and said, “We have done our best to buy back our Jewish brothers who were sold to foreigners, but now you are selling your own brothers, that they may be sold back to us!” But they remained silent, for they could find nothing to say.
Parallel translations
- WEB I said to them, “We, after our ability, have redeemed our brothers the Jews that were sold to the nations; and would you even sell your brothers, and should they be sold to us?” Then they held their peace, and found not a word to say.
- KJV 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.
- NKJV And I said to them, “According to our ability we have redeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations. Now indeed, will you even sell your brethren? Or should they be sold to us?” Then they were silenced and found nothing to say.
- NASB And I said to them, “We, according to our ability, have redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us?” Then they were silent and could not find a word to say.
- NLT At the meeting I said to them, “We are doing all we can to redeem our Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to pagan foreigners, but you are selling them back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?” And they had nothing to say in their defense.
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 points out the contradiction: the leaders' own people have redeemed Jews sold to the nations, yet now the nobles re-enslave their own brothers. The shame of it silences them.
Overview
Nehemiah exposes the hypocrisy of buying back enslaved Jews only to have others sell those same brothers back into bondage. Confronted with this contradiction, the nobles have nothing to say. The theme of redeeming the enslaved foreshadows the gospel, in which Christ redeems His people from slavery to sin (Galatians 4:4-5).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Lev 25:47–49If a foreigner residing among you prospers, but your countryman dwelling near him becomes destitute and sells himself to the foreigner or to a member of his clan,
- Job 32:15Job’s friends are dismayed, with no more to say; words have escaped them.
- 2 Cor 8:12For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.
- Rom 14:15If your brother is distressed by what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother, for whom Christ died.
- Matt 25:29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
- Matt 25:15To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey.
- 1 Cor 8:11So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.
- Job 29:10The voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roofs of their mouths.
- Deut 24:7If a man is caught kidnapping one of his Israelite brothers, whether he treats him as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die. So you must purge the evil from among you.
- Rom 3:19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
- Matt 22:12‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But the man was speechless.
- Exod 21:16Whoever kidnaps another man must be put to death, whether he sells him or the man is found in his possession.
- Gal 6:10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 5:8 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.