Nehemiah 5:17

There were 150 Jews and officials at my table, besides the guests from the surrounding nations.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — Nehemiah addresses the Jewish leaders and community during the wall reconstruction, immediately after detailing his refusal to claim the governor’s food allowance. He speaks to those he previously rebuked for exploiting their fellow Jews.

The words — סְגָנִים (seganim) translates to officials or deputies, and בָּאִים (ba'im) means the ones who came or guests. These terms mark the formal domestic and foreign visitors Nehemiah sustained daily.

The thread — The text's focus on official hosting and guest provision intersects with 1 Kings 18:19, where prophets are gathered for a mountain feast, 2 Samuel 9:7, where David restores land and sustains Jonathan’s heir, and 1 Peter 4:9, which commands believers to practice hospitality.

Why it lands — The text states that Nehemiah maintained a daily table for 150 officials and foreign guests without demanding his governor's allotted provisions. It asks readers to recognize leadership that absorbs personal cost rather than extracting privilege from a struggling community.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וְהַיְּהוּדִ֨יםve./hai./ye.hu.Dimand/ the/ Jews וְהַסְּגָנִ֜יםve./ha./se.ga.Nimand/ the/ officials מֵאָ֧הme.'Ahone hundred וַחֲמִשִּׁ֣יםva./cha.mi.Shimand/ fifty אִ֗ישׁ'Ishperson[s]וְהַבָּאִ֥יםve./ha./ba.'Imand/ the/ [ones who] came אֵלֵ֛ינוּ'e.Lei./nuto/ us מִן־min-from הַגּוֹיִ֥םha./go.Yimthe/ nations אֲשֶׁר־'a.Sher-which סְבִיבֹתֵ֖ינוּse.vi.vo.Tei./nu[were] around/ us עַל־'al-[were] at שֻׁלְחָנִֽי׃shul.cha.N/itable/ my

King James Version

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.

Cross-references

1 Kings 18:19 Now 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.”
2 Samuel 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.”
1 Peter 4:9 Show hospitality to one another without complaining.
2 Samuel 9:13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table, and he was lame in both feet.
Isaiah 32:8 But a noble man makes honorable plans; he stands up for worthy causes.
Romans 12:13 Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality.