There were 150 Jews and officials at my table, besides the guests from the surrounding nations.
Parallel translations
- WEB Moreover there were at my table, of the Jews and the rulers, one hundred fifty men, besides those who came to us from among the nations that were around us.
- KJV Moreover there were at my table an hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, beside those that came unto us from among the heathen that are about us.
- NKJV And at my table were one hundred and fifty Jews and rulers, besides those who came to us from the nations around us.
- NASB Moreover, there were at my table 150 Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us.
- NLT I asked for nothing, even though I regularly fed 150 Jewish officials at my table, besides all the visitors from other lands!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Nehemiah regularly fed 150 Jewish officials at his table, plus visitors from surrounding nations. His generous hospitality came at his own expense.
Overview
Hosting a large daily company, including officials and foreign guests, was a costly act of generosity funded from Nehemiah's own resources. This hospitality strengthened community bonds and bore witness before outsiders. It illustrates leadership that gives rather than takes, a generosity that reflects the open-handed character God commends to His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 1 Kgs 18:19Now summon all Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
- 1 Pet 4:9–10Show hospitality to one another without complaining.
- 2 Sam 9:7“Do not be afraid,” said David, “for surely I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”
- Rom 12:13Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality.
- 2 Sam 9:13So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table, and he was lame in both feet.
- Isa 32:8But a noble man makes honorable plans; he stands up for worthy causes.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The rebuilt walls and renewed covenant community foreshadow the greater builder who gathers and secures a people for God, the one who declares 'I will build my church.'
How Nehemiah 5:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.