And at my table were one hundred and fifty Jews and rulers, besides those who came to us from the nations around us.
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.
- BSB There were 150 Jews and officials at my table, besides the guests from the surrounding nations.
- 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 therefore send, and gather to me all Israel to Mount Carmel, and four hundred fifty of the prophets of Baal, and four hundred of the prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
- 1 Pet 4:9–10Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.
- 2 Sam 9:7David said to him, “Don’t be afraid of him; for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your father. You will eat bread at my table continually.”
- Rom 12:13contributing to the needs of the saints; given to hospitality.
- 2 Sam 9:13So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem; for he ate continually at the king’s table. He was lame in both his feet.
- Isa 32:8But the noble devises noble things; and he will continue in noble things.
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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
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