Nehemiah 5:15

But 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.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
former	הָרִאשֹׁנִ֨ים ha.ri.sho.Nim	H7223	first · definite article + ordinal number, masculine plural absolute
governors	וְהַפַּחוֹת֩ ve.ha.pa.chOt	H6346	a prefect (of a city or small district) · conjunction + definite article + noun, common feminine plural absolute
before	לְפָנַ֜י le.fa.Nai	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix
chargeable	הִכְבִּ֣ידוּ hikh.Bi.du	H3513	to be heavy · verb, hiphil perfect, 3rd person common plural
people	הָעָ֗ם ha.'Am	H5971	a people (as a congregated unit) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
taken	וַיִּקְח֨וּ vai.yik.Chu	H3947	to take (in the widest variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
bread	בְּלֶ֤חֶם be.Le.chem	H3899	food (for man or beast) · preposition + noun, common masculine singular absolute
wine	וָיַ֙יִן֙ va.Ya.yin	H3196	wine (as fermented) · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular absolute
beside	אַחַר֙ 'a.Char	H310	properly · cardinal number, masculine singular absolute
forty	אַרְבָּעִ֔ים 'ar.ba.'Im	H705	forty · cardinal number, masculine plural absolute
shekels	שְׁקָלִ֣ים she.ka.Lim	H8255	probably a weight · noun, common masculine plural absolute
silver	כֶּֽסֶף ke.sef-	H3701	silver (from its pale color) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
even	גַּ֥ם gam	H1571	properly · adverb
servants	נַעֲרֵיהֶ֖ם na.'a.rei.Hem	H5288	(concretely) a boy (as active) · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
rule	שָׁלְט֣וּ shal.Tu	H7980	to dominate · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural
people	הָעָ֑ם ha.'Am	H5971	a people (as a congregated unit) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
did	עָשִׂ֣יתִי 'a.Si.ti	H6213	to do or make · verb, qal perfect, 1st person common singular
because	מִפְּנֵ֖י mi.pe.Nei	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
fear	יִרְאַ֥ת yir.'At	H3374	fear (also used as infinitive) · noun, common feminine singular construct
God	אֱלֹהִֽים 'E.lo.Him	H430	gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Nehemiah 5:9 Also 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?
Proverbs 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.
Isaiah 50:10 Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in…
Job 31:23 For destruction from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his highness I could not endure.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Matthew 5:47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
2 Corinthians 11:9 And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Maced…
1 Samuel 8:15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Nehemiah 5:14–end

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 g…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Nehemiah 5:15

the former governors . . . had taken . . . bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver--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 Â£1800 sterling.

Adam Clarke on Nehemiah 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.

John Gill on Nehemiah 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 himse…

Dictionary and topics

Jubilee — A joyful shout or clangour of trumpets, the name of the great semi-centennial festival of the Hebrews. It lasted for a year. During this year the land was to be fallow, and the Israelites were only…
Taxes — First mentioned in the command (Ex. 30:11-16) that every Jew from twenty years and upward should pay an annual tax of “half a shekel for an offering to the Lord.” This enactment was faithfully…
Civil Service · CORRUPTION IN — CORRUPTION IN
Conscience · .Of Nehemiah, in the matter of taxes — .Of Nehemiah, in the matter of taxes
Country · LOVE OF — LOVE OF
Example · GOOD — GOOD
Fear, Godly · Exemplified: Nehemiah — Exemplified: Nehemiah
Kindness · .The Jews to the people — .The Jews to the people
Silver · Tribute often paid in — Tribute often paid in
Unselfishness · .Nehemiah — .Nehemiah

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Nehemiah 5:15

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Nehemiah 5:14–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Nehemiah 5:15

Adam Clarke on Nehemiah 5:14

John Gill on Nehemiah 5:15

Dictionary and topics

Nehemiah 5:15

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Nehemiah 5:14–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Nehemiah 5:15

Adam Clarke on Nehemiah 5:14

John Gill on Nehemiah 5:15

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Nehemiah 5:14–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Nehemiah 5:15

Rashi on Nehemiah 5:15