Nehemiah 5:18

for me daily R.V. for one day. Compare Solomon's daily provision, 1 Kings 4:22-23.

choice i.e. picked or chosen for their fatness and good condition. The word in the Hebrew is used of men chosen for a purpose, 1 Chronicles 7:40; 1Ch 9:22; 1 Chronicles 16:41. In 1 Samuel 9:2 Saul is called a -choice" (R.V. marg.) man.

once in ten days store of allsorts of wine Literally -within the interval of ten days, of every wine in abundance." The construction is peculiar. The specification of 10 days and the preposition before -sorts of wine" lead us to expect the mention of some particular quantity. The conjecture is possible that this was originally expressed by a word denoting a measure, unfamiliar to later copyists, who substituted a general expression for the word. According to the present text, fresh supplies of wine were furnished every ten days, i.e. thrice a month. LXX. ἐν πᾶσιν οἶνος τῷ πλήθει. Vulg. -Vina diversa et multa alia tribuebam."

yet forall this Lit. -with this," i.e. -in spite of this heavy outlay."

required not I R.V. I demanded not. The sense is -I did not demand my rights." At the time of the A.V. translation -to require" was equivalent to -to ask," in which sense the A.V. employs it here; see Ezra 8:22; Psalms 38:16 (P.B.V.) -I have required that they, even mine enemies, should not triumph over me." The usage of -require" for -demanding by authority," -making requisition for" (see Wright, Bible Word-Book) is more modern. But inasmuch as -I did not require" could now be understood to mean -I did not need," the change to the less equivocal -demand" is a gain in clearness and accuracy.

the bread of the governor See Nehemiah 5:14.

the bondage was heavy, &c. i.e. the tribute exacted from the Jews by the Persian Imperial government. The word rendered -bondage" occurs twice elsewhere in this book, Nehemiah 3:5, -the work of their lord," Nehemiah 10:37, -cities of our tillage." Used of oppressive -service" it is familiar to us in Exodus (Exodus 1:14, (Exodus 2:23; Nehemiah 5:9, &c.).