Ye 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 more
Nehemiah 5:6-7. Then I was very angry Grieved exceedingly at this sin of the nobles. Then I consulted with myself I restrained the emotions of my mind, being afraid to do any thing in a fit of anger or vexation and coolly considered, and deliberated with myself, what was best to be done. And I rebuked the nobles and rulers Who were the moneyed men, and whose power, perhaps, made them more bold to oppress; and said, You exact usury every one from his brother Which was against the plain... read more
The greed of the rich (5:1-19)Another problem that Nehemiah dealt with was the tension that had developed over the years between the rich and the poor. Those in financial difficulty borrowed money from the rich to buy food and pay their land taxes to the Persian government. The rich took advantage of them by charging heavy interest. Then, when the poor could not pay, the rich took their land from them in payment, and in some cases took their children as slaves. Troubles increased when a famine... read more
Then = And. rulers. See note on Nehemiah 2:16 . exact usury. It was twelve per cent. See Nehemiah 5:11 . one = man. set = appointed. assembly = body [of witnesses. ] Hebrew. kehallah (feminine.) Occurs only here and Deuteronomy 33:4 . against = over. read more
Nehemiah 5:7. Ye exact usury, &c.— This usury was the more grievous, because it was not only contrary to their law, and demanded at a time when they were hard at work, and their enemies threatening to destroy them all; but, as some have observed, the twentieth of Ahasuerus, wherein this was done, began about the end of a sabbatical year, after the law, which forbad every creature to exact any debt of his neighbour or his brother, Deu 15:2 had been so frequently read. This raised the cry of... read more
3. The strife among the workers ch. 5This chapter evidently describes a situation that prevailed for more than the 52 days the wall was under construction (cf. Nehemiah 5:14). The writer probably included it in the text here because it was another situation that threatened to block the fulfillment of God’s will."Up to this point Nehemiah’s challenges as a spiritual leader focused primarily on those outside of Judah. But before the walls were finally rebuilt, he encountered the most difficult... read more
Nehemiah’s Measures in alleviation of Poverty1. The people] i.e. the commons (as contrasted with the nobles and rulers, Nehemiah 5:7). These had neglected their own interests to labour gratuitously on the fortifications, and now in the time of dearth were feeling the pinch of want. 2. Therefore we take up corn] better, ’we must get corn.’ The language is that of desperate men, compelled by necessity to accept the harsh conditions imposed by those to whom they had recourse for the corn they... read more
(7) I consulted.—But he mastered himself, and studied his plan of operation. The matter was complicated, as the transgressors had violated rather the spirit than the letter of the law. Hence the rebuke, that they exacted usury each of his brother, failed in its object; and the governor called a general assembly, not “against them,” but “concerning them.” read more
USURYNehemiah 5:1-19WE open the fifth chapter of Nehemiah with a shock of pain. The previous chapter described a scene of patriotic devotion in which nearly all the people were united for the prosecution of one great purpose. There we saw the priests and the wealthy citizens side by side with their humble brethren engaged in the common task of building the walls of Jerusalem and guarding the city against assault. The heartiness with which the work was first undertaken, the readiness of all... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 5:7
Self-consultation "Then I consulted with myself." The power of con-suiting with himself is one of the chief things which distinguish men from brutes. A man can be both the subject and the object of his own thought; as if there were in him two persons—one thinking, feeling, suggesting, etc.; the other observing the processes, judging of their worth, and determining accordingly. "My heart consulted with me," says Nehemiah (translating literally). "Commune with your own heart," says the... read more