Nehemiah 5:15

But the former governors, that had been before me, were chargeable to the people,.... Between him and Zerubbabel, for Ezra was no governor; according to the Jewish chronology (m), when Ezra came to

But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the

The former governors; not Ezra, who was no governor, but only a priest sent to teach them, and to rectify church abuses; nor Zerubbabel; but others between him and Nehemiah, whom he forbears to name, because he designed not to disgrace any person, but only to reform the abuses. Beside forty shekels of silver; which they required of the people for every day to defray their other expenses. Their servants bare rule over the people, i.e. ruled them with rigour and cruelty; which fault of the servants is charged upon their masters; the former governors, because they did not restrain nor punish them. Because of the fear of God; because I feared to break God’ s commands, or to incur his displeasure, by such immoderate and unseasonable oppressions of the people. This he speaks not to commend himself, but rather to diminish his praise, and to show that this was no heroical action, nor work of supererogation, to be admired rather than imitated; but only his duty in that case, which for his own sake he durst not decline; and consequently that it was their duty also now to relinquish even those rights which in other times and conditions they might lawfully require.

Nehemiah 5:15 But the former governors that [had been] before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.Ver. 15. But the former governors] Those that had been between Zerubbabel and Nehemiah; Ezra was no governor. These had been strict in exacting their five pounds a day; or, for the head of every family, so much; besides bread for necessity, and wine for delight. Not so Nehemiah, he would not use his power to over burden those poor whom these usurers oppressed. This he here instanceth for their further conviction. Yea, even their servants bear rule over the people] Exacting what they please of them. This their masters should have seen to, and not suffered, for the servant’ s sin is the master’ s reproach. When Charles V resolved to lay down the empire, some of his courtiers and counsellors advised him to retain still the name and authority of emperor, and to govern the kingdom by his junior officers. His answer to them was, Ah, me praesente ita res administratis, &c., Alas, now that I am among you, things are so ill carried, that ye are complained of by all; what then would you do, if I should not have an eye upon you? and how would you domineer like so many Sultans (the word here used), and follow the administration of justice as a trade only, with an unquenchable and unconscionable desire of gain? But so did not I, because of the fear of God] The best retentive from sin certainly; a spur to good, a curb from evil. Hence David calleth it a clean fear, Psalms 19:9; and the fear of the Lord is, to depart from evil, saith Solomon. And Aristotle hath this problem, Why are men credited more than other creatures? The answer is, οτιθεουςνομιζεινμονον, because man alone holdeth and feareth God; therefore you may trust him. But where this fear is not, no good is to be expected, but the contrary, Genesis 20:11.

(15) Besides forty shekels of silver.—Either in bread and wine over forty shekels, or, received in bread and wine, and beyond that, forty shekels. The latter, on the whole, is to be preferred; it would amount to about four pounds from the entire people daily. So did not I, because of the tear of God.—Nehemiah contrasts his forbearance with the conduct of former governors; we cannot suppose him to mean Zorubbabel, but some of his successors. The practice he condemns was common among the satraps of the Persian princes. Note that usury and rigour were interdicted, in Leviticus 25:36; Leviticus 25:43, with the express sanction, “Fear thy God.”

15. the former governors that had been before me] R.V. the former governors that were before me. The governors or Pekhahs here referred to by Nehemiah are those of Jerusalem and the neighbouring district. Zerubbabel was the first. We do not know how many there had been in the interval, nor whether they like Nehemiah were Jews. were chargeable unto] R.V. marg. ‘Or, laid burdens upon’. Literally the word means ‘made heavy;’ and we should expect here some such word after it as ‘their yoke’ or ‘burden,’ as in Isaiah 47:6. ‘Upon the aged hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.’ Lamentations 3:7, ‘he hath made my chain heavy.’ 1 Kings 12:10, ‘Thy father made our yoke heavy,’ and 14; (2 Chronicles 10:10; 2 Chronicles 10:14); Habakkuk 2:6. The object is expressed in the other phrases, ‘harden the heart’ (Exodus 8:15; Exodus 8:32; Exodus 9:34; Exodus 10:1) and ‘make the ears heavy’ (Isaiah 6:10; Zechariah 7:11) in which this verb occurs. The only other instance in which this causative word is used absolutely appears to be 2 Chronicles 25:19, ‘to boast.’ had taken of them] R.V. took of them.bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver] ‘beside,’ R.V. marg. ‘Or, at the rate of, Or, afterward.’ The expenses of the governor’s table were defrayed at the cost of the province or district. As may be gathered from the R.V. margin, there is considerable doubt with regard to the word rendered ‘beside.’ Literally the Hebrew runs ‘bread and wine, after forty shekels of silver.’ (a) The rendering ‘beside’ of the A.V. and R.V. can hardly be correct. There is no other instance of the use of the Hebrew preposition in this sense; and the addition of the statement ‘beside forty shekels, &c.’ conveys no meaning without the mention of the time, whether by day, month, or year, at which this extra charge was exacted. (b) The rendering ‘afterward,’ which is maintained by Keil, is even more improbable. A sentence to the effect that the governors took from the people bread and wine, and afterwards took forty shekels of silver, conveys no intelligible meaning. Keil thinks that it ‘expresses the thought that this money was afterwards demanded from the community for the expenses of the governor’s table,’ in other words that the governor first exacted the food and then required its value in money. (c) The rendering ‘at the rate of’ i.e. ‘at the price of forty shekels and over,’ which is certainly preferable, puts a severe strain upon the simple preposition ‘after.’ It explains the mention of the forty shekels. The sentence then means that the governor (daily, it must be presumed) required provisions to be supplied him by the province, the cost of which was never less than forty shekels. (d) The rendering of the LXX. ἔσχατονἀργύριον does not help us. The Vulgate ‘quotidie’ may imply a different reading. The Hebrew for ‘one’ (ekhβd) could very easily by a copyist’s slip be read ‘after’ (akhar).

Forty shekels of silver - A daily sum from the entire province. For such a table as that kept by Nehemiah Nehemiah 5:18, this would be a very moderate payment.

15. Were chargeable unto the people — Literally, made heavy upon the people; that is, had made themselves burdensome.