Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.

NEHEMIAH 5:18KJV
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Nehemiah 5:18 (KJV)

What does Nehemiah 5:18 mean?

Nehemiah 5:18 describes how Nehemiah, as governor, was provided with generous daily meals—one ox, six choice sheep, birds, and a supply of wine every ten days—but he did not demand the official allowance or "bread of the governor" because he knew the people were already burdened. Nehemiah chose not to add to the people's hardship, even though he had the right to more support.

Nehemiah himself is speaking here, explaining his actions while serving as governor of Judah after the exile. The verse shows Nehemiah’s personal restraint and concern for the struggling community, especially since earlier verses describe how previous officials had placed heavy demands on the people. This verse highlights Nehemiah’s leadership style—he had access to plenty, but he refused extra privileges to avoid increasing the people's suffering.

The Hebrew behind Nehemiah 5:18

  • "Prepared" (עָשָׂה, ʿasah) means to make or provide. The verse uses this word to show that the food was regularly made ready for Nehemiah, emphasizing the scale and routine nature of the governor’s table.
  • "Required" (בָּקַשׁ, baqash) means to seek or demand. Nehemiah says he did not "require" the bread of the governor, making it clear that he did not claim what he could have, out of consideration for the people.
  • "Bondage" (עֲבֹדָה, ʿavodah) is often used for hard labor or servitude. Nehemiah uses it to describe the heavy burden or oppression the people were under, which motivated his restraint.
  • "Heavy" (כָּבֵד, kaved) means weighty or burdensome. This word underlines just how difficult the people’s situation was, reinforcing why Nehemiah chose not to add to their load.

Why Nehemiah 5:18 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Nehemiah’s leadership was marked by self-denial and empathy, in contrast to previous governors who took more from the people.
  • The details about the daily provisions show the wealth and privilege Nehemiah could have enjoyed, making his restraint more striking.
  • By connecting his actions to the people’s "heavy bondage," Nehemiah ties his personal choices directly to the well-being of the community, which is a key theme in the book.

Where else these words appear

“choice” Hebrew H1305 · used in 16 verses

  • 2 Samuel 22:27 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury.
  • Psalms 18:26 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.
  • Jeremiah 51:11 Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple.

“all” Hebrew H5973 · used in 26 verses

  • Genesis 18:23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
  • Genesis 48:12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
  • 1 Samuel 2:21 And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD.

“governor” Hebrew H6346 · used in 27 verses

  • 1 Kings 10:15 Beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffick of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country.
  • Nehemiah 5:14 Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.
  • Jeremiah 51:57 And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.

“fowls” Hebrew H6833 · used in 36 verses

  • Genesis 7:14 They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.
  • Deuteronomy 4:17 The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air,
  • Proverbs 7:23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.