וּבְכָל־זֹאת אֲנַחְנוּ כֹּרְתִים אֲמָנָה וְכֹתְבִים וְעַל הֶחָתוּם שָׂרֵינוּ לְוִיֵּנוּ כֹּהֲנֵינוּ׃ 10:1
Nehe. 10:1 “Yet with all this we are making a covenant of faith and inscribing, upon which is the seal of our princes, our Levites, our priests,
The blessing and confession of the preceding chapter continues here, and now becomes a description of their present state of faith and commitment.
וְעַל הַחֲתוּמִים נְחֶמְיָה הַתִּרְשָׁתָא בֶּן־חֲכַלְיָה וְצִדְקִיָּה׃ 10:2
Nehe. 10:2 upon which have placed their seals: Nehemiah, the Tirshatha, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah,
I believe this is the only place in the bible where the Hebrew phrase translated as son of doesn’t immediately follow the Jew’s name (Nehemiah). I suspect that the scribe, here revealing who the Tirshatha was, did this to be sure the reader would understand whose name son of was connected to.
שְׂרָיָה עֲזַרְיָה יִרְמְיָה׃ 10:3
Nehe. 10:3 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
פַּשְׁחוּר אֲמַרְיָה מַלְכִּיָּה׃ 10:4
Nehe. 10:4 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
חַטּוּשׁ שְׁבַנְיָה מַלּוּךְ׃ 10:5
Nehe. 10:5 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
חָרִם מְרֵמוֹת עֹבַדְיָה׃ 10:6
Nehe. 10:6 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
דָּנִיֵּאל גִּנְּתוֹן בָּרוּךְ׃ 10:7
Nehe. 10:7 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
מְשֻׁלָּם אֲבִיָּה מִיָּמִן׃ 10:8
Nehe. 10:8 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
מַעַזְיָה בִלְגַּי שְׁמַעְיָה אֵלֶּה הַכֹּהֲנִים׃ 10:9
Nehe. 10:9 Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah. These are the priests.”
וְהַלְוִיִּם וְיֵשׁוּעַ בֶּן־אֲזַנְיָה בִּנּוּי מִבְּנֵי חֵנָדָד קַדְמִיאֵל׃ 10:10
Nehe. 10:10 “And the Levites: And of Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui; from the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel;
וַאֲחֵיהֶם שְׁבַנְיָה הוֹדִיָּה קְלִיטָא פְּלָאיָה חָנָן׃ 10:11
Nehe. 10:11 and their brethren, Shabaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
מִיכָא רְחוֹב חֲשַׁבְיָה׃ 10:12
Nehe. 10:12 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
זַכּוּר שֵׁרֵבְיָה שְׁבַנְיָה׃ 10:13
Nehe. 10:13 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
הוֹדִיָּה בָנִי בְּנִינוּ׃ 10:14
Nehe. 10:14 Hodiah, Bani, Beninu.”
רָאשֵׁי הָעָם פַּרְעֹשׁ פַּחַת מוֹאָב עֵילָם זַתּוּא בָּנִי׃ 10:15
Nehe. 10:15 “The heads of the people: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
בֻּנִּי עַזְגָּד בֵּבָי׃ 10:16
Nehe. 10:16 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
אֲדֹנִיָּה בִגְוַי עָדִין׃ 10:17
Nehe. 10:17 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
אָטֵר חִזְקִיָּה עַזּוּר׃ 10:18
Nehe. 10:18 Atter, Hezekiah, Azzur,
הוֹדִיָּה חָשֻׁם בֵּצָי׃ 10:19
Nehe. 10:19 Hodia, Hashum, Bezai,
חָרִיף עֲנָתֹות (נֹובָי) [נֵיבָי]׃ 10:20
Nehe. 10:20 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
The Hebrew name Nebai is misspelled in the parentheses. The correction in the brackets replaces the vav with the yad.
מַגְפִּיעָשׁ מְשֻׁלָּם חֵזִיר׃ 10:21
Nehe. 10:21 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
מְשֵׁיזַבְאֵל צָדוֹק יַדּוּעַ׃ 10:22
Nehe. 10:22 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
פְּלַטְיָה חָנָן עֲנָיָה׃ 10:23
Nehe. 10:23 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
הוֹשֵׁעַ חֲנַנְיָה חַשּׁוּב׃ 10:24
Nehe. 10:24 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
הַלּוֹחֵשׁ פִּלְחָא שׁוֹבֵק׃ 10:25
Nehe. 10:25 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
רְחוּם חֲשַׁבְנָה מַעֲשֵׂיָה׃ 10:26
Nehe. 10:26 Rechum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
וַאֲחִיָּה חָנָן עָנָן׃ 10:27
Nehe. 10:27 and Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,
מַלּוּךְ חָרִם בַּעֲנָה׃ 10:28
Nehe. 10:28 Malluch, Harim, Baanah.”
וּשְׁאָר הָעָם הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם הַשּׁוֹעֲרִים הַמְשֹׁרְרִים הַנְּתִינִים וְכָל־הַנִּבְדָּל מֵעַמֵּי הָאֲרָצוֹת אֶל־תּוֹרַת 10:29
הָאֱלֹהִים נְשֵׁיהֶם בְּנֵיהֶם וּבְנֹתֵיהֶם כֹּל יוֹדֵעַ מֵבִין׃
Nehe. 10:29 “And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinim, and everyone withdrawn from the peoples of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons and their daughters, everyone knowing about discernment,
מַחֲזִיקִים עַל־אֲחֵיהֶם אַדִּירֵיהֶם וּבָאִים בְּאָלָה וּבִשְׁבוּעָה לָלֶכֶת בְּתוֹרַת הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר נִתְּנָה בְּיַד 10:30
מֹשֶׁה עֶבֶד־הָאֱלֹהִים וְלִשְׁמוֹר וְלַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת־כָּל־מִצְוֺת יְהוָה אֲדֹנֵינוּ וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו וְחֻקָּיו׃
Nehe. 10:30 are providing support next to their brethren, their nobility, and entering into a curse and into an oath to proceed in the law of God that was given into the hand of Moses, the servant of God, and to observe and to do all the commandments of the Lord, our Master, and His ordinances and His statutes,
וַאֲשֶׁר לֹא־נִתֵּן בְּנֹתֵינוּ לְעַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֵיהֶם לֹא נִקַּח לְבָנֵינוּ׃ 10:31
Nehe. 10:31 and that we will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons,
וְעַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ הַמְבִיאִים אֶת־הַמַּקָּחוֹת וְכָל־שֶׁבֶר בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לִמְכּוֹר לֹא־נִקַּח מֵהֶם בַּשַּׁבָּת וּבְיוֹם 10:32
קֹדֶשׁ וְנִטֹּשׁ אֶת־הַשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִית וּמַשָּׁא כָל־יָד׃
Nehe. 10:32 and the peoples of the land who are bringing the wares and any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on any holy day, and we will leave the seventh year fallow, and the debt of every hand.”
Here’s another exception to my theory of inverting vavs. The second word in the bottom line of this verse, translated as and we will leave, should have a non-inverting vav, according to me. The Hebrew should be וַאֲנַחְנוּ נָטַשְּׁנוּ>].
וְהֶעֱמַדְנוּ עָלֵינוּ מִצְוֺת לָתֵת עָלֵינוּ שְׁלִשִׁית הַשֶּׁקֶל בַּשָּׁנָה לַעֲבֹדַת בֵּית אֱלֹהֵינוּ׃ 10:33
Nehe. 10:33 “And we will establish the commandments for ourselves to commit on our behalf the third of a shekel annually for the service of the house of our God
לְלֶחֶם הַמַּעֲרֶכֶת וּמִנְחַת הַתָּמִיד וּלְעוֹלַת הַתָּמִיד הַשַּׁבָּתוֹת הֶחֳדָשִׁים לַמּוֹעֲדִים וְלַקֳּדָשִׁים 10:34
וְלַחַטָּאֹות לְכַפֵּר עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְכֹל מְלֶאכֶת בֵּית־אֱלֹהֵינוּ׃
Nehe. 10:34 for the bread of the table and the continual meal offering, and for the continual burnt offering of the Sabbaths and the new moons, for the appointed seasons, and for the holy things, and for the sin offerings -- to atone for Israel -- and all the work of the house of our God.”
