Nehemiah 5 Study Notes

5:9 Nehemiah’s point was that they were being watched by the surrounding nations and needed to conduct themselves in a way that glorified God. See Dt 4:6; 1Pt 2:12.

5:10 It is unlikely that Nehemiah was confessing sin about these issues. It was considered an act of kindness to lend to the poor (Ps 37:26; 112:5; Pr 19:17). What was wrong was taking advantage of the poor (Dt 15:7-11; 24:10-13) and demanding payment in light of the severe economic situation. As in Neh 5:7, there is a translation issue in this verse. Nehemiah’s exhortation could be translated, “Let’s stop pressing our claims on these loans.”

5:11 Nehemiah demanded that they return property taken in pledge as well as the interest or income derived from that property.

5:12-13 The officials’ agreement to Nehemiah’s demands was followed by a solemn oath, the seriousness of which was reinforced by Nehemiah’s ritual act of shaking the folds of his robe while reciting a curse on those who failed to keep it. The folds of the robe were used as pockets. Nehemiah was comparing his pockets to the rooms of a house and bidding God to evict the disobedient from their houses. The people had ample reason to say Amen (which means “so be it” or “surely”). This issue of social injustice could have splintered the community and brought about the same consequences their enemies had failed to achieve, but by God’s grace Nehemiah produced a fair conclusion that allowed construction to continue.

5:14 This is the first mention of Nehemiah’s appointment as governor (Hb pechah) of the province. Moreover, his duration as governor is given—probably from 445 to 432 BC. Nehemiah distinguished his governance from his predecessors’ in that he declined to eat “the bread of the governor,” or the food allotted to the governor. Such a refusal was at great personal cost to him, as vv. 17-18 demonstrate.

5:15-16 The gap between Zerubbabel and Nehemiah was probably more than sixty years. Some scholars have argued that the governors whom Nehemiah criticized were the governors of Samaria, arguing that Judah (Hb Yehud) did not become a separate province until Nehemiah restored the city and its walls. Yet the historical evidence as well as the biblical record argues that Yehud had been a distinct political entity since the beginning of the Persian period. Archaeological finds have identified the names of some of the governors between Zerubbabel and Nehemiah on seals and coins, including Yeho‘ezer, Ahzai, several named Elnatan, and Yehezqiyah.

Unlike his predecessors, Nehemiah wanted to fulfill his mission from God in restoring Jerusalem without adding to the burdens of the people who were already hard pressed. Nehemiah and his subordinates (lit “my youths,” 4:10) instead devoted themselves to their task of rebuilding. His assertion that they didn’t buy any land is significant. Those at the center of power often use their power to get “sweetheart deals” to enrich themselves and their friends, but Nehemiah and his men did not take advantage of their power, especially when desperate people were willing to sell their properties for food.

5:17-18 On the food allotted to the governor, see note at v. 14.

5:19 Nehemiah’s succinct prayer has often been criticized as selfish or as “works righteousness.” But as J. G. McConville writes, “The invocation of God’s favour is not so much a plea for a reward as an emphatic way of claiming that he has acted in good faith and from right motives. It is a statement of confidence that God is judge, and judges favorably those who sincerely seek to do his will.”