Text -- Nehemiah 5:1-18 (NET)

Nehemiah Intervenes on behalf of the Oppressed

5:1 Then there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews. 5:2 There were those who said, “With our sons and daughters, we are many. We must obtain grain in order to eat and stay alive.” 5:3 There were others who said, “We are putting up our fields, our vineyards, and our houses as collateral in order to obtain grain during the famine.” 5:4 Then there were those who said, “We have borrowed money to pay our taxes to the king on our fields and our vineyards. 5:5 And now, though we share the same flesh and blood as our fellow countrymen, and our children are just like their children, still we have found it necessary to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have been subjected to slavery, while we are powerless to help, since our fields and vineyards now belong to other people.” 5:6 I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints. 5:7 I considered these things carefully and then registered a complaint with the wealthy and the officials. I said to them, “Each one of you is seizing the collateral from your own countrymen!” Because of them I called for a great public assembly. 5:8 I said to them, “To the extent possible we have bought back our fellow Jews who had been sold to the Gentiles. But now you yourselves want to sell your own countrymen, so that we can then buy them back!” They were utterly silent, and could find nothing to say. 5:9 Then I said, “The thing that you are doing is wrong! Should you not conduct yourselves in the fear of our God in order to avoid the reproach of the Gentiles who are our enemies? 5:10 Even I and my relatives and my associates are lending them money and grain. But let us abandon this practice of seizing collateral! 5:11 This very day return to them their fields, their vineyards, their olive trees, and their houses, along with the interest that you are exacting from them on the money, the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil.” 5:12 They replied, “We will return these things, and we will no longer demand anything from them. We will do just as you say.” Then I called the priests and made the wealthy and the officials swear to do what had been promised. 5:13 I also shook out my garment, and I said, “In this way may God shake out from his house and his property every person who does not carry out this matter. In this way may he be shaken out and emptied!” All the assembly replied, “So be it!” and they praised the LORD. Then the people did as they had promised. 5:14 From the day that I was appointed governor in the land of Judah, that is, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes– twelve years in all– neither I nor my relatives ate the food allotted to the governor. 5:15 But the former governors who preceded me had burdened the people and had taken food and wine from them, in addition to forty shekels of silver. Their associates were also domineering over the people. But I did not behave in this way, due to my fear of God. 5:16 I gave myself to the work on this wall, without even purchasing a field. All my associates were gathered there for the work. 5:17 There were 150 Jews and officials who dined with me routinely, in addition to those who came to us from the nations all around us. 5:18 Every day one ox, six select sheep, and some birds were prepared for me, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Despite all this I did not require the food allotted to the governor, for the work was demanding on this people.

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Wesley: Neh 5:2

Which is in itself a blessing, but to us is turned into a curse.

Wesley: Neh 5:2

We are forced to take up corn, upon unreasonable terms.

Wesley: Neh 5:3

Which might happen, both from the multitude of the people in and near Jerusalem, from their work, which wholly took them up, and kept them from taking care of their families, and from the expectation of their enemies invasion, which hindered them from going abroad to fetch provision, and the people round about from bringing it to them.

Wesley: Neh 5:5

We are of the same nature, and religion with them, though they treat us as if we were beasts or Heathens.

Wesley: Neh 5:5

We are compelled to sell them for our subsistence.

Wesley: Neh 5:5

Which was an evidence of their great necessity, because their daughters were more tender, and weak, and unfit for bond - service, and more exposed to injuries than their sons.

Wesley: Neh 5:5

Which we are allowed to do, Exo 21:7-11, but have not wherewith to do it.

Wesley: Neh 5:7

Which was against the plain and positive law of God, Deu 23:19-20, especially in this time of publick calamity.

Wesley: Neh 5:7

I called a publick congregation, both of the rulers and people, the greatest part whereof were free from this guilt, and therefore more impartial judges of the matter, and represented it to them, that the offenders might be convinced, and reformed; if not for fear of God, or love of their brethren, yet at least for the publick shame and the cries of the poor. Ezra, and Nehemiah were both good and useful men; but of how different tempers? Ezra was a man of a mild tender spirit, and when told of the sin of the rulers, rent his clothes and wept: Nehemiah forced them to reform, being of a warm and eager spirit. So God's work may be done, and yet different methods taken in doing it; which is a good reason why we should not arraign the management of others, nor make our own standard.

Wesley: Neh 5:8

I, and my brethren, and predecessors, have used our utmost interest and power, both with the kings of Persia, that our brethren might be redeemed from bondage, and with particular persons in Babylon, and Persia, whose bond - slaves the Jews were, and who would not part with them without a price.

Wesley: Neh 5:8

Do you expect that we should pay you a price for them, as we did to the Babylonians?. Or, must we use as much importunity to solicit you for their redemption, as we did to their enemies?

Wesley: Neh 5:9

Who are round about you, and observe all your actions, and will reproach both you for such barbarous usage of your brethren, and religion for your sakes.

Wesley: Neh 5:10

In office; these who are employed with me in the government of this people.

Wesley: Neh 5:10

In my name, and for my use.

Wesley: Neh 5:10

As a just recompense for our pains and care for the publick good, to which we wholly devote ourselves, even to the neglect of all our private concerns. But I freely remit my own right, and therefore you also ought to do so, seeing I lay no burden upon you, but what I am willing to bear a part of upon my own shoulders.

Wesley: Neh 5:11

Also require not: which is to be supplied out of the next verse, where it is expressed in their grant of this desire.

Wesley: Neh 5:11

Which they required every month for the use of their monies or goods, according to the custom then used.

Wesley: Neh 5:12

For the hundredth part.

Wesley: Neh 5:12

As witnesses; that the oath being taken before the priests, who acted in God's name, the oath might make the more deep and durable impression upon their consciences.

Wesley: Neh 5:13

The extreme parts of my garment, which I first folded together, and then shook it and scattered it asunder. This was a form of swearing then in use.

Wesley: Neh 5:14

Not that he continued so long together at Jerusalem, but he so long governed Jerusalem by himself when present, and in his absence, by a deputy.

Wesley: Neh 5:14

That allowance which by the laws of God and nations, and of the king of Persia, the governors might require.

Wesley: Neh 5:15

Not Ezra, who was no governor, nor Zerubbabel, but others between him and Nehemiah, whom he forbears to name.

Wesley: Neh 5:15

Which they required of the people every day to defray their other expenses.

Wesley: Neh 5:15

Ruled them with rigor and cruelty; which fault of the servants is charged upon their masters, because they did not restrain them. He had an awe of God's mercy, and a fear of offending him. Those that truly fear God, will not dare to do any thing cruel or unjust. And this is not only a powerful, but an acceptable principle both of justice and charity.

Wesley: Neh 5:16

Overseeing, directing, and encouraging the workmen, which was my whole business; and this at my own cost.

Wesley: Neh 5:16

Of our poor brethren, whose necessities gave abundant opportunity of enriching myself with good bargains.

Wesley: Neh 5:17

Not only Jews of the inferior sort, for whom meaner provisions might suffice, but also their rulers, for whom better provision was fit; who resorted to him upon all occasions, to give him notice of the enemies designs; or to receive his orders.

Wesley: Neh 5:18

But bore it out of my own estate: which was very considerable, his office in the Persian court being a place of great profit.

JFB: Neh 5:1-5

Such a crisis in the condition of the Jews in Jerusalem--fatigued with hard labor and harassed by the machinations of restless enemies, the majority of them poor, and the bright visions which hope had painted of pure happiness on their return to the land of their fathers being unrealized--must have been very trying to their faith and patience. But, in addition to these vexatious oppressions, many began to sink under a new and more grievous evil. The poor made loud complaints against the rich for taking advantage of their necessities, and grinding them by usurious exactions. Many of them had, in consequence of these oppressions, been driven to such extremities that they had to mortgage their lands and houses to enable them to pay the taxes to the Persian government, and ultimately even to sell their children for slaves to procure the means of subsistence. The condition of the poorer inhabitants was indeed deplorable; for, besides the deficient harvests caused by the great rains (Ezr 10:9; also Hag 1:6-11), a dearth was now threatened by the enemy keeping such a multitude pent up in the city, and preventing the country people bringing in provisions.

JFB: Neh 5:6-12

When such disorders came to the knowledge of the governor, his honest indignation was roused against the perpetrators of the evil. Having summoned a public assembly, he denounced their conduct in terms of just severity. He contrasted it with his own in redeeming with his money some of the Jewish exiles who, through debt or otherwise, had lost their personal liberty in Babylon. He urged the rich creditors not only to abandon their illegal and oppressive system of usury, but to restore the fields and vineyards of the poor, so that a remedy might be put to an evil the introduction of which had led to much actual disorder, and the continuance of which would inevitably prove ruinous to the newly restored colony, by violating the fundamental principles of the Hebrew constitution. The remonstrance was effectual. The conscience of the usurious oppressors could not resist the touching and powerful appeal. With mingled emotions of shame, contrition, and fear, they with one voice expressed their readiness to comply with the governor's recommendation. The proceedings were closed by the parties binding themselves by a solemn oath, administered by the priests, that they would redeem their pledge, as well as by the governor invoking, by the solemn and significant gesture of shaking a corner of his garment, a malediction on those who should violate it. The historian has taken care to record that the people did according to this promise.

JFB: Neh 5:14

We have a remarkable proof both of the opulence and the disinterestedness of Nehemiah. As he declined, on conscientious grounds, to accept the lawful emoluments attached to his government, and yet maintained a style of princely hospitality for twelve years out of his own resources, it is evident that his office of cup-bearer at the court of Shushan must have been very lucrative.

JFB: Neh 5:15

The income of Eastern governors is paid partly in produce, partly in money. "Bread" means all sorts of provision. The forty shekels of silver per day would amount to a yearly salary of £1800 sterling.

JFB: Neh 5:17

In the East it has been always customary to calculate the expense of a king's or grandee's establishment, not by the amount of money disbursed, but by the quantity of provisions consumed (see 1Ki 4:22; 1Ki 18:19; Ecc 5:11).

Clarke: Neh 5:2

We, our sons, and our daughters, are many - Our families are larger than we can provide for; we are obliged to go in debt; and our richer brethren take advantage of our necessitous situation, and oppress us. The details which are given in the next verse are sufficiently plain.

Clarke: Neh 5:3

Because of the dearth - About the time of Zerubbabel, God had sent a judicial dearth upon the land, as we learn from Haggai, Hag 1:9, etc., for the people it seems were more intent on building houses for themselves than on rebuilding the house of the Lord: "Ye looked for much, and, lo, it is come to little; because of mine house that is waste; and ye run, every man unto his own house. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground brought forth; and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labor of the hands."This dearth might have been continued, or its effects still felt; but it is more likely that there was a new dearth owing to the great number of people, for whose support the land that had been brought into cultivation was not sufficient.

Clarke: Neh 5:4

We have borrowed money - This should be read, We have borrowed money for the king’ s tribute on our lands and vineyards. They had a tax to pay to the Persian king in token of their subjection to him, and though it is not likely it was heavy, yet they were not able to pay it.

Clarke: Neh 5:5

We bring in to bondage our sons - The law permitted parents to sell their children in times of extreme necessity, Exo 21:7.

Clarke: Neh 5:7

Ye exact usury - This was expressly contrary to the law of God; and was doubly cruel at this time, when they were just returning out of the land of their captivity, and were suffering from the effects of a dearth. Some think that it was about the time of a Sabbatical year, when their land must have lain at rest without cultivation, and during which they were expressly commanded not to exact any debt. Deu 15:2

Clarke: Neh 5:7

I set a great assembly against them - Brought all these delinquents before the rulers of the people.

Clarke: Neh 5:9

Ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God - If ye wish to accredit that religion ye profess which comes from the God of justice and mercy; should you not, in the sight of the heathen, abstain from injustice and cruelty? Can they credit your profession, when they see such practices? The inconsistent conduct of some professors of religion does much harm in the Church of God.

Clarke: Neh 5:11

Also the hundredth part of the money - Houbigant contends

1.    That the word מאת meath , which we and the Vulgate translate one hundredth part, never means so anywhere; an

2.    That it would have answered no end to have remitted to people so distressed merely the one hundredth part of the money which had been taken from them by usury

He understands מאת meath as signifying the same as מן את min eth , contracted into מאת meeth , a preposition and demonstrative particle joined together, also a part From The money. Neither the Syriac, Septuagint, nor Arabic acknowledges this hundredth part. Some think that the hundredth part is that which they obliged the poor debtors to pay each month, which would amount to what we would call twelve per cent. interest for the money lent, or the debt contracted. See the introduction.

Clarke: Neh 5:13

Also I shook my lap - This was a significant action frequent among the Hebrews; and something of the same nature was practiced among other nations. "When the Roman ambassadors entered the senate of Carthage, they had their toga gathered up in their bosom. They said, We carry here peace and war; you may have which you will. The senate answered, You may give which you please. They then shook their toga, and said, We bring you war. To which all the senate answered, We cheerfully accept it."See Livy. lib. xxi., cap. 18; and see Calmet.

Clarke: Neh 5:14

I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor. - From what is related here, and in the following verse, we find that the table of the governor was always supplied by the people with bread and wine; and, besides, they had forty shekels per diem for their other expenses. The people were also greatly oppressed by the servants and officers of the governor; but, during the twelve years that Nehemiah had been with them, he took not this salary, and ate none of their bread. Nor were his servants permitted to take or exact any thing from them. Having such an example, it was scandalous for their chiefs, priests, and nobles, thus to oppress an afflicted and distressed people.

Clarke: Neh 5:16

Neither bought we any land - Neither he nor his officers took any advantage of the necessities of the people, to buy their lands, etc. He even made his own servants to work at the wall.

Clarke: Neh 5:17

A hundred and fifty of the Jews - He kept open house, entertained all comers; besides having one hundred and fifty Jews who had their food constantly at his table, and at his expense. To be able to bear all these expenses, no doubt Nehemiah had saved money while he was cup-bearer to the Persian king in Susa.

Clarke: Neh 5:18

One ox, and six choice sheep - This was food sufficient for more than two hundred men

Clarke: Neh 5:18

Once in ten days store of all sorts of wine - It is supposed that every tenth day they drank wine; at all other times they drank water; unless we suppose the meaning of the phrase to be, that his servants laid in a stock of wine every ten days. Though the Asiatics drank sparingly of wine, yet it is not very likely that, in a case such as that above, wine was tasted only thrice in each month

Bishop Pococke mentions the manner in which the bey of Tunis lived. He had daily twelve sheep, with fish, fowls, soups, oranges, eggs, onions, boiled rice, etc., etc., His nobles dined with him; after they had done, the servants sat down; and, when they had finished, the poor took what was left. Here is no mention of a fat ox; but there were six sheep at the bey’ s table more than were at the table of Nehemiah: so the twelve sheep were equal to six sheep and one ox. Probably the mode of living between these two was nearly alike.

Defender: Neh 5:6

Nehemiah's anger was justified. As leader and governor of the Jews in Jerusalem, he had made great sacrifices for the people, both in his labors (Neh 4:21-23) and in his finances (Neh 5:14-18). Yet he was encountering not only fierce external opposition from the people of the land, but also internal profiteering by certain leaders of the Jews (Neh 5:1-5). Those Jews who were either fearful or slothful tried to discourage him (Neh 4:10-12). Christian leaders in every age who have undertaken a vital and needed work for God have repeatedly encountered similar problems, both external and internal. Nehemiah's persistence and courage under such circumstances could be their example and inspiration."

TSK: Neh 5:1

a great cry : Exo 3:7, Exo 22:25-27; Job 31:38, Job 31:39, Job 34:28; Isa 5:7; Luk 18:7; Jam 5:4

their brethren : Lev 25:35-37; Deu 15:7-11; Act 7:26; 1Co 6:6-8

TSK: Neh 5:2

our sons : Psa 127:3-5, Psa 128:2-4; Mal 2:2

we take up corn : Gen 41:57, Gen 42:2, Gen 43:8

TSK: Neh 5:3

mortgaged : Gen 47:15-25; Lev 25:35-39; Deu 15:7

because : Mal 3:8-11

TSK: Neh 5:4

the king’ s tribute : Neh 9:37; Deu 28:47, Deu 28:48; Jos 16:10; 1Ki 9:21; Ezr 4:13, Ezr 4:20

TSK: Neh 5:5

our flesh : Gen 37:27; Isa 58:7; Jam 2:5, Jam 2:6

we : Exo 21:1-11; Lev 25:39-43; 2Ki 4:1; Mat 18:25

TSK: Neh 5:6

Neh 13:8, Neh 13:25; Exo 11:8; Num 16:15; Mar 3:5; Eph 4:26

TSK: Neh 5:7

I consulted with myself : Heb. my heart consulted in me, Psa 4:4, Psa 27:8

I rebuked : Lev 19:15; 2Ch 19:6, 2Ch 19:7; Psa 82:1-4; Pro 27:5; 2Co 5:16; Gal 2:11; 1Ti 5:20; Tit 2:15

Ye exact usury : Exo 22:25; Lev 25:36; Deu 15:2, Deu 15:3, Deu 23:19, Deu 23:20, Deu 24:10-13; Psa 15:1, Psa 15:5; Eze 22:12, Eze 45:9

I set a great assembly : 2Ch 28:9-13; Mat 18:17

TSK: Neh 5:8

We after : Mat 25:15, Mat 25:29; 2Co 8:12; Gal 6:10

redeemed : Lev 25:47-49

sell your : Exo 21:16; Deu 24:7

shall they : Rom 14:15; 1Co 8:11

held : Job 29:10, Job 32:15; Mat 22:12; Rom 3:19

TSK: Neh 5:9

It is not : 1Sa 2:24; Pro 16:29, Pro 17:26, Pro 18:5, Pro 19:2, Pro 24:23

walk : Neh 5:15; Gen 20:11, Gen 42:18; Lev 25:36; Act 9:31

reproach : Gen 13:7, Gen 13:8; 2Sa 12:14; Eze 36:20; Rom 2:24; 1Ti 5:14; Tit 2:5; 1Pe 2:12

TSK: Neh 5:10

I likewise : Mic 2:1; Luk 3:13, Luk 3:14; 1Co 9:12-18

I pray you : 2Co 5:11, 2Co 5:20, 2Co 6:1; Phm 1:8, Phm 1:9

leave : Neh 5:7; Exo 22:25-27; Psa 15:5; Eze 18:8, Eze 18:13

TSK: Neh 5:11

Restore : Lev 6:4, Lev 6:5; 1Sa 12:3; 2Sa 12:6; Isa 58:6; Luk 3:8

their lands : Neh 5:3, Neh 5:4

the hundredth : This was probably the rate of interest which they obliged their poor debtors to pay each month, which would amount to about 12 percent. Another author states that this is the lowest rate of interest in Syriacaps1 . tcaps0 he usual rate is 20; and it is sometimes as high as 30 percent.

TSK: Neh 5:12

We will restore : 2Ch 28:14, 2Ch 28:15; Ezr 10:12; Mat 19:21, Mat 19:22; Luk 19:8

I called : Neh 10:29, Neh 13:25; 2Ki 23:2, 2Ki 23:3; 2Ch 6:22, 2Ch 6:23, 2Ch 15:13, 2Ch 15:14; Ezr 10:5; Jer 34:8-10; Mat 26:63

TSK: Neh 5:13

I shook my lap : So ""when the Roman ambassadors entered the senate of Carthage, they had their toga gathered up in their bosom, and said, We carry here peace and war; you may have which you will. The senate answered, You may give which you please. They then shook their toga, and said, We bring you war.""- Livy. Mat 10:14; Act 13:51, Act 18:6

So God : 1Sa 15:28; 1Ki 11:29-31; Zec 5:3, Zec 5:4

emptied : Heb. empty, or void

Amen : Num 5:22; Deu 27:14-26

praised : 1Ch 16:36

the people : 2Ki 23:3; Psa 50:14, Psa 76:11, Psa 119:106; Ecc 5:5

TSK: Neh 5:14

from the twentieth : Neh 2:1, Neh 13:6

I and my : 1Co 9:4-15, 1Co 9:18; 2Th 3:8, 2Th 3:9

the bread : Ezr 4:13, Ezr 4:14; Rom 13:6, Rom 13:7

TSK: Neh 5:15

even their : 1Sa 2:15-17, 1Sa 8:15; Pro 29:12

so did : Mat 5:47; 2Co 11:9, 2Co 12:13

because : Neh 5:9; Job 31:23; Psa 112:1, Psa 147:11; Pro 16:6; Ecc 12:13, Ecc 12:14; Isa 50:10; Luk 18:2-4

TSK: Neh 5:16

I continued : Luk 8:15; Rom 2:7; 1Co 15:58; Gal 6:9

neither bought : Num 16:15; Act 20:33-35; 1Th 2:5, 1Th 2:6

all my : 2Co 12:16-18; Phi 2:20, Phi 2:21

TSK: Neh 5:17

Moreover : He kept open house, and entertained all comers; besides having 150; Jews, who had their food constantly at his table, and at his expense.

at my table : 2Sa 9:7, 2Sa 9:13; 1Ki 18:19

an hundred : Isa 32:8; Rom 12:13; 1Pe 4:9, 1Pe 4:10

TSK: Neh 5:18

Now that : 1Ki 4:22, 1Ki 4:23

one ox : This was food sufficient for more than two hundred men. Bp. Pococke says that the bey of Tunis had daily twelve sheep, with fish and fowls, soups, oranges, eggs, onions, boiled rice, etc., etc. His nobles dined with him; after they had done, the servants sat down; and when they had finished, the poor took what was left. Here the bey’ s twelve sheep are equal to Nehemiah’ s one ox and six choice sheep; and probably the mode of living between the two was nearly alike. It is still the practice in the East to calculate the expenses of the table, not by the money paid, but by the provisions consumed by the guests.

required : Neh 5:14, Neh 5:15

because the bondage : Psa 37:21, Psa 37:26

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: Neh 5:2

Are many - A slight emendation brings this verse into exact parallelism with the next, and gives the sense - "We have pledged our sons and our daughters, that we might get corn, and eat and live."Compare Neh 5:5.

Barnes: Neh 5:4

The king’ s tribute - The tax payable to the Persian monarch (compare Ezr 4:13; Est 10:1). In ancient times, heavy taxation was often productive of debt and distress.

Barnes: Neh 5:5

The power of a father to sell his daughter into slavery is expressly mentioned in the Law Exo 21:7. The power to sell a son appears from this passage. In either case, the sale held good for only six years, or until the next year of jubilee (see the marginal references).

Barnes: Neh 5:7

Ye exact usury - The phrase is unique to Nehemiah, and is best explained by the context, which shows the practice of the rich Jews at the time to have been not so much to lend on usury as to lend on mortgage and pledge.

Barnes: Neh 5:8

Nehemiah contrasts his own example with that of the rich Jews. He had spent money in redeeming some countrymen in servitude among the pagan; they were causing others to be sold into slavery among the Jews.

Barnes: Neh 5:10

I ... might exact - Nehemiah had lent, but not upon pledge.

Barnes: Neh 5:11

The hundredth part of the money ... - i. e. the interest. It is conjectured that the 100th part was payable monthly, or, in other words, that interest was taken at the rate of twelve per cent. The Law altogether disallowed the taking of interest from Israelites (see Exo 22:25; Lev 25:36, etc.).

Barnes: Neh 5:13

I shook my lap - Compare the marginal references. By "lap"is meant a fold in the bosom of the dress, capable of serving as a pocket. Compare Isa 49:22 margin.

Barnes: Neh 5:14

Have not eaten the bread of the governor - i. e. "have not, like other Persian governors, lived at the expense of the people under my government."See Ezr 4:14 note.

Barnes: Neh 5:15

Forty shekels of silver - A daily sum from the entire province. For such a table as that kept by Nehemiah Neh 5:18, this would be a very moderate payment.

Barnes: Neh 5:16

I continued ... land - i. e. - "I took my share in the work of the wall, as general superintendent. I did not take advantage of the general poverty to buy poor men’ s plots of ground."

Barnes: Neh 5:18

Compare the far grander provision for Solomon’ s table (see the marginal reference).

Poole: Neh 5:2

We, our sons, and our daughters, are many which is in itself a blessing, but to us is turned into a curse.

We take up corn for them i.e. we are forced by our and their necessities to take up corn, to wit, upon their own unreasonable terms, as is here implied, and plainly expressed in the following relation. Others, Let us take up , &c., i.e. seeing we do the public work, let provision be made for us and our children out of the public stock. But this is no petition, but a complaint, as will appear.

Poole: Neh 5:3

Which might easily happen, both from the multitude of the people now in and near Jerusalem, and from their building work, which wholly took them up, and kept them from taking care of their own families, and from the expectation and dread of their enemies’ invasion, which hindered them from going abroad to fetch in provision, and the people round about from bringing it in to them; or from divers other causes.

Poole: Neh 5:4

The kings tribute was laid upon them all. See Ezr 4:13 7:24

Poole: Neh 5:5

Our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren we are of the same nature, and nation, and religion with them although they treat us as if we were beasts or heathens, forgetting both humanity and God’ s law, Deu 15:7 .

We bring into bondage we are compelled to sell them for our subsistence.

Our sons and our daughters which was an evidence of their great necessity, because their daughters were more tender, and weak, and unfit for bond-service, and more exposed to injuries, than their sons.

Neither is it in our power to redeem them which we are allowed to do, Exo 21:7 , but have not wherewith to do it.

Poole: Neh 5:7

Ye exact usury every one of his brother which was against the plain and positive law of God, Deu 23:19,20 ; especially in this time of public calamity and dearth.

I set a great assembly against them I called a public congregation, both of the rulers and people, the greatest part whereof were free from this guilt, and therefore mere impartial judges of the matter, and represented it to them, that the offenders might be convinced, and reform this abuse; if not for fear of God, or love of their brethren, yet at least for the public shame, and the cries of the poor.

Poole: Neh 5:8

We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen: I, and my, brethren, and predecessors, have used our utmost interest and power, both with the kings of Persia, that our brethren might be redeemed from that bondage into which God had sold them for their sins; and with particular persons in Babylon and Persia, and the adjacent parts, whose bond-slaves the Jews were, and who would not part with them without a price, which we paid for them.

Will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? do you expect that we should pay you a price for them, as we did to the Babylonians? or must we use as much importunity to solicit you for their redemption as we did to their enemies?

Poole: Neh 5:9

It is not good i. e. it is a very bad and wicked thing; as this same phrase is used, Pro 16:29 17:26 18:5 19:2 . A common figure, called meiosis , where more is understood than is expressed.

Because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies who are round about you, and observe all your actions, and will loath and reproach both you for such barbarous usage of your brethren, and religion for your sakes; which, if you have any love or respect either to God or to yourselves, you will prevent.

Poole: Neh 5:10

My brethren to wit, in office; those who are employed with me in the government of this people.

My servants in my name, and for my use.

Might exact of them money and corn as a just recompence for our pains and care for the public good, to which we wholly devote ourselves, even to the neglect of all our private concerns. But I will not rigorously exact, but do freely remit my own right, which, in those circumstances, it is my duty to do; and therefore you also ought to do so, seeing I lay no burden upon you but what I am willing to bear a part of upon my own shoulders.

Poole: Neh 5:11

Also the hundredth part of the money also require not; which is to be supplied out of the next verse, where it is expressed in their answer to and grant of this desire. The hundredth part ; which they required every month for the use of their monies or goods, according to the custom then used, and afterwards by the Romans.

Poole: Neh 5:12

We will restore them to wit, the lands and houses.

Will require nothing of them for the hundredth part.

I called the priests either,

1. As delinquents in that kind; or rather as witnesses, that the oath being taken before the priests, who acted in God’ s name and stead, the oath might make the more deep and durable impression upon their consciences. See Num 5:19 1Ki 1:8,31,32 .

Took an oath of them not of the priests last mentioned, for it doth not appear that any of them were guilty, and it is absurd to think that they only were guilty of this extortion, as they must be, if this them belongs to them only; but of all the persons who were before charged with this crime, Neh 5:3,4 , whether priests or others, as is evident from the text, and from the nature of the thing.

Poole: Neh 5:13

I shook my lap i.e. the lap or extreme parts of my garment, which I first folded together, and then shook it, and scattered it asunder. This was a form of swearing then in use.

From his labour i.e. from enjoying what he hath got by his labour.

Poole: Neh 5:14

Twelve years not that he continued so long together at Jerusalem, of which see Neh 2:6 ; but that he so long governed Jerusalem by himself when he was present, and in his absence by a deputy.

I and my brethren either my fellow officers, or they whom I left in my stead, who as they were to do any work, so might have required my rights.

The bread of the governor i.e. that allowance which by the laws of God and nations, and of the king of Persia, the governors might require for the maintenance of their own dignity and office, and of the public service.

Poole: Neh 5:15

The former governors not Ezra, who was no governor, but only a priest sent to teach them, and to rectify church abuses; nor Zerubbabel; but others between him and Nehemiah, whom he forbears to name, because he designed not to disgrace any person, but only to reform the abuses.

Beside forty shekels of silver which they required of the people for every day to defray their other expenses.

Their servants bare rule over the people i.e. ruled them with rigour and cruelty; which fault of the servants is charged upon their masters; the former governors, because they did not restrain nor punish them.

Because of the fear of God because I feared to break God’ s commands, or to incur his displeasure, by such immoderate and unseasonable oppressions of the people. This he speaks not to commend himself, but rather to diminish his praise, and to show that this was no heroical action, nor work of supererogation, to be admired rather than imitated; but only his duty in that case, which for his own sake he durst not decline; and consequently that it was their duty also now to relinquish even those rights which in other times and conditions they might lawfully require.

Poole: Neh 5:16

In the work of this wall overseeing, directing, and encouraging the workmen, which was my whole business; and this at my own cost.

Neither bought we any land of our poor brethren whose necessities gave me abundant opportunity of enriching myself with good bargains. But I durst not build my house upon other men’ s ruins.

Poole: Neh 5:17

An hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers not only Jews of the inferior sort, for whom meaner provisions might suffice, but also their rulers, such as there were in many places, for whom better provision was fit; who resorted to him upon all occasions, either to pour out their complaints, as here they did; or to give him notice of the enemy’ s designs; or to receive his orders and directions.

Poole: Neh 5:18

But bore it out of my own estate; which was very considerable, his office in the Persian court being a place of very great profit as well as honour, and that profit no doubt continued to him in this his absence from the king. From this great and daily expense, it seems more than probable that Nehemiah did not continue here for twelve years together, as some would think, or at least that he did not this all that time, but only during the great and present exigencies and distresses of the Jews, which ceased in good part after the walls were built, and the hearts of all the Jews revived, and their enemies dispirited thereby.

Haydock: Neh 5:1

Cry. Ven. Bede (iii. 21.) complains of some pastors who neglect the flock, but exacted revenues. May not the same complaint still be made? (Worthington)

Haydock: Neh 5:2

Very. Syriac, "and our brethren are too numerous" to find meat. ---

For, &c. Hebrew, Septuagint, &c., "by force." (Abenezra, &c.) ---

Yet most people explain it in the sense of the Vulgate. It was permitted to sell children in extreme distress, Exodus xxi. 7. (Grotius) (Calmet)

Haydock: Neh 5:3

Let us. Protestants, "We have mortgaged." ---

Famine, or "hunger." (Haydock)

Haydock: Neh 5:4

Let us. Septuagint Mont.[Montanus?], "We have borrowed" on usury, contrary to Exodus xxii. 25. The Jews were still obliged to pay tribute.

Haydock: Neh 5:5

Brethren, who are still in captivity, or we are of the same nature as the rich, (Calmet) who so cruelly oppress us. (Menochius)

Haydock: Neh 5:7

Against them, as a private rebuke would not suffice. (Tirinus)

Haydock: Neh 5:8

Redeemed, by paying the ransom to the Babylonians, or by using all our endeavours to procure the releasement of our brethren. (Calmet) ---

For us. Protestants, "or shall they be sold unto us?" (Haydock) ---

A true pastor practises what he preaches to others. (Worthington)

Haydock: Neh 5:11

For them, to the Persian governors, ver. 14. (Haydock) ---

Nehemias remits this pension, which was before paid by the people, and exacted by the rich. (Wolphius) ---

Du Moulin asserts that there is no question of usury, which the Jews always abhorred, much less of that which the Romans called the 100th, (Calmet) consisting in the payment of 12 per cent, (Tirinus) or one every month. (Menochius) ---

Hebrew, "Give back to them, " (Haydock) that they may enjoy those things.