וְהַגּוֹרָלוֹת הִפַּלְנוּ עַל־קֻרְבַּן הָעֵצִים הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם וְהָעָם לְהָבִיא לְבֵית אֱלֹהֵינוּ לְבֵית־אֲבֹתֵינוּ 10:35
לְעִתִּים מְזֻמָּנִים שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה לְבַעֵר עַל־מִזְבַּח יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ כַּכָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה׃
Nehe. 10:35 “And by lot we appointed the priests, the Levites, and the people, for the offering of wood to bring to the house of our God, to the house of our Father, in appointed times year by year to burn on the altar of the Lord, our God, as it is written in the Torah,
וּלְהָבִיא אֶת־בִּכּוּרֵי אַדְמָתֵנוּ וּבִכּוּרֵי כָּל־פְּרִי כָל־עֵץ שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה לְבֵית יְהוָה׃ 10:36
Nehe. 10:36 and to bring the first crops of our ground and the first fruits of all the fruits of every kind of tree year by year to the house of the Lord,
וְאֶת־בְּכֹרוֹת בָּנֵינוּ וּבְהֶמְתֵּינוּ כַּכָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה וְאֶת־בְּכוֹרֵי בְקָרֵינוּ וְצֹאנֵינוּ לְהָבִיא לְבֵית אֱלֹהֵינוּ 10:37
לַכֹּהֲנִים הַמְשָׁרְתִים בְּבֵית אֱלֹהֵינוּ׃
Nehe. 10:37 and the first-born of our sons and of our cattle, as it is written in the law, and the firstlings of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God to the priests ministering in the house of our God
וְאֶת־רֵאשִׁית עֲרִיסֹתֵינוּ וּתְרוּמֹתֵינוּ וּפְרִי כָל־עֵץ תִּירוֹשׁ וְיִצְהָר נָבִיא לַכֹּהֲנִים אֶל־לִשְׁכוֹתּ 10:38
בֵּית־אֱלֹהֵינו וּמַעְשַׂר אַדְמָתֵנוּ לַלְוִיִּם וְהֵם הַלְוִיִּם הַמְעַשְּׂרִים בְּכֹל עָרֵי עֲבֹדָתֵנוּ׃
Nehe. 10:38 and the first of our kneading troughs, and our heave offerings, and the fruits of every kind of tree, the new wine and fresh oil we will bring for the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God, and the tithe of our land to the Levites, and they, the Levites, are taking the tithe in all the cities of our labor.”
וְהָיָה הַכֹּהֵן בֶּן־אַהֲרֹן עִם־הַלְוִיִּם בַּעְשֵׂר הַלְוִיִּם וְהַלְוִיִּם יַעֲלוּ אֶת־מַעֲשַׂר הַמַּעֲשֵׂר לְבֵית אֱלֹהֵינוּ 10:39
אֶל־הַלְּשָׁכוֹת לְבֵית הָאוֹצָר׃
Nehe. 10:39 “And a son of Aaron shall be the priest with the Levites on the Levites receiving the tithe, and the Levites shall bring up a tithe of the tithe to the house of our God, to the treasure chambers for the house.”
כִּי אֶל־הַלְּשָׁכוֹת יָבִיאוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבְנֵי הַלֵּוִי אֶת־תְּרוּמַת הַדָּגָן הַתִּירוֹשׁ וְהַיִּצְהָר וְשָׁם כְּלֵי 10:40
הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וְהַכֹּהֲנִים הַמְשָׁרְתִים וְהַשֹּׁועֲרִים וְהַמְשֹׁרְרִים וְלֹא נַעֲזֹב אֶת־בֵּית אֱלֹהֵינוּ׃
Nehe. 10:40 “For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the heave offering of corn, of new wine, and of fresh oil to the chambers, as there shall be the vessels of the sanctuary and the priests ministering and the porters and the singers, and we shall not neglect the house of our God.”
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