1.4 KiB
I said to them
The word "them" refers to Nehemiah's brother, the manager of the city, and to Hananiah, who was responsible for the citadel.
the sun is hot
"the sun is high in the sky"
While the gatekeepers are on guard
"If the gatekeepers are guarding the gate." The meaning here is "if the gatekeepers are challenging those approaching."
gatekeepers
See how you translated this in Nehemiah 7:1
you may shut the doors and bar them
"you may close the gates and lock them"
Appoint guards from those who live in Jerusalem, some at the place of their guard station, and some in front of their own homes.
These are the criteria for guards: those who live here and those whose homes are nearby. These people were not just hired but have a special interest in the security of that part of the city.
Now the city was wide and large, but there were few people within it, and no houses had yet been rebuilt
The walled area was large but thinly populated, and people were still living in temporary shelters.
no houses had yet been rebuilt
This may be an exaggeration to emphasize that the city was not in a finished state to house all the people. It is also a passive clause, which can be translated as an active clause. AT: "the people had not yet rebuilt many houses" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole and rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive)