EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Nehemiah 5:7
7I thought carefully about what they had said. Then I said to the Jewish leaders and officers, ‘You are cheating your own people! You are taking back more money than you have lent to them.’ I told the Jews to come together for a big meeting.
Nehemiah 5:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them.
- New International Version (NIV)I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are charging your own people interest!” So I called together a large meeting to deal with them
- English Standard Version (ESV)I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, "You are exacting interest, each from his brother." And I held a great assembly against them
- New King James Version (NKJV)After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them, “Each of you is exacting usury from his brother.” So I called a great assembly against them.
Context of Nehemiah 5:7
5Now we have to sell our sons and daughters as slaves so that we can pay back the money. But we are from the same human family as those other Jews. Our children are not different from their children. Already some of our daughters have become slaves. Our fields and vineyards now belong to other people, so we are helpless to do anything.’ 6When I heard what they were complaining about, I was very angry. I thought carefully about what they had said. Then I said to the Jewish leaders and officers, ‘You are cheating your own people! You are taking back more money than you have lent to them.’ I told the Jews to come together for a big meeting. 8I said to them all, ‘When our own Jewish people have become slaves of foreign people, we have tried hard to buy them back. But now you are making your own people sell their children to you. And you want us to pay you to buy them back again!’ The Jewish leaders kept quiet. They had nothing to say. 9Then I said to them, ‘You are doing something that is completely wrong. Instead, you should obey God and live in a good way. Then the foreign people who are our enemies will not have a chance to insult us.
Read all of Nehemiah 5Nehemiah 5:7 word by word
וַיִּמָּלֵ֨ךְ לִבִּ֜י עָלַ֗י וָאָרִ֙יבָה֙ אֶת־הַחֹרִ֣ים וְאֶת־הַסְּגָנִ֔ים וָאֹמְרָ֣ה לָהֶ֔ם מַשָּׁ֥א אִישׁ־בְּאָחִ֖יו אַתֶּ֣ם נֹשְׂאִים וָאֶתֵּ֥ן עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם קְהִלָּ֥ה גְדוֹלָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Then I consultedמָלַךְmâlak · to adviseH4427
- with myselfלֵבlêb · heartH3820
- and I rebukedרִיבrîyb rûb · to contendH7378
- the noblesחֹרchôr chôr · nobleH2715
- and the rulersסָגָןsâgân · rulerH5461
- and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto them, Ye exactנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: aidH5375
- unto them, Ye exactנָשָׁהnâshâh · to lendH5383
- unto them, Ye exactנָשָׁאnâshâ' · to exactH5378
- usuryמַשָּׁאmashshâ' · interestH4855
- every oneאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
- of his brotherאָח'âch · brother: compatriotH251
- And I setנָתַןnâthan · to give: makeH5414
- a greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- assemblyקְהִלָּהqehillâh · assemblyH6952
Cross-references for Nehemiah 5:7
- Psalms 4:4Shake with fear and stop doing wrong things! Lie on your bed and think quietly about your life. Selah.
- Psalms 27:8I have heard you say to me, ‘Come near to me.’ So I will come and pray to you, Lord.
- Leviticus 19:15You must be fair to other people when you judge them. You must not be more kind to a rich person than to a poor person. You must be fair to everyone.
- 2 Chronicles 19:6He said to them, ‘Be careful how you do your job. Remember that you are not being a judge to please men. You are doing it to please the Lord. He will help you to decide what is right.
- Psalms 82:1God calls the powerful rulers to meet in heaven. He sits on his throne to judge them.
- Proverbs 27:5When a friend is not afraid to warn you that you are wrong, it shows that he really loves you.
- 2 Corinthians 5:16So that changes how we think about people. We no longer use human ideas to think what they are like. At one time, we thought about Christ as humans think. But now we think about him very differently!
- Galatians 2:11But later, when Peter came to Antioch, I spoke against him. I told him clearly that he had done something wrong.
- 1 Timothy 5:20If a leader is really guilty and continues to do wrong things, you must warn him. Do that when everyone in the church is there. They will hear what you say, and they will be afraid to do wrong things themselves.
- Exodus 22:25You may lend money to any of my people who need help. But do not ask them to pay back more money than you have lent to them. That is what traders in money do.
- Leviticus 25:36The man must not pay back more than you gave to him. You must obey your God.
- Deuteronomy 15:2This is how you must do it: Every person who has lent money to someone must remove that debt. He must not demand to get his money back from any other Israelite. It is the Lord's time to remove debts.
- Deuteronomy 23:19You may lend money or food or anything else to another Israelite. But do not ask him to give you back more than you lent to him.
- Deuteronomy 24:10If you lend something to your neighbour you may take something from him as a guarantee. But do not go into his house to take it.
- Psalms 15:1Lord, who may stay with you, in your own home? Who may live there, on your holy hill?
- Ezekiel 22:12People among you accept bribes to kill somebody. When some of you lend money to people, you make them pay more money back to you. Some of you use your power to make people give you money. You people of Jerusalem have forgotten me. That is what the Lord says.
Commentaries on Nehemiah 5:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7Ye exact usury - This was expressly contrary to the law of God; and was doubly cruel at this time, when they were just returning out of the land of their captivity, and were suffering from the effects of a dearth. Some think that it was about the time of a Sabbatical year, when their land must have lain at rest without cultivation, and during which they were expressly commanded not to exact any debt. Deuteronomy 15:2. I set a great assembly against them…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7Ye exact usury - The phrase is unique to Nehemiah, and is best explained by the context, which shows the practice of the rich Jews at the time to have been not so much to lend on usury as to lend on mortgage and pledge.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-13Verses 6-13 Nehemiah knew that, if he built Jerusalem's walls ever so high, so thick, or so strong, the city could not be safe while there were abuses. The right way to reform men's lives, is to convince their consciences. If you walk in the fear of God, you will not be either covetous of worldly gain, or cruel toward your brethren. Nothing exposes religion more to reproach, than the worldliness and hard-heartedness of the professors of it. Those that…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6-7Nehemiah was very angry, but he controlled himself. He thought it over and then spoke to resolve the conflict instead of worsening it (see James 1:19–20).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 6-196-12. I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words--When such disorders came to the knowledge of the governor, his honest indignation was roused against the perpetrators of the evil. Having summoned a public assembly, he denounced their conduct in terms of just severity. He contrasted it with his own in redeeming with his money some of the Jewish exiles who, through debt or otherwise, had lost their personal liberty in Babylon. He urged the…Read the comment
Topics related to Nehemiah 5:7
In the dictionaries
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
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