Nehemiah 5:7

7 And mine heart thought with(in) me, and I blamed the principal men, and magistrates; and I said to them, Ask ye not usuries, or increase, each man of your brethren (And I thought in my heart within me, and I rebuked the leaders, and the magistrates; and I said to them, Ye should not ask for usury, or unfair interest, from your kinsmen). And I gathered together a great company 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.

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FOOTNOTES:

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

Nehemiah 5:7 In-Context

5 And now as the fleshes of our brethren be, so and our fleshes be; and as be the sons of them, so and our sons be; lo! we have made subject our sons and our daughters into servage, and servantesses be (made) of our daughters, and we have not whereof they may be again-bought; and other men have in possession our fields, and our vineries. (And now though our flesh be like the flesh of our kinsmen, and our sons be like their sons; lo! we have subjected our sons and our daughters to servitude, or slavery, and some of our daughters be made slave-girls; and we have not whereof to buy them back, for now others possess our fields, and our vineyards.)

6 And I was full wroth, when I had heard the cry of them by these words. (And I was very angry, when I had heard their outcry over these matters.)

7 And mine heart thought with(in) me, and I blamed the principal men, and magistrates; and I said to them, Ask ye not usuries, or increase, each man of your brethren (And I thought in my heart within me, and I rebuked the leaders, and the magistrates; and I said to them, Ye should not ask for usury, or unfair interest, from your kinsmen). And I gathered together a great company against them,

8 and I said to them, As ye know, we have by our power again-bought our brethren Jews, that were sold to heathen men; and ye now sell your brethren, and shall we again-buy them of you? And they held silence, and found not what they should answer. (and I said to them, As ye know, by our power we have bought back our fellow Jews, who were sold to the heathen; but now your own kinsmen must sell themselves to you, and so now do we have to buy them back from you? And they held their peace, and found not what they should answer.)

9 And I said to them, It is not (a) good thing, that ye do; why go ye not in the dread of our God, and reproof be not said to us of heathen men, our enemies? (And I said to them, It is not good what ye have done; why do ye not go in the fear of our God? and then rebuke would not be said to us by our enemies, the heathen.)