Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Nehemiah 5:6
And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
6. I was very angry, &c.] Nehemiah’s indignation was excited at the excessive usury, which his own brethren and servants required (Neh 5:10), but still more at the degree to which the brotherhood of Israel was forgotten in days of common peril and of which the sale of fellow-countrymen for debt (Neh 5:8) and the alienation of the poor man’s inheritance (Neh 5:11) were the worst symptoms. Cf. Psa 119:53 ‘Hot indignation hath taken hold upon me, because of the wicked that forsake thy law.’
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
6-12. I was very angry when I heardtheir cry and these wordsWhen such disorders came to theknowledge of the governor, his honest indignation was roused againstthe perpetrators of the evil. Having summoned a public assembly, hedenounced their conduct in terms of just severity. He contrasted itwith his own in redeeming with his money some of the Jewish exileswho, through debt or otherwise, had lost their personal liberty inBabylon. He urged the rich creditors not only to abandon theirillegal and oppressive system of usury, but to restore the fields andvineyards of the poor, so that a remedy might be put to an evil theintroduction of which had led to much actual disorder, and thecontinuance of which would inevitably prove ruinous to the newlyrestored colony, by violating the fundamental principles of theHebrew constitution. The remonstrance was effectual. The conscienceof the usurious oppressors could not resist the touching and powerfulappeal. With mingled emotions of shame, contrition, and fear, theywith one voice expressed their readiness to comply with thegovernor’s recommendation. The proceedings were closed by the partiesbinding themselves by a solemn oath, administered by the priests,that they would redeem their pledge, as well as by the governorinvoking, by the solemn and significant gesture of shaking a cornerof his garment, a malediction on those who should violate it. Thehistorian has taken care to record that the people did according tothis promise.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The abolition of usury. – Neh 5:6 Nehemiah was very angry at this complaint and these things, i.e., the injustice which had been brought to his knowledge.
Neh 5:7 “And my heart took counsel upon it ( according to the Chaldee use of , Dan 4:24), and I contended with the nobles and rulers, and said to them, Ye exact usury every one of his brother.” means to lend to any one, and , also , Deu 24:10; Pro 22:26, and mashe’, is the thing lent, the loan, what one borrows from or lends to another. Consequently is to lend some one a loan; comp. Deu 24:10. This does not seem to suit this verse. For Nehemiah cannot reproach the nobles for lending loans, when he and his servants had, according to Neh 5:10, done so likewise. Hence the injustice of the transaction which he rebukes must be expressed in the emphatic precedence given to . Bertheau accordingly regards not as the accusative of the object, but as an independent secondary accusative in the sense of: for the sake of demanding a pledge, ye lend. But this rendering can be neither grammatically nor lexically justified. In the first respect it is opposed by , Deu 24:10, which shows that in conjunction with is the accusative of the object; in the other, by the constant use of in all passages in which it occurs to express a loan, not a demand for a pledge. From Exo 22:24, where it is said, “If thou lend money ( ) to the poor, thou shalt not be to him , shalt not lay upon him usury,” it is evident that is one who lends money on usury, or carries on the business of a money-lender. This evil secondary meaning of the word is here strongly marked by the emphatic praeposition of ; hence Nehemiah is speaking of those who practise usury. “And I appointed a great assembly on their account,” to put a stop to the usury and injustice by a public discussion of the matter. , not against them (the usurers), but on their account.
Neh 5:8 In this assembly he reproached them with the injustice of their behaviour. “We” (said he) “have, after our ability, redeemed our brethren the Jews which were sold unto the heathen; yet ye would sell your brethren, and they are to be sold to us.” We (i.e., Nehemiah and the Jews living in exile, who were like-minded with him) have bought, in contrast to ye sell. They had redeemed their Jewish brethren who were sold to the heathen. for , i.e., not according to the full number of those who were among us, meaning as often as a sale of this kind occurred (Bertheau); for does not mean completeness, multitude, but only sufficiency, supply, adequacy of means (Lev 25:26); hence 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 before , so that acquires the meaning of nevertheless (Ewald, 354, a). The sale of their brethren for bond-servants was forbidden by the law, Lev 25:42. The usurers had nothing to answer to this reproach. “They held their peace, and found no word,” sc. in justification of their proceedings.
Neh 5:9 Nehemiah, moreover, continued ( , the Chethiv, is evidently a clerical error for , for the Niphal does not suit): “The thing ye do is not good: ought ye not (= ye surely ought) to walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?” i.e., we ought not, by harsh and unloving conduct towards 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) this loan!” The participle says: we are those who have lent. Herewith he connects the invitation, Neh 5:11: “Restore unto them, I pray you, even this day ( , about this day, i.e., even to-day, 1Sa 9:13), their fields, their vineyards, their olive gardens, and their houses, and the hundredth of the money, and of the corn, wine, and oil which you have lent them.” Nehemiah requires, 1 st, that those who held the lands of their poorer brethren in pledge should restore them their property without delay: 2 nd, that they should remit to their debtors all interest owing on money, corn, etc. that had been lent; not, as the words have been frequently understood, that they should give back to their debtors such interest as they had already received. That the words in Neh 5:11 bear the former, and not the latter signification, is obvious 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 we do as thou sayest.” Hence we must not translate , “which you had taken from them as interest” (de Wette), – a translation which, moreover, cannot be justified by the usage of the language, for does not mean to take interest from another, to lend to another on interest. The relates not to , but to … ; and , to restore, to make good, is used of both the transactions in question, meaning in the first clause the restoration of the lands retained as pledges, and in the second, the remission (the non-requirement) of the hundredth. The hundredth taken as interest is probably, like the centesima of the Romans, to be understood of a monthly payment. One per cent. per month 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 usury from their brethren, their poor fellow-countrymen, Exo 22:25 and Lev 25:36. When the creditors had given the consent required, Nehemiah called the priests, and made them (the creditors) swear to do according to this promise, i.e., conscientiously to adhere to their agreement. Nehemiah obtained the attendance of the priests, partly for the purpose of giving solemnity to the oath now taken, and partly to give to the declaration made 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 shook my lap, and said, So may God shake out every man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth (fulfilleth) not this promise, and thus may he be shaken out and emptied. means the lap of the garment, in which things are carried (Isa 49:22), where alone the word is again found. The symbolical action consisted in Nehemiah’s gathering up his garment as if for the purpose of carrying something, and then shaking it out with the words above stated, which declared the meaning of the act. The whole congregation said Amen, and praised the Lord, sc. for the success with which God had blessed his efforts to help the poor. And the people did according to this promise, i.e., the community acted in accordance with the agreement entered into.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Grievances of the Poor Redressed. | B. C. 445. |
6 And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words. 7 Then 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. 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 sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found nothing to answer. 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? 10 I likewise, and my brethren, and my servants, might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this usury. 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, that ye exact of them. 12 Then 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. 13 Also 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.
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 (v. 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, v. 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, v. 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?” v. 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 (v. 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 (v. 10), which he enlarges upon afterwards, v. 14, c. 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, <i>v. 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 (v. 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, v. 13. This was a threatening that he would certainly do so, to which the people said Amen, as to those curses at Mount Ebal ( Deut. xxvii.), 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, Ps. lvi. 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.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
2. Nehemiah protests, and offers a solution.
TEXT, Neh. 5:6-13
6
Then I was very angry when I had heard their outcry and these words.
7
And I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers and said to them, You are exacting usury, each from his brother! Therefore, I held a great assembly against them.
8
And I said to them, We according to our ability have redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us? Then they were silent and could not find a word to say.
9
Again I said, The thing which 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?
10
And likewise I, my brothers and my servants, are lending them money and grain. Please, let us leave off this usury.
11
Please, give back to them this very day 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 exacting from them.
12
Then they said, We will give it back and will require nothing from them; we will do exactly as you say. So I called the priests and took an oath from them that they would do according to this promise.
13
I also shook out the front of my garment and said, Thus may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not fulfill this promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied. And all the assembly said, Amen! And they praised the LORD, Then the people did according to this promise.
COMMENT
Note the personal tone of Neh. 5:6.
In Neh. 5:7, he makes two appeals. The first is addressed to the nobles and rulers, i.e., the persons making the loans at excessive interest, and buying the slaves (perhaps collecting exorbitant taxes, too). The second is to the people themselves (this is labeled a characteristic of Nehemiah[55]), whose support and good will is always ultimately essential to any rulers. The complaint is against usury (Exo. 22:25; Lev. 25:35 ff; Deu. 23:19). The purpose for making a loan should be to help the needy, not to enrich the lender.
[55] Interpreters Bible, Vol. III, p. 709.
Neh. 5:8, before the assembled people, informs us that Nehemiah and others had bought Jews back from slavery to foreigners, to the limit of their means, either in the lands of their captivity or more recently in Judah. Now their fellow-Jews were selling them back into slavery. There was nothing illegal about this, but it just didnt make sense.
Neh. 5:9, still before the assembly, appeals to their creditors on the basis that their action was bringing aid and comfort to their enemies, who would hear reports of every oppression. There is the implication also that what they were doing was not consistent with reverence to God.