Haydock: Neh 5:12

Oath of them. Priests, in private, (Menochius) who were not innocent; (Tirinus) or these were witnesses of the oath taken by the rich. (Piscator)

Haydock: Neh 5:13

Lap, or skirt of my robes. (Tirinus) ---

Such figurative actions were very common. Thus a Roman ambassador at Carthage, folding up his garment, said he brought peace or war. (Livy xxi. 18.) (Calmet) ---

Said. Behold how easily was that effected at Jerusalem, which the Romans could never perfectly bring about, after the most violent riots! (Tirinus)

Haydock: Neh 5:14

Not eat, out of pity for the poor. (Menochius) ---

He was supported by the king, (Calmet) or by his own patrimony. (Haydock) (Ver. 11.)

Haydock: Neh 5:16

Wall, pleading no exemption, but making my servants work. (Calmet) ---

Though no particular portion was assigned to him, he helped all. (Tirinus) ---

No land, as I might have done, on advantageous terms. (Haydock) ---

Rare example of disinterestedness! He praises himself without vanity, only to induce others to follow the same course. So Moses, David, St. Paul, and others acted, Numbers xii. 3., &c.

Haydock: Neh 5:17

Men, my brethren, not (Calmet) Persians. (Grotius) ---

Them; ambassadors. (Menochius) ---

If Nehemias behaved with such generosity for twelve years, he must have been very rich; or he received a great pension from the king, or voluntary and abundant contributions from the rich.

Haydock: Neh 5:18

Wines. This was only produced, in abundance, on extraordinary occasions; for the people of the East do not drink wine at every feast, Ecclesiasticus xxxi. 17. (Calmet) ---

Yearly. Septuagint, "Moreover, loaves of extortion I did not seek, because a hard servitude lay upon this people." (Haydock)

Gill: Neh 5:1

And there was a great cry of the people, and of their wives,.... Those of the poorer sort:

against their brethren the Jews; the rich that oppressed them; and this cry or complaint was made to Nehemiah for redress.

Gill: Neh 5:2

For there were that said, we, our sons, and our daughters, are many,.... Not that they complained of the number of their children, for a numerous offspring was always reckoned a blessing with the Jews; but this they observed to show that their families, being large, required a considerable quantity of food to support them:

therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat and live; that is, they were obliged to take it at an exorbitant price, which is the thing complained of; or otherwise they must starve, the rich taking the advantage of their poverty and present dearth.

Gill: Neh 5:3

Some also there were that said, we have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses,.... Made them over to others, put them into their hands as pledges for money received of them:

that we may buy corn; for the support of their families:

because of the dearth; or famine; which might be occasioned by their enemies lying in wait and intercepting all provisions that might be brought to them; for this seems not to be the famine spoken of in Hag 1:10 for that was some years before this, and for a reason which now was not.

Gill: Neh 5:4

There were also that said,.... Who though they were able to buy corn for their families without mortgaging their estates: yet, say they:

we have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards; for though the priests, Levites, and Nethinims, were exempted from it, yet not the people in common; and some of these were so poor, that they could not pay it without borrowing upon their estates, and paying large usury for it, see Ezr 6:8

Gill: Neh 5:5

Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren,.... We are of the same nature, nation, stock, and religion: our children as their children; are circumcised as they, and have a right to the same privileges in church and state:

and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and daughters to be servants; shall be obliged to it, unless relieved:

and some of our daughters are brought into bondage already; sold to be servants, as they might in case of the poverty of parents, Exo 21:7, and some were sometimes taken to be bondmen in payment of their parents' debts, 2Ki 4:1

neither is it in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards; as pledges for money borrowed.

Gill: Neh 5:6

And I was very angry when I heard their cry, and these words. Their complaint expressed in this manner; it not only raised pity and compassion in his breast towards these poor distressed people, but indignation at the rich that oppressed them.

Gill: Neh 5:7

Then I consulted with myself,.... What was to be done, what method to be taken to redress such grievances:

and I rebuked the nobles and the rulers; who were the men that monopolized the corn in this dear season, and sold it at an extravagant price, and had got the lands, vineyards, and houses of the poor mortgaged to them, and to whom they had lent money on usury:

and said unto them, you exact usury everyone of his brother; which was contrary to the express law of God, Exo 22:25 and which even the Indians ^h strictly observed, who neither let out money, nor took any upon usury:

and I set a great assembly against them; either of the poor that were oppressed, who brought in their accusations and complaints against them, or a large body of the people, who were not guilty, to hear them, that the delinquents might be put to public shame; or he called a large court of judicature, and set them to examine these allegations, and to do justice.

Gill: Neh 5:8

And I said unto them,.... The nobles, and rulers, and other rich persons that exacted usury of the poor:

we after our ability; speaking of himself in the plural number, which now obtained in the court of Persia; or of Zerubbabel, Ezra, and others, who, according as their worldly circumstances, having been captives, would admit of:

have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the Heathen; not that they had given a ransom for them to Cyrus, or any other king of Persia, which would be contrary to the prophecies concerning their redemption, Isa 45:13 but such who had sold themselves to particular persons in Babylon, who, without being redeemed, could not take the advantage of the liberty granted by Cyrus, and his successors; and it may be there were others also in the like circumstances, in other neighbouring nations, that had been redeemed this way. The Jewish canon ⁱ now is, he that sells himself, and his children, to Gentiles, they do not redeem; but they redeem the children after their father's death; which the commentators ^k explain of the third time that he sells himself:

and will you even sell your brethren? their lands and vineyards mortgaged to them, and even their persons:

or shall they be sold unto us? must we be obliged to buy them, and to redeem them:

then they held their peace, and found nothing to answer; being convinced they had done wrong, by the arguments used, to which they could make no reply.

Gill: Neh 5:9

Also I said, it is not good that ye do,.... The meaning is, that it was very bad; it is a "meiosis", by which more is intended than is expressed:

ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God; in reverence of him and his law, and according to that:

because of the reproach of the Heathen our enemies? whose mouths will be open to reproach the true religion, and the good ways of God; and say, these are the men that pretend to fear God, and serve him, and yet break his law, and use their brethren ill, see Rom 2:24.

Gill: Neh 5:10

I likewise, and my brethren, and my servants, might exact of them money and corn,.... For our maintenance, in consideration of the services done by us, which would appear but reasonable, but this we decline for the sake of easing our poor brethren:

I pray you let us leave off this usury; and not exact it, as has been too much and too long used.

Gill: Neh 5:11

Restore, I pray you, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses,.... Which they had made over to them for corn they had had, or money they borrowed of them; it is entreated that an immediate restitution be made, and the rather, if what Aben Ezra observes is true, that this was the year of release, when debts were not to be exacted, but forgiven, Deu 15:1,

also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them; the hundredth part of the money might be what they took for usury, as the Romans did in later times, even so much a month; so that if the loan was one hundred pounds, a pound was given every month for it, and so one hundred and twelve pounds in the year; and the hundredth part of the corn, wine, and oil, might be the hundredth part of those fruits of the earth which the rulers demanded for their salary, see Neh 5:15.

Gill: Neh 5:12

Then said they, we will restore them,.... The lands, vineyards, oliveyards, and houses:

and will require nothing of them; not the hundredth part of the fruits of the earth by way of salary:

so will we do as thou sayest; they approved of his proposal, and readily agreed to it:

then I called the priests, and took an oath of them that they should do according to this promise; not that the priests were delinquents, they were not charged with anything of this kind, nor were they the men that promised restitution; but the priests were called to administer the oath to the nobles, and rulers, and rich men, to oblige them the more to keep their word; an oath being sacred, priests in an holy office were made use of to give it, that it might be the more solemn, and the more strictly regarded.

Gill: Neh 5:13

Also I shook my lap,.... The fore skirts of his garment, shaking the dust out of them, as a symbol of what follows; a like rite was used in the case of peace and war, the choice of either, by the Romans, as proposed by their ambassadors to the Carthaginians, as having either in their bosom to shake out ^l:

and said, so God shake out every man from his house, and from his labour; what he has got by his labour:

that performeth not his promise; confirmed by an oath:

even thus be he shaken out, and emptied; of all that he has in the world, and out of the world too, as Jarchi adds:

and all the congregation said, Amen; so let it be, even those that had taken pledges and usury, as well as others:

and praised the Lord; that had given them such a governor to direct, advise, and exhort them to their duty, and had inclined their hearts to attend thereunto:

and the people did according to this promise; they punctually kept it, and the oath they had sworn.

Gill: Neh 5:14

Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah,.... That is, by the king of Persia, which was not done when he was first sent into Judea; but very probably when he had finished the wall in fifty two days, he returned to Persia, and gave the king an account of his success, and how things stood in those parts, when he judged it necessary to send him again in the character of a governor, and which was still within the same year, as follows: from the twentieth year, even unto the thirty second year of Artaxerxes, that is, twelve years; see Neh 13:6.

I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor; which was fit and proper for him, and used to be given him; neither he, nor those that assisted him in the government, the principal men he brought along with him, and put into posts and places under him.

Gill: Neh 5:15

But the former governors, that had been before me, were chargeable to the people,.... Between him and Zerubbabel, for Ezra was no governor; according to the Jewish chronology ^m, when Ezra came to Jerusalem, Zerubbabel returned to Babylon, and there died, and his son Methullam was in his stead, and after him succeeded Hananiah his son:

and had taken of them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver; which amounted to between four and five pounds, and this they had every day:

yea, even their servants bare rule over the people; required a salary, or at least perquisites of them, which the governors connived at:

but so did not I, because of the fear of God; neither took anything himself of the people, nor suffered his servants; because the fear of God was upon his heart, and before his eyes, and therefore could not allow himself to oppress the poor.

Gill: Neh 5:16

Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall,.... Of building the wall of Jerusalem; here he gave his constant attendance to direct and encourage the workmen, and see that they kept to their work, and did it well:

neither bought we any land; neither he nor the principal men with him, though they could have bought it cheap, but they chose not to take the advantage of the poverty of the people:

and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work: all were employed in it, taking no wages for their work, being maintained at his expense.

Gill: Neh 5:17

Moreover, there were at my table an hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers,.... Every day at his own cost, which must be considerable to provide for such a number, and of such rank:

besides those that came unto us from among the Heathen that are about us; who were proselytes, and came thither to worship, or on a civil account, to give intelligence, and take directions.

Gill: Neh 5:18

Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep,.... Or fat ones; of beef and mutton a considerable quantity, abundantly sufficient for his guests and servants, and shows what a good table he kept:

also fowls were prepared for me; what number is not said:

and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine; the country afforded; that is, either once in ten days his stock of wine was renewed, or a more liberal entertainment was made, a banquet of wine, Est 5:6,

yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor; the salary that used to be given him, but did this at his own expense, out of his own estate in Judea; or what he had got by his office as cupbearer to the king of Persia, the salary of which perhaps was continued:

because the bondage was heavy upon the people; the tribute of the king of Persia, and their labour and expense in building the walls of the city.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Neh 5:1

¹ tn Heb “their brothers the Jews.”

NET Notes: Neh 5:2

¹ tn Heb “take” (so also in v. 3).

NET Notes: Neh 5:4

¹ tn Heb “for the tax of the king.”

NET Notes: Neh 5:5

¹ tn Heb “according to the flesh of our brothers is our flesh.”

² tn Heb “like their children, our children.”

³ tn Heb “to become slaves” (also later in this verse).

⁴ tn Heb “there is not power for our hand.” The Hebrew expression used here is rather difficult.

⁵ sn The poor among the returned exiles were being exploited by their rich countrymen. Moneylenders were loaning large amounts of money, and not only collecting interest on loans which was illegal (Lev 25:36-37; Deut 23:19-20), but also seizing pledges as collateral (Neh 5:3) which was allowed (Deut 24:10). When the debtors missed a payment, the moneylenders would seize their collateral: their fields, vineyards and homes. With no other means of income, the debtors were forced to sell their children into slavery, a common practice at this time (Neh 5:5). Nehemiah himself was one of the moneylenders (Neh 5:10), but he insisted that seizure of collateral from fellow Jewish countrymen was ethically wrong (Neh 5:9).

NET Notes: Neh 5:6

¹ tn Heb “words.”

NET Notes: Neh 5:7

¹ tn Heb “my heart was advised upon me.”

² tn Heb “nobles.”

³ tn Heb “taking a creditor’s debt.” The Hebrew noun מַשָּׁא (masha’) means “interest; debt” and probably refers to the collateral (pledge) collected by a creditor (HALOT 641-42 s.v.). This particular noun form appears only in Nehemiah (5:7, 10; 10:32); however, it is related to מַשָּׁאָה (masha’ah, “contractual loan; debt; collateral”) which appears elsewhere (Deut 24:10; Prov 22:26; cf. Neh 5:11). See the note on the word “people” at the end of v. 5. The BHS editors suggest emending the MT to מָשָׂא (masa’, “burden”), following several medieval Hebrew MSS; however, the result is not entirely clear: “you are bearing a burden, a man with his brothers.”

⁴ tn Heb “his brothers.”

⁵ tn Heb “I gave.”

NET Notes: Neh 5:8

¹ tn Heb “our brothers, the Jews.”

² tn Heb “your brothers.”

NET Notes: Neh 5:9

¹ tc The translation reads with the Qere and the ancient versions וָאוֹמַר (va’omar, “and I said”) rather than the MT Kethib, וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyo’mer, “and he said”).

² tn Heb “not good.” The statement “The thing…is not good” is an example of tapeinosis, a figurative expression which emphasizes the intended point (“The thing…is wrong!”) by negating its opposite.

³ tn Heb “[should you not] walk.”

NET Notes: Neh 5:10

¹ tn Heb “brothers.”

² tn Heb “lads.”

³ tn Heb “this debt.” This expression is a metonymy of association: “debt” refers to the seizure of the collateral of the debt.

NET Notes: Neh 5:11

¹ tc The MT reads וּמְאַת (umÿ’at, “and the hundredth”) which is somewhat enigmatic. The BHS editors suggest emending to וּמַשַּׁאת (umasha’t, “and the debt”) which refers to the interest or collateral (pledge) seized by a creditor (Deut 24:10; Prov 22:26; see HALOT 641-42 s.v. מַשָּׁא). The term מַשַּׁאת (masha’t) is related to the noun מָשָּׁא (masha’, “debt”) in 5:7, 10.

NET Notes: Neh 5:12

¹ tn The words “these things” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “took an oath from them”; the referents (the wealthy and the officials, cf. v. 7) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Heb “according to this word.”

NET Notes: Neh 5:13

¹ tn Heb “my bosom.”

² tn Heb “cause to stand.”

³ tn Heb “according to this word.”

NET Notes: Neh 5:14

¹ tc The BHS editors suggest reading צֻוֵּאתִי (tsuvve’ti, “and I was appointed”) rather than the reading of the MT, אֹתִי צִוָּה (tsivvah ’oti, “he appointed me”).

² tc The translation reads with one medieval Hebrew MS פֶּחָה (pekhah, “governor”) rather than פֶּחָם (pekham, “their governor”) of the MT. One would expect the form with pronominal suffix to have a tav (ת) before the suffix.

³ tn Heb “brothers.”

⁴ tn Heb “the food of the governor.” Cf. v. 18.

NET Notes: Neh 5:15

¹ tc The Hebrew term אַחַר (’akhar) is difficult here. It normally means “after,” but that makes no sense here. Some scholars emend it to אַחַד (’akhad) and supply the word “day,” which yields the sense “daily.” Cf. TEV “40 silver coins a day for food and wine.”

NET Notes: Neh 5:16

¹ tn Heb “we did not purchase.”

NET Notes: Neh 5:17

¹ tn Heb “who were gathered around us at my table.”

² tn Or “from the Gentiles.” The same Hebrew word can refer to “the Gentiles” or “the nations.” Cf. the phrase in 6:16.

Geneva Bible: Neh 5:1

And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives ^{( a )} against their brethren the Jews.

^{( a )} Against the rich who oppressed them.

Geneva Bible: Neh 5:2

For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, [are] many: therefore we take up ^{( b )} corn [for them], that we may eat, and live.

^{( b )} This is the complaint of the people, showing the extremity they were brought to.

Geneva Bible: Neh 5:4

There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's ^{( c )} tribute, [and that upon] our lands and vineyards.

^{( c )} To pay our tribute to the king of the Persians, which was exacted yearly from us.

Geneva Bible: Neh 5:5

Yet now our flesh [is] as ^{( d )} the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and [some] of our daughters are brought unto bondage [already]: neither [is it] in our power ^{( e )} [to redeem them]; for other men have our lands and vineyards.

^{( d )} By nature the rich are no better than the poor.

^{( e )} We are not able to redeem them, but out of poverty are forced to sell them to others.

Geneva Bible: Neh 5:7

Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye ^{( f )} exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great ^{( g )} assembly against them.

