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Selected Verse: Nehemiah 5:1 - Strong Concordance
| Verse |
Translation |
Text |
| Ne 5:1 |
Strong Concordance |
And there was a great [01419] cry [06818] of the people [05971] and of their wives [0802] against their brethren [0251] the Jews [03064]. |
| |
King James |
And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
| A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
THE PEOPLE COMPLAIN OF THEIR DEBT, MORTGAGE, AND BONDAGE. (Neh 5:1-5)
there was a great cry of the people . . . against their brethren--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. |
| Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78] |
The people complain of oppression. - Neh 5:1 There arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews, i.e., as appears from what follows (Neh 5:7), against the nobles and rulers, therefore against the richer members of the community. This cry is more particularly stated in Neh 5:2, where the malcontents are divided into three classes 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 the words of those workers who had no property. נקחה (from לקח), not to take by force, but only to desire that corn may be provided.
Neh 5:3
Others, who were indeed possessed of fields, vineyards, and houses, had been obliged to mortgage them, and could now reap nothing from them. ערב, to give as a pledge, to mortgage. The use of the participle denotes the continuance of the transaction, and is not to be rendered, We must mortgage our fields to procure corn; but, We have been obliged 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 mortgaging had already taken place, and was still continuing in force (we have been obliged 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 desire that corn may be furnished us, because of the dearth; not, that we may not be obliged to mortgage our lands, but because they are already mortgaged. בּרעב, too, does not necessarily presuppose a scarcity in consequence of a failure of crops or other circumstances, but only declares that they who had been obliged to pledge their fields were suffering from hunger.
Neh 5:4
Others, again, complained: We have borrowed money for the king's tribute upon our fields and vineyards. לוה means to be dependent, nexum esse, and transitively to make dependent, like מלא, to be full, and to make full: We have made our fields and our vineyards answerable for money for the king's tribute (Bertheau), i.e., we have borrowed money upon our fields for ... This they could only do by pledging the crops of these lands, or at least such a portion of their crops as 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 sons as their sons; and lo, we are obliged to bring our sons and our daughters into 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 to others." "Our brethren" are the richer Jews who had lent money upon pledges, and בּניהם are their sons. The sense of the first half of the verse is: We are of one flesh and blood with these rich men, i.e., as Ramb. 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 lend to the poor on a pledge (Deu 15:8), but also permitted Israelites, if they were poor, to sell themselves (Lev 25:39), and also their sons and daughters, to procure money. It required, however, that they who were thus sold should not be retained as slaves, but set at liberty without ransom, 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 their daughters were brought into bondage for maid-servants. ידנוּ לאל אין, literally, our hand is not to God, i.e., the power to 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 to others, what they yield does not come to us, and we are not in a position to be able to put an end to the sad necessity of selling our daughters for servants. |
6 Ye have sown [02232] much [07235], and bring [0935] in little [04592]; ye eat [0398], but ye have not enough [07654]; ye drink [08354], but ye are not filled with drink [07937]; ye clothe [03847] you, but there is none warm [02527]; and he that earneth wages [07936] earneth wages [07936] to put it into a bag [06872] with holes [05344].
7 Thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068] of hosts [06635]; Consider [07760] [03824] your ways [01870].
8 Go up [05927] to the mountain [02022], and bring [0935] wood [06086], and build [01129] the house [01004]; and I will take pleasure [07521] in it, and I will be glorified [03513], saith [0559] the LORD [03068].
9 Ye looked [06437] for much [07235], and, lo, it came to little [04592]; and when ye brought [0935] it home [01004], I did blow [05301] upon it. Why? saith [05002] the LORD [03068] of hosts [06635]. Because [03282] of mine house [01004] that is waste [02720], and ye run [07323] every man [0376] unto his own house [01004].
10 Therefore the heaven [08064] over you is stayed [03607] from dew [02919], and the earth [0776] is stayed [03607] from her fruit [02981].
11 And I called [07121] for a drought [02721] upon the land [0776], and upon the mountains [02022], and upon the corn [01715], and upon the new wine [08492], and upon the oil [03323], and upon that which the ground [0127] bringeth forth [03318], and upon men [0120], and upon cattle [0929], and upon all the labour [03018] of the hands [03709].
9 Then all the men [0582] of Judah [03063] and Benjamin [01144] gathered themselves together [06908] unto Jerusalem [03389] within three [07969] days [03117]. It was the ninth [08671] month [02320], on the twentieth [06242] day of the month [02320]; and all the people [05971] sat [03427] in the street [07339] of the house [01004] of God [0430], trembling [07460] because of this matter [01697], and for the great rain [01653].
1 And there was a great [01419] cry [06818] of the people [05971] and of their wives [0802] against their brethren [0251] the Jews [03064].
2 For there were [03426] that said [0559], We, our sons [01121], and our daughters [01323], are many [07227]: therefore we take up [03947] corn [01715] for them, that we may eat [0398], and live [02421].
3 Some also there were [03426] that said [0559], We have mortgaged [06148] our lands [07704], vineyards [03754], and houses [01004], that we might buy [03947] corn [01715], because of the dearth [07458].
4 There were [03426] also that said [0559], We have borrowed [03867] money [03701] for the king's [04428] tribute [04060], and that upon our lands [07704] and vineyards [03754].
