Nehemiah 5:3-4

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 ¹  on our fields and our vineyards.

Nehemiah 12:29

12:29 and from Beth Gilgal and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built settlements for themselves around Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 5:11

5:11 This very day return to them their fields, their vineyards, their olive trees, and their houses, along with the interest ²  that you are exacting from them on the money, the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil.”

Nehemiah 5:16

5:16 I gave myself to the work on this wall, without even purchasing ³  a field. All my associates were gathered there for the work.

Nehemiah 11:25

11:25 As for the settlements with their fields, some of the people of Judah settled in Kiriath Arba and its neighboring villages, ⁴  in Dibon and its villages, in Jekabzeel and its settlements,

Nehemiah 11:30

11:30 Zanoah, Adullam and their settlements, in Lachish and its fields, and in Azekah and its villages. So they were encamped from Beer Sheba to the Valley of Hinnom.

Nehemiah 13:10

13:10 I also discovered that the grain offerings for the Levites had not been provided, and that as a result the Levites and the singers who performed this work had all gone off to their fields.

Nehemiah 5:5

5:5 And now, though we share the same flesh and blood as our fellow countrymen, ⁵  and our children are just like their children, ⁶  still we have found it necessary to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. ⁷  Some of our daughters have been subjected to slavery, while we are powerless to help, ⁸  since our fields and vineyards now belong to other people.” ⁹ 

Nehemiah 12:44

12:44 On that day men were appointed over the storerooms for the contributions, first fruits, and tithes, to gather into them from ¹⁰  the fields of the cities the portions prescribed by the law for the priests and the Levites, for the people of Judah ¹¹  took delight in the priests and Levites who were ministering. ¹² 

[5:4]  ¹ tn Heb “for the tax of the king.”

[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.

[5:16]  ¹ tn Heb “we did not purchase.”

[11:25]  ¹ tn Heb “its daughters.” So also in vv. 27, 28, 30, and 31.

[5:5]  ¹ tn Heb “according to the flesh of our brothers is our flesh.”

[5:5]  ² tn Heb “like their children, our children.”

[5:5]  ³ tn Heb “to become slaves” (also later in this verse).

[5:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “there is not power for our hand.” The Hebrew expression used here is rather difficult.

[5:5]  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).

[12:44]  ¹ tc The translation reads מִשְּׂדֶי (missÿde, “from the fields”) rather than the MT reading לִשְׂדֵי (lisdey, “to the fields”).

[12:44]  ² tn Heb “for Judah.” The words “the people of” have been supplied in the translation for clarity, since “Judah” is a proper name as well as a place name.

[12:44]  ³ tn Heb “standing.”