Nehemiah 5:18

“Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep, etc.] Or fat ones; of beef and mutton a considerable quantity, abundantly sufficient for his guests and servants, and shows what a good table he kept: also fowls were prepared for me; what number is not said: and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine; the country afforded; that is, either once in ten days his stock of wine was renewed, or a more liberal entertainment was made, a banquet of wine, (<170506>Esther 5:6), yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor; the salary that used to be given him, but did this at his own expense, out of his own estate in Judea; or what he had got by his office as…”

“Compare the far grander provision for Solomon’s table (see the marginal reference). return to 'Top of Page' Footnotes: Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Bibliographical Information Barnes, Albert. "Commentary on Nehemiah 5". "Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/bnb/nehemiah-5.html. 1870. StudyLight.org &copy;&#160;2001-2026 Powered by Lightspeed Technology”

“Required not - But bore it out of my own estate: which was very considerable, his office in the Persian court being a place of great profit. Nehemiah 5:19”

“Now that: Kg1 4:22, Kg1 4:23 one ox: This was food sufficient for more than two hundred men. Bp. Pococke says that the bey of Tunis had daily twelve sheep, with fish and fowls, soups, oranges, eggs, onions, boiled rice, etc., etc. His nobles dined with him; after they had done, the servants sat down; and when they had finished, the poor took what was left. Here the bey's twelve sheep are equal to Nehemiah's one ox and six choice sheep; and probably the mode of living between the two was nearly alike. It is still the practice in the East to calculate the expenses of the table, not by the money paid, but by the provisions consumed by the guests. required: Neh 5:14, Neh 5:15 because the…”