Now: The first word in the Hebrew text is the connective conjunction. Here it is a discourse marker indicating the beginning of a new episode in the account (see Ezra 1.5). There is a sudden change to a new episode in the story. Good News Translation introduces this new event with the temporal phrase “About this time.” New English Bible and New International Version use the formulaic discourse marker “One day.”

I went into the house of Shemaiah means to go to visit Shemaiah who lived in a house (so Good News Translation). Idiomatically, it can be rendered “I went to the home of Shemaiah to see him [or, to find him].”

Although the name Shemaiah occurs elsewhere in the Old Testament, this is the only reference to this Shemaiah who is identified as the son of Delaiah and the grandson of Mehetabel. No reason is given to explain why Nehemiah went to see him. However, it seems that Nehemiah went to consult with him because he acted like a prophet and gave advice to Nehemiah.

No reason is given for Shemaiah’s being shut up in his house. It is possible that something prevented Shemaiah from going to Nehemiah with his prophetic message (so New Jerusalem Bible; see also Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). The Hebrew word for shut up can mean “restrain,” “hinder,” or “detain,” but sometimes it is associated with ritual defilement (see 1 Sam 21.7, where Revised Standard Version has “detained”).

Let us meet together: Like Sanballat in verse 7, Shemaiah invites Nehemiah to meet with him. In both cases the apparently reasonable request to meet together hides evil intentions. Because there are two of them, some languages will use a dual pronoun here.

In the house of God, within the temple: House of God usually refers to the Temple in Jerusalem (see Ezra 1.4). Here it is qualified by the locative phrase within the temple, which indicates a more precise place inside the Temple (so Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Good News Translation identifies this as “the Holy Place.” This is the central holy place where only priests were allowed to enter (see 1 Kgs 6). Some versions render the Hebrew word for temple here as “sanctuary” (so New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Revised English Bible).

For they are coming to kill you, at night they are coming to kill you: The twice repeated to kill you is intended to frighten Nehemiah. But what Shemaiah suggested for Nehemiah to do could lead to his death. Although a person was allowed to go to the altar to seek refuge, Shemaiah’s suggestion was not to seek refuge. Shemaiah was proposing that Nehemiah should flee from his enemy, and this would not be a valid reason to hide in the Temple. Furthermore, his suggestion meant that Nehemiah should violate the law forbidding a layperson to go into the Temple (Num 18.7). Some commentators believe that because of Nehemiah’s high position in the court of the Persian king he must have been a eunuch (see Neh 1.11). If this is true, this would have been another reason why he could not enter the Temple (Lev 21.17-23).

It is important to observe that the speech of Shemaiah is presented in Hebrew poetic form. Perhaps the reason for this is to underscore the apparently prophetic nature of Shemaiah’s oracle. The poetic form can be displayed as follows:
Let us meet together in the house of God, (3 beats)
within the temple, (2)
and let us close the doors of the temple; (3)
for they are coming to kill you, (2)
at night they are coming to kill you. (3)

The poetic form consists of lines marked by rhythmic beats. It is also marked by both parallelism and repetition. As shown above, the lines alternate between 3 beats and 2 beats. This is a rhythm that was often found in funeral songs (Throntveit 1992). The second line adds precision to the first line while using the synonym “temple” in place of “the house of God.” The third line is parallel to the first but retains the word “temple” of the second line. The fourth and fifth lines are the conclusion to the poem, the fifth being more precise and emphatic than the fourth. The double focus of the poem is on the Temple and on the danger awaiting Nehemiah.

Many versions have restructured Shemaiah’s words in the form of prose to conform to the surrounding text and the presentation of the other quotations. However, New American Bible, Nouvelle Bible Segond, New Jerusalem Bible and Revised English Bible present it in poetic format and translators are urged to do likewise. Punctuation must then be appropriate to the content of the poem and to the poetic genre used by the translator. The genre chosen should reflect a somber message like a warning or hidden threat.

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 .