Nehemiah 5:18

Neh 5:18 Now [that] which was prepared [for me] daily [was] one ox [and] six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.

Ver. 18. Now that which was prepared for me daily] A very great table he kept, at his own charge all, yet nothing so great as Solomon, 1Ki 4:22-23, or as once Cardinal Wolsey here; who, besides all strangers that came, had four hundred of family, whereof one was an earl, nine barons, very many knights and esquires. But then he had more yearly revenue than all the bishops and deans in the land had, take them all together.

And once in ten days] Then he kept an extraordinary table, inviting guests, for whom he had store of the best wines. The Turkish bashaws feast foreign ambassadors with rice, and mutton, and fair water out of the river: wine is a forbidden ware with them; Mahomet, their prophet, having told them that in every grape there dwelt a devil.

Yet for all this I required not] This he did, and this he here recordeth; not for a name (as Crates, the philosopher, did, when he cast his goods into the sea merely to be talked of,) and is, therefore, worthily called by Jerome (Epist. ad Julian), gloriae animal, popularis aurae vile mancipium, a base slave to vain glory, but for better and higher ends. See Neh 5:16.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Neh 5:18. Now that which was prepared for me daily, &c., was one ox, &c. — “It is evident,” says Dr. Dodd, “from the great and daily expenses of Nehemiah, here mentioned, that either he had large remittances from the Persian court, besides his own estate, to answer them; or that he did not continue at Jerusalem for the whole twelve years together; or that, if he did, he did not keep up this expensive way of living all the time, but only during the great and present exigencies of the Jews, which ceased in a good measure after the walls were built, the act against usury passed, and the people discharged to their ordinary course of maintaining themselves and families.”

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Whereas at other times they had by measure, at this time they had most liberally.

Or, once in ten days.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 18. One ox, and six choice sheep] This was food sufficient for more than two hundred men.

Once in ten days store of all sorts of wine] It is supposed that every tenth day they drank wine; at all other times they drank water; unless we suppose the meaning of the phrase to be, that his servants laid in a stock of wine every ten days. Though the Asiatics drank sparingly of wine, yet it is not very likely that, in a case such as that above, wine was tasted only thrice in each month.

Bishop Pococke mentions the manner in which the bey of Tunis lived. He had daily twelve sheep, with fish, fowls, soups, oranges, eggs, onions, boiled rice, c., c., His nobles dined with him after they had done, the servants sat down and, when they had finished, the poor took what was left. Here is no mention of a fat ox; but there were six sheep at the bey's table more than were at the table of Nehemiah: so the twelve sheep were equal to six sheep and one ox. Probably the mode of living between these two was nearly alike.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

18. for me daily] R.V. for one day. Compare Solomon’s daily provision, 1Ki_4:22-23.

choice] i.e. picked or chosen for their fatness and good condition. The word in the Hebrew is used of men chosen for a purpose, 1Ch_7:40; 1Ch_9:22; 1Ch_16:41. In 1Sa_9:2 Saul is called a ‘choice’ (R.V. marg.) man.

once in ten days store of all sorts of wine] Literally ‘within the interval of ten days, of every wine in abundance.’ The construction is peculiar. The specification of 10 days and the preposition before ‘sorts of wine’ lead us to expect the mention of some particular quantity. The conjecture is possible that this was originally expressed by a word denoting a measure, unfamiliar to later copyists, who substituted a general expression for the word. According to the present text, fresh supplies of wine were furnished every ten days, i.e. thrice a month. LXX. ἐν πᾶσιν οἶνος τῷ πλήθει. Vulg. ‘Vina diversa et multa alia tribuebam.’

yet for all this] Lit. ‘with this,’ i.e. ‘in spite of this heavy outlay.’

required not I] R.V. I demanded not. The sense is ‘I did not demand my rights.’ At the time of the A.V. translation ‘to require’ was equivalent to ‘to ask,’ in which sense the A.V. employs it here; see Ezr_8:22; Psa_38:16 (P.B.V.) ‘I have required that they, even mine enemies, should not triumph over me.’ The usage of ‘require’ for ‘demanding by authority,’ ‘making requisition for’ (see Wright, Bible Word-Book) is more modern. But inasmuch as ‘I did not require’ could now be understood to mean ‘I did not need,’ the change to the less equivocal ‘demand’ is a gain in clearness and accuracy.

