5:12 They replied, “We will return these things, 6 and we will no longer demand anything from them. We will do just as you say.” Then I called the priests and made the wealthy and the officials 7 swear to do what had been promised. 8
1 tn Heb “according to the flesh of our brothers is our flesh.”
2 tn Heb “like their children, our children.”
3 tn Heb “to become slaves” (also later in this verse).
4 tn Heb “there is not power for our hand.” The Hebrew expression used here is rather difficult.
5 sn The poor among the returned exiles were being exploited by their rich countrymen. Moneylenders were loaning large amounts of money, and not only collecting interest on loans which was illegal (Lev 25:36-37; Deut 23:19-20), but also seizing pledges as collateral (Neh 5:3) which was allowed (Deut 24:10). When the debtors missed a payment, the moneylenders would seize their collateral: their fields, vineyards and homes. With no other means of income, the debtors were forced to sell their children into slavery, a common practice at this time (Neh 5:5). Nehemiah himself was one of the moneylenders (Neh 5:10), but he insisted that seizure of collateral from fellow Jewish countrymen was ethically wrong (Neh 5:9).
6 tn The words “these things” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
7 tn Heb “took an oath from them”; the referents (the wealthy and the officials, cf. v. 7) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn Heb “according to this word.”