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Nehemiah 5:14

in Nehemiah 5

Furthermore, from the day King Artaxerxes appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah, from his twentieth year until his thirty-second year (twelve years total), neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.

KJV

Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.

This verse in Nehemiah 5

Commentary

8 notes on this verse

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah · Written before 735.

From the day on which he commanded me to be their leader, etc. Explaining this typologically, the Apostle says: "For the Lord has ordained that those who preach the Gospel should live by the Gospel; but I have used none of these things" (I Cor. …

This site's exposition

twelve years total

on Nehemiah 5:14-16

Nehemiah turns to his own twelve years in office: "neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor" (5:14). Former governors took "bread and wine plus forty shekels of silver," but Nehemiah gives his reason: "because of my fear of God" (5:15).

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards.

quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture

Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Those that rigorously insist upon their right themselves will with a very ill grace persuade others to recede from theirs. He earnestly pressed them not only not to make their poor neighbours any more such hard bargains, but to restore that which they had got into their hands,

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor. - From what is related here, and in the following verse, we find that the table of the governor was always supplied by the people with bread and wine; and, besides, they had forty shekels per diem for their other expenses. The people were also greatly oppressed by the servants and officers of the governor; but, during the twelve years that Nehemiah had been with them, he took not this salary, and ate none of their bread.

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

Moreover from the time that I was appointed . . . I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor--We have a remarkable proof both of the opulence and the disinterestedness of Nehemiah.
1 more voice on this verse

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Have not eaten the bread of the governor - i. e. “have not, like other Persian governors, lived at the expense of the people under my government.” See Ezr 4:14 note.

The words behind it

26 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • גַּ֞םalso

    gamH1571 →769 times

  • מִיּ֣וֹם׀from [the] day

    miyomH3117 →2304 times

  • אֲשֶׁר־when

    ʾasher-H834 →5497 times

  • צִוָּ֣הsomeone appointed

    tzivahH6680 →494 times

  • אֹתִ֗י<obj.> me

    ʾotiH853 →10935 times

  • לִהְי֣וֹתto be

    lihyotH1961 →3559 times

  • פֶּחָם֮governor their

    pechamH6346 →28 times

  • בְּאֶ֣רֶץin [the] land of

    beeretzH776 →2504 times

  • יְהוּדָה֒Judah

    yehudahH3063 →819 times

  • מִשְּׁנַ֣תfrom year

    mishenatH8141 →877 times

  • עֶשְׂרִ֗יםtwenty

    ʾesrimH6242 →315 times

  • וְ֠עַדand until

    veadH5704 →1261 times

  • שְׁנַ֨תyear

    shenatH8141 →877 times

  • שְׁלֹשִׁ֤יםthirty

    sheloshimH7970 →172 times

  • וּשְׁתַּ֙יִם֙and two

    ushetayimH8147 →768 times

  • לְאַרְתַּחְשַׁ֣סְתְּאof Artaxerxes

    leartachshast'H783 →15 times

  • הַמֶּ֔לֶךְthe king

    hamelekhH4428 →2525 times

  • שָׁנִ֖יםyears

    shanimH8141 →877 times

  • שְׁתֵּ֣יםtwo [plus]

    sheteimH8147 →768 times

  • עֶשְׂרֵ֑הten

    ʾesrehH6240 →338 times

  • אֲנִ֣יI

    ʾaniH589 →874 times

  • וְאַחַ֔יand brothers my

    veachaiH251 →630 times

  • לֶ֥חֶם[the] food of

    lechemH3899 →298 times

  • הַפֶּ֖חָהthe governor

    hapechahH6346 →28 times

  • לֹ֥אnot

    lo'H3808 →5168 times

  • אָכַֽלְתִּי׃I ate

    ʾakhaltiH398 →810 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Nehemiah 2:1

    Now in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was set before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad…

    it leads to

    • Ezra 7:1

      Many years later, during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,

    • Nehemiah 1:11

      O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him…

    • Nehemiah 1:1

      These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa,

  • Through

    1 Corinthians 9:18

    What then is my reward? That in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not use up my rights in preaching it.

    it leads to

    • 2 Corinthians 11:7–9

      Was it a sin for me to humble myself in order to exalt you, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge?

    • 2 Thessalonians 3:8–9

      nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. Instead, in labor and toil, we worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you.

    • 1 Thessalonians 2:6

      Nor did we seek praise from you or from anyone else, although as apostles of Christ we had authority to demand it.

    • 1 Corinthians 8:9

      Be careful, however, that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.

    • 1 Corinthians 10:33

      as I also try to please everyone in all I do. For I am not seeking my own good, but the good of many, that they may be saved.

Where this verse is studied

About Nehemiah

Nehemiah Views the Ruins of Jerusalem's Walls, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Nehemiah Views the Ruins of Jerusalem's Walls, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.