Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, June 18th, 2025
the Week of Proper 6 / Ordinary 11
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Read the Bible

New American Standard Bible (1995)

Nehemiah 5:2

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."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Borrowing;   Country;   Covetousness;   Creditor;   Interest;   Lending;   Poor;   Repentance;   Rich, the;   Usury;   Thompson Chain Reference - Nehemiah;  

Dictionaries:

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

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Babylonish Captivity, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Get;   Malachi;   Poverty;   Salvation;   Take;   Tax;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Some were saying, “We, our sons, and our daughters are numerous. Let us get grain so that we can eat and live.”
Hebrew Names Version
For there were that said, We, our sons and our daughters, are many: let us get grain, that we may eat and live.
King James Version
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.
English Standard Version
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."
New Century Version
Some of them were saying, "We have many sons and daughters in our families. To eat and stay alive, we need grain."
New English Translation
There were those who said, "With our sons and daughters, we are many. We must obtain grain in order to eat and stay alive."
Amplified Bible
For there were some who were saying, "We, along with our sons and our daughters, are many; therefore allow us to get grain, so that we may eat and survive."
New American Standard Bible
For there were those who said, "We, our sons, and our daughters are many; therefore let's get grain so that we may eat and live."
World English Bible
For there were that said, We, our sons and our daughters, are many: let us get grain, that we may eat and live.
Geneva Bible (1587)
For there were that said, We, our sonnes & our daughters are many, therefore we take vp corne, that we may eate and liue.
Legacy Standard Bible
Now there were those who were saying, "We, with our sons and our daughters, are many; therefore let us get grain that we may eat and live."
Berean Standard Bible
Some were saying, "We and our sons and daughters are numerous. We must get grain in order to eat and stay alive."
Contemporary English Version
and said, "We have large families, and it takes a lot of grain merely to keep them alive."
Complete Jewish Bible
Some of them said, "Counting our sons and daughters, there are a lot of us! Allow us to get grain for them, so that we can eat and stay alive."
Darby Translation
And there were that said, We, our sons and our daughters, are many, and we must procure corn that we may eat and live.
Easy-to-Read Version
Some of them were saying, "We have many children. We must get some grain if we are going to eat and stay alive."
George Lamsa Translation
For there were those who said, Our sons and our daughters and our brothers are many; therefore let us purchase grain that we may eat and live.
Good News Translation
Some said, "We have large families, we need grain to keep us alive."
Lexham English Bible
There were those who were saying, "Our sons and daughters, we are many. We must get grain so that we may eat and live."
Literal Translation
For some were saying, With our sons and our daughters, we are many. Let us take up grain for them, so that we may eat and live.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And there were some yt sayde: oure sonnes and doughters are to many, let vs take corne for the, & eate, that we maye lyue.
American Standard Version
For there were that said, We, our sons and our daughters, are many: let us get grain, that we may eat and live.
Bible in Basic English
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.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For there were some that saide, Our sonnes and daughters and we are very many: therefore wyll we take corne for them, that we may eate and liue.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
For there were that said: 'We, our sons and our daughters, are many; let us get for them corn, that we may eat and live.'
King James Version (1611)
For there were that said, We, our sonnes, and our daughters are many: therefore wee take vp corne for them, that we may eat, and liue.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And some said, We are numerous with our sons and our daughters; so we will take corn, and eat, and live.
English Revised Version
For there were that said, We, our sons and our daughters, are many: let us get corn, that we may eat and live.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And there weren that seiden, Oure sones and oure douytris ben ful manye; take we wheete for the prijs of hem, and ete we, and lyue.
Update Bible Version
For there were some that said, We, our sons and our daughters, are many: let us get grain, that we may eat and live.
Webster's Bible Translation
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.
New King James Version
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."
New Living Translation
They were saying, "We have such large families. We need more food to survive."
New Life Bible
For some said, "We, our sons and our daughters are many. Let us get grain, that we may eat and live."
New Revised Standard
For there were those who said, "With our sons and our daughters, we are many; we must get grain, so that we may eat and stay alive."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And there were some who were saying, Our sons and our daughters, are we pledging, - that we may obtain corn, and eat, and keep ourselves alive.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And there were some that said: Our sons and our daughters are very many: let us take up corn for the price of them, and let us eat and live.
Revised Standard Version
For there were those who said, "With our sons and our daughters, we are many; let us get grain, that we may eat and keep alive."
Young's Literal Translation
yea, there are who are saying, `Our sons, and our daughters, we -- are many, and we receive corn, and eat, and live.'

Contextual Overview

1 Now there was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. 2 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."3 There were others who said, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our houses that we might get grain because of the famine." 4 Also there were those who said, "We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards. 5 "Now our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, our children like their children. Yet behold, we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters are forced into bondage already, and we are helpless because our fields and vineyards belong to others."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

our sons: Psalms 127:3-5, Psalms 128:2-4, Malachi 2:2

we take up corn: Genesis 41:57, Genesis 42:2, Genesis 43:8

Reciprocal: Genesis 47:19 - buy us Exodus 22:25 - General Deuteronomy 28:32 - sons 2 Kings 4:1 - the creditor Job 29:12 - I delivered Psalms 15:5 - putteth

Cross-References

Genesis 1:27
God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Genesis 2:15
Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.
Genesis 2:23
The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."
Malachi 2:15
"But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth.
Matthew 19:4
And He answered and said, "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE,
Mark 10:6
"But from the beginning of creation, God MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE.
Acts 17:26
and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For there were that said, we, our sons, and our daughters, are many,.... Not that they complained of the number of their children, for a numerous offspring was always reckoned a blessing with the Jews; but this they observed to show that their families, being large, required a considerable quantity of food to support them:

therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat and live; that is, they were obliged to take it at an exorbitant price, which is the thing complained of; or otherwise they must starve, the rich taking the advantage of their poverty and present dearth.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Are many - A slight emendation brings this verse into exact parallelism with the next, and gives the sense - “We have pledged our sons and our daughters, that we might get corn, and eat and live.” Compare Nehemiah 5:5.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Nehemiah 5:2. We, our sons, and our daughters, are many — Our families are larger than we can provide for; we are obliged to go in debt; and our richer brethren take advantage of our necessitous situation, and oppress us. The details which are given in the next verse are sufficiently plain.


 
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