John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Nehemiah 5:2
For there were that said, we, our sons, and our daughters, are many ,.... Not that they complained of the number of their children, for a numerous offspring was always reckoned a blessing with the Jews; but this they observed to show that their families, being large, required a considerable quantity of food to support them: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat and live ; that is, they were obliged to take it at an exorbitant price, which is the thing complained of; or... read more
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Nehemiah 5:1-5
We have here the tears of the oppressed, which Solomon considered, Eccl. 4:1. Let us consider them as here they are dropped before Nehemiah, whose office it was, as governor, to deliver the poor and needy, and rid them out of the hand of the wicked oppressors, Ps. 82:4. Hard times and hard hearts made the poor miserable. I. The times they lived in were hard. There was a dearth of corn (Neh. 5:3), probably for want of rain, with which God had chastised their neglect of his house (Hag. 1:9-11)... read more