In Neh. 5:10, Nehemiah appeals to them on the basis of his own example. His brothers would be his relatives or associates whom he had brought with him from Persia; the servants would be the soldiers sent as his bodyguard. Each of these were making loans of food and money to the poor. There is a kindly compulsion in his words as he includes himself in the exhortation, Please, let us leave off this usury.
Neh. 5:11 suggests that the property which had been mortgaged and subjected to foreclosure, plus the crops and personal belongings, be returned to their original owners. The hundredth part of the money presents a problem. He may have asked them to drop all interest requirements, in which case the 1% would be the monthly rate. Even so, this would be low interest in a world where 20% was the standard figure (Lev. 5:16; Lev. 6:5). One suggestion is that one letter had slipped out of a word, and the text should be emended to read, also the claim on the money and the grain . . .[56] However, the interest rate is not that unbelievable; Latin sources speak of the same monthly rate of 1%, or annual rate of 12%.[57]
[56] Anchor Bible, Ezra-Nehemiah, p. 129.
[57] Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, Ezra-Nehemiah, p. 212.
Neh. 5:12 indicates their consent to this proposal. To avoid a change of heart later on, they were required to go through the formalities of taking an oath (see Take Oath, Word Studies for Ezra 10).
In Neh. 5:13 we see Nehemiah employ a visual aid. The folds of his garment served as pockets for the personal belongings he would carry; with a dramatic gesture he shook these out before his audience as a symbol of the loss of possessions which God would cause the person to suffer who violated his oath. The assembly cheered; they all praised God; and their creditors kept their promise.
WORD STUDIES
WEALTHY (Neh. 5:2 : Chayil): in various contexts, it can mean (1) strength, might, valor; (2) forces, army; (3) ability, wealth; (4) integrity, virtue. It is usually translated army, but wealth in Rth. 2:1, where it describes Boaz.
The two most important letters in the word are the h and 1; these appear in our words heil, hale, heal, health, whole, and even holy: words having the same sense as the Hebrew, in certain contexts. They also occur in a word of very different derivation, but with the same connotations, in our slang (big) wheel; we wonder if this is only a coincidence. Try that expression in Neh. 5:2!
TRUMPET (Rth. 2:20 : Shofar): scratch, scrape, rub, polish. This leads to the idea of brightness, brilliance, and a brilliant tone. The word for scribe (Sepher) is akin to it (cf. Word Studies on Ezra 7 : note the resemblance in primary meaning). There seems to be a connection between what a person communicates by writing or speech, and what he conveys by musical tones.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(6) And I was very angry.Nehemiah, recently arrived, had not known this state of things. The common wailing and the three complaints in which it found expression are distinct.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. Very angry Highly indignant, to find that such abuses existed among a people so recently escaped from exile.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Nehemiah Expresses His Anger, Admits His Own Part In Causing The Problem, And Propounds A Solution ( Neh 5:6-13 ).
When Nehemiah heard their pleas, he was angry, both with himself and with others. He immediately recognised that he and other comparatively wealthy Jews had, probably mainly inadvertently, but some out of sheer greed, been overlooking the needs of the poor. Now he called on them to put this right. The fact that the wealthy responded so readily does suggest that most of their behaviour was unthinking. Nehemiah calls partly on the teaching of the Law about usury (claiming back extra on top of basic loans, something forbidden in Exo 22:25; Lev 25:36-37; Deu 23:19-20) and partly on the contradictory nature of their behaviour. This latter point was based on the fact that they had generously paid to redeem their brothers from slavery while in Babylonia, and were doing the same in Judah, but were now themselves enslaving those same brothers, and others like them.
It is true that the Law did require that at the end of every seventh year all debt should be ‘released’ (Deu 15:1 ff), and that all Hebrew slaves should also be released (Exo 21:2-11; Deu 15:12-18), but we do not know how far these requirements were being fulfilled. And it did not solve the current situation. Thus Nehemiah went a step further. He called on the wealthy, in view of the circumstances, to make that release immediately. And it was to their credit that they were willing, even though it might be that many were willing simply in order not to lose face before their fellows.
Neh 5:6
‘And when I heard their cry and these words, I was very angry.’
The sad tales that came to him made Nehemiah angry, both with himself and with others. How could they have overlooked the needs of the families of those who had worked so willingly on the walls, presumably without pay? And how could they have overlooked a genuine situation of such extreme poverty? It is always the problem of the comparatively well off that they do not appreciate the position of those at the lowest levels of poverty. They just assume that they will get by, as they do themselves.
Neh 5:7
‘Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers, and said to them, “You exact usury, every one of his brother.” And I held a great gathering against them.’
As a consequence Nehemiah first of all examined his own conscience, (‘he consulted with himself’) for he recognised that he had been equally guilty of ignoring the situation, by lending money to the poor on interest. And then he argued with the wealthy among the people, the aristocrats and rulers, and pointed out that they were doing the same. They were ‘exacting usury from their brothers’, contrary to the Law. And he organised ‘a great gathering’ where the matter could be considered. He knew that men were more disposed to charity if it was required of them in public.
Neh 5:8
‘And I said to them, “We after our ability have redeemed our brothers the Jews, who 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 never a word.’
He then called on them to consider the contradictory nature of their behaviour. While in Babylonia they had paid good money to redeem from slavery fellow-Jews who had been enslaved by foreigners, so that they could return with them to the land, and they had also paid local foreigners a redemption price for Jewish slaves in the land, and yet they were now themselves in the contradictory position of enslaving those same brothers, and others like them, selling them to themselves. Did they consider that this was pleasing to God?
This idea of the deliverance of Jewish slaves out of the hands of foreigners was prescribed in the Law, although the principle there was applied to those ‘in the land’ where the idea of the year of Yubile applied, and the idea was that those ransomed would then serve off their debt as hired servants, not as slaves (Lev 25:47-55). It was, however, a practise that had been extended to include the ransom by generous Jews of any Jews in foreign hands.
Nehemiah was heard out in silence. All felt guilty. They recognised their own inconsistency, so much so that not one spoke up in his own defence. They acknowledged that they had no excuse for what they had been doing.
Neh 5:9
‘Also I said, “The thing which you do is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the nations our enemies?”
He stressed that what he and they were doing was not good. Should they not rather be fearing God, recognising that by their behaviour they were bringing the reproach of the nations round about, ‘their enemies’ previously mentioned (Neh 4:7), on themselves and on their God? They were proclaiming that their God was different from the gods of the nations, even from the YHWH of the syncretists, and yet they were demonstrating by their behaviour that it made no difference to the way that they lived, thus giving the impression that their God was in fact no different after all.
Neh 5:10
‘And I likewise, my brothers and my servants, do lend them money and grain. I pray you, let us leave off this usury.”
To his credit Nehemiah did not excuse himself. He and his retinue (his ‘servants’, those who were helping him to run the country), and even his own relatives (his ‘brothers’) were equally guilty of such behaviour, lending money and grain in order to obtain a return on them. They were following Persian and Babylonian ways. As they had, however, only been in Judah a short time, they could not actually have caused much hardship as the loans must have been very recent. But he admits that the intention had been there. By this means he took away the offence that otherwise his words may have caused. He was not being ‘holier than you’. It should be noted that this practise was not forbidden in itself, only when it was with regard to fellow-Jews (Deu 23:20). Thus he calls on them to cease the practise, as he intended to do. It was to be a permanent arrangement for the future, not a temporary measure.
It should be noted that this does not condemn the modern commercial practise of lending money on reasonable interest. But it does suggest that personal loans to fellow-Christians and relatives, and to those in real poverty, to meet personal need, while being willingly given, should not be offered on the basis of obtaining a return.
Neh 5:11
“Restore, 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 you exact of them.”
Nehemiah now calls on them, therefore, to restore to those from whom they had exacted them, their fields, vineyards, oliveyards and houses, together with any liability for interest and return of capital. It was to be a kind of instantaneous year of release and year of Yubile, with all debts cancelled, and all property restored, in order to start the new nation off on the right basis now that Judah was an entity in itself (albeit in the Persian empire).
Some see ‘the hundredth part’ as possibly the interest for one moon period, indicating an interest of 12%. If so, this had seemingly been generally agreed previously, and was in fact in terms of those days, very generous. We know that during the Persian period nearer to 20% was usually exacted by money lenders, and often much higher. Nevertheless Nehemiah called for it to be cancelled. In other words that part of the loans which had not yet been repaid were to be looked on as gifts, and the interest being exacted had to be cancelled.
But this may be a little too technical. The description may rather suggest a different rate. It may well be that each moon period they were expected to return one hundredth part of the money, thus slowly paying off the loan, plus one hundredth part of whatever was produced.
Neh 5:12
‘Then they said, “We will restore them, and will require nothing of them, so will we do, even as you say.”
To the credit of the wealthy Jews their response was positive. They would restore all property, cancel all debts, and cease exacting interest, in accordance with Nehemiah’s suggestion. Any who had reservations on the matter, as there would almost inevitably have been, were seemingly ashamed to go against the generosity of the majority. We can understand how this would have given the workers on the walls a new impetus, and how it would have raised Nehemiah’s authority among the poor (the majority). It will be noted that nothing is said about the provision of food for the poorest (Neh 5:2) but that was not part of the long term deal which was being recorded here. Provision was no doubt made for that. It could hardly have been overlooked.
Neh 5:12
‘Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they would do according to this promise.’
Nehemiah then called on them to confirm what they had promised on oath before the priests. This made the whole thing legally binding. From then on they could not go back on it. This was not a sign that he did not trust them, but a making of the whole arrangement legal, removing any qualms that anyone might have, and any danger of anyone later changing their mind. It made the arrangement firm and sure. Were anything to arise in the future these priests and their fellows would also be the judges.
Neh 5:13
‘Also I shook out my lap, and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house, and from his labour, who does not fulfil this promise. Even thus be he shaken out, and emptied.” And all the assembly said, “Amen,” and praised YHWH. And the people did according to this promise.’
Nehemiah then made a symbolic act by ‘shaking out his lap’ (we would say ‘turned out his pockets’) declaring ‘so may God shake out from their house and from their work any who does not fulfil his promise’. Personal items were carried in a fold of the cloak, held in by a belt. It was these that he shook out as a prophetic gesture. Such an overt act was seen as sealing whatever had been spoken, and as guaranteeing the carrying out by God of any penalty.
That those gathered did not see it as a rebuke, but as a sealing of the position comes out in their response. All were in agreement and all said ‘Amen’ and praised YHWH. They clearly saw it as a new beginning, and rejoiced in a new unity. Dissension among them had been removed. And finally we are assured that all the people did as they had promised. All cooperated in carrying out Nehemiah’s proposals.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
(6) And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words. (7) Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, everyone of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them. (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 sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found nothing to answer. (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? (10) I likewise, and my brethren, and my servants, might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this usury. (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, that ye exact of them. (12) Then 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. (13) Also 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.
What a masterly speech doth Nehemiah here make! How unanswerable the arguments he adopted to induce tenderness in the minds of the people! And how successful his reasoning. But how infinitely superior is the lesson the Lord Jesus brought forward, in the days of his flesh, to the question of his servant the apostle, on the subject of offences. Jesus hath ransomed us when under a debt of ten thousand talents, which no human ability could ever pay. And therefore to bear hard upon a brother of poorer circumstances, in the paltry debt of an hundred pence, must imply a cruelty unsuited to a regenerated mind. According to Nehemiah’s strong figure of shaking the lap, we may well conclude God will shake off, and shake out, all merciless characters of this description; or to use the higher and better words of our Lord Jesus Christ, every such wretch will be delivered to the tormentors; and so will God our heavenly Father do unto us, if we from our hearts forgive not everyone his brother his trespasses. Mat 18:34-35 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Neh 5:6 And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
Ver. 6. And I was very angry ] Red-hot with anger, and not without cause. To be angry without cause is to be guilty of judgment, Mat 5:22 , but in case of God’s dishonour, and public prejudice, moderation is mopishness, toleration cowardice, &c. Nehemiah was a magistrate, that is, a mortal god; as God is an immortal magistrate. Therefore as God is angry at the oppressions of poor people (Lactantius hath written a book De Ira Dei ), so should his lieutenants; and this holy anger should be cos fortitudinis, a means to encourage, or rather to enrage them against oppressors, who grind the faces of the poor, and take from them burdens of wheat, Amo 5:11 . Yea, lands and vineyards, as here, eating bread baked with the tears of men, coining their money on their skins, and wringing their spunges into their own purses.
When I heard their cry
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Neh 5:6-13
6Then I was very angry when I had heard their outcry and these words. 7I consulted with myself and contended with the nobles and the rulers and said to them, You are exacting usury, each from his brother! Therefore, I held a great assembly against them. 8I said to them, We according to our ability have redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us? Then they were silent and could not find a word to say. 9Again I said, The thing which 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? 10And likewise I, my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Please, let us leave off this usury. 11Please, give back to them this very day 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 exacting from them. 12Then they said, We will give it back and will require nothing from them; we will do exactly as you say. So I called the priests and took an oath from them that they would do according to this promise. 13I also shook out the front of my garment and said, Thus may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not fulfill this promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied. And all the assembly said, Amen! And they praised the Lord. Then the people did according to this promise.
Neh 5:6 outcry This is a different term (BDB 277) from Neh 5:1, but it is related (cf. Neh 9:9). Nehemiah was extremely angry at these accusations and exploitations by the wealthy Jews. He himself was a wealthy Jew, but he did not take advantage (cf. Neh. 10,14-19).
Neh 5:7 I consulted with myself If mlk is taken in its Aramaic sense (cf. Dan 4:24) then this is an idiom for thought carefully (BDB 576 III, KB 591, Niphal IMPERFECT); if in the Hebrew sense of mlk then I controlled my feelings (BDB 573 II, cf. REB).
NASBcontended
NKJVrebuked
NRSVbrought charges
TEVdenounced
NJBreprimanded
This term (BDB 936, KB 1224, Qal IMPERFECT) can mean (1) bring a legal case against; (2) agitate the mind (Aramaic); or (3) cry, shout (Syriac). In this context #1 fits best (cf. NASB, NRSV).
NASB, NKJV,
NIVexacting usury
NRSVtaking interest
TEVoppressing
NJBimposing a burden
NETseizing the collateral
JPSOApressing claims on loans
The term ms’ (BDB 673), usually translated usury, is used only in Nehemiah (cf. Neh 5:7; Neh 5:10; Neh 10:32). A closely related term, ms’h (BDB 673) is used several times in the OT for a pledge or security for a loan (e.g., Deu 24:10). The question is then, does this context refer to (1) charging interest to fellow Jews, which is a violation of Mosaic law (cf. Exo 22:25-27; Lev 25:35-37; Deu 23:19-20; Deu 24:10-13) or (2) quickly seizing the pledge of the poor and defaulting the loan?
I held a great assembly against them Nehemiah called a town meeting to settle (legal setting, content) a community issue (cf. Neh 5:3). He could have made a decision administratively, but hoped that the fear of God wold cause true repentance and reform.
Neh 5:8 redeemed This term (BDB 888, KB 1111, Qal PERFECT) speaks of buying someone back from slavery or helplessness. Nehemiah admits that he was redeeming Jews from foreign bondage (cf. Lev 25:48), but the horrendous setting of chapter 5 is that Jews were forcing their brothers into bondage! See Special Topic: Redeem/Ransom .
Neh 5:9 walk Walk (BDB 229, KB 246, Qal IMPERFECT) is a biblical idiom for lifestyle faith. It develops from the concept of God’s word as a path to follow (e.g., Psa 1:1; Psa 119:101; Psa 119:105; Pro 1:15; Pro 4:14). The first title for the church in Acts was the Way (cf. Act 9:2; Act 19:9; Act 19:23; Act 22:4; Act 24:14; Act 24:22; and possibly Act 18:2-26).
in the fear of God One’s knowledge of God must issue in an awesome respect for Him. To know Him and then act inappropriately (the actions of God’s people reflect on the character of God Himself) is a serious violation of revelation (cf. Luk 12:48).
the reproach of the nations, our enemies These wealthy Jews were playing into the hand of Israel’s enemies (cf. Neh 4:4). This was either (1) a known plot to undermine the new political structure set up by Nehemiah or (2) greed. Their reaction (cf. Neh 5:11-12) shows #2 is correct.
Neh 5:10 Nehemiah and those associated with him are acting in exactly the opposite way from these wealthy, elite business men.
my servants Literally this is the term (BDB 654) boy, lad, or youth, but it is used regularly of servants (cf. Neh 4:16; Neh 4:22-23; Neh 5:10; Neh 5:15-16; Neh 6:5; Neh 13:19; Est 2:2; Est 3:13; Est 6:3; Est 6:5).
Please, let us leave off this usury This is a Qal COHORTATIVE. This may refer to (1) loaning money with interest (cf. Neh 5:11) or (2) confiscation of pledges (cf. Neh 5:7), which was legal, but was being abused at this point (cf. Exo 22:25-27; Deu 23:19-20). Because they could does not mean they should!
Neh 5:11 Please, give back to them this very day their fields The VERB (BDB 996, KB 1427, Hiphil IMPERATIVE) is often used for repentance (i.e., turn back), but here for return (cf. Neh 5:12). Nehemiah was trying to embarrass these rich Jews in the presence of the assembled group to do that which was morally right. In a sense this was an enactment of Jubilee freedom (cf. Lev 25:10). He is using himself and his associates as an example.
NASB, NKJVthe hundredth part of the money
NRSVand the interest on the money
TEV————
NJBcancel the claim
This is a difficult Hebrew phrase. Some think it means (1) a scribal error for the word loan; (2) a reference to a monthly percent of interest being charged; or (3) the wealthy lenders were to give not only the land back, but the means by which the poor could live until the next crop was harvested.
Neh 5:12 took an oath The VERB (BDB 989, KB 1396, Hiphil IMPERFECT) is always used of humans swearing to God. Nehemiah did not trust these wealthy Jews, but he demanded that they take an oath in God’s name. What they said they would do (BDB 793 I, KB 889, Qal IMPERFECT), they now swore they would do (BDB 793 I, Qal INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT). This was connected with a curse if they did not perform what they promised. The curse of Neh 5:13 (i.e., shaking out one’s garment [cf. Act 18:6], which is a play on shake out used twice of Nehemiah and God) is an acted out curse of emptiness and poverty.
Neh 5:13 This may God shake out. . .even thus may he be shaken out These are both IMPERFECTS used in a JUSSIVE sense seeking God’s judgment for those who violate their pledge.
Amen Amen (BDB 53) is a form of the OT word for faith (cf. Hab 2:4). The root’s original etymology meant to be firm or to be sure. It primarily refers to the trustworthiness of God. The term developed in Jewish usage into an affirmation like we use it today and as it is used here (cf. Num 5:22; Deu 27:26).
SPECIAL TOPIC: AMEN
they praised the Lord they must refer to both the wealthy and poor Jews (all the assembly).
then the people did according to this promise It is unusual that the people here refers to the wealthy Jews. The phrase is usually used of the people as a whole (cf. Neh 5:15).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
children = sons.
lo. Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Neh 5:6-13
Neh 5:6-13
NEHEMIAH MOVED QUICKLY TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM
“And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words. Then I consulted with myself and contended with the rulers and the nobles, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I held a great assembly against them. And 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 said never a word. Also 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? And likewise, my brethren and my servants, do lend them money and grain. I pray you, let us leave off this usury. Restore, 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. Then 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. Also, 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.”
“I was very angry when I heard these words” (Neh 5:6). Nehemiah restrained his anger, very wisely, and by his skillful handling to the situation, “He avoided personally alienating the rulers and nobles, who after all were the leaders of the community, and the men upon whom he relied for the support of his administration.”
“Then I consulted with myself” (Neh 5:7). This means that Nehemiah disciplined himself in the control of his anger. He carefully laid the plans by which he would put an end to their abuses.
“Ye exact usury, every man of his brother” (Neh 5:7). This was a heartless violation of God’s law (Exo 22:25), which forbade God’s people to charge interest on any loan to a brother Israelite. “He reminded the rulers and nobles that his own conduct had been the opposite of theirs; and that when he had seen Jewish slaves offered for sale in Gentile markets, he would pay the ransom price and give them their liberty. But those nobles and rulers were Selling their poverty-stricken fellow Jews to heathen masters, knowing that Nehemiah would buy them back.” That procedure, obviously, amounted to their selling their brethren to Nehemiah, as indicated by the terse words in Neh 5:8, And should they be sold unto us?
“Would ye even sell your brethren” (Neh 5:8)? It was against the Law of God for an Israelite to sell even a servant as a bondman, much less a brother (Lev 25:42). It is apparent that Nehemiah’s inclusion of this episode parenthetically at this point in his book was due to his purpose of exposing the character of the rulers and nobles as an advance explanation of trouble he would have with them later.
“They held their peace, and found never a word” (Neh 5:8). Nehemiah had completely checkmated any public opposition by the rulers and nobles by his confronting them before a general assembly of the whole population. They had no excuse whatever for their wholesale violations of the Mosaic Law. Their own consciences condemned them. “And I likewise, my brethren and my servants do lend them money and grain” (Neh 5:10). Nehemiah said nothing at all here about charging interest on such loans; and this writer does not believe that he was guilty of violating the Moasic instructions against such charges. If Nehemiah had been charging his brethren usury, why would he have been so angry with the nobles and rulers for doing so? The scholars who make the word likewise in this verse prove that Nehemiah was a usurer are in error.
“Let us leave off this usury” (Neh 5:10). Ah! But does not this clause prove that Nehemiah was doing the same thing? Williamson so understood it, “Nehemiah here candidly admits having been involved in these same practices.” No! This was merely a tactful identification of himself with the violators, in order to promote good will and to avoid antagonism; and this is by no means the only example of a Biblical writer’s using that very same device for the sake of avoiding unnecessary bitterness. “Ezra identified himself with the marriage offenders (Ezr 9:6) although he had not contracted an illicit marriage.” Did not the apostle Paul write:
“Let US press on … not laying again a foundation of repentance, … and this will WE do, if God permit (Heb 6:1; Heb 6:3)?
In this passage, Paul used the first person plural twice (capitalized words in passage above); but he was not confessing that he himself was guilty of the same errors he was attempting to correct in the recipients of his letter. In the same manner, here, Nehemiah’s use of the first person plural was not a confession that he was the same kind of heartless usurer as the rulers and nobles.
“Restore unto them their fields … the hundredth part of the money … and of the grain, …” (Neh 5:11). This was a public request, backed up by the support of the general assembly that all the abuses be ended at once. Several types of oppressing the poor are in evidence in this blanket request. (1) There was the interest charge (a hundredth part of the money. “This was a monthly charge, amounting to 12% a year.” (2) Then there were the fields confiscated through foreclosures, and (3) the extravagant rental charges “in kind,” the grain, wine, oil, etc.
“Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them” (Neh 5:12). Wonderful! So far, so good. But Nehemiah knew the character of the evil men with whom he was dealing; and he moved at once to “swear them in” to do what they promised to do.
“Then I called the priests and took an oath of them” (Neh 5:12). With honest men, this would have been unnecessary; but Nehemiah moved to thwart any violations of this agreement by swearing them in before the whole assembly.
“I shook out my lap, and said, God so shake out every man … that performeth not this promise” (Neh 5:13). The `lap’ that Nehemiah shook out was an improvised one, made by gathering up his robe in a fold, and then shaking it out as if he were emptying out things contained in it. This was a symbolical action, as were the deeds of many of the prophets, designed to emphasize their words. It was an appeal that God would drastically and completely punish and remove all violators of the promises they had sworn to honor.
“And the people did according to this promise” (Neh 5:13). Nehemiah’s precautions assured a full compliance with the public promises; and the people were relieved.
E.M. Zerr:
Neh 5:6. Nehemiah was righteously indignant at the heartless treatment of his poor brethren. He felt that no reason existed for their actions.
Neh 5:7. Consulted with myself means that he thought over the subject, to determine what to do and say. He then rebuked the guilty ones and accused them of exacting usury of their brethren. The law forbade taking usury from the brethren (Exo 22:25), and these nobles were violating that law. Nehemiah then assembled a numerous throng to oppose this cruel disregard for the divine ordinance that had been given from Sinai.
Neh 5:8. Redeemed our brethren. When Nehemiah came back to Palestine he found that some of their brethren had been sold to the heathen. He had managed to buy a great many of them back. Now the Jews were putting their own people into the same kind of reproach through their financial dealings. By taking advantage of their straitened circumstances, they were making slaves of them just as certainly as the heathen had done. When Nehemiah caused them to see their transactions in the true light, they were made speechless, doubtless, from a feeling of shame.
Neh 5:9. It is always right to do right regardless of any other consideration. But an added reason exists in the fact that one’s conduct is observed by the public. The heathen who were in Palestine had known about the close dealings of heartless characters. Now if they behold these Jews mistreating their own brethren, it will cause them to think of their profession of religion with contempt. This idea is taught in the New Testament. See Rom 12:17; Rom 14:16; 2 Co r. 6:3; 1Th 4:12.
Neh 5:10. Had it been right to exact payments of food from the people, Nehemiah and his servants would have had much the better claim for such a privilege. He was not doing so, and exhorted them not to do so any more. That is, not to take usury of their brethren for the loans they were making.
Neh 5:11. When a man goes into the commercial or industrial world to make a financial investment, it may be perfectly just. But that does not prove that it is right to make a profit off of those whose bodily needs call for assistance. Nehemiah knew that the whole situation was brought by the sore need of the poor brethren, and not as a legitimate business investment. He therefore bade the creditors restore all the money and properties that had been exacted as security. Verse 12. We cannot but admire the spirit of these creditors. They evidently had not realized the real principle involved in their dealings, for they promptly agreed to do as Nehemiah requested. And to make the matter binding, he called for the priests who had the authority to administer an oath. Under oath the men were caused to promise to carry out the requirements of Nehemiah.
Neh 5:13. Shaking his lap was a physical illustration to signify the complete undoing that was to come to all who would break their oath. After the demonstration and comments thereon, the whole congregation voiced approval. We have the gratifying information that the promise was carried out.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Neh 13:8, Neh 13:25, Exo 11:8, Num 16:15, Mar 3:5, Eph 4:26
Reciprocal: Neh 13:11 – contended 2Co 7:11 – indignation 2Co 11:29 – and I burn
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Neh 5:6-7. Then I was very angry Grieved exceedingly at this sin of the nobles. Then I consulted with myself I restrained the emotions of my mind, being afraid to do any thing in a fit of anger or vexation and coolly considered, and deliberated with myself, what was best to be done. And I rebuked the nobles and rulers Who were the moneyed men, and whose power, perhaps, made them more bold to oppress; and said, You exact usury every one from 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. And 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 more impartial judges of the matter, and I 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 public 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 Gods 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 a standard.