Nehemiah 5:15

15 The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration^[a] forty shekels^[b] of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, ¹because of the fear of God.

Nehemiah 5:15 Meaning and Commentary

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 ^F13, 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 himself of the people, nor suffered his servants; because the fear of God was upon his heart, and before his eyes, and therefore could not allow himself to oppress the poor.

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FOOTNOTES:

F13 Seder Olam Zuta, p. 108, 109.

Nehemiah 5:15 In-Context

13 I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, "So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied."And all the assembly said "Amen" and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.

14 Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor.

15 The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God.

16 I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work.

17 Moreover, there were at my table 150 men, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us.

Cross References

• 1. ver. 9

Footnotes

• [a]. Compare Vulgate; Hebrew took from them with food and wine afterward
• [b]. A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams