“And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.”
Against the rich which oppressed them.
“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.”
This is the complaint of the people, showing to what extremity they were brought unto.
“There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.”
To pay our tribute to the king of the Persians, which was exacted yearly of us.
“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.”
We are not able to redeem them, but for poverty are constrained to hire them to others. By nature the rich is no better than the poor.
“Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them. I consulted: Heb. my heart consulted in me”
You press them with usury, and seek how to bring all things into your hands. Both because they should be moved with pity, seeing how many were by them oppressed, and also hear the judgment of others, which should be as it were witnesses of their dealings toward their brethren.
“And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found nothing to answer.”
Seeing God hath once delivered them from the bondage of the heathen, shall we make them our slaves?
“Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?”
Who by this occasion will blaspheme the Name of God, seeing that our acts are no better than theirs. Meaning, Nehemiah.
“Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.”
Which ye take of them for the loan.
“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.”
I received not that portion and diet, which the governors that were before me exacted, wherein he declareth that he rather sought the wealth of the people than his own commodity.
“Now that which was prepared for me daily 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 required not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.”
Whereas at other times they had by measure, at this time they had most liberally. Or, once in ten days.