Nehemiah 5:2 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Some say their families are large and they must obtain grain simply to eat and stay alive.
What Does Nehemiah 5:2 Mean?
The protest is given in voices. The first group speaks of sheer survival: their households are many, and they are pledging whatever they can to get grain so their children will not starve. The labor on the wall has pulled them from their fields, and the harvest cannot keep pace with their hunger.
Here is the plain face of poverty, a parent counting mouths and finding nothing to fill them. The phrase that we may eat, and live lays the stakes bare. God's law made repeated provision for the poor precisely because hunger is no small thing, and the One who taught us to pray for daily bread does not treat such a cry as beneath His notice.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nehemiah 5:2
What does Nehemiah 5:2 mean?
Some say their families are large and they must obtain grain simply to eat and stay alive.