the Sheep Gate Such was the name of the gate.

they hallowed it that gate with the sanctity of the city.

its doors i.e., of the gate.

and until the Tower of the Hundred Such was the name of the tower.

And next to it Next to it, near the Sheep’s Gate, each builder built.

the men of Jericho built Such was their custom, these would build here [their section] of the wall of the city until [the part] they were responsible for was completed, and then others would build next to the first construction. Such was their custom, one after another, until the entire wall was built.

And next As in (Num. 2:20) “Next to him, the tribe of Manasseh”, near him, and such is its explanation, next to the construction, and Scripture was not particular in its choice of words. Sometimes it says ודי לע, and sometimes it says וילו. “And next to them he repaired.”

the Fish Gate Such was the name of the gate.

they laid its beams They placed the beams and ceilings on the gate.

they laid its beams Heb. קֵֵֵֵרוּהוּ the intensive conjugation, like “...behold he laid the beams (קֵרָה),” [which appears nowhere in Scripture;] similar to (Ps. 104:3): “Who roofs (הַמְקָרֶה) His upper chambers with water.” The “kuf” of קֵרוּהוּ is not customarily vowelized with a “hirik” in this context because of the “resh” following it, like (ibid. 10:3): “blessed (בֵּרֵךְ)”; (Prov. 17: 5): “blasphemed (חֵרֵף)”; (Gen. 17:16): “I shall bless her (וּבֵרַכְתִּיהָ)”;(Ezek. 29:12): “and I shall scatter them (וּזְרֵתִים) in the lands.”

its locks מַנְעוּלָיו, ses verrous in French, its bolts (locks).

repaired Heb. הֶחְֱזִיק, [lit. strengthened,] to build the building.

the Tekoites They were called this because of their place, which was Tekoa.

but their mighty men the wealthy men of Tekoa.

did not bring their neck They did not assist in the service of the Holy One, blessed be He, to build the wall of the city.

And...the gate of the old [city] Heb. הַיְשָּׁנָה, the Gate Yeshana, such was its name.

a throne for the governor of the land beyond the river The [people of] the land beyond the river built a throne for the governor of the land beyond the river to sit upon.

goldsmiths That family was called by their craft.

and they filled Jerusalem Heb. וַיַעַזְבוּ יְרוּשָּׁלַיִם They filled it with earth up to the wide wall in order to strengthen it.

the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem He was the prince over half the people in Jerusalem. פֶּלֶךְ is an expression of a duchy or a kingdom.

and opposite his house his lot fell to build, for his house was near that place of the wall of the city.

a second measure Just like the measurement which his friend built before [him], so he also built like [his friend.] a second measure in the building of the wall. The expression of measure is inappropriate for the building of the gates because they have [a measure] only in the building of a part of the wall, for we do not find in the entire chapter of the building of the gates the expression of a measure.

the Tower of the Furnaces He also built a tower by that name. All these towers in the chapter were built in the wall around the city.

he and his daughters Shallum and his daughters repaired the building of the structure.

until the Dung Gate but the Dung Gate was not included.

the ruler of the district of Mizpah the prince and duke of Mizpah.

he built it he was building the same gate.

and roofed it And he laid the roof on it, an expression of a ceiling (מְטַלַלְתָּא).

and the wall of the pool of Shelah which inclines towards the king’s garden.

and until the steps They recognized these places.

Beth Zur the name of a place.

half the district From that bailiwick, the half district, he built this structure. In the word לְפִּלְכּוֹ, the “kaff” has a “dagesh,” as one says from מֶלֶךְ, מַלְכּוֹ, from עֶבֶד, עַבְדוֹ, so does one say from פֶּלֶךְ, פִּלְכּוֹ, for [if] the last letter of the noun is one of the letters “beth,” “gimmel,” “daleth,” “kaff,” “pey,” or “tav,” it is punctuated with a “dagesh.”

their brothers the Levites.

opposite the ascent to the armory opposite the place where the mighty men would ascend to the weapons. According to the simple interpretation of the verse, it appears that there was a place near the wall where the mighty men kept their weapons, as it is stated: (II Kings 10:2) “...and cities (sic) of fortification and arms.”

at the corner at the corner of the wall.

repaired Heb. הֶחֱרָה. Its interpretation is according to the context, and it is a double expression for repairing.

from the entrance of the house of Eliashib until the end of, etc. Opposite that house he built his structure.

opposite their house which was there near the wall.

and the tower that juts out There was one tower in the wall that jutted out and protruded from within.

And the Nethinites dwelt in the Ophel And the Nethinites were dwelling in that district, and they were building their district, which was near the wall, until opposite the Water Gate of the eastern side.

each one opposite his house Each one was building opposite his house.

and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph Zalaph had many sons, and Hanun was the sixth.

a second measure Heb. מִדָה שֵּׁנִי, like שֵּׁנִית.

his chamber Heb. נִשְּׁכָּתוֹ, like לִשְּׁכָּתוֹ. He had one chamber adjoining the wall.

the son of Hatzorefi the goldsmith, and he was named after his craft.

And between the ascent to the tower and the Sheep Gate At the beginning of the building they began to build the Sheep Gate, as it says (verse 1): “...and they built the Sheep Gate, etc.” So did they build the wall all around, one after the other.

before his brethren and the army of Samaria before his brethren and the army of Samaria, who were the adversaries of Judea.

What are the Jews Why are the Jews doing this?

the feeble Heb. הָאֲמֵלָלִִים, a term denoting weakness and feebleness.

Will they let them Do they think that the heathens will allow them to build?

Will they sacrifice Will they constantly slaughter their sacrifices for themselves as they think?

Will they finish in one day Will they complete the work that they started in one day? That is to say that the heathens will not permit them to complete their building.

Will they revive Will they revive and repair and restore stones to their previous state to be harder and stronger than the dust?

from the heaps Heb. מֵעֲרֵמוֹת, a term denoting heaps and mounds.

for they are burnt The stones were burnt and have become dust. So did they jeer and ridicule the building of the wall, which they were building from the burnt stones that had fallen to the earth from the fire when Jerusalem was burned.

And Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him Tobiah was beside Sanballat.

and he said And so he was saying and ridiculing.

Even what they build even this building that they are building.

if a fox comes up on the building to breach the wall of the city, what will become of it? That is to say that the building cannot be repaired, and whoever wishes, can come and break into it.

Hearken, our God When I heard their ridicule of us, I prayed this prayer.

in a land of captivity that they be exiled from the land as we were exiled.

And do not conceal Heb. וְאַל תְּכַס, like וְאַל תְּכַסֶה, similar to (Prov. 25:9): “...but do not divulge (תְּגָל) another’s secret,” like תְּגַלֶה.

for they have provoked that they have provoked the builders to ridicule them.

was built Heb. וַתִּקָשֵּׁר, lit. it was bound. When the wall was bound up and built to its half, the people were eager and anxious to complete their building of it.