Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, July 13th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Bible in Basic English

Nehemiah 5:4

And there were others who said, We have given up our fields and our vine-gardens to get money for the king's taxes.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Borrowing;   Country;   Covetousness;   Creditor;   Debt;   Debtor;   Interest;   Land;   Lending;   Money;   Poor;   Repentance;   Rich, the;   Tax;   Usury;   Thompson Chain Reference - Nation, the;   Nehemiah;   Taxes;   Tribute;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Servants;   Vineyards;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Debtor;   Restitution;   Servant;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Lending;   Malachi;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Family Life and Relations;   Money;   Violence;   Wealth;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Jubilee;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Usury;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Banking;   Borrow;   Malachi;   Merchant;   Nehemiah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Debt;   Nehemiah;   Poverty;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Usury;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Borrow;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Babylonish Captivity, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Lend;   Malachi;   Poverty;   Salvation;   Surety;   Tax;   Toll;   Tribute;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Taxation;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Still others were saying, “We have borrowed money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.
Hebrew Names Version
There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute [on] our fields and our vineyards.
King James Version
There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.
English Standard Version
And there were those who said, "We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards.
New Century Version
And still others were saying, "We are borrowing money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards.
New English Translation
Then there were those who said, "We have borrowed money to pay our taxes to the king on our fields and our vineyards.
Amplified Bible
There were also others who were saying, "We have borrowed money on our fields and vineyards for the [Persian] king's [heavy] tax.
New American Standard Bible
There also were those who said, "We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards.
World English Bible
There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute [on] our fields and our vineyards.
Geneva Bible (1587)
There were also that said, We haue borowed money for the Kings tribute vpon our landes and our vineyardes.
Legacy Standard Bible
Also there were those who were saying, "We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards.
Berean Standard Bible
Still others were saying, "We have borrowed money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards.
Contemporary English Version
Then others said, "We had to borrow money from those in power to pay the government tax on our fields and vineyards.
Complete Jewish Bible
Yet others said, "We have borrowed money for the king's taxes against our fields and vineyards.
Darby Translation
And there were that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute upon our fields and vineyards;
Easy-to-Read Version
And still other people were saying, "We have to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards. But we cannot afford to pay, so we are borrowing money to pay the tax.
George Lamsa Translation
There were those who said, Let us borrow money from the kings tribute, and work our fields and our vineyards, that we may live.
Good News Translation
Still others said, "We had to borrow money to pay the royal tax on our fields and vineyards.
Lexham English Bible
And there were those who were saying, "We have borrowed money on our fields and our vineyards for the tax of the king.
Literal Translation
And some were saying, We have borrowed silver for the king's tax, on our fields, and our vineyards,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But some saide: Let vs borowe money of the kinge vpo vsury for oure londes and vynyardes.
American Standard Version
There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute upon our fields and our vineyards.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But some there were that saide: We haue borowed money for the kinges tribute, and that vpon our landes & vineyardes.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
There were also that said: 'We have borrowed money for the king's tribute upon our fields and our vineyards.
King James Version (1611)
There were also that said, Wee haue borrowed money for the kings tribute, and that vpon our lands and vineyards.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And some said, We have borrowed money for the king’s tributes:—our fields, and our vineyards, and houses are pledged.
English Revised Version
There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute upon our fields and our vineyards.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And othere men seiden, Take we money bi borewyng in to the tributis of the kyng, and yyue oure feeldis and vyneris.
Update Bible Version
There were also some that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute [on] 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.
New King James Version
There were also those who said, "We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our lands and vineyards.
New Living Translation
And others said, "We have had to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay our taxes.
New Life Bible
Others said, "We have taken money from others to pay the king's tax on our fields and our grape-vines, and we must pay back this money.
New Revised Standard
And there were those who said, "We are having to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay the king's tax.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And there were others who were saying, We have borrowed silver, for the king's tribute, - upon our lands 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:
Revised Standard Version
And there were those who said, "We have borrowed money for the king's tax upon our fields and our vineyards.
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;
THE MESSAGE
And others said, "We're having to borrow money to pay the royal tax on our fields and vineyards. Look: We're the same flesh and blood as our brothers here; our children are just as good as theirs. Yet here we are having to sell our children off as slaves—some of our daughters have already been sold—and we can't do anything about it because our fields and vineyards are owned by somebody else."
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.

Contextual Overview

1 Then there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their countrymen the Jews. 2 For there were some who said, We, our sons and our daughters, are a great number: let us get grain, so that we may have food for our needs. 3 And there were some who said, We are giving our fields and our vine-gardens and our houses for debt: let us get grain because we are in need. 4 And there were others who said, We have given up our fields and our vine-gardens to get money for the king's taxes. 5 But our flesh is the same as the flesh of our countrymen, and our children as their children: and now we are giving our sons and daughters into the hands of others, to be their servants, and some of our daughters are servants even now: and we have no power to put a stop to it; for other men have our fields and our vine-gardens.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the king's tribute: Nehemiah 9:37, Deuteronomy 28:47, Deuteronomy 28:48, Joshua 16:10, 1 Kings 9:21, Ezra 4:13, Ezra 4:20

Reciprocal: Exodus 22:14 - borrow Nehemiah 5:11 - their lands Proverbs 22:7 - the borrower Lamentations 1:1 - how is Matthew 22:17 - is Luke 20:22 - General John 8:33 - and were Romans 13:6 - pay Revelation 18:13 - slaves

Cross-References

Genesis 1:28
And God gave them his blessing and said to them, Be fertile and have increase, and make the earth full and be masters of it; be rulers over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing moving on the earth.
Genesis 5:1
This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God made man, he made him in the image of God;
Genesis 5:3
Adam had been living for a hundred and thirty years when he had a son like himself, after his image, and gave him the name of Seth:
Genesis 5:7
And he went on living after the birth of Enosh for eight hundred and seven years, and had sons and daughters:
Genesis 5:10
And after the birth of Kenan, Enosh went on living for eight hundred and fifteen years, and had sons and daughters:
Genesis 5:13
And after the birth of Mahalalel, Kenan went on living for eight hundred and forty years, and had sons and daughters:
Genesis 5:19
And Jared went on living after the birth of Enoch for eight hundred years, and had sons and daughters:
Genesis 5:22
And after the birth of Methuselah, Enoch went on in God's ways for three hundred years, and had sons and daughters:
Genesis 5:26
And after the birth of Lamech, Methuselah went on living for seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters:
Genesis 5:30
And after the birth of Noah, Lamech went on living for five hundred and ninety-five years, and had sons and daughters:

Gill's Notes on the 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 Ezra 6:8

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The king’s tribute - The tax payable to the Persian monarch (compare Ezra 4:13; Esther 10:1). In ancient times, heavy taxation was often productive of debt and distress.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Nehemiah 5:4. We have borrowed money — This should be read, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute on our lands and vineyards. They had a tax to pay to the Persian king in token of their subjection to him, and though it is not likely it was heavy, yet they were not able to pay it.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile