Let thy ear be attentive, and thy eyes open, to hear the prayer: Nehemiah’s thoughts about God lead him to recognize by contrast the sinfulness of the people of Israel and himself. He uses figurative language for God with the use of thy ear and thy eyes, as though God had the physical characteristics of a human being. In this way he appeals to God to listen to his prayer. The Hebrew text uses the singular noun thy ear and many translations keep the same singular form (New International Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). The object of the ear’s attentiveness is Nehemiah’s prayer. According to the Hebrew structure, the logical object of thy eyes is also Nehemiah’s prayer. However, a prayer that is spoken cannot be seen and therefore the eyes must imply seeing the person who is praying the prayer, namely, Nehemiah himself. Some versions like Good News Translation avoid using figurative language here and give the meaning in ordinary language. Bible en français courant translates “Turn your look to me, be attentive, listen now to the prayer that I address to you.”

In the first part of this verse Nehemiah emphasizes his plea by using the Hebrew particle naʾ. This is similar to the archaic English expression, “I pray thee.” Darby translates the same expression in French, where it does not have the same archaic connotations as in English. The Hebrew particle is sometimes rendered as “now” or as “then” (Chouraqui). Some languages have phrase particles or sentence final particles that may be used for emphasis, though care must be taken to express an appropriate level of insistence. Nehemiah is not harsh or rude in his prayer to God.

Thy servant is a typical Hebrew expression of humility in referring to oneself before one’s superior (see Ezra 4.11). Here Nehemiah refers to himself in the third person and many translations retain the Hebrew pattern. However, not all languages do this easily, and therefore Bible en français courant makes it explicit that Nehemiah is referring to himself: “I your servant” (also Contemporary English Version).

I now pray before thee day and night: To pray day and night does not literally mean to pray constantly all the time but rather to pray during both the day and the night. This expression is hyperbole and it emphasizes the intensity of Nehemiah’s prayer. The translator should choose an equivalent expression in the receptor language, such as “I pray without resting” or “I pray on and on without tiring.” In some languages the comparable expression will reverse the order of day and night to say “I pray night and day.”

For the people of Israel thy servants: Nehemiah prays on behalf of the people of Israel (literally “the sons of Israel”; see Ezra 3.1). Just as he refers to himself as thy servant, he now describes the Israelites as thy servants. While this is an expression of humility, using the same description for himself and for the Israelites, it is also a means of personally identifying himself with the people.

Confessing the sins of the people of Israel … against thee: To confess sins is to openly acknowledge evil deeds that one has committed. Nehemiah admits the wrongs that the Israelites have committed against thee, that is, against God. The Hebrew words used here do not refer to any single or specific kind of wrongdoing but rather to deeds that are in disobedience against God’s commandments as is specified in the next verse.

We have sinned: Nehemiah shifts abruptly from speaking about the people of Israel in the third person to speaking in the first person plural. Just as he identified himself with them through the servant description, so he now includes himself as one of them by saying we have sinned. In many languages a first person plural exclusive pronoun will be required here. It includes the speaker and those with whom he identifies, but it excludes God to whom he is speaking in his prayer.

Yea, I and my father’s house have sinned: My father’s house is a literal translation of the Hebrew expression referring to Nehemiah’s “ancestors” (Good News Translation) or “family” (New Revised Standard Version). Nehemiah not only acknowledges the sins of the people of Israel, but explicitly identifies himself and his own family with them as sinners. Bible en français courant translates this clause as an emphatic statement and links it with the following verse: “Yes, I myself and my ancestors, we have sinned; 7 we have….”

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 .