Nehemiah 5:1

Nehemiah Helps the Poor

1 Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews.

Nehemiah 5:1 in Other Translations

1 And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.

1 Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers.

1 About this time some of the men and their wives raised a cry of protest against their fellow Jews.

1 A great protest was mounted by the people, including the wives, against their fellow Jews.

1 Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.

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

1 There was a widespread outcry from the people and their wives against their Jewish countrymen.

1 Some men and their wives cried out against their Jewish brothers and sisters.

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 Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews.

2 Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.”

3 Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.”

4 Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.

5 Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.”