^{( f )} You press them with usury, and seek to bring all thing into your hands.

^{( g )} Both because they should be moved with pity seeing how many were oppressed by them, and also hear the judgment of others, who should be witnesses of their dealings with their brethren.

Geneva Bible: Neh 5:8

And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be ^{( h )} sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found nothing [to answer].

^{( h )} Seeing God has once delivered them from the bondage of the heathen, shall we make them our slaves?

Geneva Bible: Neh 5:9

^{( i )} Also I said, It [is] not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the ^{( k )} reproach of the heathen our enemies?

^{( i )} Meaning, Nehemiah.

^{( k )} Who by this occasion will blaspheme the Name of God, seeing that our actions are no better than theirs.

Geneva Bible: Neh 5:11

Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth [part] of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, ^{( l )} that ye exact of them.

^{( l )} Which you take from them for the loan.

Geneva Bible: Neh 5:14

Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, [that is], twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the ^{( m )} bread of the governor.

^{( m )} I did not receive the portion and diet which the governors who were before me exacted, in which he declares that he rather sought the wealth of the people than his own convenience.

Geneva Bible: Neh 5:18

Now [that] which was prepared [for me] daily [was] one ox [and] six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of ^{( n )} all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.

^{( n )} While at other times they had by measure, at this time they had most liberally.

Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: Neh 5:1-19

1 The Jews complain of their debt, mortgage, and bondage.

6 Nehemiah rebukes the usurers, and causes them to make a covenant of restitution.

14 He forbears his own allowance, and keeps hospitality.

Maclaren: Neh 5:15

An Ancient Nonconformist

So did not I, because of the fear of God.'--Neh. 5:15.

I DO not suppose that the ordinary Bible-reader knows very much about Nehemiah. He is one of the neglected great men of Scripture. He was no prophet, he had no glowing words, he had no lofty visions, he had no special commission, he did not live in the heroic age. There was a certain harshness and dryness; a tendency towards what, when it was more fully developed, became Pharisaism, in the man, which somewhat covers the essential nobleness of his character. But he was brave, cautious, circumspect, disinterested; and he had Jerusalem in his heart.

The words that I have read are a little fragment of his autobiography which deal with a prosaic enough matter, but carry in them large principles. When he was appointed governor of the little colony of returned exiles in Palestine, he found that his predecessors, like Turkish pashas and Chinese mandarins to-day, had been in the habit of squeezing' the people of their Government, and that they had requisitioned sufficient supplies of provisions to keep the governor's table well spread. It was the custom. Nobody would have wondered if Nehemiah had conformed to it; but he felt that he must have his hands clean, Why did he not do what everybody else had done in like circumstances? His answer is beautifully simple: Because of the fear of God.' His religion went down into the little duties of common life, and imposed upon him a standard far above the maxims that were prevalent round about him. And so, if you will take these words, and disengage them from the small matter concerning which they were originally spoken, I think you will find in them thoughts as to the attitude which we should take to prevalent practices, the motive which should impel us to a sturdy non-compliance, and the power which will enable us to walk on a solitary road. So did not I, because of the fear of God.' Now, then, these are my three points:

I. The Attitude To Prevalent Practices.

Nehemiah would not conform. And unless you can say No!' and do it very often, your life will be shattered from the beginning. That non-compliance with customary maxims and practices is the beginning, or, at least, one of the foundation-stones, of all nobleness and strength, of all blessedness and power. Of course it is utterly impossible for a man to denude himself of the influences that are brought to bear upon him by the circumstances in which he lives, and the trend of opinion, and the maxims and practices of the world, in the corner, and at the time, in which his lot is cast. But, on the other hand, be sure of this, that unless you are in a very deep and not at all a technical sense of the word, Nonconformists,' you will come to no good. None! It is so easy to do as others do, partly because of laziness, partly because of cowardice, partly because of the instinctive imitation which is in us all. Men are gregarious. One great teacher has drawn an illustration from a flock of sheep, and says that if we hold up a stick, and the first of the flock jumps over it, and then if we take away the stick, all the rest of the flock will jump when they come to the point where the first did so. A great many of us adopt our creeds and opinions, and shape our lives for no better reason than because people round us are thinking in a certain direction, and living in a certain way. It saves a great deal of trouble, and it gratifies a certain strange instinct that is in us all, and it avoids dangers and conflicts that we should, when we are at Rome, do as the Romans do. So did not I, because of the fear of God.'

Now, brethren! I ask you to take this plain principle of the necessity of non-compliance (which I suppose I do not need to do much to establish, because, theoretically, we most of us admit it), and apply it all round the circumference of your lives. Apply it to your opinions. There is no tyranny like the tyranny of a majority in a democratic country like ours. It is quite as harsh as the tyranny of the old-fashioned despots. Unless you resolve steadfastly to see with your own eyes, to use your own brains, to stand on your own feet, to be a voice and not an echo, you will be helplessly enslaved by the fashion of the hour, and the opinions that prevail.

What everybody says: perhaps, is true.' What most people say, at any given time, is very likely to be false. Truth has always lived with minorities, so do not let the current of widespread opinion sweep you away, but try to have a mind of your own, and not to be brow-beaten or overborne because the majority of the people round about you are giving utterance, and it may be unmeasured utterance, to any opinions.

Now, there is one direction in which I wish to urge that especially, and now I speak mainly to the young men in my congregation, and that is, in regard to the attitude that so many amongst us are taking to Christian truth. If you have honestly thought out the subject to the best of your ability, and have come to conclusions diverse from those which men like me hold dearer than their lives, that is another matter. But I know that very widely there is spread to-day the fashion of unbelief. So many influential men, leaders of opinion, teachers and preachers, are giving up the old-fashioned Evangelical faith, that it takes a strong man to say that he sticks by it. It is a poor reason to give for your attitude, that unbelief is in the air, and nobody believes those old doctrines now. That may be. There are currents of opinion that are transitory, and that is one of them, depend upon it. But at all events do not be fooled out of your faith, as some of you are tending to be, for no better reason than because other people has given it up. An iceberg lowers the temperature all round it, and the iceberg of unbelief is amongst us to-day, and it has chilled a great many people who could not tell why they have lost the fervour of their faith.

On the other hand, let me remind you that a mere traditional religion, which is only orthodox because other people are so, and has not verified its beliefs by personal experience, is quite as deleterious as an imitative unbelief. Doubtless, I speak to some who plume themselves on never having been affected by these currents of popular opinion,' but whose unblemished and unquestioned orthodoxy has no more vitality in it than the other people's heterodoxy. The one man has said,' What is everywhere always, and by all believed, I believe'; and the other man has said, What the select spirits of this day disbelieve, I disbelieve,' and the belief of one and the unbelief of the other are equally worthless, and really identical.

But it is not only, nor mainly, in reference to opinion that I would urge upon you this nonconformity with prevalent practices as the measure of most that is noble in us. I dare not talk to you as if I knew much about the details of Manchester commercial life, but I can say this much, that it is no excuse for shady practices in your trade to say, It is the custom of the trade, and everybody does it.' Nehemiah might have said: There never was a governor yet but took his forty shekels a day's worth', about £1,800 of our money, of provisions from these poor people, and! am not going to give it up because of a scruple. It is the custom, and because it is the custom I can do it.' I am not going into details. It is commonly understood that preachers know nothing about business; that may be true, or it may not. But this, I am sure, is a Word in season for some of my friends this evening do not hide behind the trade. Come out into the open, and deal with the questions of morality involved in your commercial life, as you will have to deal with them hereafter, by yourself. Never mind about other people. Oh,' but you say, that involves loss.' Very likely! Nehemiah was a poorer man because he fed all these one hundred and fifty Jeers at his table, but he did not mind that. It may involve loss, but you will keep God, and that is gain.

Turn this searchlight in another direction. I see a number of young people in my congregation at this moment, young men who are perhaps just beginning their career in this city, and who possibly have been startled when they heard the kind of talk that was going on at the next desk, or from the man that sits beside them on the benches at College. Do not be tempted to follow that multitude to do evil. Unless you are prepared to say' No!' tea great deal that will be pushed into your face in this great city, as sure as you are living you will make shipwreck of your lives. Do you think that in the forty years and more that I have stood here I have not seen successive generations of young men come into Manchester? I could people many of these pews with the faces of such, who came here buoyant, full of hope, full of high resolves, and with a mother's benediction hanging over their heads, and who got into a bad set, and had not the strength to say No,' and they went down and down and down, and then presently somebody asked, Where is so-and-so?' Oh! his health broke down, and he has gone home to die.' His bones are full of the iniquity of his youth , and he made shipwreck of prospects and of life, because he did not pull himself together when the temptation came, and say, So did not I, because of the fear of God.'

II. Now Let Me Ask You To Turn With Me To The Second Thought That My Text Suggests To Me; That Is, The Motive That Impels To This Sturdy Non-Compliance.

Nehemiah puts it in Old Testament phraseology, the fear of God'; the New Testament equivalent is the love of Christ.' And if you want to take the power and the life out of both phrases, in order to find a modern conventional equivalent, you will say religion.' I prefer the old-fashioned language. The love of Christ' impels to this non-compliance. Now, my point is this, that Jesus Christ requires from each of us that we shall abstain, restrict ourselves, refuse to do a great many things that are being done round us.

I need not remind you of how continually He spoke about taking up the cross. I need not do more than just remind you of His parable of the two ways, but ask you, whilst you think of it, to note that all the characteristics of each of the ways which He sets forth are given by Him as reasons for refusing the one and walking in the other. For example,' Enter ye in at the strait gate, for strait is the gate', that is a reason for going in; and narrow is the way', that is a reason for going in; and few there be that find it', that is a reason for going in. Wide is the gate', that is a reason for stopping out; and broad is the way'-that is a reason for stopping out; and many there be that go in thereat', that is a reason for stopping out. Is not that what I said, that the minority is generally right and the majority wrong? Just because there are so many people on the path, suspect it, and expect that the path with fewer travellers is probably the better and the higher.

But to pass from that, what did Jesus Christ mean by His continual contrast between His disciples and the world? What did He mean by the world'? This fair universe, with all its possibilities of help and blessing, and all its educational influences? By no means. He meant by the world' the aggregate of things and men considered as separate from God. And when He applied the term to men only, He meant by it very much what we mean when we talk about society. Society is not organised on Christian principles; we all know that, and until it is, if a man is going to be a Christian he must not conform to the world. Know ye not that whosoever is a friend of the world is an enemy of God.'

I would press upon you, dear friends! that our Christianity is nothing unless it leads us to a standard, and a course of conduct in conformity with that standard, which will be in diametrical opposition to a great deal of what is patted on the back, and petted and praised by society. Now, there is an easy-going kind of Christianity which does not recognise that, and which is in great favour with many people to-day, and is called liberality' and breadth,' and conciliating and commending Christianity to outsiders,' and I know not what besides. Well, Christ's words seem to me to come down like a hammer upon that sort of thing. Depend upon it, the world', I mean by that the aggregate of godless men organised as they are in society, does not think much of these trimmers. It may dislike an out-and-out Christian, but it knows him when it sees him, and it has a kind of hostile respect for him which the other people will never get. You remember the story of the man that was seeking for a coachman, and whose question to each applicant was, How near can you drive to the edge of a precipice?'

He took the man who said: I would keep away from it as far as I could.' And the so-called Christian people that seem to be bent on showing how much their lives can be made to assimilate to the lives of men that have no sympathy with their creeds, are like the rash Jehus that tried to go as near the edge as they could. But the consistent Christian will keep as far away from it as he can. There are some of us who seem as if we were most anxious to show that we, whose creed is absolutely inconsistent with the world's practices, can live lives which are all but identical with these practices. Jesus Christ says, through the lips of His Apostle, what He often said in other language by His own lips when lie was here on earth: Be ye not conformed to the world.'

Surely such a command as that, just because it involves difficulty, self-restraint, self-denial, and sometimes self-crucifixion, ought to appeal, and does appeal, to all that is noble in humanity, in a fashion that that smooth, easy-going gospel of living on the level of the people round us never can do. For remember that Christ's commandment not to be conformed to the world is the consequence of His commandment to be conformed to Himself. Thus did not I comes second; This one thing I do' comes first. You will misunderstand the whole genius of the Gospel if you suppose that, as a law of life, it is perpetually pulling men short up, and saying: Don't, don't, don't! There is a Christianity of that sort which is mainly prohibition and restriction, but it is not Christ's Christianity. He begins by enjoining: This do in remembrance of Me,' and the man that has accepted that commandment must necessarily say, as he looks out on the world, and its practices: , So did not I, because of the fear of God.'

III. And Now One Last Word, My Text Not Only Suggests The Motive Which Impels To This Non-Compliance, But Also The Power Which Enables Us To Exercise It.

The fear of God," or, taking the New Testament equivalent, the love of Christ,' makes it possible for a man, with all his weakness and dependence on surroundings, with all his instinctive desire to be like the folk that are near him, to take that brave attitude, and to refuse to be one of the crowd that runs after evil and lies. I have no time to dwell upon this aspect of my subject, as I should be glad to have done. Let me sum up in a sentence or two what I would have said. Christ will enable you to take this necessary attitude because, in Himself He gives you the Example which it is always safe to follow. The instinct of imitation is planted in us for a good end, and because it is in us, examples of nobility appeal to us. And because it is in us Jesus Christ has lived the life that it is possible for, and therefore incumbent on, us to live. It is safe to imitate Him, and it is easy not to do as men do, if once our main idea is to do as Christ did.

He makes it possible for us, because He gives the strongest possible motive for the life that He prescribes. As the Apostle puts it, Ye are bought with a price, be not the servants of men.' There is nothing that will so deliver us from the tyranny of majorities, and of what we call general opinion and ordinary custom, as to feel that we belong to Him because He died for us. Hen become very insignificant when Christ speaks, and the charter of our freedom from them lies in our redemption by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ being our Redeemer is our Judge, and moment by moment He is estimating our conduct, and judging our actions as they are done. With me it is a very small matter to be judged of you or of man's judgment. He that judgeth me is the Lord.' Never mind what the people round you say; you do not take your orders from them, and you do not answer to them. Like some official abroad, appointed by the Crown, you do not report to the local authorities; you report to headquarters, and what He thinks about you is the only important thing. So the fear of man which bringeth a snare' dwindles down into very minute dimensions when we think of the Pattern, the Redeemer and the Judge to whom we give account.

And so, dear friends! if we will only open our hearts, by quiet bumble faith, for the coming of Jesus Christ into our lives, then we shall be able to resist, to refuse compliance, to stand firm, though alone. The servant of Christ is the master of all men. All things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, all are yours, and ye are Christ's.'

MHCC: Neh 5:1-5

Men prey upon their fellow-creatures: by despising the poor they reproach their Maker. Such conduct is a disgrace to any, but who can sufficiently abhor it when adopted by professing Christians? With compassion for the oppressed, we should lament the hardships which many in the world are groaning under; putting our souls into their souls' stead, and remembering in our prayers and succours those who are burdened. But let those who show no mercy, expect judgment without mercy.

MHCC: Neh 5:6-13

Nehemiah knew that, if he built Jerusalem's walls ever so high, so thick, or so strong, the city could not be safe while there were abuses. The right way to reform men's lives, is to convince their consciences. If you walk in the fear of God, you will not be either covetous of worldly gain, or cruel toward your brethren. Nothing exposes religion more to reproach, than the worldliness and hard-heartedness of the professors of it. Those that rigorously insist upon their right, with a very ill grace try to persuade others to give up theirs. In reasoning with selfish people, it is good to contrast their conduct with that of others who are liberal; but it is best to point to His example, who though he was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that we, through his poverty, might be rich, 2Co 8:9. They did according to promise. Good promises are good things, but good performances are better.

MHCC: Neh 5:14-19

Those who truly fear God, will not dare to do any thing cruel or unjust. Let all who are in public places remember that they are so placed to do good, not to enrich themselves. Nehemiah mentions it to God in prayer, not as if he had merited any favour from God, but to show that he depended upon God only, to make up to him what he had lost and laid out for his honour. Nehemiah evidently spake and acted as one that knew himself to be a sinner. He did not mean to claim a reward as of debt, but in the manner that the Lord rewards a cup of cold water given to a disciple for his sake. The fear and love of God in the heart, and true love of the brethren, will lead to every good work. These are proper evidences of justifying faith; and our reconciled God will look upon persons of this character for good, according to all they have done for his people.

Matthew Henry: Neh 5:1-5

We have here the tears of the oppressed, which Solomon considered, Ecc 4:1. Let us consider them as here they are dropped before Nehemiah, whose office it was, as governor, to deliver the poor and needy, and rid them out of the hand of the wicked oppressors, Psa 82:4. Hard times and hard hearts made the poor miserable.

I. The times they lived in were hard. There was a dearth of corn (Neh 5:3), probably for want of rain, with which God had chastised their neglect of his house (Hag 1:9-11) and the non-payment of their church-dues, Mal 3:9, Mal 3:10. Thus foolish sinful men bring God's judgments upon themselves, and then fret and complain of them. When the markets are high, and provisions scarce and dear, the poor soon feel from it, and are pinched by it. Blessed be God for the mercy, and God deliver us from the sin, of fulness of bread, Eze 16:49. That which made the scarcity here complained of the more grievous was that their sons and their daughters were many, Neh 5:2. The families that were most necessitous were most numerous; here were the mouths, but where was the meat? Some have estates and no children to inherit them; others have children and no estates to leave them. Those who have both have reason to be thankful; those who have neither may the more easily be content. Those who have great families and little substance must learn to live by faith in God's providence and promise; and those who have little families and great substance must make their abundance a supply for the wants of others. But this was not all: as corn was dear, so the taxes were high; the king's tribute must be paid, Neh 5:4. This mark of their captivity still remained upon them. Perhaps it was a poll-money that was required, and then, their sons and their daughters being many, it rose the higher. The more they had to maintain (a hard case!) the more they had to pay. Now, it seems, they had not wherewithal of their own to buy corn and pay taxes, but were necessitated to borrow. Their families came poor out of Babylon; they had been at great expense in building them houses, and had not yet got up their strength when these new burdens came upon them. The straits of poor housekeepers who make hard shift to get an honest livelihood, and sometimes want what is fitting for them and their families, are well worthy the compassionate consideration of those who either with their wealth or with their power are in a capacity to help them.

II. The persons they dealt with were hard. Money must be had, but it must be borrowed; and those that lent them money, taking advantage of their necessity, were very hard upon them and made a prey of them. 1. They exacted interest from them at twelve per cent, the hundredth part every month, Neh 5:11. If men borrow large sums to trade with, to increase their stocks, or to purchase land, there is no reason why the lender should not share with the borrower in his profit; or if to spend upon their lusts, or repair what they have so spent, why should they not pay for their extravagances? But if the poor borrow to maintain their families, and we be able to help them, it is certain we ought either to lend freely what they have occasion for, or (if they be not likely to repay it) to give freely something towards it. Nay, 2. They forced them to mortgage to them their lands and houses for the securing of the money (Neh 5:3), and not only so, but took the profits of them for interest (Neh 5:5, compare Neh 5:11), that by degrees they might make themselves masters of all they had. Yet this was not the worst. 3. They took their children for bond-servants, to be enslaved or sold at pleasure, Neh 5:5. This they complain of most sensibly, as that which touched them in a tender part, and they aggravate it with this: " Our children are as their children, as dear to us as theirs are to them; not only of the same human nature, and entitled to the honours and liberties of that (Mal 2:10; Job 31:15), but of the same holy nation, free-born Israelites, and dignified with the same privileges. Our flesh carries in it the sacred seal of the covenant of circumcision, as well as the flesh of our brethren; yet our heirs must be their slaves, and it is not in our power to redeem them. "This they made a humble remonstrance of to Nehemiah, not only because they saw he was a great man that could relieve them, but a good man that would. Whither should the injured poor flee for succour but to the shields of the earth? Whither but to the chancery, to the charity, in the royal breast, and those deputed by it for relief against the summum jus - the extremity of the law?

Lastly, We will leave Nehemiah hearing the complaint, and enquiring into the truth of the complainants' allegations (for the clamours of the poor are not always just), while we sit down and look, (1.) With a gracious compassion upon the oppressed, and lament the hardships which many in the world are groaning under; putting our souls into their souls' stead, and remembering in our prayers and succours those that are burdened, as burdened with them. (2.) With a gracious indignation at the oppressors, and abhorrence of their pride and cruelty, who drink the tears, the blood, of those they have under their feet. But let those who show no mercy expect judgment without mercy. It was an aggravation of the sin of these oppressing Jews that they were themselves so lately delivered out of the house of bondage, which obliged them in gratitude to undo the heavy burdens, Isa 58:6.

Matthew Henry: Neh 5:6-13

It should seem the foregoing complaint was made to Nehemiah at the time when he had his head and hands as full as possible of the public business about building the wall; yet, perceiving it to be just, he did not reject it because it was unseasonable; he did not chide the petitioners, nor fall into a passion with them, for disturbing him when they saw how much he had to do, a fault which men of business are too often guilty of; nor did he so much as adjourn the hearing of the cause or proceedings upon it till he had more leisure. The case called for speedy interposition, and therefore he applied himself immediately to the consideration of it, knowing that, let him build Jerusalem's walls ever so high, so thick, so strong, the city could not be safe while such abuses as these were tolerated. Now observe, What method he took for the redress of this grievance which was so threatening to the public.

I. He was very angry (Neh 5:6); he expressed a great displeasure at it, as a very bad thing. Note, It well becomes rulers to show themselves angry at sin, that by the anger itself they may be excited to their duty, and by the expressions of it others may be deterred from evil.

II. He consulted with himself, Neh 5:7. By this it appears that his anger was not excessive, but kept within bounds, that, though his spirit was provoked, he did not say or do any thing unadvisedly. Before he rebuked the nobles, he consulted with himself what to say, and when, and how. Note, Reproofs must be given with great consideration, that what is well meant may not come short of its end for want of being well managed. It is the reproof of instruction that giveth life. Even wise men lose the benefit of their wisdom sometimes for want of consulting with themselves and taking time to deliberate.

III. He rebuked the nobles and rulers, who were the monied men, and whose power perhaps made them the more bold to oppress. Note, Even nobles and rulers, if they do that which is evil, ought to be told of it by proper persons. Let no man imagine that his dignity sets him above reproof.

IV. He set a great assembly against them. He called the people together to be witnesses of what he said, and to bear their testimony (which the people will generally be forward to do) against the oppressions and extortions their rulers were guilty of, Neh 5:12. Ezra and Nehemiah were both of them very wise, good, useful men, yet, in cases not unlike, there was a great deal of difference between their management: when Ezra was told of the sin of the rulers in marrying strange wives he rent his clothes, and wept, and prayed, and was hardly persuaded to attempt a reformation, fearing it to be impracticable, for he was a man of a mild tender spirit; when Nehemiah was told of as bad a thing he kindled immediately, reproached the delinquents, incensed the people against them, and never rested till, by all the rough methods he could use, he forced them to reform; for he was a man of a hot and eager spirit. Note, 1. Very holy men may differ much from each other in their natural temper and in other things that result from it. 2. God's work may be done, well done, and successfully, and yet different methods taken in the doing of it, which is a good reason why we should neither arraign the management of others nor make our own a standard. There are diversities of operation, but the same Spirit.

V. He fairly reasoned the case with them, and showed them the evil of what they did. The regular way of reforming men's lives is to endeavour, in the first place, to convince their consciences. Several things he offered to their consideration, which are so pertinent and just that it appeared he had consulted with himself. He lays it before them, 1. That those whom they oppressed were their brethren: You exact every one of his brother. It was bad enough to oppress strangers, but much worse to oppress their poor brethren, from whom the divine law did not allow them to take any usury, Deu 23:19, Deu 23:20. 2. That they were but lately redeemed out of the hand of the heathen. The body of the people were so by the wonderful providence of God; some particular persons among them were so, who, besides their share in the general captivity, were in servitude to heathen masters, and ransomed at the charge of Nehemiah and other pious and well-disposed persons. "Now,"says he, "have we taken all this pains to get their liberty out of the hands of the heathen, and shall their own rulers enslave them? What an absurd thing is this! Must we be at the same trouble and expense to redeem them from you as we were to redeem them from Babylon?"Neh 5:8. Those whom God by his grace has made free ought not to be again brought under a yoke of bondage, Gal 5:1; 1Co 7:23. 3. That it was a great sin thus to oppress the poor (Neh 5:9): " It is not good that you do; though you get money by it, you contract guilt by it, and ought you not to walk in the fear of God? Certainly you ought, for you profess religion, and relation to him; and, if you do walk in the fear of God, you will not be either covetous of worldly gain or cruel towards your brethren."Those that walk in the fear of God will not dare to do a wicked thing, Job 31:13, Job 31:14, Job 31:23. 4. That it was a great scandal, and a reproach to their profession. "Consider the reproach of the heathen our enemies, enemies to us, to our God, and to our holy religion. They will be glad of any occasion to speak against us, and this will give them great occasion; they will say, These Jews, that profess so much devotion to God, see how barbarous they are one to another."Note, (1.) All that profess religion should be very careful that they do nothing to expose themselves to the reproach of those that are without, lest religion be wounded through their sides. (2.) Nothing exposes religion more to the reproach of its enemies than the worldliness and hard-heartedness of the professors of it. 5. That he himself had set them a better example (Neh 5:10), which he enlarges upon afterwards, Neh 5:14, etc. Those that rigorously insist upon their right themselves will with a very ill grace persuade others to recede from theirs.

VI. He earnestly pressed them not only not to make their poor neighbours any more such hard bargains, but to restore that which they had got into their hands, Neh 5:11. See how familiarly he speaks to them: Let us leave off this usury, putting himself in, as becomes reprovers, though far from being any way guilty of the crime. See how earnestly, and yet humbly, he persuades them: I pray you leave off; and I pray you restore. Though he had authority to command, yet, for love's sake, he rather beseeches. See how particularly he presses them to be kind to the poor, to give them up their mortgages, put them again in possession of their estates, remit the interest, and give them time to pay in the principal. He urged them to their loss, yet, urging them to their duty, it would be, at length, to their advantage. What we charitably forgive will be remembered and recompensed, as well as what we charitably give.

VII. He laid them under all the obligations possible to do what he pressed them to. 1. He got a promise from them (Neh 5:12): We will restore them. 2. He sent for the priests to give them their oath that they would perform this promise; now that their convictions were strong, and they seemed resolved, he would keep them to it. 3. He bound them by a solemn curse or execration, hoping that would strike some awe upon them: So let God shake out every man that performeth not this promise, Neh 5:13. This was a threatening that he would certainly do so, to which the people said Amen, as to those curses at Mount Ebal (Deu. 27), that their throats might be cut with their own tongues if they should falsify their engagement, and that by the dread of that they might be kept to their promise. With this Amen the people praised the Lord; so far were they from promising with regret that they promised with all possible expressions of joy and thankfulness. Thus David, when he took God's vows upon him, sang and gave praise, Psa 56:12. This cheerfulness in promising was well, but that which follows was better: They did according to this promise, and adhered to what they had done, not as their ancestors in a like case, who re-enslaved those whom a little before they had released, Jer 34:10, Jer 34:11. Good promises are good things, but good performances are all in all.

Matthew Henry: Neh 5:14-19

Nehemiah had mentioned his own practice, as an inducement to the nobles not to burden the poor, no, not with just demands; here he relates more particularly what his practice was, not inn pride or vain-glory, nor to pass a compliment upon himself, but as an inducement both to his successors and to the inferior magistrates to be as tender as might be of the people's ease.

I. He intimates what had been the way of his predecessors, Neh 5:15. He does not name them, because what he had to say of them was not to their honour, and in such a case it is good to spare names; but the people knew how chargeable they had been, and how dearly the country paid for all the benefit of their government. The government allowed them forty shekels of silver, which was nearly five pounds (so much a day, it is probable); but, besides that, they obliged the people to furnish them with bread and wine, which they claimed as perquisites of their office; and not only so, but they suffered their servants to squeeze the people, and to get all they could out of them. Note, 1. It is no new thing for those who are in public places to seek themselves more than the public welfare, any, and to serve themselves by the public loss. 2. Masters must be accountable for all the acts of fraud and injustice, violence and oppression, which they connive at in their servants.

II. He tells us what had been his own way.

1. In general, he had not done as the former governors did; he would not, he durst not, because of the fear of God. He had an awe of God's majesty and a dread of his wrath. And, (1.) The fear of God restrained him from oppressing the people. Those that truly fear God will not dare to do any thing cruel or unjust. (2.) It was purely that which restrained him. He was thus generous, not that he might have praise of men, or serve a turn by his interest in the people, but purely for conscience' sake, because of the fear of God. This will not only be a powerful, but an acceptable principle both of justice and charity. What a good hand his predecessors made of their place appeared by the estates they raised; but Nehemiah, for his part, got nothing, except the satisfaction of doing good: Neither bought we any land, Neh 5:16. Say not then that he was a bad husband, but that he was a good governor, who aimed not to feather his own nest. Let us remember the words of the Lord, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive, Act 20:35.

2. More particularly, observe here, (1.) How little Nehemiah received of what he might have required. He did the work of the governor, but he did not eat the bread of the governor (Neh 5:14), did not require it, Neh 5:18. So far was he from extorting more than his due that he never demanded that, but lived upon what he had got in the king of Persia's court and his own estate in Judea: the reason he gives for this piece of self-denial is, Because the bondage was heavy upon the people. He might have used the common excuse for rigour in such cases, that it would be a wrong to his successors not to demand his dues; but let them look to themselves: he considered the afflicted state of the Jews, and, while they groaned under so much hardship, he could not find it in his heart to add to their burden, but would rather lessen his own estate than ruin them. note, In our demands we must consider not only the justice of them, but the ability of those on whom we make them; where there is nothing to be had we know who loses his right. (2.) How much he gave which he might have withheld. [1.] His servants' work, Neh 5:16. The servants of princes think themselves excused from labour; but Nehemiah's servants, by his order no doubt, were all gathered to the work. Those that have many servants should contrive how they may do good with them and keep them well employed. [2.] His own meat, Neh 5:17, Neh 5:18. He kept a very good table, not on certain days, but constantly; he had many honourable guests, at least 150 of his own countrymen, persons of the first rank, besides strangers that came to him upon business; and he had plentiful provisions for his guests, beef, and mutton, and fowl, and all sorts of wine. Let those in public places remember that they were preferred to do good, not to enrich themselves; and let people in humbler stations learn to use hospitality one to another without grudging, 1Pe 4:9.

III. He concludes with a prayer (Neh 5:19): Think upon me, my God, for good. 1. Nehemiah here mentions what he had done for this people, not in pride, as boasting of himself, nor in passion, as upbraiding them, nor does it appear that he had occasion to do it in his own vindication, as Paul had to relate his like self-denying tenderness towards the Corinthians, but to shame the rulers out of their oppressions; let them learn of him to be neither greedy in their demands nor paltry in their expenses, and then they would have the credit and comfort of their liberality, as he had. 2. He mentions it to God in prayer, not as if he thought he had hereby merited any favour from God, as a debt, but to show that he looked not for any recompence of his generosity from men, but depended upon God only to make up to him what he had lost and laid out for his honour; and he reckoned the favour of God reward enough. "If God do but think upon me for good, I have enough."His thoughts to us-ward are our happiness, Psa 40:5. He refers it to God to recompense him in such a manner as he pleased. "If men forget me, let my God think on me, and I desire no more."

Keil-Delitzsch: Neh 5:1-5

The people complain of oppression . - Neh 5:1 There arose a greatcry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews, i.e., asappears from what follows (Neh 5:7), against the nobles and rulers, thereforeagainst the richer members of the community. This cry is moreparticularly stated in Neh 5:2, where the malcontents are divided into threeclasses by וישׁ , Neh 5:2, Neh 5:3, Neh 5:4.

Neh 5:2

There were some who said: Our sons and our daughters are many,and we desire to receive corn, that we may eat and live. These were thewords of those workers who had no property. נקחה (from לקח ), not to take by force, but only to desire that corn may beprovided.

Neh 5:3

Others, who were indeed possessed of fields, vineyards, andhouses, had been obliged to mortgage them, and could now reap nothingfrom them. ערב , to give as a pledge, to mortgage. The use of theparticiple denotes the continuance of the transaction, and is not to berendered, We must mortgage our fields to procure corn; but, We have beenobliged to mortgage them, and we desire to receive corn for our hunger,because of the dearth. For (1) the context shows that the act of mortgaginghad already taken place, and was still continuing in force (we have beenobliged to pledge them, and they are still pledged); and (2) נקחה must not be taken here in a different sense from Neh 5:2, but means, We desirethat corn may be furnished us, because of the dearth; not, that we may notbe obliged to mortgage our lands, but because they are already mortgaged. בּרעב , too, does not necessarily presuppose a scarcity inconsequence of a failure of crops or other circumstances, but only declaresthat they who had been obliged to pledge their fields were suffering fromhunger.

Neh 5:4

Others, again, complained: We have borrowed money for theking's tribute upon our fields and vineyards. לוה means to bedependent, nexum esse , and transitively to make dependent, like מלא , to be full, and to make full: We have made our fields and ourvineyards answerable for money for the king's tribute (Bertheau), i.e., wehave borrowed money upon our fields for ... This they could only do bypledging the crops of these lands, or at least such a portion of their cropsas might equal the sum borrowed; comp. the law, Lev 25:14-17.

Neh 5:5

"And now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, and our sonsas their sons; and lo, we are obliged to bring our sons and our daughtersinto bondage, and some of our daughters are already brought into bondage;and we have no power to alter this, and our fields and vineyards belong toothers.""Our brethren"are the richer Jews who had lent money uponpledges, and בּניהם are their sons. The sense of the first half ofthe verse is: We are of one flesh and blood with these rich men, i.e., asRamb. already correctly explains it: non sumus deterioris conditionis quam tribules nostri divites, nec tamen nostrae inopiae ex lege divina Deu 15:7,Deu 15:8, subvenitur, nisi maximo cum foenore . The law not only allowed to lendto the poor on a pledge (Deu 15:8), but also permitted Israelites, if theywere poor, to sell themselves (Lev 25:39), and also their sons anddaughters, to procure money. It required, however, that they who werethus sold should not be retained as slaves, but set at liberty withoutransom, either after seven years or at the year of jubilee (Lev 25:39-41; Exo 22:2.). It is set forth as a special hardship in this verse that some of theirdaughters were brought into bondage for maid-servants. ידנוּ לאל אין , literally, our hand is not to God, i.e., the powerto alter it is not in our hand; on this figure of speech, comp. Gen 31:29. The last clause gives the reason: Our fields and our vineyards belonging toothers, what they yield does not come to us, and we are not in a positionto be able to put an end to the sad necessity of selling our daughters forservants.

Keil-Delitzsch: Neh 5:6-13

The abolition of usury . - Neh 5:6 Nehemiah was very angry at this complaintand these things, i.e., the injustice which had been brought to hisknowledge.

Neh 5:7

"And my heart took counsel upon it ( ימּלך accordingto the Chaldee use of מלך , Dan 4:24), and I contended with thenobles and rulers, and said to them, Ye exact usury every one of hisbrother." ב נשׁא means to lend to any one, and משּׁא ,also משּׁאה , Deu 24:10; Pro 22:26, and mashe', is the thinglent, the loan, what one borrows from or lends to another. Consequently משּׁא נשׁא is to lend some one a loan; comp. Deu 24:10. This does not seem to suit this verse. For Nehemiah cannotreproach the nobles for lending loans, when he and his servants had,according to Neh 5:10, done so likewise. Hence the injustice of the transactionwhich he rebukes must be expressed in the emphatic precedence given to משּׁא . Bertheau accordingly regards משּׁא not as theaccusative of the object, but as an independent secondary accusative in thesense of: for the sake of demanding a pledge, ye lend. But this rendering can be neither grammatically nor lexically justified. Inthe first respect it is opposed by משּׁאה השּׁא , Deu 24:10, whichshows that משּׁא in conjunction with נשׁא is theaccusative of the object; in the other, by the constant use of משּׁא in all passages in which it occurs to express a loan, not a demandfor a pledge. From Exo 22:24, where it is said, "If thou lend money ( תּלוה ) to the poor, thou shalt not be to him כּנשׁה , shalt not layupon him usury,"it is evident that נשׁה is one who lends moneyon usury, or carries on the business of a money-lender. This evilsecondary meaning of the word is here strongly marked by the emphaticpraeposition of משּׁא ; hence Nehemiah is speaking of those whopractise usury. "And I appointed a great assembly on their account,"toput a stop to the usury and injustice by a public discussion of the matter. עליהם , not against them (the usurers), but on their account.

Neh 5:8

In this assembly he reproached them with the injustice of theirbehaviour. "We"(said he) "have, after our ability, redeemed our brethrenthe Jews which were sold unto the heathen; yet ye would sell yourbrethren, and they are to be sold to us."We (i.e., Nehemiah and the Jewsliving in exile, who were like-minded with him) have bought, in contrast toye sell. They had redeemed their Jewish brethren who were sold to theheathen. בנוּ כּדי for בנוּ אשׁר כּדי , i.e., not according to the full number of those who wereamong us, meaning as often as a sale of this kind occurred (Bertheau); for דּי does not mean completeness, multitude, but only sufficiency,supply, adequacy of means (Lev 25:26); hence בנוּ כּדי is: according to the means that we had: secundum sufficientiam vel facultatem, quae in nobis est (Ramb.), or secundum possibilitatem nostram (Vulg.). The contrast is still more strongly expressed by the placing of גּם before אתּם , so that וגם acquires the meaning ofnevertheless (Ewald, §354, a ). The sale of their brethren for bond-servantswas forbidden by the law, Lev 25:42. The usurers had nothing to answerto this reproach. "They held their peace, and found no word,"sc. injustification of their proceedings.

Neh 5:9

Nehemiah, moreover, continued ( ויאמר , the Chethiv, isevidently a clerical error for ואמר , for the Niphal ויּאמר does not suit): "The thing ye do is not good: ought ye not (= ye surelyought) to walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of theheathen our enemies?"i.e., we ought not, by harsh and unloving conducttowards our brethren, to give our enemies occasion to calumniate us.

Neh 5:10-12

"I, likewise my brethren and my servants (comp. Neh 4:17),have lent them money and corn; let us, I pray, remit (not ask back) thisloan!"The participle נשׁים says: we are those who have lent. Herewith he connects the invitation, Neh 5:11 : "Restore unto them, I prayyou, even this day ( כּהיּום , about this day, i.e., even to-day, 1Sa 9:13), their fields, their vineyards, their olive gardens, and theirhouses, and the hundredth of the money, and of the corn, wine, and oilwhich you have lent them."Nehemiah requires, 1 st , that those who heldthe lands of their poorer brethren in pledge should restore them theirproperty without delay: 2 nd , that they should remit to their debtors allinterest owing on money, corn, etc. that had been lent; not, as the wordshave been frequently understood, that they should give back to theirdebtors such interest as they had already received. That the words in Neh 5:11 bear the former, and not the latter signification, isobvious from the reply, Neh 5:12, of those addressed: "We will restore, sc. their lands, etc., and will not querie of them, sc. the hundredth; so will wedo as thou sayest."Hence we must not translate בּהם נשׁים אתּם אשׁר , "which you had taken fromthem as interest"(de Wette), - a translation which, moreover, cannot bejustified by the usage of the language, for ב נשׁה does not meanto take interest from another, to lend to another on interest. The אשׁר relates not to וּמאת , but to והיּצהר ... הדּגן ; and השׁיב , to restore, to make good,is used of both the transactions in question, meaning in the first clause therestoration of the lands retained as pledges, and in the second, theremission (the non-requirement) of the hundredth. The hundredth taken as interest is probably, like the centesima of theRomans, to be understood of a monthly payment. One per cent. permonth was a very heavy interest, and one which, in the case of the poor,might be exorbitant. The law, moreover, forbade the taking of any usuryfrom their brethren, their poor fellow-countrymen, Exo 22:25 and Lev 25:36. When the creditors had given the consent required, Nehemiahcalled the priests, and made them (the creditors) swear to do according tothis promise, i.e., conscientiously to adhere to their agreement. Nehemiahobtained the attendance of the priests, partly for the purpose of givingsolemnity to the oath now taken, and partly to give to the declarationmade in the presence of the priests legal validity for judicial decisions.

Neh 5:13

To make the agreement thus sworn to still more binding,Nehemiah confirmed the proceeding by a symbolical action: Also I shookmy lap, and said, So may God shake out every man from his house, andfrom his labour, that performeth (fulfilleth) not this promise, and thusmay he be shaken out and emptied. חצן means the lap of the garment,in which things are carried (Isa 49:22), where alone the word is againfound. The symbolical action consisted in Nehemiah's gathering up hisgarment as if for the purpose of carrying something, and then shaking itout with the words above stated, which declared the meaning of the act. The whole congregation said Amen, and praised the Lord, sc. for thesuccess with which God had blessed his efforts to help the poor. And thepeople did according to this promise, i.e., the community acted inaccordance with the agreement entered into.

Keil-Delitzsch: Neh 5:14-19

Nehemiah's unselfish conduct . - The transaction above related gaveNehemiah occasion to speak in his narrative of the unselfishness withwhich he had filled the office of governor, and of the personal sacrifices hehad made for the good of his fellow-countrymen.

Neh 5:14

The statement following is compared with the special occurrencepreceding it by גּם . As in this occurrence he had used his credit todo away with the oppression of the people by wealthy usurers, so alsohad he shown himself unselfish during his whole official career, andshunned no sacrifice by which he might lighten the burdens that lay uponhis fellow-countrymen. "From the time that he appointed me to be theirgovernor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two-and-thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, I and my servants have not eatenthe bread of the governor."The subject of צוּה is leftundefined, but is obviously King Artaxerxes. פּחם , their (theJews') governor. This he was from the twentieth (comp. Neh 2:1) to thethirty-second year of Artaxerxes, in which, according to Neh 13:6, he againvisited the court of this monarch, returning after a short interval toJerusalem, to carry out still further the work he had there undertaken. "The bread of the Pechah"is, according to Neh 5:15, the food and wine withwhich the community had to furnish him. The meaning is: During thiswhole period I drew no allowances from the people.

Neh 5:15

The former governors who had been before me in Jerusalem - Zerubbabel and his successors-had received allowances, העם על הכבּידוּ , had burdened the people, and had taken of them(their fellow-countrymen) for bread and wine (i.e., for the requirements oftheir table), "afterwards in money forty shekels."Some difficulty ispresented by the word אחר , which the lxx render by ἔσχατον , the Vulgate quotidie . The meaning ultra, praeter , besides (EW. §217,1), can no more be shown to be that of אחר , than over can, whichBertheau attempts to justify by saying that after forty shekels followforty-one, forty-two, etc. The interpretation, too: reckoned after money(Böttcher, de Inferis , §409, b, and N. krit. Aehrenl . iii. p. 219), cannot besupported by the passages quoted in its behalf, since in none of them is אחר used de illo quod normae est , but has everywherefundamentally the local signification after . Why, then, should not אחר be here used adverbially, afterwards , and express the thought thatthis money was afterwards demanded from the community for theexpenses of the governor's table? "Even their servants bare rule over thepeople." שׁלט denotes arbitrary, oppressive rule, abuse ofpower for extortions, etc. Nehemiah, on the contrary, had not thus actedbecause of the fear of God.

Neh 5:16

"And also I took part in the work of this wall; neither bought weany land, and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work." בּ החזיק = בּ יד החזיק , to set the hand tosomething; here, to set about the work. The manner in which Nehemiah,together with his servants, set themselves to the work of wall-building isseen from Neh 4:10, Neh 4:12, Neh 4:15, and Neh 4:17. Neither have we (I and my servants)bought any land, i.e., have not by the loan of money and corn acquiredmortgages of land; comp. Neh 5:10.

Neh 5:17

But this was not all; for Nehemiah had also fed a considerablenumber of persons at his table, at his own expense. "And the Jews, bothone hundred and fifty rulers, and the men who came to us from the nationsround about us, were at my table,"i.e., were my guests. The hundred andfifty rulers, comp. Neh 2:16, were the heads of the different houses ofJudah collectively. These were always guests at Nehemiah's table, as werealso such Jews as dwelt among the surrounding nations, when they cameto Jerusalem.

Neh 5:18

"And that which was prepared for one (i.e., a single) day wasone ox, six choice (therefore fat) sheep, and fowls; they were prepared forme, i.e., at my expense, and once in ten days a quantity of wine of allkinds."The meaning of the last clause seems to be, that the wine wasfurnished every ten days; no certain quantity, however, is mentioned, butit is only designated in general terms as very great, להרבּה . זה ועם , and with this, i.e., notwithstanding this, greatexpenditure, I did not require the bread of the Pechah (the allowance forthe governor, comp. Neh 5:14), for the service was heavy upon the people. העבדה is the service of building the walls of Jerusalem. ThusNehemiah, from compassion for his heavily burdened countrymen,resigned the allowance to which as governor he was entitled.

Neh 5:19

"Think upon me, my God, for good, all that I have done for thispeople."Compare the repetition of this desire, Neh 13:14 and Neh 13:31. על עשׂה in the sense of ל עשׂה , for the sake of thispeople, i.e., for them.

Constable: Neh 1:1--7:73

I. THE FORTIFICATION OF JERUSALEM chs. 1--7

"The first seven chapters of Nehemiah as well as 12:31-13:31 are written in the first person. This, as well as all or part of Neh 11 and the rest of Neh 12, constitutes what is called the Nehemiah Memoirs. As such it offers an extensive look into the life and heart of an outstanding servant of God that is unique to the Old Testament."⁴

Constable: Neh 3:1--7:5

B. The Rebuilding of the Walls 3:1-7:4

Nehemiah described the reconstruction of the walls starting with the Sheep Gate near the city's northeast corner moving counterclockwise. This record honors those who by building helped reestablish Israel in the Promised Land in harmony with God's will (cf., e.g., Isa. 52:11-12).

Constable: Neh 5:1-19

3. The strife among the workers ch. 5

This chapter evidently describes a situation that prevailed for more than the 52 days the wall was under construction (cf. v. 14). The writer probably included it in the text here because it was another situation that threatened to block the fulfillment of God's will.

"Up to this point Nehemiah's challenges as a spiritual leader focused primarily on those outside of Judah. But before the walls were finally rebuilt, he encountered the most difficult and intense kind of problem almost every spiritual leader has to face sometime--problems within."⁴⁷

The underlying problem this chapter chronicles sprang from pride. Instead of putting God's interests first and seeking the welfare of their brethren, the Jews were putting their own interests first and taking advantage of their brethren (cf. Matt. 22:37-39). The Mosaic Law forbade Israelites from charging interest when they made loans to fellow Jews (Exod. 22:25; Lev. 25:35-38). Evidently Nehemiah and some of his fellow Jews had paid money to certain Gentiles in Babylonia who owned Jewish slaves to liberate those Israelites so they could return to Judah (v. 8). How inconsistent it was then for the Jews in Jerusalem to enslave them again. Evidently the people of the land were criticizing the Jews for enslaving their brethren (v. 9). Nehemiah himself seems to have made loans to the poorer Jews in Judah, though he did not say he charged them interest (v. 10). Now he called for a stop not only to usury (charging exorbitant interest) but also to lending. He believed the "haves" should give, not lend, to the "have nots" out of love for God and their brethren. Nehemiah spoke out against social injustice. The people agreed to do as Nehemiah asked (v. 12). The "hundredth part" (v. 11) was the interest rate that, if calculated on a monthly basis, would amount to 12 percent per year.

Nehemiah's unselfish example for the welfare of the community should be a challenge to any leader of God's people (vv. 14-19). The plans of God and the welfare of His people were most important to him.

"One cannot be certain that Nehemiah was originally given a twelve-year appointment as governor by Artaxerxes (2:6). Perhaps his original appointment was for a briefer period, but was extended to twelve years."⁴⁸

The people the governor ruled would have provided his food allowance (v. 14). Rather than taking advantage of his opportunity to acquire real estate, Nehemiah gave his attention to rebuilding the wall (v. 16). He also provided for the needs of over 150 Jews who worked on the wall out of his own pocket (vv. 17-18).

"According to the Persian custom, as governor of Judah Nehemiah had to entertain a number of people at his table."⁴⁹

As Paul later did, Nehemiah gave up what was legitimately his due to provide a good example for those he led (cf. 1 Cor. 9; 2 Thess. 3:8).⁵⁰

"Leadership means going further than those one is leading."⁵¹

Nehemiah asked God to reward him for what he had done (v. 19). This is not an improper request since God has promised to bless those who put Him first (Deut. 28:1-14; cf. Matt. 6:33; Mark 10:29-30).

"The invocation of God's favour is not so much a plea for a reward as an emphatic way of claiming that he [Nehemiah] has acted in good faith and from right motives. It is a statement of confidence that God is judge, and judges favourably those who sincerely seek to do his will."⁵²

The formula "Remember me, O my God . . ." (also in 13:14, 22, and 31) has some parallels in Egyptian literature of this period.⁵³

Guzik: Neh 5:1-19

Nehemiah 5 - The Work Is Threatened Internally

A. Financial problems threaten the work.

1. (1) A great outcry of the people stops the work of rebuilding the wall.

And there was a great outcry of the people and their wives against their Jewish brethren.

a. And there was: Chapter four ended on a note of great victory. The people of God were doing the work of God, and they did it despite all obstacles. They worked with a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other, and they would not let their enemies stop them. But in this section of chapter five, there is no mention of working on the wall, indicting that the work had stopped.

b. Against their Jewish brethren: The work stopped because of strife among God's people. The enemy could not stop the work of God by direct attack, but the work stopped when God's people weren't unified and working together.

i. A great outcry of the people and their wives against their Jewish brethren meant one group fought against another. When God's people fight one another they certainly are neither fighting the real enemy nor getting God's work done.

2. (2-5) The reason for strife among God's people: money problems.

For there were those who said, "We, our sons, and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain, that we may eat and live." There were also some who said, "We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine." There were also those who said, "We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our lands and vineyards. Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards."

a. We, our sons, and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain, that we may eat and live: Nehemiah is not primarily a book about money; it is a book about rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and bringing God's people into a place of peace, security, and blessing. Yet money problems directly affected the rebuilding work.

i. Most the time money problems affect a building project because there isn't enough money to do the work. But the job of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem seems to have been paid for by the king of Persia, who provided the necessary building materials for Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:8) and sent him with royal guards (Nehemiah 1:9).

ii. Nehemiah's money problems were different; they were money problems among the people that harmed the unity among the people of God.

b. Let us get grain for them, that we may eat: People had money problems because they worked hard on the walls and did not spend the same time on providing for the needs of their household.

i. If you want to spend much time directly ministering to the needs of God's people and in spreading the gospel, in most cases it will affect your ability to provide. Ministry takes time, and time spent on ministry is time you aren't making money. If one gets to the place where the ministry is your way of making a living, one should be used to not making a lot of money - or the transition will be rather difficult.

c. Because of the famine: People had money problems because there was a famine, which made food more expensive. It was so expensive that some mortgaged their property to provide food.

i. A famine is no one's fault; many of the financial problems people face are really not the fault of anyone. Yet there may be fault in how the problems are addressed.

d. For the king's tax: People had money problems because the government kept taxing them even though they weren't working as much and even though the cost of living went up.

i. These taxes were not the fault of those who were hurt by them. Neither Nehemiah nor the people acted as if these taxes were unfair, yet they were still a hardship.

e. We have borrowed money . . . indeed we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves: People had financial problems because the loans they had taken out to live cost interest, and some were in default. Therefore some had to give their children as servants to their lenders to pay off the debt.

i. As will be indicated later (Nehemiah 5:11, the hundredth part), the rich were taking advantage of the crisis to make money off the poor, charging 12% interest a year.

ii. It isn't unusual for money problems to create strife and completely disrupt what God wants to do. If Nehemiah and his people did not find a way to do what God wanted them to do with their money and money problems, the work of God would be stopped - without a single arrow being fired by the enemies of God.

ii. We sometimes want to separate what we do with our money from our walk with God. This is a huge deception from Satan. Buying a house is a spiritual decision, not just a financial one. Taking a job, choosing a career, deciding how much money you should make - all these are matters that will directly affect your walk with God, both now and in the future.

iii. If we don't handle our money with the right heart, and make financial decisions with an eye to eternity, we can make mistakes that will affect the work of God in our lives for years and years.

iv. Essential to handling our money with the right heart before God is being a giver. Being a giver to the work of the Lord helps us always remember that God and His kingdom come first. The New Testament tells us our giving should be regular, thoughtful, proportional, and private (1 Corinthians 16:1-4); that it must be generous, freely given, and cheerful (2 Corinthians 9).

v. Money problems are rarely only money problems. We often think if we just had more money, our money problems would go away. It isn't true - and that's a proven fact, just by looking at the lives of many of those that win a lottery or come into unexpected riches. If they had money problems before - if they didn't know how to handle their money, and glorify God with it - they won't know after. The same problems will soon show up again, often times bigger than ever.

3. (6) Nehemiah's immediate reaction: anger.

And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words.

a. And I became very angry: Nehemiah became angry because these money problems were caused, in part, because of the greed of those who wanted to make a profit off of the money troubles of others, something Moses' law clearly said was wrong (Exodus 22:25).

b. I became very angry when I heard their outcry: Nehemiah became angry because these money problems led to a lack of unity among the people of God. This unity that was more precious than any amount of money.

c. I heard their outcry and these words: No mention was made of the work on the walls. Nehemiah got angry because these money problems stopped the work of the LORD in rebuilding the walls. It must have frustrated him that they could stand so strong against an enemy, but fall so quickly to these kinds of problems.

4. (7-11) Nehemiah's wise response: confronting those who were in the wrong.

After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them, "Each of you is exacting usury from his brother." So I called a great assembly against them. And I said to them, "According to our ability we have redeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations. Now indeed, will you even sell your brethren? Or should they be sold to us?" Then they were silenced and found nothing to say. Then I said, "What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? I also, with my brethren and my servants, am lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury! Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a hundredth of the money and the grain, the new wine and the oil, that you have charged them."

a. After serious thought: This was great leadership from Nehemiah. He was a man passionate enough to get angry; but wise enough to not act until he had considered the matter carefully.

b. I rebuked the nobles and the rulers: Nehemiah was no coward. When people were in the wrong, he confronted them. He told the truth, and from the result (Nehemiah 5:12-13), we can judge that he must have told the truth in love.

i. Nehemiah teaches us that the way a leader should approach problems is head on.

c. Each of you is exacting usury from his brother: Usury is interest that is either too high or should not be charged at all. The Bible says it is wrong to make money off of someone's financial need; if someone needs money for the most basic needs of life, they should be given money, not loaned it at interest.

i. Of course, loaning money at interest is permitted for things that are not absolute necessities. Yet God's people must always use great wisdom and self-control in borrowing money.

d. We have redeemed our Jewish brethren: Nehemiah noted that when Judah was conquered, many Jews were sold as slaves to foreigners and many of than had been bought out of slavery by other Jews. Because of this, it was very wrong to have Jews being sold into slavery to other Jews because they couldn't pay off high-interest loans.

e. Should you not walk in the fear of our God? This is where many business deals go wrong before God, because there is no regard for God's will or wisdom. The only concern is if a deal can be made, and if money will come from it; not if it is right or wrong.

f. Restore now to them, even this day: Nehemiah was not asking the nobles and the rulers to just feel bad, or to just stop what they were doing; they had to set the wrong they had done right. If money had be charged unfairly or collateral was taken unfairly, it had to be set right.

5. (12-13) The response of the rulers and nobles who had done wrong.

So they said, "We will restore it, and will require nothing from them; we will do as you say." Then I called the priests, and required an oath from them that they would do according to this promise. Then I shook out the fold of my garment and said, "So may God shake out each man from his house, and from his property, who does not perform this promise. Even thus may he be shaken out and emptied." And all the assembly said, "Amen!" and praised the LORD. Then the people did according to this promise.

a. We will restore it: This was good. Nehemiah wisely told the truth in love, confronting these brothers; and they received the rebuke, doing the right thing and admitting they had been wrong.

i. Their teachable, correctable spirit was impressive; too few are willing to admit they are wrong and to do what is right - especially if money is involved.

b. So may God shake out each man . . . who does not perform this promise: Nehemiah wisely knew their words were not enough. Their actions had to be followed through with real action - and it was: the people did according to this promise.

i. With the oaths, and public record of all this, Nehemiah assures accountability - something we often need to help us do what our spirit is willing to do, but our flesh is weak to do! Perhaps accountability is a missing step in dealing with an area where you are having a hard time doing what is right.

B. Nehemiah's godly example.

1. (14-16) Nehemiah did not tax the people.

Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor's provisions. But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God. Indeed, I also continued the work on this wall, and we did not buy any land. All my servants were gathered there for the work.

a. Neither I nor my brothers ate the governor's provisions: Nehemiah was a great example of putting the work of God ahead of his own personal interest. He certainly had the right to tax the people for his support (others had done it before him), but he didn't take that right because it wouldn't help the work of God.

i. The apostle Paul is another great example of someone who had the right to be supported, but didn't take that right because it was better for the cause of the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:1-15).

ii. Should ministers be supported today? It is all a question of what is better for the cause of the gospel. If it is better for a minister to be able to devote himself full time to the care and teaching of God's people, he should be supported. If it is better for him not to be supported that way, he shouldn't. There's something wrong with a minister who will only minister to God's people if the money is right.

b. Because of the fear of God: Nehemiah did what was right before God, not what was "right" for his own cares and concerns - because he knew he would have to answer to God.

c. I did not do so, because of the fear of God: Nehemiah could say this because it didn't matter to him what others did, how the crowd acted, what the rest of the world thought. He lived by another standard. We should have even better standard than Nehemiah did, and we should say, when confronted by the sin this world takes for granted, I did not do so, because of the love of Jesus.

2. (17-18) Nehemiah's example of generosity.

And at my table were one hundred and fifty Jews and rulers, besides those who came to us from the nations around us. Now that which was prepared daily was one ox and six choice sheep. Also fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine. Yet in spite of this I did not demand the governor's provisions, because the bondage was heavy on this people.

a. And at my table were one hundred and fifty Jews and rulers: Nehemiah not only did not take when he could have; he also gave when he didn't have to. He received a lot of food from the king's provisions, which he could have sold for his own profit. Instead, he gave them away to be the example of generosity - feeding as many as 150 people regularly.

b. Yet in spite of this I did not demand the governor's provisions: Nehemiah could have taken more (the governor's provisions), but he didn't. Therefore, Nehemiah was an example for what he did not take and for what he did not keep.

c. Because the bondage was heavy on this people: Nehemiah, in his own life, lived the way he told the nobles and rulers to live - to not take personal advantage of another's need. He did what every godly leader must do: he never expected more of his followers than he expected of himself.

3. (19) Nehemiah's prayer, asking God to remember his good deeds.

Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.

a. Remember me, my God: Some think that Nehemiah was wrong for saying all the good things he did. Jesus clearly taught us that our good works must not be done to show others how spiritual we are.

i. Matthew 6:1-4: Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

b. Remember me, my God, for good: But in his prayer, Nehemiah did not look for praise from man - but from God. In fact, Nehemiah probably originally intended that no one else see all or part of this book, because it was written as a diary.

i. In our own private time with the LORD, it is entirely appropriate - and right - to say, "Remember me, my God, for good" - to have confidence in our heavenly reward, instead of the praise of men.

c. According to all that I have done for this people: We should be glad that God took this personal diary of Nehemiah and gave it to us. It shows us that a leader must first lead by example, and that Nehemiah could tell other to do what was right here because his own walk was right. His public words and private actions said the same thing.

© 2006 David Guzik - No distribution beyond personal use without permission

Introduction / Outline

JFB: Nehemiah (Book Introduction)

NEHEMIAH appears to have been the author of this book, from his usually writing in his own name, and indeed, except in those parts which are unmistakably later editions or borrowed from public documents, he usually employs the first person. The major portion of the book is occupied with a history of Nehemiah's twelve years' administration in Jerusalem, after which he returned to his duties in Shushan. At a later period he returned with new powers and commenced new and vigorous measures of reform, which are detailed in the later chapters of the book.

JFB: Nehemiah (Outline)

• NEHEMIAH, UNDERSTANDING BY HANANI THE AFFLICTED STATE OF JERUSALEM, MOURNS, FASTS, AND PRAYS. (Neh 1:1-3)
• HIS PRAYER. (Neh 1:4-11)
• ARTAXERXES, UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSE OF NEHEMIAH'S SADNESS, SENDS HIM WITH LETTERS AND A COMMISSION TO BUILD AGAIN THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM. (Neh. 2:1-20)
• THE NAMES AND ORDER OF THEM THAT BUILDED THE WALL OF JERUSALEM. (Neh. 3:1-32)
• WHILE THE ENEMIES SCOFF, NEHEMIAH PRAYS TO GOD, AND CONTINUES THE WORK. (Neh 4:1-6)
• THE PEOPLE COMPLAIN OF THEIR DEBT, MORTGAGE, AND BONDAGE. (Neh 5:1-5)
• THE USURERS REBUKED. (Neh 5:6-19)
• SANBALLAT PRACTISES AGAINST NEHEMIAH BY INSIDIOUS ATTEMPTS. (Neh. 6:1-19)
• NEHEMIAH COMMITS THE CHARGE OF JERUSALEM TO HANANI AND HANANIAH. (Neh 7:1-4)
• GENEALOGY OF THOSE WHO CAME AT THE FIRST OUT OF BABYLON. (Neh. 7:5-38)
• OF THE PRIESTS. (Neh. 7:39-73)
• RELIGIOUS MANNER OF READING AND HEARING THE LAW. (Neh 8:1-8)
• THE PEOPLE COMFORTED. (Neh 8:9-15)
• THEY KEEP THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES. (Neh 8:16-18)
• A SOLEMN FAST AND REPENTANCE OF THE PEOPLE. (Neh 9:1-3)
• THE LEVITES CONFESS GOD'S MANIFOLD GOODNESS, AND THEIR OWN WICKEDNESS. (Neh. 9:4-38)
• THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO SEALED THE COVENANT. (Neh. 10:1-27)
• POINTS OF THE COVENANT. (Neh 10:29-39)
• THE RULERS, VOLUNTARY MEN, AND EVERY TENTH MAN CHOSEN BY LOT, DWELL AT JERUSALEM. (Neh 11:1-2)
• THEIR NAMES. (Neh. 11:3-36)
• PRIESTS AND LEVITES WHO CAME UP WITH ZERUBBABEL. (Neh 12:1-9)
• SUCCESSION OF THE HIGH PRIESTS. (Neh. 12:10-47)
• UPON THE READING OF THE LAW SEPARATION IS MADE FROM THE MIXED MULTITUDE. (Neh 13:1-9)
• NEHEMIAH REFORMS THE OFFICERS IN THE HOUSE OF GOD. (Neh 13:10-14)
• THE VIOLATION OF THE SABBATH. (Neh. 13:15-31)

TSK: Nehemiah (Book Introduction)

Of Nehemiah, the author and principal actor in the events recorded in this book, the Jews speak as one of the greatest men of their nation. His concern for his country entitles him to the character of the first patriot that ever lived. Descended, according to some, of the family of Aaron, or according to others, of the tribe of Judah and allied to the royal family of David, in the course of Divine Providence, he was a captive in Babylon, but there his excellences were so apparent, that he was chosen by the Persian king to fill an office the most respectable and the most confidential in the whole court. Here he lived in ease and affluence. he lacked no good thing; and here he might have continued to live, in the same affluence, and in the same confidence; but he could enjoy neither, so long as he knew his people distressed, the sepulchres of his fathers trodden under foot, the altars of his God overturned, and his worship either totally neglected or corrupted. He sought the peace of Jerusalem; prayed for it; and was willing to sacrifice wealth, ease, safety, and even life itself, if he might be the instrument of restoring the desolations of Israel. And God, who saw the desire of his heart, and knew the excellences with which he had endowed him, granted his request, and gave him the high honour of restoring the desolated city of his ancestors, and the pure worship of their God. The opposition of Sanballat and the Samaritans, and the firmness and zeal with which he repelled their insults and ineffectual efforts cannot be read without the liveliest emotions; and will afford to the latest times, a noble and animating example of distinguished patriotism, united with the sincerest devotion to the interests of religion. The virtue and piety of this great and good man, appear with equal lustre in the numerous and important reformations he effected. He relieved the people from their hardships and oppressions, by abolishing the harsh and usurious practices of the nobles and rulers; gave up his own revenue, as governor of the province, for the benefit of the people; and, as a further means of conciliating their affections, exhibited an example of the most princely hospitality. As the best security for good morals, and the better observance of the laws of God, he re-established the offices of public worship, and prevented the profanation of the sabbath, which had arrived at a shameful excess; he furnished the returned captives with authentic registers, and enabled them, in the best manner possible, after so long and calamitous an interval, to trace the genealogies, and claim the inheritance of their respective families; and further, he accomplished the separation of the Jewish people from the mixed multitude, with which they had been incorporated, and annulled the numerous marriages which they had made with heathens and idolaters of every description. For disinterestedness, philanthropy, patriotism, prudence, courage, zeal, humanity, and every virtue that constitutes a great mind, and proves a soul in deep communion with God, Nehemiah will ever stand conspicuous among the greatest men of the Jewish nation; and an exemplar worthy of being copied by the first patriots in every nation under heaven.

