Nehemiah 5:4
◄  Nehemiah 5:4  ►
New International Version (©2011)
Still others were saying, "We have had to borrow money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards.

New Living Translation (©2007)
And others said, "We have had to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay our taxes.

English Standard Version (©2001)
And there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
Also there were those who said, "We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards.

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (©2009)
Still others were saying, "We have borrowed money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards.

International Standard Version (©2012)
Still others were saying "We've borrowed money against our fields and vineyards to pay the king's taxes.

NET Bible (©2006)
Then there were those who said, "We have borrowed money to pay our taxes to the king on our fields and our vineyards.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
Others said, "We've had to borrow money to pay the king's taxes on our fields and vineyards.

King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
There were also those that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tax, and that upon our lands and vineyards.

American King James Version
There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that on our lands and vineyards.

American Standard Version
There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute upon our fields and our vineyards.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And others said: Let us borrow money for the king's tribute, and let us give up our fields and vineyards:

Darby Bible Translation
And there were that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute upon our fields and vineyards;

English Revised Version
There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute upon our fields and our vineyards.

Webster's Bible Translation
There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.

World English Bible
There were also some who said, "We have borrowed money for the king's tribute using our fields and our vineyards as collateral.

Young's Literal Translation
And there are who are saying, 'We have borrowed money for the tribute of the king, on our fields, and our vineyards;

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

5:1-5 Men prey upon their fellow-creatures: by despising the poor they reproach their Maker. Such conduct is a disgrace to any, but who can sufficiently abhor it when adopted by professing Christians? With compassion for the oppressed, we should lament the hardships which many in the world are groaning under; putting our souls into their souls' stead, and remembering in our prayers and succours those who are burdened. But let those who show no mercy, expect judgment without mercy.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 4. - The king's tribute. Judaea, like other Persian provinces, had to pay a tribute, partly in money and partly in kind, yearly to the Persian monarch (see the comment on Ezra 4:13); but there is no reason to believe that this burthen was generally felt as oppressive, nor that it was heavier in Judaea than elsewhere. But by the very poor even a small amount of direct taxation is felt as a grievance; and the necessity of meeting the demands of the tax-gatherer was in the ancient world often the turning-point, which compelled the contracting of a debt (Liv., 2:23); and so it seems to have been with these complainants,

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

There were also that said,.... Who though they were able to buy corn for their families without mortgaging their estates: yet, say they:

we have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards; for though the priests, Levites, and Nethinims, were exempted from it, yet not the people in common; and some of these were so poor, that they could not pay it without borrowing upon their estates, and paying large usury for it, see

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Nehemiah Defends the Oppressed
…3Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth. 4There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that on our lands and vineyards. 5Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children as their children: and, see, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought to bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards. …

Ezra 4:13 Furthermore, the king should know that if this city is built and its walls are restored, no more taxes, tribute or duty will be paid, and eventually the royal revenues will suffer.
Ezra 7:24 You are also to know that you have no authority to impose taxes, tribute or duty on any of the priests, Levites, musicians, gatekeepers, temple servants or other workers at this house of God.
Nehemiah 5:3 Others were saying, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine."