We have acted very corruptly against thee: This clause in Hebrew is literally “To act corruptly, we have acted corruptly toward you.” This is an emphatic construction that focuses on the verb. Revised Standard Version therefore inserts the adverb very (also Darby), while Nouvelle version Segond révisée says “We have really acted badly toward you.” Chouraqui translates it “We have bonded together, bonded against you.”

Have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and ordinances: The sins that Nehemiah is confessing are specified as failing to keep the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances (see also Neh 9.13; Ezra 7.10-11; 9.10). The three Hebrew words are the plural forms of mitswah, choq, and mishpat. These are the traditional terms to summarize all the Law of Moses as found in the torah or the Pentateuch (see Deut 5.31; 6.1). Because of the similar meaning and the uses of these words in other contexts, translators do not all agree on equivalents. In fact, the three words are used interchangeably. King James Version translates “the commandments, nor the statutes, the judgments,” New International Version uses “the commands, decrees and laws,” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “the commandments, the laws, and the rules,” while New Jerusalem Bible calls them “the commandments, laws and rulings.” Good News Translation summarizes the three terms together in the one word “laws,” but it is preferable to retain separate terms as Revised Standard Version has done. Translators should not try to find subtle differences between the separate Hebrew words. Nevertheless, the use of three near synonyms produces emphasis that may be lost by less repetition of keywords. In some languages it may not be possible to find several terms for laws and commands, in which case this type of repetition will not be possible to achieve in the translation.

Which thou didst command thy servant Moses: Nehemiah referred to himself in verse 6 above as God’s “servant,” and he referred to the Israelites as God’s “servants.” Here he refers to Moses as thy servant Moses. The title servant is used more often for Moses than for anyone else in the Bible (see Exo 14.31; Deut 34.5; Josh 1.1). The reference to Moses here is a reminder of the covenant relationship between God and the people of Israel that was referred to in verse 5 above. The repetition of the servant theme draws attention to the covenant relationship that has existed from the time of Moses to the time of Nehemiah and the Jews of his time. Good News Translation renders the archaic language of the clause which thou didst command thy servant Moses in contemporary English form.

Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Nehemiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .