Nehemiah 5:7

7 After seriously considering the matter, I accused the nobles and officials, saying to them, "Each of you is charging his countrymen interest."[a] So I called a large assembly against them

Nehemiah 5:7 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 5:7

Then I consulted with myself
What was to be done, what method to be taken to redress such grievances:

and I rebuked the nobles and the rulers;
who were the men that monopolized the corn in this dear season, and sold it at an extravagant price, and had got the lands, vineyards, and houses of the poor mortgaged to them, and to whom they had lent money on usury:

and said unto them, you exact usury everyone of his brother;
which was contrary to the express law of God, ( Exodus 22:25 ) and which even the Indians F8 strictly observed, who neither let out money, nor took any upon usury:

and I set a great assembly against them;
either of the poor that were oppressed, who brought in their accusations and complaints against them, or a large body of the people, who were not guilty, to hear them, that the delinquents might be put to public shame; or he called a large court of judicature, and set them to examine these allegations, and to do justice.


FOOTNOTES:

F8 Aelian. Var. Hist. l. 4. c. 1.

Nehemiah 5:7 In-Context

5 We and our children are [just] like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless because our fields and vineyards belong to others."
6 I became extremely angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints.
7 After seriously considering the matter, I accused the nobles and officials, saying to them, "Each of you is charging his countrymen interest." So I called a large assembly against them
8 and said, "We have done our best to buy back our Jewish countrymen who were sold to foreigners, but now you sell your own countrymen, and we have to buy them back." They remained silent and could not say a word.
9 Then I said, "What you are doing isn't right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God [and not invite] the reproach of our foreign enemies?

Footnotes 1

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