5 Yet now our flesh [01320] is as the flesh [01320] of our brethren [0251], our children [01121] as their children [01121]: and, lo, we bring into bondage [03533] our sons [01121] and our daughters [01323] to be servants [05650], and some of our daughters [01323] are [03426] brought unto bondage [03533] already: neither is it in our power [0410] [03027] to redeem them; for other men [0312] have our lands [07704] and vineyards [03754].
29 It is [03426] in the power [0410] of my hand [03027] to do [06213] you hurt [07451]: but the God [0430] of your father [01] spake [0559] unto me yesternight [0570], saying [0559], Take thou heed [08104] that thou speak not [01696] to Jacob [03290] either good [02896] or bad [07451].
2 If a thief [01590] be found [04672] breaking up [04290], and be smitten [05221] that he die [04191], there shall no blood [01818] be shed for him.
39 And if thy brother [0251] that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor [04134], and be sold [04376] unto thee; thou shalt not compel [05647] him to serve [05656] as a bondservant [05650]:
40 But as an hired servant [07916], and as a sojourner [08453], he shall be with thee, and shall serve [05647] thee unto the year [08141] of jubile [03104]:
41 And then shall he depart [03318] from thee, both he and his children [01121] with him, and shall return [07725] unto his own family [04940], and unto the possession [0272] of his fathers [01] shall he return [07725].
39 And if thy brother [0251] that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor [04134], and be sold [04376] unto thee; thou shalt not compel [05647] him to serve [05656] as a bondservant [05650]:
8 But thou shalt open [06605] thine hand [03027] wide [06605] unto him, and shalt surely [05670] lend [05670] him sufficient [01767] for his need [04270], in that which he wanteth [02637].
8 But thou shalt open [06605] thine hand [03027] wide [06605] unto him, and shalt surely [05670] lend [05670] him sufficient [01767] for his need [04270], in that which he wanteth [02637].
7 If there be among you a poor man [034] of one [0259] of thy brethren [0251] within any [0259] of thy gates [08179] in thy land [0776] which the LORD [03068] thy God [0430] giveth [05414] thee, thou shalt not harden [0553] thine heart [03824], nor shut [07092] thine hand [03027] from thy poor [034] brother [0251]:
5 Yet now our flesh [01320] is as the flesh [01320] of our brethren [0251], our children [01121] as their children [01121]: and, lo, we bring into bondage [03533] our sons [01121] and our daughters [01323] to be servants [05650], and some of our daughters [01323] are [03426] brought unto bondage [03533] already: neither is it in our power [0410] [03027] to redeem them; for other men [0312] have our lands [07704] and vineyards [03754].
14 And if thou sell [04376] ought [04465] unto thy neighbour [05997], or buyest [07069] ought of thy neighbour's [05997] hand [03027], ye shall not oppress [03238] one [0376] another [0251]:
15 According to the number [04557] of years [08141] after [0310] the jubile [03104] thou shalt buy [07069] of thy neighbour [05997], and according unto the number [04557] of years [08141] of the fruits [08393] he shall sell [04376] unto thee:
16 According [06310] to the multitude [07230] of years [08141] thou shalt increase [07235] the price [04736] thereof, and according [06310] to the fewness [04591] of years [08141] thou shalt diminish [04591] the price [04736] of it: for according to the number [04557] of the years of the fruits [08393] doth he sell [04376] unto thee.
17 Ye shall not therefore oppress [03238] one [0376] another [05997]; but thou shalt fear [03372] thy God [0430]: for I am the LORD [03068] your God [0430].
4 There were [03426] also that said [0559], We have borrowed [03867] money [03701] for the king's [04428] tribute [04060], and that upon our lands [07704] and vineyards [03754].
2 For there were [03426] that said [0559], We, our sons [01121], and our daughters [01323], are many [07227]: therefore we take up [03947] corn [01715] for them, that we may eat [0398], and live [02421].
3 Some also there were [03426] that said [0559], We have mortgaged [06148] our lands [07704], vineyards [03754], and houses [01004], that we might buy [03947] corn [01715], because of the dearth [07458].
2 For there were [03426] that said [0559], We, our sons [01121], and our daughters [01323], are many [07227]: therefore we take up [03947] corn [01715] for them, that we may eat [0398], and live [02421].
4 There were [03426] also that said [0559], We have borrowed [03867] money [03701] for the king's [04428] tribute [04060], and that upon our lands [07704] and vineyards [03754].
3 Some also there were [03426] that said [0559], We have mortgaged [06148] our lands [07704], vineyards [03754], and houses [01004], that we might buy [03947] corn [01715], because of the dearth [07458].
2 For there were [03426] that said [0559], We, our sons [01121], and our daughters [01323], are many [07227]: therefore we take up [03947] corn [01715] for them, that we may eat [0398], and live [02421].
2 For there were [03426] that said [0559], We, our sons [01121], and our daughters [01323], are many [07227]: therefore we take up [03947] corn [01715] for them, that we may eat [0398], and live [02421].
7 Then I consulted [04427] with myself [03820], and I rebuked [07378] the nobles [02715], and the rulers [05461], and said [0559] unto them, Ye exact [05378] [05383] [05375] usury [04855], every one [0376] of his brother [0251]. And I set [05414] a great [01419] assembly [06952] against them.
1 And there was a great [01419] cry [06818] of the people [05971] and of their wives [0802] against their brethren [0251] the Jews [03064].