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Yet for all this I did not demand the governor's food allowance, because the servitude was heavy on this people.</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/newcom.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../vmenus/nehemiah/5-18.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmcom/nehemiah/5-18.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="http://biblehub.com/commentaries/">Commentaries</a> > Nehemiah 5:18</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../nehemiah/5-17.htm" title="Nehemiah 5:17">◄</a> Nehemiah 5:18 <a href="../nehemiah/5-19.htm" title="Nehemiah 5:19">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse">Now <i>that</i> which was prepared <i>for me</i> daily <i>was</i> one ox <i>and</i> 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.</div><div id="jump">Jump to: <a href="/commentaries/barnes/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Barnes' Notes">Barnes</a> • <a href="/commentaries/benson/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Benson Commentary">Benson</a> • <a href="/commentaries/illustrator/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Biblical Illustrator">BI</a> • <a href="/commentaries/cambridge/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Cambridge Bible">Cambridge</a> • <a href="/commentaries/clarke/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Clarke's Commentary">Clarke</a> • <a href="/commentaries/darby/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Darby's Bible Synopsis">Darby</a> • <a href="/commentaries/ellicott/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers">Ellicott</a> • <a href="/commentaries/expositors/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Expositor's Bible">Expositor's</a> • <a href="/commentaries/edt/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Expositor's Dictionary">Exp Dct</a> • <a href="/commentaries/gaebelein/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Gaebelein's Annotated Bible">Gaebelein</a> • <a href="/commentaries/gsb/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Geneva Study Bible">GSB</a> • <a href="/commentaries/gill/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Gill's Bible Exposition">Gill</a> • <a href="/commentaries/gray/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Gray's Concise">Gray</a> • <a href="/commentaries/guzik/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Guzik Bible Commentary">Guzik</a> • <a href="/commentaries/haydock/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Haydock Catholic Bible Commentary">Haydock</a> • <a href="/commentaries/hastings/nehemiah/8-10.htm" title="Hastings Great Texts">Hastings</a> • <a href="/commentaries/homiletics/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Pulpit Homiletics">Homiletics</a> • <a href="/commentaries/jfb/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Jamieson-Fausset-Brown">JFB</a> • <a href="/commentaries/kad/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Keil and Delitzsch OT">KD</a> • <a href="/commentaries/kelly/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Kelly Commentary">Kelly</a> • <a href="/commentaries/king-en/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Kingcomments Bible Studies">King</a> • <a href="/commentaries/lange/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Lange Commentary">Lange</a> • <a href="/commentaries/maclaren/nehemiah/5.htm" title="MacLaren Expositions">MacLaren</a> • <a href="/commentaries/mhc/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Matthew Henry Concise">MHC</a> • <a href="/commentaries/mhcw/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Matthew Henry Full">MHCW</a> • <a href="/commentaries/parker/nehemiah/5.htm" title="The People's Bible by Joseph Parker">Parker</a> • <a href="/commentaries/poole/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Matthew Poole">Poole</a> • <a href="/commentaries/pulpit/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Pulpit Commentary">Pulpit</a> • <a href="/commentaries/sermon/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Sermon Bible">Sermon</a> • <a href="/commentaries/sco/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Scofield Reference Notes">SCO</a> • <a href="/commentaries/ttb/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Through The Bible">TTB</a> • <a href="/commentaries/wes/nehemiah/5.htm" title="Wesley's Notes">WES</a> • <a href="#tsk" title="Treasury of Scripture Knowledge">TSK</a></div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="comtype">EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)</div><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/benson/nehemiah/5.htm">Benson Commentary</a></div><span class="bld"><a href="/nehemiah/5-18.htm" title="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 on this people.">Nehemiah 5:18</a></span>. <span class="ital">Now that which was prepared for me daily, &c., was one ox,</span> &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.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="mhc" id="mhc"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/mhc/nehemiah/5.htm">Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary</a></div>5:14-19 Those who truly fear God, will not dare to do any thing cruel or unjust. Let all who are in public places remember that they are so placed to do good, not to enrich themselves. Nehemiah mentions it to God in prayer, not as if he had merited any favour from God, but to show that he depended upon God only, to make up to him what he had lost and laid out for his honour. Nehemiah evidently spake and acted as one that knew himself to be a sinner. He did not mean to claim a reward as of debt, but in the manner that the Lord rewards a cup of cold water given to a disciple for his sake. The fear and love of God in the heart, and true love of the brethren, will lead to every good work. These are proper evidences of justifying faith; and our reconciled God will look upon persons of this character for good, according to all they have done for his people.<a name="bar" id="bar"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/barnes/nehemiah/5.htm">Barnes' Notes on the Bible</a></div>Compare the far grander provision for Solomon's table (see the marginal reference). <a name="jfb" id="jfb"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/jfb/nehemiah/5.htm">Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary</a></div>17. Moreover there were at my table an hundred and fifty of the Jews—In the East it has been always customary to calculate the expense of a king's or grandee's establishment, not by the amount of money disbursed, but by the quantity of provisions consumed (see 1Ki 4:22; 18:19; Ec 5:11). <div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/poole/nehemiah/5.htm">Matthew Poole's Commentary</a></div> 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. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="gil" id="gil"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/gill/nehemiah/5.htm">Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible</a></div>Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep,.... Or fat ones; of beef and mutton a considerable quantity, abundantly sufficient for his guests and servants, and shows what a good table he kept: <p>also fowls were prepared for me; what number is not said: <p>and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine; the country afforded; that is, either once in ten days his stock of wine was renewed, or a more liberal entertainment was made, a banquet of wine, <a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/5-6.htm">Esther 5:6</a>, <p>yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor; the salary that used to be given him, but did this at his own expense, out of his own estate in Judea; or what he had got by his office as cupbearer to the king of Persia, the salary of which perhaps was continued: <p>because the bondage was heavy upon the people; the tribute of the king of Persia, and their labour and expense in building the walls of the city. <a name="gsb" id="gsb"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/gsb/nehemiah/5.htm">Geneva Study Bible</a></div><span class="cverse2">Now <i>that</i> which was prepared <i>for me</i> daily <i>was</i> one ox <i>and</i> six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of <span class="cverse3">{n}</span> all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.</span><p>(n) While at other times they had by measure, at this time they had most liberally.</div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><div class="comtype">EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)</div><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/cambridge/nehemiah/5.htm">Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges</a></div><span class="bld">18</span>. for me <span class="ital">daily</span>] R.V. <span class="bld">for one day.</span> Compare Solomon’s daily provision, <a href="/context/1_kings/4-22.htm" title="And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and three score measures of meal,...">1 Kings 4:22-23</a>.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="ital">choice</span>] i.e. picked or chosen for their fatness and good condition. The word in the Hebrew is used of men chosen for a purpose, <a href="/1_chronicles/7-40.htm" title="All these were the children of Asher, heads of their father's house, choice and mighty men of valor, chief of the princes. And the number throughout the genealogy of them that were apt to the war and to battle was twenty and six thousand men.">1 Chronicles 7:40</a>; <a href="/1_chronicles/9-22.htm" title="All these which were chosen to be porters in the gates were two hundred and twelve. These were reckoned by their genealogy in their villages, whom David and Samuel the seer did ordain in their set office.">1 Chronicles 9:22</a>; <a href="/1_chronicles/16-41.htm" title="And with them Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest that were chosen, who were expressed by name, to give thanks to the LORD, because his mercy endures for ever;">1 Chronicles 16:41</a>. In <a href="/1_samuel/9-2.htm" title="And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.">1 Samuel 9:2</a> Saul is called a ‘choice’ (R.V. marg.) man.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="ital">once in ten days store of all</span> sorts of <span class="ital">wine</span>] 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. <span class="greekheb">ἐν πᾶσιν οἶνος τῷ πλήθει</span>. Vulg. ‘Vina diversa et multa alia tribuebam.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="ital">yet for</span> all <span class="ital">this</span>] Lit. ‘with this,’ i.e. ‘in spite of this heavy outlay.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="ital">required not I</span>] R.V. <span class="bld">I demanded not.</span> 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 <a href="/ezra/8-22.htm" title="For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God is on all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.">Ezra 8:22</a>; <a href="/psalms/38-16.htm" title="For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slips, they magnify themselves against me.">Psalm 38:16</a> (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, <span class="ital">Bible Word-Book</span>) 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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="ital">the bread of the governor</span>] See <a href="/nehemiah/5-14.htm" title="Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even to the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brothers have not eaten the bread of the governor.">Nehemiah 5:14</a>.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="ital">the bondage was heavy</span>, &c.] i.e. the tribute exacted from the Jews by the Persian Imperial government. The word rendered ‘bondage’ occurs twice elsewhere in this book, <a href="/nehemiah/3-5.htm" title="And next to them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their LORD.">Nehemiah 3:5</a>, ‘the work of their lord,’ <a href="/nehemiah/10-37.htm" title="And that we should bring the first fruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground to the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.">Nehemiah 10:37</a>, ‘cities of our tillage.’ Used of oppressive ‘service’ it is familiar to us in Exodus (<a href="/exodus/1-14.htm" title="And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigor.">Exodus 1:14</a>, (<a href="/exodus/2-23.htm" title="And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up to God by reason of the bondage.">Exodus 2:23</a>, <a href="/nehemiah/5-9.htm" title="Also I said, It is not good that you do: ought you not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?">Nehemiah 5:9</a>, &c.).<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="pul" id="pul"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/nehemiah/5.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 18.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Once in ten clays store of all sorts of wine</span>. Literally, "all sorts of wine in abundance." Wine was probably drunk every day, but laid in every ten days. Yet for all this. Or, "<span class="accented">with</span> all this"- notwithstanding this great expenditure, I took no allowance as governor. <span class="cmt_word">Because the bondage was heavy upon this people</span>. 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. Nehemiah 5:18<a name="kad" id="kad"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/kad/nehemiah/5.htm">Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament</a></div>"And that which was prepared for one (i.e., a single) day was one ox, six choice (therefore fat) sheep, and fowls; they were prepared for me, i.e., at my expense, and once in ten days a quantity of wine of all kinds." The meaning of the last clause seems to be, that the wine was furnished every ten days; no certain quantity, however, is mentioned, but it is only designated in general terms as very great, להרבּה. זה ועם, and with this, i.e., notwithstanding this, great expenditure, I did not require the bread of the Pechah (the allowance for the governor, comp. <a href="/nehemiah/5-14.htm">Nehemiah 5:14</a>), for the service was heavy upon the people. העבדה is the service of building the walls of Jerusalem. 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