the bread of the governor] See Neh_5:14.

the bondage was heavy, &c.] i.e. the tribute exacted from the Jews by the Persian Imperial government. The word rendered ‘bondage’ occurs twice elsewhere in this book, Neh_3:5, ‘the work of their lord,’ Neh_10:37, ‘cities of our tillage.’ Used of oppressive ‘service’ it is familiar to us in Exodus (Exo_1:14, (Exo_2:23, Neh_5:9, &c.).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people. He expected not any recompence from the people, but from the Lord; and from him not in a way of merit, but of grace and good will, who forgets not what is done for his name's sake, Heb 6:10.

Next: Nehemiah Chapter 6

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Compare the far grander provision for Solomon’s table (see the marginal reference).

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Wines. This was only produced, in abundance, on extraordinary occasions; for the people of the East do not drink wine at every feast, Ecclesiasticus xxxi. 17. (Calmet) --- Yearly. Septuagint, "Moreover, loaves of extortion I did not seek, because a hard servitude lay upon this people." (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

But bore it out of my own estate; which was very considerable, his office in the Persian court being a place of very great profit as well as honour, and that profit no doubt continued to him in this his absence from the king. From this great and daily expense, it seems more than probable that Nehemiah did not continue here for twelve years together, as some would think, or at least that he did not this all that time, but only during the great and present exigencies and distresses of the Jews, which ceased in good part after the walls were built, and the hearts of all the Jews revived, and their enemies dispirited thereby.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

18. That which was prepared for me daily — To show what a burden he bore at his own expense, Nehemiah here mentions a few of the more important items that were daily required for his table. Yet to maintain all this he made no claim for official salary and expense, but met all himself through sympathy with the distressed populace and the cause of his God. Clarke here quotes Pococke’s description of “the manner in which the Bey of Tunis lived. He had daily twelve sheep, with fish, fowls, soups, oranges, onions, boiled rice, etc. His nobles dined with him; after they had done, the servants sat down, and when they had finished, the poor took what was left.”

Once in ten days… wine — Wine could be obtained in quantities, and kept for any length of time, but other provisions must be furnished every day.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Once in ten clays store of all sorts of wine. Literally, "all sorts of wine in abundance." Wine was probably drunk every day, but laid in every ten days. Yet for all this. Or, with all this notwithstanding this great expenditure, I took no allowance as governor. Because the bondage was heavy upon this people. The bondage intended must be that under the Persian crown, since neither the labour at the wall nor the oppression of the creditors lasted during the twelve years that Nehemiah was governor. It would seem that the tribute, already complained of in ver. 4, must have been felt as a heavy burthen at this period.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Required not - But bore it out of my own estate: which was very considerable, his office in the Persian court being a place of great profit.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Now what was prepared each day was

This can be stated in active form. AT: "Each day I told my servants to prepare" or "Each day I told my servants to serve us the meat from" (See: Active or Passive)

six choice ... ten days

"6 choice ... 10 days" (See: Numbers)

wine in abundance

"enough wine for everyone"

yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor

"yet I never asked for the governor's food allowance"

Call me to mind

This is an idiom. It is a request for God to think about him and remember him. AT: "Remember me" (See: Idiom)

for good

This idiom is a request for God to reward him with good things because of the good that he has done for the people. AT: "and reward me" or "cause good to happen to me" (See: Idiom)

translationWords

cow

ewe

wine

govern

call

mind

God

good

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

And what was prepared And every day they ate at my table one ox, six sheep and many birds.

prepared Heb. בְּרֻרוֹת. Its interpretation is according to the context: six prepared sheep, like the matter that is stated (I Sam. 25:18): “...five prepared (עֲשׂוּיוֹת) sheep.”

were prepared for me Heb. נַעֲשּׂוּ, an expression of preparation, like (Gen. 18:8): “...and the calf that he had prepared (עָשָּׂה).”

and as much as ten days’ supply Heb. וּבֵין עֲשֶּׂרֶת יָמִים, lit. and between ten days. And every day they drank much wine, the amount that suffices for ten days.

and for this Heb. וְעִם זֶה; and this procedure, for which I used to make such big expenditures.

food of the tax, which is fit for the governor, I did not seek, and I did not request it of the people, for the work of the building of the wall was heavy and strong upon them.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.