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KING JAMES BIBLE · PCE

Nehemiah 5:2–4

TEXT EDITION
Pure Cambridge Edition selected
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.
Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth.
There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.
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PASSAGE SELECTION

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3 selected · 7 available

Choose up to 10 verses in this chapter. The study tools update with the selected passage.

SCRIPTURE WITH SCRIPTURE

Cross References

14 Essential passages are open for comparison.

Reference depth

From verse 2

  1. Malachi 2:2Rank 1 from verse 2
    Open

    2If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.

  2. Psalms 128:2–4Rank 2 from verse 2
    Open

    2For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

    3Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.

    4Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.

  3. Genesis 41:57Rank 3 from verse 2
    Open

    57And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.

  4. Genesis 42:2Rank 4 from verse 2
    Open

    2And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.

  5. Genesis 43:8Rank 5 from verse 2
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    8And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.

From verse 3

  1. Leviticus 25:35–39Rank 1 from verse 3
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    35¶ And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee.

    36Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee.

    37Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase.

    38I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.

    39¶ And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant:

  2. Malachi 3:8–11Rank 2 from verse 3
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    8¶ Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

    9Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

    10Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

    11And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

  3. Deuteronomy 15:7Rank 3 from verse 3
    Open

    7¶ If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:

  4. Genesis 47:15–25Rank 4 from verse 3
    Open

    15And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.

    16And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.

    17And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.

    18When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:

    19Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.

    20And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh’s.

    21And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.

    22Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.

    23Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.

    24And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.

    25And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.

From verse 4

  1. Ezra 4:13Rank 1 from verse 4
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    13Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls set up again, then will they not pay toll, tribute, and custom, and so thou shalt endamage the revenue of the kings.

  2. Ezra 4:20Rank 2 from verse 4
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    20There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, which have ruled over all countries beyond the river; and toll, tribute, and custom, was paid unto them.

  3. 1 Kings 9:21Rank 3 from verse 4
    Open

    21Their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel also were not able utterly to destroy, upon those did Solomon levy a tribute of bondservice unto this day.

  4. Deuteronomy 28:47–48Rank 4 from verse 4
    Open

    47Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;

    48Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.

  5. Ezra 7:24Rank 5 from verse 4
    Open

    24Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them.

WORDS IN THIS PASSAGE

Definitions

Open a word for its full definition and concordance.

DEFINED WORDS

Nehemiah 5:2

COMBINED MEANING

for

↗

1. In behalf of or in the place of. 2. With respect to, concerning, or toward. 3. Because of or on account of. 4. During or throughout. 5. In order to obtain or reach. 6. As a conjunction, because or seeing that.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

take

↗

To receive, seize, carry, accept, choose, or lay hold of.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Skeat 1893

COMBINED MEANING

corn

↗

1. Grain or cereal produce, whether growing or gathered, and the plants bearing it. 2. A single grain or seed.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Skeat 1893

COMBINED MEANING

eat

↗

To take food into the body; to consume, devour, or waste away.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

live

↗

Sense 1: As a verb, to have or continue in life; to remain alive, be restored to life, or not die. Sense 2: To dwell, abide, or continue in a place, state, relation, or manner of life. Sense 3: To subsist or be sustained by or upon what is named. Sense 4: As an adjective, alive rather than dead; or containing fire and not extinguished.

Meaning drawn from: Direct Scripture definition · KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

DEFINED WORDS

Nehemiah 5:3

COMBINED MEANING

mortgaged

↗

Pledged land, vineyards, houses, or other property as security for a debt or borrowed provision, placing the property under claim until repayment.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

houses

↗

Buildings or dwelling places; by extension, the families, households, estates, possessions, royal lines, or bodies of people associated with them.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

might

↗

Sense 1: Power or strength. Sense 2: An auxiliary expressing possibility or permission.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

corn

↗

1. Grain or cereal produce, whether growing or gathered, and the plants bearing it. 2. A single grain or seed.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Skeat 1893

COMBINED MEANING

dearth

↗

Scarcity or lack, especially a famine or severe shortage of food and sustenance.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Nehemiah 5:4

COMBINED MEANING

borrowed

↗

Past-tense, participial, or adjectival form of borrow, meaning to receive something for temporary use with the intention or obligation of returning it or its equivalent.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

for

↗

1. In behalf of or in the place of. 2. With respect to, concerning, or toward. 3. Because of or on account of. 4. During or throughout. 5. In order to obtain or reach. 6. As a conjunction, because or seeing that.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

king

↗

A sovereign ruler; one exercising royal authority over a kingdom.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

tribute

↗

1. A tax, payment, or imposed due rendered to a ruler or governing power. 2. Labour or service imposed on a subject people. 3. A portion or offering rendered to the Lord.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

upon

↗

1. Marks the person, place, thing, or basis to which something is related: on or onto; above or over; toward or against as the target of action, speech, thought, attention, or force; resting on, assigned to, or affecting as a state, gift, burden, duty, guilt, or judgment; supported by or based on; or one placed, added, or repeated on or after another. 2. With a stated time or occasion, or a preceding event, at that time or point, or at or after that event: on, at, when, then, or following it.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

READ THE PASSAGE

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Suggested context · Nehemiah 5:1–5

The selected passage is highlighted. Context is a study aid.

5:1AND there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.

5:2For 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.

Selected passage

5:3Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth.

Selected passage

5:4There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.

Selected passage

5:5Yet 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.

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