Nehemiah 5:1

Nehemiah 5:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.
• New International Version (NIV)Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And there was a great outcry of the people and their wives against their Jewish brethren.

Context of Nehemiah 5:1

Now there was a great outcry of the [poorer] people and their wives against their Jewish brothers [to whom they were deeply in debt]. 2For there were some who were saying, “We, along with our sons and our daughters, are many; therefore allow us to get grain, so that we may eat and survive.” 3There were others who were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to buy grain because of the famine.”

Nehemiah 5:1 word by word

וַתְּהִ֨י צַעֲקַ֥ת הָעָ֛ם וּנְשֵׁיהֶ֖ם גְּדוֹלָ֑ה אֶל־אֲחֵיהֶ֖ם הַיְּהוּדִֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And there was a greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
• cryצְעָקָהtsa‛ăqâh · cryH6818
• of the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• and of their wivesאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
• against their brethrenאָח'âch · brother: compatriotH251
• the Jewsיְהוּדִיyehûdîy · JewH3064

Cross-references for Nehemiah 5:1

• Exodus 3:7The Lord said, “I have in fact seen the affliction (suffering, desolation) of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters (oppressors); for I know their pain and suffering.
• Exodus 22:25“If you lend money to any one of My people with you who is poor, you shall not act as a creditor (professional moneylender) to him; you shall not charge him interest.
• Job 31:38“For if my land has cried out against me, And its furrows weep together;
• Job 34:28So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him, And He heard the cry of the afflicted.
• Isaiah 5:7For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house (nation) of Israel And the men of Judah are His delightful planting [which He loves]. So He looked for justice, but in fact, [He saw] bloodshed and lawlessness; [He looked] for righteousness, but in fact, [He heard] a cry of distress and oppression.
• Luke 18:7And will not [our just] God defend and avenge His elect [His chosen ones] who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay [in providing justice] on their behalf?
• James 5:4Look! The wages that you have [fraudulently] withheld from the laborers who have mowed your fields are crying out [against you for vengeance]; and the cries of the harvesters have come to the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
• Leviticus 25:35‘Now if your fellow countryman becomes poor and his hand falters with you [that is, he has trouble repaying you for something], then you are to help and sustain him, [with courtesy and consideration] like [you would] a stranger or a temporary resident [without property], so that he may live among you.
• Deuteronomy 15:7“If there is a poor man among you, one of your fellow Israelites, in any of your cities in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not be heartless, nor close-fisted with your poor brother;
• Acts 7:26Then on the next day he suddenly appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you wrong one another?’
• 1 Corinthians 6:6but instead, brother goes to law against brother, and that before [judges who are] unbelievers?

Commentaries on Nehemiah 5:1

• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The Jews complain of grievances. (1-5) Nehemiah redresses the grievances. (6-13) Nehemiah's forbearance. (14-19) Verses 1-5 Men prey upon their fellow-creatures: by despising the poor they reproach their Maker. Such conduct is a disgrace to any, but who can sufficiently abhor it when adopted by professing Christians? With compassion for the oppressed, we should lament the hardships which many in the world are groaning under; putting our souls into their…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-13Severe financial problems almost stopped the wall's completion (Nehemiah 5:1–5), but Nehemiah found a solution (5:6–13).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-51-5. there was a great cry of the people ... against their brethren--Such a crisis in the condition of the Jews in Jerusalem--fatigued with hard labor and harassed by the machinations of restless enemies, the majority of them poor, and the bright visions which hope had painted of pure happiness on their return to the land of their fathers being unrealized--must have been very trying to their faith and patience. But, in addition to these vexatious…Read the comment

Topics related to Nehemiah 5:1

• Borrowing
• Country
• Covetousness
• Creditor
• Interest
• Lending
• Poor
• Repentance
• Rich, the
• Usury

In the dictionaries

• Jubilee
• Shake
• Creditor
• Malachi
• Poverty
• Salvation
• Tax; Taxing
• Versions, Georgian, Gothic, Slavonic
• Loan

Commentaries on Nehemiah 5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings