The enemy without pauses; the crisis within erupts. There is a great cry of the people against their brethren: fields and vineyards mortgaged for bread, sons and daughters brought into bondage — to fellow Jews. Nehemiah is very angry, contends with the nobles and the rulers — 'You lend upon pledge, every one to his brother' — assembles a great assembly, exacts restitution and an oath, and shakes out his lap: 'So God shake out every man from his house that does not perform this promise.' Twelve years governor, he never ate the governor's bread — 'because the service was heavy upon this people.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.
verse value 1830
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָ֛ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·their·brothers" (אֶל־אֲחֵיהֶ֖ם, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "cry·of" (צַעֲקַ֥ת), "and·their·wives" (וּנְשֵׁיהֶ֖ם), "to·their·brothers" (אֶל־אֲחֵיהֶ֖ם). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·there·was" (root היה, 48x in Nehemiah); "the·people" (root עם, 47x in Nehemiah); "great" (root גדול, 27x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'great', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַתְּהִ֨י [and·there·was] (421) + צַעֲקַ֥ת [cry·of] (660) + הָעָ֛ם [the·people] (115) + וּנְשֵׁיהֶ֖ם [and·their·wives] (411) + גְּדוֹלָ֑ה [great] (48) + אֶל־אֲחֵיהֶ֖ם [to·their·brothers] (95) + הַיְּהוּדִֽים [the·Jews] (80) = 1830.
Rashi
Now the cry of the people and their wives was great The poor people were crying exceedingly. about their brothers, the Jews about their brothers, the rich Jews.
Ibn Ezra
Then there arose a great cry of the people – these were the poor, who were crying out against their wealthy brethren. Some say the cry was over 'our sons and our daughters.'
Metzudat David
'Cry of the people' — from the poor among the people. 'Against their brethren' — against their wealthy brethren.
Malbim
'Then there arose' — the outcry of the poor of the people was great against the rich. And he explains that among those crying out there were two groups: the first group cried out about the future, that they had nothing with which to sustain themselves; and the outcries divided into two kinds.
For there were those who said: ‘We, our sons and our daughters, are many; let us get for them corn, that we may eat and live.’
verse value 2534
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "and·there·is" (וְיֵשׁ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·our·daughters" (וּבְנֹתֵ֖ינוּ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·our·daughters" (וּבְנֹתֵ֖ינוּ), "many" (רַבִּ֑ים), "and·let·us·eat" (וְנֹאכְלָ֥ה). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "our·sons" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "saying" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root יש ("and·there·is") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root רב ("many") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'many', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְיֵשׁ֙ [and·there·is] (316) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + אֹמְרִ֔ים [saying] (291) + בָּנֵ֥ינוּ [our·sons] (118) + וּבְנֹתֵ֖ינוּ [and·our·daughters] (524) + אֲנַ֣חְנוּ [we] (115) + רַבִּ֑ים [many] (252) + וְנִקְחָ֥ה [and·let·us·take] (169) + דָגָ֖ן [corn] (57) + וְנֹאכְלָ֥ה [and·let·us·eat] (112) + וְנִחְיֶֽה [and·let·us·live] (79) = 2534.
Rashi
There were some who were saying He gives a reason for his words: Why were they crying? Some of the poor people were saying, “We are many with our sons and daughters and have to buy corn. Now we will have to sell our sons and daughters in order to buy corn in order to live.” So were they crying about the rich Jews who did not wish to support them.
Ibn Ezra
are many; let us get for them corn – meaning: from whatever we can find, that we may eat and live, for our brethren do not provide for us.
Ralbag
We, our sons and our daughters, are many — meaning, we raise and nourish them, in the sense of "you increased and grew up" (Ezekiel 16:7), and therefore we need more grain, so that there will be enough for us and for them. Or, alternatively, the intent is that we are numerous, together with our sons and daughters.
Metzudat David
'For there were [those who said]' — some of them, meaning a portion, said: our sons, our daughters, and we ourselves — are we not many? Our needs, then, are many. 'Let us get [corn]' — and we are forced to buy grain from the market to eat and sustain ourselves, since we have no field to produce grain; as if to say: we have no money at all, and the wealthy keep their hands closed.
Malbim
'There were those who said' — 'we, our sons and our daughters, are many' — meaning, we will be forced to pledge our sons and our daughters and to borrow against them at interest, so that we may obtain grain and live; and these were the ones who had no fields and had nothing with which to sustain themselves. [The word 'many' (rabim) here functions as a verb related to the terms neshech (interest) and tarbit (increase), as in 'woe to him who increases what is not his' (Habakkuk 2), and 'nor did You increase by their price' (Psalms 44) — according to my interpretation.]
There were also those who said: ‘We are mortgaging our fields, and our vineyards, and our houses; let us get corn, because of the dearth.’
verse value 3621
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "and·there·is" (וְיֵשׁ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·our·vineyards" (וּכְרָמֵ֥ינוּ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·our·houses" (וּבָתֵּ֖ינוּ), "mortgaging" (עֹרְבִ֑ים), "in·the·famine" (בָּרָעָֽב). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "saying" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah); "and·our·houses" (root בית, 60x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root שדה ("our·fields") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root כרם ("and·our·vineyards") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'mortgaging', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְיֵשׁ֙ [and·there·is] (316) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + אֹמְרִ֔ים [saying] (291) + שְׂדֹתֵ֛ינוּ [our·fields] (770) + וּכְרָמֵ֥ינוּ [and·our·vineyards] (332) + וּבָתֵּ֖ינוּ [and·our·houses] (474) + אֲנַ֣חְנוּ [we] (115) + עֹרְבִ֑ים [mortgaging] (322) + וְנִקְחָ֥ה [and·let·us·take] (169) + דָגָ֖ן [corn] (57) + בָּרָעָֽב [in·the·famine] (274) = 3621.
Rashi
And there were some who were saying “Our fields, etc.” And there were some among the poor who were complaining and saying “Our fields, vineyards and houses we shall give to others as a pledge and as security to buy corn for our food.” for the hunger since the rich do not give any of their property up to us for our support.
Ibn Ezra
There were also those who said, we are mortgaging our fields – referring to those who put up collateral; 'let us get corn' – from our brethren, profiting from the famine.
Ralbag
We are mortgaging (our fields) — meaning, we are prepared to pledge all our lands as security for payment for the grain, so that we do not die of hunger.
Metzudat David
'We are mortgaging' — they [our fields, vineyards, and houses] are indeed given as security for the money we have borrowed, with which we buy grain in time of famine, since the produce of the field does not suffice to sustain us through the famine; as if to say: what are we to do now, if the wealthy give us nothing?
Metzudat Zion
Mortgaging — an expression of pledge, as in 'what [is] the pledge' (Genesis 38).
Malbim
'There were also those who said' — these were people who had fields and vineyards, and they said, 'our fields we are pledging' — meaning, we were forced to give our fields as a pledge, that is, as collateral, so that we could get grain because of the famine; for although the seed of a field gives bread to the sower, now, since it is a time of famine and the land did not yield its produce, we were forced to pledge the field so that we would have bread. [And here it does not say 'we are many,' because in this case they would not need to pay interest, since the lender would eat the produce of the field, which would serve as his rent in exchange for the delay in repayment of the money.]
There were also those who said: ‘We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute upon our fields and our vineyards.
verse value 3041
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "and·there·is" (וְיֵשׁ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·our·vineyards" (וּכְרָמֵֽינוּ, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "to·tribute·of" (לְמִדַּ֣ת). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "saying" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah); "the·king" (root מלך, 43x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root כסף ("silver") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·king', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְיֵשׁ֙ [and·there·is] (316) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + אֹמְרִ֔ים [saying] (291) + לָוִ֥ינוּ [we·borrowed] (102) + כֶ֖סֶף [silver] (160) + לְמִדַּ֣ת [to·tribute·of] (474) + הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ [the·king] (95) + שְׂדֹתֵ֖ינוּ [our·fields] (770) + וּכְרָמֵֽינוּ [and·our·vineyards] (332) = 3041.
Rashi
And there were some who were saying, “We have borrowed money” And there were some who were saying, “We have already borrowed money from others on our fields and our vineyards to pay the king’s tax, and now we have nothing for our support.” for the king’s tax Heb. לְמִדַּת, for the king’s tax, like (Ezra 4:13): “...the king’s due (מִנְדָּה), the head tax, and the meal tax.”
Ibn Ezra
‘There were also those who said... for the king’s tribute’ — because of the tax the king decreed we must pay, we borrowed money on the security of our fields and our vineyards.
Ralbag
For the king's tribute — meaning, to pay the king's due, which in Aramaic is called minda; the intent is that we borrowed money from other Jews to pay the king's tribute, and because of this we also mortgaged our fields and our vineyards.
Metzudat David
'For the king's tribute' — to pay the king's tax, we borrowed money against our fields and our vineyards; as if to say: and what shall we eat now, if we have no field or vineyard?
Metzudat Zion
Tribute — like 'le-mindat,' which is a type of tax, as in 'tribute, toll, and custom' (Ezra 4); the nun is dropped.
Malbim
'There were also' — a second group who were crying out about the past, saying: We too borrowed money in the past year, even though it was not a year of famine, because we needed money for the king's due, to pay the king's tax [related to the tax terms mindah, belo, and halakh — i.e., tribute, excise, and toll]; and we mortgaged our fields and our vineyards in the past year [the verb 'mortgaged,' used in the previous verse, carries over here as well].
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 into bondage already; neither is it in our power to help it; for other men have our fields and our vineyards.’
verse value 7281
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 112 letters. The shortest word is "and·there·is" (וְיֵ֨שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·our·daughters" (וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֵ֜ינוּ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 558: our·flesh, from·our·daughters. 14 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "like·flesh·of" (כִּבְשַׂ֤ר), "our·brothers" (אַחֵ֙ינוּ֙), "our·flesh" (בְּשָׂרֵ֔נוּ). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "like·their·sons" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "hand" (root יד, 39x in Nehemiah); "to·others" (root אחר, 29x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root עתה ("and·now") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'our·sons', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 15 words.
Rashi
And now, like the flesh of our brethren is our flesh And now, we are as esteemed and distinguished as our brethren who are rich. like their children are our children Like their children, who are esteemed and distinguished, so are our children distinguished. and behold, we are subjecting And now we have to subject and deliver our sons and daughters to others for the sake of our sustenance. and some of our daughters are subjected And already there are some of our daughters who are subjected to others in slavery. and we have no power We do not have the ability to redeem them. and others have our fields and vineyards We have even delivered our fields and vineyards to others for our sustenance. From now on, what shall we eat? We have nothing with which to sustain ourselves.
Ibn Ezra
‘Our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren’ — even though we are borrowers from them, for Scripture says, ‘you shall not act toward him as a creditor’ — yet they subjugate our daughters by force.
Ralbag
And, lo, we bring into bondage our sons, etc. — meaning, that we are forced to subjugate our sons and daughters as slaves, to sell them in order to pay off the debt.
Metzudat David
'Our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, etc.' — meaning: are we not just as worthy, and of as good a lineage, as the wealthy? 'And, lo, we bring into bondage' — and we are forced to seize our own sons and sell them as slaves, for lack of bread. 'Are brought into bondage' — some are already subjugated in the hands of the creditors, as security for a debt of money, and we have no power to get them out of their hands; and they protested, saying: are we not as worthy as the wealthy? Why then should we be enslaved to them? Should they not rather sustain us through charity? 'Other men [have our fields]' — they are already given over to others, because of a debt of money.
Metzudat Zion
Bring into bondage — an expression of forceful seizure, as in 'and subjugated them as slaves' (Jeremiah 34). In our power — an expression of strength and might, as in 'it is in the power of my hand' (Genesis 31:29).
Malbim
'Yet now' — since we need money to buy bread, because it is a year of famine: is not our flesh like the flesh of our brothers, so that we too deserve to eat bread? Are not our children like their children — so that they too should not become slaves? Yet here we are, subjugating our own sons — meaning, we will be forced to sell them as slaves for bread — and some of our daughters have already been subjugated as maidservants [the word 'subjugated' also carries the sense that they are treated as ownerless property, as in the phrase 'will he even force the queen']. And it is not in our power to redeem them, because our fields and our vineyards have belonged to others since last year.
And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
verse value 3377
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֖י, 2 letters) and the longest is "their·cry" (אֶת־זַֽעֲקָתָ֔ם, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "I·heard" (שָׁמַ֙עְתִּי֙), "their·cry" (אֶת־זַֽעֲקָתָ֔ם), "the·words" (הַדְּבָרִ֥ים). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as·that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "the·words" (root דבר, 33x in Nehemiah); "I·heard" (root שמע, 29x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'very', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיִּ֥חַר [and·was·angry] (224) + לִ֖י [to·me] (40) + מְאֹ֑ד [very] (45) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר [as·that] (521) + שָׁמַ֙עְתִּי֙ [I·heard] (820) + אֶת־זַֽעֲקָתָ֔ם [their·cry] (1018) + וְאֵ֖ת [and] (407) + הַדְּבָרִ֥ים [the·words] (261) + הָאֵֽלֶּה [these] (41) = 3377.
Malbim
'And I was very angry' — (1) he was angry over the cry of the poor from the first group, who cried out about the withholding of charity; (2) and [also over] 'these words' — the cry of the second group, which was a cry of oppression and injustice.
Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers, and said to them: ‘You lend upon pledge, every one to his brother.’ And I held a great assembly against them.
verse value 4769
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 82 letters. The shortest word is "my·heart" (לִבִּ֜י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·rulers" (וְאֶת־הַסְּגָנִ֔ים, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·took·counsel" (וַיִּמָּלֵ֨ךְ), "my·heart" (לִבִּ֜י), "man·in·his·brother" (אִישׁ־בְּאָחִ֖יו). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "and·I·said" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah); "and·I·gave" (root נתן, 45x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root ריב ("and·I·contended") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root חור ("the·nobles") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lending', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 4 words.
Rashi
And I thought this over to myself Heb. וַיִמָלֵךְ לִבִּי עָלַי, and my heart took counsel within myself. and I contended I contended with the nobles and the prefects, who were the rich people. “Are you demanding each other’s loans?” Why are you doing this? You should have supported these poor people, but you are lending them money in order to appropriate their sons and daughters, their fields, vineyards and houses. and I gathered a large assembly around them I congregated and gathered a large assembly around them to shout at them in order to embarrass them.
Ibn Ezra
‘Then I consulted with myself’ — Targum renders ‘I will advise you’ (Numbers 24:14) as ‘amalkhinakh,’ the same root.
Ralbag
You lend upon pledge, every one to his brother — meaning, do you lend to one another in such a way that the borrower would be sold to the lender as a slave on account of the debt? And I held a great assembly against them — meaning, I gathered a large assembly against them to hear these matters, in order to shame them.
Metzudat David
'Then I consulted with myself' — my heart counseled me to take a firm stand in the matter, and I entered into dispute with the nobles. 'You lend upon pledge, etc.' — meaning, is it proper to give to one's poor brother by way of a loan? Should it not rather be given as charity? 'And I held [a great assembly]' — meaning, I raised a great outcry against them, so that a large assembly would gather, since people would come at the sound of the outcry, in order that they be shamed before the multitude of the people.
Metzudat Zion
Consulted — an expression of counsel, as in 'let my counsel be acceptable to you' (Daniel 4). Pledge — debt and loan, as in 'any loan of anything' (Deuteronomy 24). Assembly — a gathering and congregation.
Malbim
'Then I consulted with myself' — my heart put on a spirit of rule and dominion, so that I would not show favor to the nobles and the officials. [It may also be explained that he did not contend out of anger; rather, his heart — the faculty of governance within the soul (as I explained in my commentary on Proverbs) — ruled over me, and I restrained my anger; and nevertheless I contended with them, not out of an outburst of anger but out of an arousal for justice and righteousness.] 'You lend upon pledge, every one to his brother' — how can a person be a creditor to his brother, when it is written: 'If you lend money to My people, you shall not be to him as a creditor; you shall not lay interest upon him'? And with this he reminded them of the words of the Torah, which commanded there concerning the pressing of a debtor, concerning interest, and concerning returning a pledge. And [as for] 'I held a great assembly against them' — [this means] that through my contending with them, many people gathered.
And I said to them: ‘We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, that sold themselves to the heathen; and would you nevertheless sell your brethren, and should they sell themselves to us?’ Then they held their peace, and never found a word.
verse value 4724
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 94 letters. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶ֗ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·be·sold·to·us" (וְנִמְכְּרוּ־לָ֑נוּ, 9 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "our·brethren" (אֶת־אַחֵ֨ינוּ), "who·are·sold" (הַנִּמְכָּרִ֤ים), "to·the·nations" (לַגּוֹיִם֙). The root מכר appears 3 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "and·I·said" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah); "and·not" (root לא, 38x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root מכר ("who·are·sold") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root גוי ("to·the·nations") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·be·sold·to·us', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 4 words.
Rashi
And I said to them And so I said to them: We already bought our Jewish brethren who were in captivity from the heathens to whom they were sold. with as much as we could afford with as much money as was in our hands. and you too And you too will sell to the heathens your brethren who are subjected to you as slaves? and they will be sold to us And the result will be that they will be sold to us by the heathens (and if so, why should you sell them, since we will be compelled to redeem them? This is found in certain editions). and they remained silent They were silent and ashamed, and they did not know what to answer.
Ibn Ezra
‘After our ability’ — according to our strength, as much as we could manage. ‘And should they sell themselves to us’ — meaning: after they were once redeemed by us, would you sell them again to the gentiles? That would not be right.
Ralbag
And I said to them: We after our ability have redeemed, etc. — meaning, we redeemed our brethren who had been sold to the nations, with all our strength, to the extent that we were able, in order to bring them out of their servitude — yet you go and sell them again to the nations, so that we would have to redeem them all over again! Is this a fitting thing to do? We were pained over the first ones, and you come to add more to them! And they were silent and could find nothing with which to answer him on this.
Metzudat David
'We ... have redeemed' — have we not, long since, bought back from the hand of the heathen the Jews who had been sold to them out of captivity? 'After our ability' — each one bought according to what his means could afford, in proportion to his wealth. 'And would you nevertheless [sell your brethren]' — he said to them, mockingly, out of anguish of spirit: you too, go and do this — sell them to the heathen as though they were captives, and let them be sold off; then, from the heathen, they will be sold back to us, for we will redeem them from their hand, as we have done before — but there is no sense in redeeming someone from the hand of his own brother! 'And never found a word' — they found nothing to reply.
Metzudat Zion
Our ability — from the language of 'dai' [enough/sufficiency], as [used] in the verse. Held their peace — and were silent.
Malbim
'We ... have redeemed' — have we not redeemed, through the redemption of captives, in order to buy back from their hand our brothers who were sold to the nations, according to our means? Are there not among us plenty of people whom we redeemed from slavery? If so, how can you now sell your brothers to the nations, so that we would also need to redeem them, and they would be sold to us by the nations — is this not the fruit of your own deeds?
Also I said: ‘The thing that you do is not good; ought you not to walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?
verse value 4221
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "the·thing" (הַדָּבָ֖ר, 4 letters) and the longest is "our·enemies" (אוֹיְבֵֽינוּ, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "not·good" (לֹא־ט֥וֹב), "the·thing" (הַדָּבָ֖ר), "that·you" (אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּ֣ם). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·I·said" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah); "our·God" (root אלהים, 62x in Nehemiah); "doing" (root עשה, 55x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'doing', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words.
Rashi
The thing...is not good The thing is evil in the eyes of the Holy One, blessed be He. because of the reproach because of the reproach of the heathens who are our enemies.
Ibn Ezra
‘In the fear of our God’ — because of fear of Him. ‘...because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies’ — meaning: you should not give heed to their reproach. Now this took place in the sabbatical year, which is why the people cried out. The proof is the number [given] below: from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year — one year of Darius the Mede, three years of Cyrus, and forty of Ahasuerus — that makes forty-four, and three years [more]. ‘The word massa’ [burden, i.e. debt] — when joined with the letter bet, it means a loan.
Ralbag
Nehemiah said to them: The thing that you do is not good. Is it not so that if the fear of our God is upon you, you will rely upon it and turn away from the reproach of the nations, our enemies, who rule over us? The intent here is: if you set these slaves free and proclaim a release for them, Hashem too will proclaim for you a release from bondage to the nations and from their reproach, as Jeremiah said (Jeremiah 34).
Metzudat David
'In the fear of our God' — if you strengthen yourselves in the fear of our God, you will move further away from the reproach of the heathen, for you will no longer hear reproach from them. Or, [alternatively,] he spoke to them rhetorically: walk in the fear of Hashem on account of the reproach of the heathen, so that they will not reproach you for this — like one who rebukes another, saying: if you will not do it for its own sake, do it [at least] for the sake of appearances before others.
Malbim
'Also I said: The thing is not good' — aside from the fact that it is not in accordance with the Torah and with righteousness, it is also not good even from your own standpoint. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? For even if you are not fearers of Hashem and are not scrupulous about the commandments of the Torah, you are nevertheless compelled to present yourselves as though you walk and conduct yourselves in the fear of Hashem, so that you not bear reproach from the nations, who would say of you that you have no faith and no religion, and that you are among those who spurn Hashem — for through this they would disgrace you.
And I likewise, my brethren and my servants, have lent them money and corn. I pray you, let us leave off this exaction.
verse value 2084
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "my·brothers" (אַחַ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "let·us·leave·please" (נַֽעַזְבָה־נָּ֖א, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·also·I" (וְגַם־אֲנִי֙), "and·corn" (וְדָגָ֑ן), "let·us·leave·please" (נַֽעַזְבָה־נָּ֖א). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "my·brothers" (root אח, 27x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·corn', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְגַם־אֲנִי֙ [and·also·I] (110) + אַחַ֣י [my·brothers] (19) + וּנְעָרַ֔י [and·my·servants] (336) + נֹשִׁ֥ים [lending] (400) + בָּהֶ֖ם [in·them] (47) + כֶּ֣סֶף [silver] (160) + וְדָגָ֑ן [and·corn] (63) + נַֽעַזְבָה־נָּ֖א [let·us·leave·please] (185) + אֶת־הַמַּשָּׁ֥א [the·debt] (747) + הַזֶּֽה [this] (17) = 2084.
Rashi
I, too, and my brothers and my servants I, too, and my colleagues lent them money, and we shall abandon and relinquish to them all these loans. have lent Heb. נֹשִׁים, like (II Kings 4:1): “...and the creditor (וְהַנֹשֶּׁה) has come to take.”
Metzudat David
'Have lent them [money]' — [meaning] lending to them. 'Let us leave off [this exaction]' — as with me, so with you: let us now relinquish this debt and forgive it to them.
Malbim
'And I likewise' — and lest you say that I am rebuking you only because I myself lose nothing by it, since I am not a creditor to them, therefore he said that he too, and his brothers and his servants, are creditors to them; and nevertheless, 'let us leave off this exaction' — meaning, I will forgive them the debt — and therefore...
Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their fields, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundred pieces of silver, and the corn, the wine, and the oil, that you exact of them.’
verse value 5845
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 77 letters. The shortest word is "please" (נָ֨א, 2 letters) and the longest is "their·fields" (שְׂדֹתֵיהֶ֛ם, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "their·fields" (שְׂדֹתֵיהֶ֛ם), "their·vineyards" (כַּרְמֵיהֶ֥ם), "their·olive-trees" (זֵיתֵיהֶ֖ם). The root הם appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "like·the·day" (root יום, 61x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root זית ("their·olive-trees") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root תירוש ("the·wine") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·their·houses', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 9 words.
Rashi
give back And you shall also do as I do, to relinquish all their debts to them. and the hundred silver pieces and the large amount of money that they owe you with the corn and the wine, etc.
Ibn Ezra
‘Also the hundred pieces of silver’ — and whoever lent a hundred shekels of silver, or grain, wine, and oil, you shall not demand it back from them; the next verse explains this further, in its words, ‘we will restore.’
Ralbag
The hundred pieces of silver — it appears that he said "the hundred pieces of silver" only by way of illustration; for what he meant was that they should release the debt whether it came to more than a hundred pieces of silver or less.
Metzudat David
'Even this day' — At this very time, restore to them the fields, etc. 'Also the hundred pieces of silver' — He used a large, round number to say: even if the debt is a hundred [pieces of] silver, [forgive it]. This is an elliptical verse, as if it said: 'give up and forgive the hundred pieces of silver,' etc.
Metzudat Zion
The hundred [pieces] of silver — shekels of silver. The wine — [i.e.,] yayin. The oil — [i.e.,] shemen.
Malbim
'Restore, I pray you, to them' — you too. 'This very day' — meaning, since today is a year of famine and they are occupied with building the wall, and therefore they are poor and hungry. 'Also the hundred pieces of silver' — meaning, forgive them the loan as well, even though it amounts to a hundred pieces of silver.
Then they said: ‘We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do, even as you say.’ Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise.
verse value 5185
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 69 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·priests" (אֶת־הַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "we·will·restore" (נָשִׁ֗יב), "and·from·them" (וּמֵהֶם֙), "we·will·require" (נְבַקֵּ֔שׁ). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·from·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "and·they·said" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah); "as·that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root קרא ("and·I·called") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root שבע ("and·I·adjured·them") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Rashi
And they said, “We shall return” And they said [that they were willing] to return and to relinquish all. to do according to this promise that they too should relinquish.
Ibn Ezra
‘...will require nothing of them’... ‘and took an oath of them’ — [done] through the priests, since they are the ones who administer oaths, as in ‘and the priest shall cause the woman to swear’ (Numbers 5:19); that is why he summoned them. ‘And will require nothing of them’ — meaning, we will not demand from them the debt that is owed.
Metzudat David
'We will restore them' — the fields, etc. 'And will require nothing of them' — that they repay the debt. 'So will we do, etc.' — this is a repetition of the same matter, for emphasis. 'And took an oath of them' — through the priests.
Malbim
'Then I called the priests' — for he administered the oath to them through the priests, which is more severe, as it is written: 'and the priest shall cause her to swear, with the oath of the curse.'
Also I shook out my lap, and said: ‘So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that does not perform this promise; even thus be he shaken out, and emptied.’ And all the congregation said: ‘Amen’, and praised Hashem. And the people did according to this promise.
verse value 6855
Insights
Verse structure: 26 words, 123 letters. The shortest word is "so" (כָּ֣כָה, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·the·man" (אֶת־כׇּל־הָאִישׁ֩, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 91: God, Amen. 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "also·my·lap" (גַּם־חׇצְנִ֣י), "I·shook·out" (נָעַ֗רְתִּי), "so" (כָּ֣כָה). The root נער appears 3 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·I·said" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah); "that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "God" (root אלהים, 62x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root אמן ("Amen") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·empty', dividing the verse into phrases of 17 and 9 words.
Rashi
I also shook out my garment Heb. חָצְנִי, I also shook out my garment. חָצְנִי is like (Isa. 49: 22): “...and they shall bring your sons on the skirt of their garments (בְּחֹצֶן).” my garment is escrol(l)e in Old French, I shook out, like (ibid. 52:2): “Shake yourself (הִתְנַעֲרִי) from the dust.” So shall...shake out So shall the Holy One, blessed be He, shake out from the world and from their property those who do not relinquish their debts. shake out and empty without property.
Ibn Ezra
‘My lap’ — my arm; or, the corner of a garment is called ‘chotzen.’ ‘I shook out’ — from the same root as ‘Hashem shook off the Egyptians’ (Exodus 14:27). ‘From his house’ — meaning, from his children. ‘And praised Hashem’ — for they resolved in their hearts to act accordingly.
Ralbag
Also I shook out my lap — meaning, the garments of my lap, which are the garments that hang over the arm, I shook out, to shake off the dust and dirt that were in them, so that nothing of them would remain. So God shake out, etc. — this curse is a metaphor, meaning that nothing shall remain to that man of his household, his labor, or his possessions; thus shall he be stripped and emptied of them.
Metzudat David
'Also I shook out my lap' — I shook out the corner of my garment, and said then: just as I have shaken out the corner of my garment, and it is now shaken out and empty of the dust that was on it, so too shall he be shaken out, etc. 'From his house' — from the members of his household. 'And from his labor' — the wealth that comes through labor. 'Even thus be he' — That is, so shall he remain forever, shaken out and emptied. 'And praised Hashem, etc.' — because He had put it into their hearts to do this. 'According to this promise' — they returned the fields, etc., and forgave the debts.
Metzudat Zion
My lap — thus is the corner/fold of a garment called; similarly, 'and they shall bring your sons in the fold' (Isaiah 49). Shook out — its meaning is the forceful shaking of something to cast off what is upon it, as in 'shake yourself from the dust' (ibid. 52).
Malbim
'Also I shook out my lap' — he shook out the fold of his garment, [meaning] the pocket of his garment [for regarding the phrase 'and they shall bring your sons in the fold,' it may be explained 'in his pocket' — that figuratively it means they will carry them the way one carries gold and silver in his pocket]. 'So shall he be shaken out, and thus shall he be emptied' — meaning, just as I shook out my lap, so shall Hashem shake him out of his house, that is, his house shall be destroyed and all his toil consumed; and just as the pocket now remains shaken out and empty, so shall he remain empty, never again to prosper, even beyond the natural order. 'And [the congregation] praised, and the people did' — meaning that they did it joyfully, as one fulfilling a commandment, who first recites the blessing over the commandment; and here they fulfilled the commandments of charity and the return of the pledge [and indeed many, including eminent scholars, have already investigated whether one should recite a blessing when fulfilling commandments of this kind].
Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.
verse value 9710
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 104 letters. The shortest word is "also" (גַּ֞ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "of·Artaxerxes" (לְאַרְתַּחְשַׁ֣סְתְּא, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 750: year·of, two. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "from·day" (מִיּ֣וֹם), "to·be" (לִהְי֣וֹת), "their·governor" (פֶּחָם֮). The root שנה appears 3 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·day" (root יום, 61x in Nehemiah); "to·be" (root היה, 48x in Nehemiah); "the·king" (root מלך, 43x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root שלש ("thirty") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root שנים ("and·two") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'ten', dividing the verse into phrases of 19 and 6 words.
Rashi
that he commanded me i.e., the king. governor Heb. פֶּחָם, like פֶּחָה, ruler, after the pattern of רֵיקָם, empty, like רֵֵֵיקָה. from the twentieth year of King Darius, for then he ascended from Babylon, as it is stated (2:1): “Now it came to pass in the month of Nissan in the twentieth year, etc.” twelve years which equal twelve years. my brethren and I I and my colleagues who came with me. have not eaten the food allotted to the governor the food that was fit for the governor, which the people give the governor from the tax.
Ibn Ezra
‘...their governor’ — the mem is extra; ‘pechah’ and ‘pecham’ are related as are ‘emunah’ and ‘omnam.’ Or, alternatively, the mem marks the plural [possessive], meaning ‘their governor,’ which is the correct reading — though strictly it should have been ‘pachtam.’ ‘The bread of the governor’ — meaning, fare fit for a governor.
Ralbag
Their governor (pecham) — this is equivalent to "pechah" (governor). I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor — meaning, I did not take from the people the bread that a governor was entitled to take from them.
Metzudat David
'Moreover from the time' — that is, I did this good deed for Israel as well: from the time the king commanded me to be governor over them in the land of Judah — which was from the year, etc. — during all those years, I and my brethren who obeyed me did not eat the food that was due to the governor from the people's money.
Metzudat Zion
Their governor — their pechah [governor].
Malbim
'Moreover' — meaning, not only did he do good to the poor, he also did not burden the rich, and that is why they heeded him. 'Their governor's [bread]' — the letter mem is a plural suffix, [meaning] 'their governor.'
But the former governors that were before me laid burdens upon the people, and took of them for bread and wine above forty shekels of silver; indeed, even their servants lorded over the people; but I did not do so, because of the fear of God.
verse value 6400
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 107 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִֽים) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 6400 = 80². The shortest word is "also" (גַּ֥ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "silver·shekels" (כֶּֽסֶף־שְׁקָלִ֣ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 215: upon·the·people, upon·the·people. 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·the·governors" (וְהַפַּחוֹת֩), "the·former" (הָרִאשֹׁנִ֨ים), "that·before·me" (אֲשֶׁר־לְפָנַ֜י). The root פנים appears 2 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "God" (root אלהים, 62x in Nehemiah); "not·I·did" (root עשה, 55x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root ראשון ("the·former") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root ארבע ("forty") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·the·people', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 6 words.
Rashi
burdened the people Heb. הִכְבִּידוּ, lit. made heavy. They made the tax heavy upon the people. and took They would take bread and wine from them for the tax after they had already given forty silver shekels, and they were accustomed to doing this every year. also their servants [i.e., the servants] of the governors.
Ibn Ezra
‘Laid burdens’ — the object, ‘yoke’ or ‘burden,’ is left unstated but implied. ‘...took of them for bread and wine...above forty shekels of silver’ — for what should have been the cost of a single meal’s bread and wine, they would take forty shekels of silver from them.
Ralbag
And took of them for bread and wine, above forty shekels of silver, etc. — meaning, after they had taken from them forty shekels of silver a year, or a month, or a week — the last being the more likely — they would take still more for bread and wine, enough to cover their expenses; moreover, the servants of the former governors lorded it over the people, making the yoke still heavier.
Metzudat David
'But the [former] governors' — that is, the former governors who were before me laid a heavy yoke upon the people. 'And took of them' — they took money from them for the bread and wine they needed, sufficient for their sustenance, besides forty shekels of silver every year. 'Their servants' — the servants of the former governors.
Metzudat Zion
Above — this is like the expression 'besides,' meaning: besides taking forty shekels, they also took more in bread and wine. Lorded — ruled.
Malbim
'But the former governors laid burdens upon the people' — with expenses; [while the governors] who were [more recently] before me added still more and took a tax from them as well. And he explains: the first governors, who did not take a monetary tax, burdened [the people] with [the cost of] bread and wine, while those who were before me took [money] from them too. He explains 'above forty shekels of silver' — meaning that another governor took forty shekels of silver as a tax; or it may be explained that the governors later took money as well.
Indeed, also I set hand to the work of this wall, neither did we buy any land; and all my servants were gathered there to the work.
verse value 3286
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 58 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "upon·the·work" (עַל־הַמְּלָאכָֽה, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "in·work·of" (בִּמְלֶ֜אכֶת), "I·strengthened" (הֶחֱזַ֔קְתִּי), "and·field" (וְשָׂדֶ֖ה). The root מלאכה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "I·strengthened" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah); "not" (root לא, 38x in Nehemiah); "the·wall" (root חומה, 32x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root זאת ("this") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'we·bought', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְ֠גַ֠ם [and·also] (49) + בִּמְלֶ֜אכֶת [in·work·of] (493) + הַחוֹמָ֤ה [the·wall] (64) + הַזֹּאת֙ [this] (413) + הֶחֱזַ֔קְתִּי [I·strengthened] (530) + וְשָׂדֶ֖ה [and·field] (315) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + קָנִ֑ינוּ [we·bought] (216) + וְכׇ֨ל־נְעָרַ֔י [and·all·my·servants] (386) + קְבוּצִ֥ים [gathered] (248) + שָׁ֖ם [there] (340) + עַל־הַמְּלָאכָֽה [upon·the·work] (201) = 3286.
Rashi
wall the wall of the city. I adhered I busied myself to engage in it constantly. and we did not buy a field But neither I nor my associates bought the fields of the Jews who were building the wall because of their poverty; they were engaged in building the wall, but I gave them money in order to build the wall. over the work to build constantly.
Ibn Ezra
‘Neither did we buy any land’ — [the ‘we’ refers to] the priests, his brethren, who were with him, mentioned earlier where it says, ‘I and my brethren.’
Ralbag
Indeed, also I set hand to the work of this wall — to complete it with all strength, and I busied myself with its affairs. Neither did we buy any land — for our allotted bread came to us instead, so that we would not need to trouble ourselves with the work of the field. And all my servants were gathered there to the work — to give it support.
Metzudat David
'Indeed, also' — I too did this good deed, for I took hold of the work of the wall — that is, I urged the builders on, so that they would not let their hands slacken from the work. 'Neither did we buy any land, etc.' — that is, although because of their constant involvement in the work they could not attend to their own trades to provide for their own sustenance, nevertheless we did not buy a field from them to support them with its purchase price; rather, I sustained them out of the generosity of my own heart. 'To the work' — so that they too would labor at the work.
Malbim
'Indeed, also' — I strengthened [the work] and helped build the wall, and on account of this we bought no land, for all my servants were gathered there for the work, and there was no one to work the fields; so I had no income [from land].
Moreover there were at my table of the Jews and the rulers a hundred and fifty men, beside those who came to us from among the nations that were round about us.
verse value 2875
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 63 letters. Notable word values: "and·the·Jews" (וְהַיְּהוּדִ֨ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "hundred" (מֵאָ֧ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·around·us" (אֲשֶׁר־סְבִיבֹתֵ֖ינוּ, 11 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·fifty" (וַחֲמִשִּׁ֣ים), "and·who·come" (וְהַבָּאִ֥ים), "from·the·nations" (מִן־הַגּוֹיִ֥ם). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah); "and·who·come" (root בוא, 47x in Nehemiah); "man" (root איש, 44x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root חמש ("and·fifty") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root סביב ("that·around·us") in Nehemiah. Full calculation: וְהַיְּהוּדִ֨ים [and·the·Jews] (86) + וְהַסְּגָנִ֜ים [and·the·rulers] (174) + מֵאָ֧ה [hundred] (46) + וַחֲמִשִּׁ֣ים [and·fifty] (404) + אִ֗ישׁ [man] (311) + וְהַבָּאִ֥ים [and·who·come] (64) + אֵלֵ֛ינוּ [to·us] (97) + מִן־הַגּוֹיִ֥ם [from·the·nations] (154) + אֲשֶׁר־סְבִיבֹתֵ֖ינוּ [that·around·us] (1041) + עַל־שֻׁלְחָנִֽי [upon·my·table] (498) = 2875.
Rashi
one hundred and fifty men were eating at my table, in addition to the proselytes who came to us from the gentiles, for they too were eating at my table.
Ralbag
Moreover there were at my table of the Jews and the rulers, etc. — meaning, at my table there constantly ate a hundred and fifty men of the Jews, the officials, and the nobles, and besides them, at my table were also all who came to us from the nations around us. Now the expense I incurred for this was great, for every day one ox and six choice, select sheep were prepared for our meal, and fowl were prepared for me as well. And every ten days — the wine storehouse would be replenished, filling every vessel with wine, because of the great quantity of wine that was drunk; and despite all this, I did not want to take from the people the bread that was due to be given to the governor.
Metzudat David
'Of the Jews' — that is, of the rest of the people, who together with the officials numbered a hundred and fifty men. 'Beside those who came, etc.' — these are the converts who came to convert; all these ate at my table.
Malbim
'Of the Jews and the rulers' — the expense was great on account of those who ate at my table, so much so that each day one ox, etc., was prepared. And [as for] 'once in ten days' [mentioned further on] — Nehemiah would, so to speak, tithe his days: every tenth day he would fast and not drink wine; only on the [other] days among the ten, when he was not fasting, would he indulge liberally in wine — meaning all kinds of wine, and all in abundance. And nevertheless, even though he had great expense without income, I did not demand the bread of the governor.
Now that which was prepared for one day 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 I did not demand the bread of the governor, because the service was heavy upon this people.
verse value 7039
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 107 letters. Notable word values: "for·day" (לְי֣וֹם) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "six·choice" (שֵׁשׁ־בְּרֻר֤וֹת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 86: for·day, the·labour. 13 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "for·day" (לְי֣וֹם), "ox" (שׁ֣וֹר), "sheep" (צֹ֠אן). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "for·day" (root יום, 61x in Nehemiah); "prepared" (root עשה, 55x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'abundantly', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 9 words.
Rashi
And what was prepared And every day they ate at my table one ox, six sheep and many birds. prepared Heb. בְּרֻרוֹת. Its interpretation is according to the context: six prepared sheep, like the matter that is stated (I Sam. 25:18): “...five prepared (עֲשׂוּיוֹת) sheep.” were prepared for me Heb. נַעֲשּׂוּ, an expression of preparation, like (Gen. 18:8): “...and the calf that he had prepared (עָשָּׂה).” and as much as ten days’ supply Heb. וּבֵין עֲשֶּׂרֶת יָמִים, lit. and between ten days. And every day they drank much wine, the amount that suffices for ten days. and for this Heb. וְעִם זֶה ; and this procedure, for which I used to make such big expenditures. food of the tax, which is fit for the governor, I did not seek, and I did not request it of the people, for the work of the building of the wall was heavy and strong upon them.
Ibn Ezra
‘That which was prepared’ — [this is] past tense in the nifal form, lacking a vav; the meaning is ‘ve-na’aseh’ [‘and was made’], and it means ‘readied,’ as in ‘and he hurried to prepare it’ (Genesis 18:7). ‘And once in ten days’ — we learn from this that one day out of every ten this feast was held, and he would spend on all kinds of wine so there would be abundance without any lack. ‘Yet for all this I did not demand the bread of the governor’ — for the meat and wine were abundant, but the bread was meager and not what befits a governor, because of the famine; and I did not require the people, as the former governors did, to provide for me. ‘Upon this people’ — used here like ‘to the people.’
Metzudat David
'For one day' — for the food of one day. 'Choice' — select and good. 'Fowls' — kinds of birds. 'And once in ten days' — that is, one day out of every ten, I would serve them all kinds of wine in great abundance. 'Yet for all this' — even though my needs were great, nevertheless I did not ask the people for the governor's bread. 'Because [the service] was heavy' — the burden of the king's tax and the building of the wall was heavy upon them, and they could not attend to their own work and earn enough for their sustenance, and on top of that give me the governor's bread.
Metzudat Zion
Prepared — an expression of preparation, as in 'and he hastened to prepare it' (Genesis 18). Choice — an expression of selection and choosing.
Remember to me, O my God, for good, all that I have done for this people.
verse value 1943
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֥ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·I·have·done" (אֲשֶׁר־עָשִׂ֖יתִי, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "that·I·have·done" (אֲשֶׁר־עָשִׂ֖יתִי). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "my·God" (root אלהים, 62x in Nehemiah); "that·I·have·done" (root עשה, 55x in Nehemiah); "for·the·people" (root עם, 47x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·good', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: זׇכְרָה־לִּ֥י [remember·to·me] (272) + אֱלֹהַ֖י [my·God] (46) + לְטוֹבָ֑ה [for·good] (52) + כֹּ֥ל [all] (50) + אֲשֶׁר־עָשִׂ֖יתִי [that·I·have·done] (1291) + עַל־הָעָ֥ם [for·the·people] (215) + הַזֶּֽה [this] (17) = 1943.
Metzudat David
'For good' — to count it in my favor, for good and for merit. 'For this people' — for the benefit of this people.
Malbim
'Remember...' etc. — 'for this people' is like 'to the people.' It may also be explained that he meant: may Hashem remember this merit for him, not [only] for his own sake, but so that through this merit Hashem will remember [it] on behalf of this people — for the merit of the righteous shields the people.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Metzudat David
Malbim