For goldsmiths see verse 8 above.

The house of the temple servants and of the merchants may have been one house used by both these groups of people. It was perhaps used by the Temple servants when they were on duty in the Temple and by the merchants when visiting the Temple on business. The living quarters of the Temple servants were said to be at Ophel (verse 26 above).

Opposite the Muster Gate: Opposite refers to a place “in front of” the gate (Bible en français courant), “across from” it (Contemporary English Version), or “by” it (Good News Translation). The location of the Muster Gate is not known. It could be either a gate of the Temple or a city gate. It has been suggested that it was the Benjamin Gate at the northernmost point on the wall east of the city (see Jer 37.13; 38.7; Zech 14.10). Muster comes from a Hebrew word meaning “appointment, appointed place.” New International Version calls the gate “Inspection Gate” and Contemporary English Version calls it “Gathering Gate.” Other translations transliterate as Good News Translation and Bible en français courant have done (also Nouvelle version Segond révisée, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Translators are advised to translate the name of this gate as they have done for the names of the other gates.

The upper chamber of the corner refers to the watchtower at the meeting point of the walls at the northeastern corner of the city. Good News Translation makes explicit that this room was located “on top of the northeast corner of the wall.”

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 .