Nehemiah — Chapter 5
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1And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.
2For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and live.
3Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth.
4There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.
5Yet now our flesh is as 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 to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards.
6And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
7Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them.
8And 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 sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found nothing to answer.
9Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?
10I likewise, and my brethren, and my servants, might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this usury.
11Restore, 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, that ye exact of them.
12Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise.
13Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the LORD. And the people did according to this promise.
14Moreover 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 bread of the governor.
15But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.
16Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work.
17Moreover there were at my table an hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, beside those that came unto us from among the heathen that are about us.
18Now 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 all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.
19Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.
1Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.
2For there were that said, We, our sons and our daughters, are many: let us get grain, that we may eat and live.
3Some also there were that said, We are mortgaging our fields, and our vineyards, and our houses: let us get grain, because of the dearth.
4There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king`s tribute [upon] our fields and our vineyards.
5Yet now our flesh is as 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 into bondage [already]: neither is it in our power to help it; for other men have our fields and our vineyards.
6And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
7Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I held a great assembly against them.
8And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, that were sold unto the nations; and would ye even sell your brethren, and should they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found never a word.
9Also I said, The thing that ye do is not good: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the nations our enemies?
10And I likewise, my brethren and my servants, do lend them money and grain. I pray you, let us leave off this usury.
11Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their fields, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.
12Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do, even as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they would do according to this promise.
13Also I shook out my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that performeth not this promise; even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the assembly said, Amen, and praised Jehovah. And the people did according to this promise.
14Moreover 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 bread of the governor.
15But the former governors that were before me were chargeable unto the people, and took of them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.
16Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work.
17Moreover there were at my table, of the Jews and the rulers, a hundred and fifty men, besides those that came unto us from among the nations that were round about us.
18Now that which was prepared for one day was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this I demanded not the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.
19Remember unto me, O my God, for good, all that I have done for this people.
1Then there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews.
2There were those who said, “With our sons and daughters, we are many. We must obtain grain in order to eat and stay alive.”
3There 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.”
4Then there were those who said, “We have borrowed money to pay our taxes to the king on our fields and our vineyards.
5And 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.”
6I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints.
7I 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.
8I 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.
9Then 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?
10Even I and my relatives and my associates are lending them money and grain. But let us abandon this practice of seizing collateral!
11This 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.”
12They 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.
13I 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.
14From 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.
15But the former governors who preceded me had burdened the people and had taken food and wine from them, in addition to 40 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.
16I gave myself to the work on this wall, without even purchasing a field. All my associates were gathered there for the work.
17There were 150 Jews and officials who dined with me routinely, in addition to those who came to us from the nations all around us.
18Every 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.
19Please remember me for good, O my God, for all that I have done for this people.
1Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brothers the Jews.
2For there were that said, “We, our sons and our daughters, are many. Let us get grain, that we may eat and live.”
3There were also some that said, “We are mortgaging our fields, and our vineyards, and our houses. Let us get grain, because of the famine.”
4There were also some who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute using our fields and our vineyards as collateral.
5Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children as their children. Behold, we bring our sons and our daughters into bondage to be servants, and some of our daughters have been brought into bondage. It is also not in our power to help it, because other men have our fields and our vineyards.”
6I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
7Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers, and said to them, “You exact usury, everyone of his brother.” I held a great assembly against them.
8I said to them, “We, after our ability, have redeemed our brothers the Jews that were sold to the nations; and would you even sell your brothers, and should they be sold to us?” Then they held their peace, and found not a word to say.
9Also I said, “The thing that you do is not good. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the nations our enemies?
10I likewise, my brothers and my servants, lend them money and grain. Please let us stop this usury.
11Please restore to them, even today, their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, that you are charging them.”
12Then they said, “We will restore them, and will require nothing of them. We will do so, even as you say.” Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they would do according to this promise.
13Also I shook out my lap, and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that doesn’t perform this promise; even be he shaken out, and emptied like this.” All the assembly said, “Amen,” and praised Yahweh. The people did according to this promise.
14Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brothers have not eaten the bread of the governor.
15But the former governors who were before me were supported by the people, and took bread and wine from them, plus forty shekels of silver; yes, even their servants ruled over the people; but I didn’t do so, because of the fear of God.
16Yes, I also continued in the work of this wall. We didn’t buy any land. All my servants were gathered there to the work.
17Moreover there were at my table, of the Jews and the rulers, one hundred fifty men, besides those who came to us from among the nations that were around us.
18Now that which was prepared for one day was one ox and six choice sheep. Also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days a store of all sorts of wine. Yet for all this, I didn’t demand the governor’s pay, because the bondage was heavy on this people.
19Remember to me, my God, for good, all that I have done for this people.
Summary
Nehemiah confronts the Jewish nobles who are exploiting their own people through usury and debt slavery during the rebuilding. He demands they return the lands and interest, and sets the example by refusing the governor's food allowance for twelve years.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Susa (Shushan) — the Persian winter capital in modern Iran, where Nehemiah serves as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes.
- Jerusalem — the city whose walls Nehemiah rebuilds. Chapter 3 names specific gates (Sheep Gate, Fish Gate, Valley Gate, Dung Gate, etc.) tracing the wall circuit.
- The surrounding enemies occupy identifiable regions: Sanballat (Samaria/north), Tobiah (Ammon/east), Geshem (Arabia/south).
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik emphasizes that internal injustice was more threatening than external attack — a community divided by exploitation cannot stand united against enemies. He highlights Nehemiah's personal example as the key to his moral authority: he demanded of others only what he himself had already exceeded in sacrifice.
- Charles Spurgeon: "Nehemiah was angry — and rightly so. There is a holy anger that burns against injustice done to the poor in God's name. The rich Jews were devouring their own brethren while claiming to build God's wall. What hypocrisy! To labor for God's glory while grinding God's poor? The Governor was wroth, and God was wroth with him. Note his personal example: twelve years he refused his rightful provision, fed 150 at his own table daily, and never acquired property. He who rebuked the rich nobles had first emptied his own pockets. This is the only kind of rebuke that carries weight — the rebuke that comes from one who has already done more than he demands of others. 'Because of the fear of God' — that was his reason. Not political advantage, not public image, but the pure and simple fear of God."
Reflection
- 1. Internal injustice is more dangerous than external opposition (vv.1-5). Sanballat could be fought with swords; exploitation by brothers destroys community from within. Is your church or community harboring injustice while fighting external battles? Deal with internal sin first — no wall stands on a foundation of injustice.
- 2. Leaders must confront exploitation directly (v.7). Nehemiah didn't form a committee or write a letter — he publicly rebuked the powerful. When the weak are being exploited, silence from leaders is complicity. Righteous anger at injustice is not unspiritual — it is godly.
- 3. Lead by example before demanding of others (vv.14-18). Nehemiah could rebuke the rich because he had already sacrificed more than he demanded of them. You have no moral authority to require generosity you haven't practiced or sacrifice you haven't made. Lead by going first.
- 4. The fear of God is sufficient motivation (v.15). "Because of the fear of God" — Nehemiah didn't need public praise, political advantage, or tax incentives to do right. Reverence for God alone governed his conduct. Let the fear of God — not peer pressure, not reputation management — determine your financial ethics.
- 5. Seek God's remembrance, not human applause (v.19). "Think upon me, my God, for good." Nehemiah's audience was God, not people. If you serve for human recognition, you'll be crushed when it doesn't come. If you serve for divine remembrance, you'll be sustained by the confidence that God sees and rewards.