TSK: Nehemiah 5 (Chapter Introduction)

Overview

Neh 5:1, The Jews complain of their debt, mortgage, and bondage; Neh 5:6, Nehemiah rebukes the usurers, and causes them to make a covenant of restitution; Neh 5:14, He forbears his own allowance, and keeps hospitality.

Poole: Nehemiah 5 (Chapter Introduction)

CHAPTER 5

The people complain of their brethren, by reason of their debts, mortgages, and bondage, Neh 5:1-5 . Nehemiah rebuketh the usurers, and causeth them to make a covenant of restitution, Neh 5:6-13 . He forbeareth his own allowance, and keepeth hospitality, Neh 5:14-17 . The quantity of his preparations, and his prayer, Neh 5:18,19 .

To wit, the great and rich who had oppressed their brethren.

MHCC: Nehemiah (Book Introduction)

The Old Testament history closes with the book of Nehemiah, wherein is recorded the workings of his heart, in the management of public affairs; with many devout reflections.

MHCC: Nehemiah 5 (Chapter Introduction)

(Neh 5:1-5) The Jews complain of grievances.

(Neh 5:6-13) Nehemiah redresses the grievances.

(Neh 5:14-19) Nehemiah's forbearance.

Matthew Henry: Nehemiah (Book Introduction)

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Book of Nehemiah

This book continues the history of the children of the captivity, the poor Jews, that had lately returned out of Babylon to their own land. At this time not only the Persian monarchy flourished in great pomp and power, but Greece and Rome began to be very great and to make a figure. Of the affairs of those high and mighty states we have authentic accounts extant; but the sacred and inspired history takes cognizance only of the state of the Jews, and makes no mention of other nations but as the Israel of God had dealings with them: for the Lord's portion is his people; they are his peculiar treasure, and, in comparison with them, the rest of the world is but as lumber. In my esteem, Ezra the scribe and Nehemiah the tirshatha, though neither of them ever wore a crown, commanded an army, conquered any country, or was famed for philosophy or oratory, yet both of them, being pious praying men, and very serviceable in their day to the church of God and the interests of religion, were really greater men and more honourable, not only than any of the Roman consuls or dictators, but than Xenophon, or Demosthenes, or Plato himself, who lived at the same time, the bright ornaments of Greece. Nehemiah's agency for the advancing of the settlement of Israel we have a full account of in this book of his own commentaries or memoirs, wherein he records not only the works of his hands, but the workings of his heart, in the management of public affairs, inserting in the story many devout reflections and ejaculations, which discover in his mind a very deep tincture of serious piety and are peculiar to his writing. Twelve years, from his twentieth year (Neh 1:1) to his thirty-second year (Neh 13:6), he was governor of Judea, under Artaxerxes king of Persia, whom Dr. Lightfoot supposes to be the same Artaxerxes as Ezra has his commission from. This book relates, I. Nehemiah's concern for Jerusalem and the commission he obtained from the king to go thither, Neh 1:1-11, 2. II. His building the wall of Jerusalem notwithstanding the opposition he met with, ch. 3, 4. III. His redressing the grievances of the people, ch. 5. IV. His finishing the wall, ch. 6. V. The account he took of the people, ch. 7. VI. The religions solemnities of reading the law, fasting, and praying, and renewing their covenants, to which he called the people (ch. 8-10). VII. The care he took for the replenishing of the holy city and the settling of the holy tribe, ch. 11, 12. VIII. His zeal in reforming various abuses, ch. 13. Some call this the second book of Ezra, not because he was the penman of it, but because it is a continuation of the history of the foregoing book, with which it is connected (Neh 1:1). This was the last historical book that was written, as Malachi was the last prophetical book, of the Old Testament.

Matthew Henry: Nehemiah 5 (Chapter Introduction)

How bravely Nehemiah, as a wise and faithful governor, stood upon his guard against the attacks of enemies abroad, we read in the foregoing chapter. Here we have him no less bold and active to redress grievances at home, and, having kept them from being destroyed by their enemies, to keep them from destroying one another. Here is, I. The complaint which the poor made to him of the great hardships which the rich (of whom they were forced to borrow money) put upon them, (Neh 5:1-5). II. The effectual course which Nehemiah took both to reform the oppressors and to relieve the oppressed (Neh 5:6-13). III. The good example which he himself, as governor, set them of compassion and tenderness (Neh 5:14-19).

Constable: Nehemiah (Book Introduction)

Introduction

Title

This book, like so many others in the Old Testament, received its title from its principle character. The Septuagint (Greek) translation also had the same title, as does the Hebrew Bible.

As I mentioned in my notes on Ezra, the Jews kept Ezra and Nehemiah together for many years. The reason was the historical continuity that flows from Ezra through Nehemiah.

Writer and Date

The use of the first person identifies the author as Nehemiah, the governor of the Persian province of Judah (1:1-2:20; 13:4-31). His name means "Yahweh has comforted."

The mention of Darius the Persian in 12:22 probably refers to Darius II, the successor of Artaxerxes I (Longimanus).¹ Darius ruled from 423-404 B.C. The text refers to an event that took place in Darius' reign (12:22). Therefore Nehemiah must have written the book sometime after that reign began. Since there are no references to Nehemiah's age in the text, it is hard to estimate how long he may have lived. When the book opens, he was second in command under King Artaxerxes (cf. Daniel). If he was 40 years old then and 41 when he reached Jerusalem in 444 B.C., he would have been 62 years old in 423 B.C. when Darius replaced Artaxerxes. Consequently he probably wrote the book not long after 423 B.C., most likely before 400 B.C.²

Scope

The years of history the book covers are 445-431 B.C. or perhaps a few years after that.

In 445 B.C. (the twentieth year of Artaxerxes' reign, 1:1) Nehemiah learned of the conditions in Jerusalem that led him to request permission to return to Judah (2:5). He arrived in Jerusalem in 444 B.C. and within 52 days had completed the rebuilding of the city walls (6:15).

In 432 B.C. Nehemiah returned to Artaxerxes (13:6). He came back to Jerusalem after that, probably in a year or so. The record of his reforms following that return is in the last chapter of this book. Apparently Nehemiah completed all of them in just a few weeks or months.

Even though the book spans about 15 years, most of the activity Nehemiah recorded took place in 445-444 B.C. (chs. 1-12) and in 432-431 B.C. (ch. 13).

Chronology of the Book of Nehemiah
445	Nehemiah learned of conditions in Jerusalem and requested a leave of absence from Artaxerxes.
444	He led the Jews to Jerusalem. Repairs on the wall of Jerusalem began. The Jews completed rebuilding the walls. Nehemiah promoted spiritual renewal among the returnees.
443
442
441
440
439
438
437
436
435
434
433
432	Nehemiah returned to Artaxerxes ending his 12 years as governor of Judah. Malachi may have prophesied in Jerusalem.
431	Nehemiah may have returned to Jerusalem and began his second term as governor. More religious reforms apparently began.
430
429
428
427
426
425
424
423	Darius II began to reign.

Message³

For many years, believers regarded Ezra and Nehemiah as twin books. They called them 1 and 2 Ezra (or Esdras, the Greek transliteration of Ezra). Jerome, who lived in the fourth century A.D., gave 2 Ezra the name Nehemiah. This fact illustrates the close relationship that exists between these two books. A single story begins in Ezra and ends in Nehemiah. The history they record covers about 110 years (538-430 B.C.).

Let us notice three things about the returned exiles in this period, the restoration period, that God revealed in this Book of Nehemiah.

The people in view are the approximately 97,000 Israelites who returned from captivity, the remnant. They had no conscious national influence that arose from their purpose as a nation. They did not have much messianic hope either. There is no reference to this hope in Ezra, Nehemiah, or Esther.

The purpose of God was that His people should return to His Law. The civil reformation was secondary to the reading of the Law that took place in Jerusalem. The reading of the Law (ch. 8) led to the praying of the Levites (ch. 9), and that resulted in the making of a covenant (ch. 10). God's purpose was to put Israel back under the Law until Christ would come.

The Potter at work in this book continues the task of reshaping that He began in Ezra. His primary instrument at this time was Nehemiah. Nehemiah was not a king, a priest, or a prophet, but an ordinary citizen. He held a cabinet-level position under Artaxerxes, the Persian monarch. He became the governor of Judah later. Generally the kings of Israel had failed, the people had ignored the prophets, and the priests were corrupt. Therefore God chose a common man who built a wall around Jerusalem in a little over seven weeks so the people could give concentrated attention to the reading and exposition of God's Word. Nehemiah was a man like others God used before him, a man who lived and walked by faith. Joshua was such a person and was also neither king, prophet, nor priest. Nehemiah did for Israel in his day what Joshua had done in his.

Notice next three things about Nehemiah.

Nehemiah had an attitude of faith. He had remarkable confidence in God. This never wavered. He wanted to see God's purposes fulfilled (1:1-4). He expressed his concern in his inquiry and sorrow. His prayer and sorrow show his confidence in God's power (1:5-2:4; 4:9). Furthermore he purposed to cooperate with God so God's will would happen. He expressed this commitment in his activity.

Nehemiah also acted in faith. We can see his faith in three activities.

1. He acted cautiously (5:7). He examined the wall secretly and silently. Then he divided the work so every man built near his own house. This guaranteed the personal interest and diligence of the workers.

2. He acted courageously (13:11, 17). He started by himself, single-handedly. Then he stuck with the work determinedly until he finished it.

3. He acted without compromise.

He did not compromise with the enemies outside the wall. They tried to get him to compromise by using contempt (4:3), then conspiracy (4:8), and then cunning (6:2).

He did not compromise with the Jews inside the wall either. He did not allow the nobles to continue charging their poorer brothers interest (5:5). He did not allow a priest to give lodging to the enemy (13:4-5). Furthermore he did not permit mixed marriages with non-Jews (13:23).

Finally, Nehemiah achieved by faith. The workers built the walls in only 52 days. Nehemiah settled the people in the city and its suburbs. He expounded and enforced the Law of God. He also provided a place where the people could wait for God's salvation.

Combining Nehemiah's times with his character we get the message of this book. Nehemiah proves that seemingly impossible things are possible through prayer and hard work when people determine to trust and obey God, and when they put His interests first.

Like Nehemiah we live in dark times (cf. Isa. 50:10). We too have to deal with indifferent multitudes. As in his day, there is widespread disloyalty to God's truth today. As then, there is lack of enthusiasm for God's plans and purposes now. Not many Christians want to devote their every waking moment to the task God has commanded us to do.

Like Nehemiah we need to walk by faith in these dark times (cf. Hab. 2:4). We need to be as sure of God as he was. We need to act with God and for God even though it means strenuous effort. We also need to decline all compromise with those outside and inside the church. We need to trust God, to do our day's work faithfully, and leave the future to Him. May we all follow this great man's example of faith. May we live one day at a time (Matt. 6:11).

Constable: Nehemiah (Outline)

Outline

I. The fortification of Jerusalem chs. 1-7

A. The return under Nehemiah chs. 1-2

1. The news concerning Jerusalem 1:1-3

2. The response of Nehemiah 1:4-11

3. The request of Nehemiah 2:1-8

4. The return to Jerusalem 2:9-20

B. The rebuilding of the walls 3:1-7:4

1. The workers and their work ch. 3

2. The opposition to the workers ch. 4

3. The strife among the workers ch. 5

4. The attacks against Nehemiah 6:1-14

5. The completion of the work 6:15-7:4

C. The record of those who returned 7:5-72

II. The restoration of the Jews chs. 8-13

A. The renewal of the Mosaic Covenant chs. 8-10

1. The gathering of the people ch. 8

2. The prayer of the people ch. 9

3. The renewed commitment of the people ch. 10

B. The residents of the land 11:1-12:26

1. The residents of Jerusalem 11:1-24

2. The residents of the outlying towns 11:25-36

3. The priests and Levites 12:1-26

C. The dedication of the wall 12:27-47

1. Preparations for the dedication 12:27-30

2. The dedication ceremonies 12:31-47

D. The reforms instituted by Nehemiah ch. 13

1. The exclusion of foreigners 13:1-3

2. The expulsion of Tobiah 13:4-9

3. The revival of tithing 13:10-14

4. The observance of the Sabbath 13:15-22

5. The rebuke of mixed marriages 13:23-29

6. The summary of Nehemiah's reforms 13:30-31

Constable: Nehemiah

Nehemiah

Bibliography

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Copyright 2003 by Thomas L. Constable

Haydock: Nehemiah (Book Introduction)

THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAS;

commonly called THE SECOND BOOK OF ESDRAS.

INTRODUCTION.

This Book takes its name from the writer, who was cup-bearer to Artaxerxes, (surnamed Longimanus ) king of Persia, and was sent by him with a commission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. It is also called the Second Book of Esdras, because it is a continuation of the history begun by Esdras, of the state of the people of God after their return from captivity. (Challoner) --- Genebrard believes that the latter wrote the work. But how long must he thus have lived? and how come the lists to vary so much? (Calmet) --- We may allow that these variations are owing to the mistakes of transcribers, (1 Esdras ii. 1.) for the writer of both works was certainly inspired. Esdras lived a long time along with Nehemias; (chap. xii. 35.) and he may have left memorials, as well as the latter, from which the present work seems to be compiled. (Haydock) --- Some additions have been made since the days of Nehemias, articularly chap. xii. to ver. 26, or at least (Calmet) the five last of these verses. (Capel.) (Chronicles) --- The passage cited from the commentaries of Nehemias, (2 Machabees ii. 13.) is not to be found here; which shews that we have not his entire work, but only an abridgment, in which the author has adopted his words, with some few alterations. The fifth chapter seems to be out of its place, and also the dedication of the walls, chap. xii. 27. Nehemias was a person in great favour at the court of Persia; and of high birth, probably of the royal family, (Eusebius; Isidore; Genebrard in Chron.) as most of the ancients believe that all who governed, till the time of the Asmoneans, were of the tribe of Juda. Hence he styles Hanani his brother, (chap. i. 2.) and declines entering into the temple, chap. vi. 11. His name never occurs among the priests; and though we read [in] 2 Machabees i. 18, 21, jussit sacerdos Nehemias, (Tirinus) the Greek has, "Nehemias order the priests;" Greek: iereis: (Calmet; Huet; Du Hamel) and the title of priest sometimes is given to laymen at the head of affairs. (Haydock) --- In this character Nehemias appeared, by order of Artaxerxes: and notwithstanding the obstructions of the enemies of Juda, rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, and returned after twelve years to court, making a second visit to his own country, a little before the death of the king, whom he probably survived only one year, dying the year of the world 3580, about thirty years after he had been appointed governor. (Calmet) --- In the two first chapters, we behold his solicitude for the welfare of his country, in the ten following his success, and in the last what abuses he corrected. (Worthington) --- He renewed the covenant with God, (chap. ix., and x.) sent for the sacred fire, and established a library at Jerusalem, 2 Machabees i. 19, 34., and ii. 13. (Haydock)

Gill: Nehemiah (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO NEHEMIAH

This book is, by the authors of the Vulgate Latin and Arabic versions, called the "Second" Book of Ezra, it being a continuation of the same history, and was by the Jews reckoned as one book with Ezra; Kimchi on Isa 9:7, calls it Ezra, so the Talmud ^a; and it has been quoted by Christian writers under his name; see the argument of the book of Ezra; but not as if it was written by him; for it is a clear case it was written by Nehemiah, whose name it bears, as appears from Neh 1:1 and throughout Nehemiah speaks of himself under the first person; and the style also is very different from that of Ezra, being plainer and easier than his. It has always had a place in the canon of Scriptures, both with Jews and Christians; and is of use to show the fulfilment of the prophecy of Zechariah, and especially of Daniel concerning the building of the wall of Jerusalem in troublesome times; to carry on the history of the Jews, and describe the state of the church in those times, what opposition was made to it, and what enemies it had, and what must be expected when any work of God is set about; it is the last of the historical books that was written, as is thought, and contains an history of the space of about twelve years, from the twentieth of Artaxerxes to the thirty second of his reign, see Neh 1:1.

Gill: Nehemiah 5 (Chapter Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO NEHEMIAH 5

In this chapter is a complaint of the poor against the rich for oppression of them, Neh 5:1 for which Nehemiah being angry, reproved them, and made them promise, and swear to it, to make restitution, Neh 5:6 and set them an example himself, taking nothing of them during his twelve years' government, supporting himself and his at his own expenses, Neh 5:14.