Nehemiah 5:1

1 Then some of the people, the men and their wives, complained publicly about their Jewish relatives.

Nehemiah 5:1 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 5:1

And there was a great cry of the people, and of their wives,
&c.] Those of the poorer sort:

against their brethren the Jews;
the rich that oppressed them; and this cry or complaint was made to Nehemiah for redress.

Nehemiah 5:1 In-Context

1 Then some of the people, the men and their wives, complained publicly about their Jewish relatives.

2 Some of them said, "We have large families! We need some grain [if we are going] to eat and stay alive."

3 Others said, "We've had to mortgage our fields, our vineyards, and our homes in order to get some grain because of this famine."

4 Others said, "We've had to borrow money to pay the king's taxes on our fields and vineyards.

5 We have the same flesh and blood as our relatives. Our children are just like theirs. Yet, we have to force our sons and daughters to become slaves. Some of our daughters have already become slaves. But we can't do anything else when our fields and vineyards belong to others."