King James Version

Nehemiah 13:17

Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day?

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Hebrew

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וָאָרִ֕יבָהvaarivahand adversaryרִיבconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 1st person, common, singular, paragogic he — “and adversary”, the next action in the storyH7378properly, to toss, i.e. grapple; mostly figuratively, to wrangle, i.e. hold a controversy; (by implication) to defendadversary, chide, complain, contend, debate, [idiom] ever, [idiom] lay wait, plead, rebuke, strive, [idiom] thoroughly.אֵ֖תetamongאֵתpreposition — “among”H854properly, nearness (used only as a preposition or an adverb), near; hence, generally, with, by, at, among, etc.against, among, before, by, for, from, in(-to), (out) of, with. Often with another prepositional prefix.חֹרֵ֣יchorenobleחֹרnoun, common, masculine, plural, construct — “noble”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH2715properly, white or pure (from the cleansing or shining power of fire; hence (figuratively) noble (in rank)noble.יְהוּדָ֑הyehudahJudahיְהוּדָהnoun, proper name — “Judah”H3063Jehudah (or Judah), the name of five Israelites; also of the tribe descended from the first, and of its territoryJudah.וָאֹמְרָ֣הvaomerahand sayאָמַרconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 1st person, common, singular, paragogic he — “and say”, the next action in the storyH559to say (used with great latitude)answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [id…לָהֶ֗םlahemtoלָהֶ֗םpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “to”toמָֽהmahhowמָהparticle, interrogative — “how”H4100properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senseshow (long, oft, (-soever)), (no-) thing, what (end, good, purpose, thing), whereby(-fore, -in, -to, -with), (for) why.הַדָּבָ֨רhadavarthe causeדָּבָרdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the cause”, the ordinary formH1697a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a causeact, advice, affair, answer, [idiom] any such (thing), because of, book, business, care, case, cause, certain rate, [phrase] chronicles, commandment, [idiom] commune(-ication), [phrase] concern(-ing), [phrase] confer, counsel, [phrase] dea…הָרָ֤עharathe badרַעdefinite article, adjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “the bad”, the ordinary formH7451bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, [phrase] displease(-ure), distress, evil((-favouredness), man, thing), [phrase] exceedingly, [idiom] great, grief(-vous), harm, heavy, hurt(-ful), ill (favoured), [phrase] mark, mischief(-vous), misery…הַזֶּה֙hazehthe the one...the otherזֶהdefinite article, pronoun, demonstrative, masculine, singular — “the the one...the other”H2088the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this or thathe, [idiom] hence, [idiom] here, it(-self), [idiom] now, [idiom] of him, the one...the other, [idiom] than the other, ([idiom] out of) the (self) same, such (a one) that, these, this (hath, man), on this side...on that side, [idiom] thus,…אֲשֶׁ֣רasherbecauseאֲשֶׁרparticle, relative — “because”H834who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.[idiom] after, [idiom] alike, as (soon as), because, [idiom] every, for, [phrase] forasmuch, [phrase] from whence, [phrase] how(-soever), [idiom] if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), [idiom] though, [phrase] until, [phrase] whatsoever,…אַתֶּ֣םatemtheeאַתָּהpronoun, personal, 2nd person, masculine, plural — “thee”H859thou and thee, or (plural) ye and youthee, thou, ye, you.עֹשִׂ֔יםosimdoעָשָׂהverb, qal, participle, absolute — “do”, a verb used as a describing wordH6213to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationaccomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, [idiom] certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, [phrase] displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, f…וּֽמְחַלְּלִ֖יםumechallimand beginחָלַלconjunction, verb, piel, participle, absolute — “and begin”, a verb used as a describing wordH2490properly, to bore, i.e. (by implication) to wound, to dissolve; figuratively, to profane (a person, place or thing), to break (one's word), to begin (as if by an 'opening wedge'); to play (the flute)begin ([idiom] men began), defile, [idiom] break, defile, [idiom] eat (as common things), [idiom] first, [idiom] gather the grape thereof, [idiom] take inheritance, pipe, player on instruments, pollute, (cast as) profane (self), prostitute…אֶתetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).י֥וֹםyomas long asיוֹםnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “as long as”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3117a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)age, [phrase] always, [phrase] chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), [phrase] elder, [idiom] end, [phrase] evening, [phrase] (for) ever(-lasting, -more), [idiom] full, life, as (so) lon…הַשַּׁבָּֽתhashabatthe sabbathשַׁבָּתdefinite article, noun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “the sabbath”, the ordinary formH7676intermission, i.e (specifically) the Sabbath([phrase] every) sabbath.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them: 'What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day?

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day?

Young’s Literal Translation

And I strive with the freemen of Judah, and say to them, 'What [is] this evil thing that ye are doing, and polluting the sabbath-day?

World English Bible

Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, “What evil thing is this that you do, and profane the Sabbath day?

Darby Translation

And I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, What evil thing is this which ye do, profaning the sabbath day?

Douay-Rheims

And I rebuked the chief men of Juda, and said to them: What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the sabbath day?

Jewish Publication Society (1917)