies have broken open the wall of Jerusalem and have set its gates on fire]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וְ⁠חוֹמַ֤ת יְרוּשָׁלִַ֨ם֙ מְפֹרָ֔צֶת וּ⁠שְׁעָרֶ֖י⁠הָ נִצְּת֥וּ בָ⁠אֵֽשׁ

The implication is that the people are now defenseless. If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this explicitly. Alternate translation: [The people living there have no protection.]

נִצְּת֥וּ בָ⁠אֵֽשׁ

If saying that something is burned with fire is redundant in your language, you can just say, completely burned. Alternate translation: [burned down]

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 1:3

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