Nehemiah 5 2

Nehemiah 5:2 kjv

For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and live.

Nehemiah 5:2 nkjv

For there were those who said, "We, our sons, and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain, that we may eat and live."

Nehemiah 5:2 niv

Some were saying, "We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain."

Nehemiah 5:2 esv

For there were those who said, "With our sons and our daughters, we are many. So let us get grain, that we may eat and keep alive."

Nehemiah 5:2 nlt

They were saying, "We have such large families. We need more food to survive."

Nehemiah 5 verses

Nehemiah 5 2 Meaning

Nehemiah 5:2 records one facet of a widespread outcry from the Jewish people in Jerusalem concerning their severe economic distress. It expresses the desperate plea of large families who lack sufficient grain to feed themselves, facing the threat of starvation despite their considerable numbers. This verse underscores the fundamental need for basic sustenance to sustain life amidst dire circumstances during the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls.

Nehemiah 5 2 Context

Nehemiah 5:2 occurs immediately after a general declaration of "a great outcry" (Neh 5:1) among the Jewish people and their wives against their brothers. This outcry signals deep internal strife and suffering. The rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, under Nehemiah's leadership, was a monumental task requiring intense labor and focus. However, economic conditions were harsh due to ongoing drought, poor harvests, heavy taxation by the Persian empire, and potentially the diversion of labor from farming to building. This specific verse, Nehemiah 5:2, outlines the most immediate and primal concern of many families: food scarcity. It highlights that the population growth ("numerous") in their families was exacerbating the problem, as more mouths needed feeding with fewer resources. This deep economic hardship led to borrowing money at high interest, often leading to debt slavery, the mortgaging of land, and even selling children, as detailed in the subsequent verses (Neh 5:3-5). Nehemiah 5:2 therefore sets the stage for Nehemiah's crucial social reform in response to this severe internal oppression.

Nehemiah 5 2 Word analysis

• And there were those who said, (וְיֵשׁ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֹמְרִ֔ים - wə·yêš ’ă·šer ’ō·mə·rîm)

  • וְיֵשׁ֙ (wə·yêš): "And there is/are." The particle "yesh" (יֵשׁ) denotes existence, indicating a concrete reality or presence. Here, it conveys that there was a tangible, significant group voicing this complaint.
  • אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֹמְרִ֔ים (’ă·šer ’ō·mə·rîm): "who were saying." The use of the present participle "omerim" (אֹמְרִים) suggests an ongoing or repeated nature of the complaint, indicating it was a persistent issue, not a one-off grievance.

• "We, our sons, and our daughters (בָּנִ֖ים בְּנֹתֵ֑ינוּ וְרֻבֵּ֧י אֲנַ֣חְנוּ - wa-’ănaḥnū wə·ru·bay bā·nīm bə·nō·ṯênū)

  • אֲנַ֣חְנוּ (’ănaḥnū): "We." First-person plural pronoun, identifying the speakers as direct participants in the suffering.
  • וְרֻבֵּ֧י (wə·rubbay): "and many of us," "and our multitude," "and our numerousness." Derived from "rav" (רַב), meaning "much" or "many." This emphasizes the sheer number of family members, portraying it not as a blessing but as an intensified burden in a time of scarcity, leading to the crisis.
  • בָּנִ֖ים בְּנֹתֵ֑ינוּ (bā·nīm bə·nō·ṯênū): "sons and daughters." Specifically includes children, highlighting the intergenerational nature of the hardship and the responsibility parents felt for their dependent offspring. This amplifies the desperation, as it's not just adult survival but the survival of the next generation at stake.

• are numerous; (Part of וְרֻבֵּ֧י אֲנַ֣חְנוּ, implying that the number of family members contributes to the food scarcity.)

• let us get grain, (וְנִקְחָ֣ה דָגָן֙ - wə·niq·ḥāh dā·ḡān)

  • וְנִקְחָ֣ה (wə·niq·ḥāh): "And let us take/get/obtain/buy." This cohortative form expresses an urgent, collective desire or resolution to acquire. It implies that simply 'having' food is not an option; they must actively acquire it.
  • דָגָן֙ (dā·ḡān): "grain." Refers to staple cereals like wheat or barley. This was the most basic and essential food source, indicating that their hunger was for fundamental necessities, not luxuries. Its absence implies severe food insecurity.

• that we may eat and live." (וְנֹאכְלָ֣ה וְנִחְיֶֽה - wə·nōḵ·lāh wə·niḥ·yeh)

  • וְנֹאכְלָ֣ה (wə·nōḵ·lāh): "And that we may eat." Purpose clause, stating the immediate goal of acquiring grain. Eating is presented as the prerequisite for life.
  • וְנִחְיֶֽה (wə·niḥ·yeh): "And that we may live." From the root "ḥāyāh" (חָיָה), meaning "to live." This goes beyond merely satisfying hunger; it expresses a desperate desire for survival. The stakes are existential. Their very physical existence depends on this grain.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "We, our sons, and our daughters are numerous": This phrase underlines the core problem: an abundance of dependents with a scarcity of resources. It conveys the personal, familial burden, emphasizing parental responsibility and the added pressure of many mouths to feed in a crisis. The large number, normally a blessing (Ps 127:3-5), becomes a source of severe stress.
  • "let us get grain, that we may eat and live": This expresses a primal, desperate need for basic survival. It’s not about wealth or comfort, but bare existence. The lack of "grain" (דָגָן) highlights a famine or severe food shortage, pushing families to the brink of death. The sequence "eat and live" highlights that food is a prerequisite for life itself.

Nehemiah 5 2 Bonus section

• The economic distress leading to the hunger was multifaceted, likely including a severe drought or bad harvest (which frequently accompanied divine judgment in the Old Testament, e.g., Amos 4:6), combined with heavy Persian taxation on harvests (which still left little for survival), and potentially interest charged by richer Jewish elite on loans during this crisis.
• The phrase "eat and live" captures the bare minimum of human need and survival. This echoes similar cries throughout the Old Testament where the people's very existence was tied to God's provision of basic necessities.
• The problem presented in Nehemiah 5:2-5 serves as a crucial moment that shifts Nehemiah's focus from merely rebuilding the physical wall to confronting and reforming the internal moral and social fabric of the community. His leadership exemplifies how addressing spiritual brokenness must sometimes begin with rectifying social and economic injustice among God's people.
• The outcry is significant because it's against "their Jewish brothers" (Neh 5:1), revealing a breakdown of covenantal love and social responsibility among God's chosen people, contrary to the Mosaic Law which commanded care for the poor and forbade permanent debt-slavery of fellow Israelites.

Nehemiah 5 2 Commentary

Nehemiah 5:2 reveals a dire domestic crisis faced by the Jewish returnees in post-exilic Jerusalem, a stark contrast to the external opposition described elsewhere in the book. The complaint, emerging from "a great outcry" (5:1), is deeply personal and communal, highlighting that hunger affects not just individuals but entire families, including the most vulnerable—children. The word "numerous" typically suggests a blessing from God (e.g., Gen 1:28; 9:1, 7; 35:11), but here, in a context of famine and scarcity, it amplifies the burden and desperation. This reflects how external circumstances can turn a blessing into a challenge, emphasizing their inability to fulfill the fundamental parental duty of providing for their household's basic needs.

The call to "get grain" indicates the absolute necessity of a staple food source, and the chilling phrase "that we may eat and live" conveys the life-or-death situation they faced. It underscores that without immediate access to food, their physical survival was threatened. This desperation would logically lead to extreme measures, which are then elaborated in the subsequent verses: mortgaging land and even selling children into servitude to secure basic sustenance. The verse acts as the initial and foundational layer of a much larger socioeconomic problem, one that Nehemiah, as a spiritual and civic leader, would be compelled to address with firmness and justice, ultimately calling the Jewish leadership to repentance and ethical conduct in line with God's Law. It reminds us that spiritual revival and rebuilding often must confront immediate physical suffering and social injustice.