Nehemiah 5:8 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Nehemiah contrasts his own efforts to buy back Jews sold to the nations with the nobles' selling of their brethren, leaving them with no reply.
What Does Nehemiah 5:8 Mean?
Nehemiah sets two pictures side by side. He and others have spent what they could to redeem fellow Jews who had been sold to the surrounding nations. Now these same brethren are being sold back into bondage by their own kin. Confronted with the contradiction, the nobles held their peace and found nothing to answer.
To buy people out of slavery and then to sell them again undoes the very work of redemption. The silence of the guilty is the silence of a conscience caught. The pattern of paying a price to free the captive runs straight to Christ, who gave Himself to buy back those who were sold under sin, and whose people are never to traffic in what He died to liberate.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nehemiah 5:8
What does Nehemiah 5:8 mean?
Nehemiah contrasts his own efforts to buy back Jews sold to the nations with the nobles' selling of their brethren, leaving them with no reply.