Nehemiah 5:3 - Exposition

Because of the dearth . Some, who could not say that their families were large, claimed relief on account, as it would seem, not so much of a present as of a past famine, which had forced them to mortgage their fields, vineyards, and houses. That Judaea was liable to famines about this time appears from Haggai 1:6 , Haggai 1:9-11 ; Haggai 2:16-19 .