ma.lakh describes the heart’s deliberation before Nehemiah confronts the nobles and rulers.

The attested use describes inward deliberation: in Nehemiah 5:7, the sequential imperfect form occurs as Nehemiah’s heart counsels itself before he contends with the nobles and rulers.

1. Inward deliberation before action · dominant

   In Nehemiah 5:7, the Niphal sequential imperfect form is used of the speaker’s heart immediately before he contends with the nobles and rulers over lending at interest. The APB renders the clause, "And my heart counseled itself,".

   Nehemiah 5:7

In the Anselm Project Bible: In Nehemiah 5:7, the APB presents the clause as "my heart counseled itself" before the speaker’s confrontation; its wording is a translation rather than a word-by-word alignment.