Nehemiah 5:6
New International Version
When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.

New Living Translation
When I heard their complaints, I was very angry.

English Standard Version
I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words.

Berean Standard Bible
When I heard their outcry and these complaints, I became extremely angry,

Berean Literal Bible
And I became very hot when I heard their outcry and these words.

King James Bible
And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.

New King James Version
And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words.

New American Standard Bible
Then I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words.

NASB 1995
Then I was very angry when I had heard their outcry and these words.

NASB 1977
Then I was very angry when I had heard their outcry and these words.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then I was very angry when I had heard their outcry and these words.

Amplified Bible
Then I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words [of accusation].

Berean Annotated Bible
When I heard their outcry and these complaints, I became extremely angry,

Christian Standard Bible
I became extremely angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I became extremely angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints.

American Standard Version
And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.

Contemporary English Version
When I heard their complaints and their charges, I became very angry.

English Revised Version
And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I became furious when I heard their complaint and what they had to say.

Good News Translation
When I heard their complaints, I grew angry

International Standard Version
I became very livid when I heard their complaining and these charges.

NET Bible
I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints.

New Heart English Bible
I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.

Webster's Bible Translation
And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
Majority Text Translations
Majority Standard Bible
When I heard their outcry and these complaints, I became extremely angry,

World English Bible
I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And it is very displeasing to me when I have heard their cry and these words,

Berean Literal Bible
And I became very hot when I heard their outcry and these words.

Young's Literal Translation
And it is very displeasing to me when I have heard their cry and these words,

Smith's Literal Translation
And it will kindle to me greatly as I heard their cry and these words.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I was exceedingly angry when I heard their cry according to these words.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And when I had heard their outcry in these words, I was exceedingly angry.

New American Bible
I was extremely angry when I heard the reasons for their complaint.

New Revised Standard Version
I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And I was exceedingly sorrowful when I heard their cry and these words, and my heart was broken within me,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And I was very grieved myself when I heard their wailing and these words.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And I was much grieved as I heard their cry and these words.

Additional Translations ...



Context
Nehemiah Defends the Oppressed
5We and our children are just like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless to redeem them because our fields and vineyards belong to others.” 6When I heard their outcry and these complaints, I became extremely angry, 7and after serious thought I rebuked the nobles and officials, saying, “You are exacting usury from your own brothers!” So I called a large assembly against them…

Cross References
When I heard their outcry and these complaints,

Exodus 3:7
The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.

Deuteronomy 24:15
You are to pay his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and depends on them. Otherwise he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.

James 5:4
Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.
I became extremely angry,

Exodus 32:19
As Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he burned with anger and threw the tablets out of his hands, shattering them at the base of the mountain.

Mark 3:5
Jesus looked around at them with anger and sorrow at their hardness of heart. Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored.
Exodus 22:25
If you lend money to one of My people among you who is poor, you must not act as a creditor to him; you are not to charge him interest.

Leviticus 25:35-37
Now if your countryman becomes destitute and cannot support himself among you, then you are to help him as you would a foreigner or stranger, so that he can continue to live among you. / Do not take any interest or profit from him, but fear your God, that your countryman may live among you. / You must not lend him your silver at interest or sell him your food for profit.

Deuteronomy 23:19-20
Do not charge your brother interest on money, food, or any other type of loan. / You may charge a foreigner interest, but not your brother, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything to which you put your hand in the land that you are entering to possess.

Proverbs 28:8
He who increases his wealth by interest and usury lays it up for one who is kind to the poor.

Isaiah 58:6-7
Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and tear off every yoke? / Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Ezekiel 18:8-9
He does not engage in usury or take excess interest, but he withholds his hand from iniquity and executes true justice between men. / He follows My statutes and faithfully keeps My ordinances. That man is righteous; surely he will live, declares the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 22:12
In you they take bribes to shed blood. You engage in usury, take excess interest, and extort your neighbors. But Me you have forgotten, declares the Lord GOD.

Amos 2:6-7
This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Israel, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals. / They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the earth; they push the needy out of their way. A man and his father have relations with the same girl and so profane My holy name.

Amos 5:11-12
Therefore, because you trample on the poor and exact from him a tax of grain, you will never live in the stone houses you have built; you will never drink the wine from the lush vineyards you have planted. / For I know that your transgressions are many and your sins are numerous. You oppress the righteous by taking bribes; you deprive the poor of justice in the gate.

Matthew 21:12-13
Then Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves. / And He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”

Mark 11:15-17
When they arrived in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves. / And He would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. / Then Jesus began to teach them, and He declared, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”


Treasury of Scripture

And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.

Nehemiah 13:8,25
And it grieved me sore: therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber…

Exodus 11:8
And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger.

Numbers 16:15
And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.

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Angry Charges Cry Displeasing Heard Hearing Outcry Words
Nehemiah 5
1. The Jews complain of their debt, mortgage, and bondage
6. Nehemiah rebukes the usurers, and causes them to make a covenant of restitution
14. He forbears his own allowance, and keeps hospitality












When I heard their outcry and these complaints,

Nehemiah learned that wealthy Jews were exploiting fellow Judeans during the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls. Families facing famine, taxes, and debt had mortgaged their land and, in some cases, sold their children into bondage. Such treatment violated God’s commands concerning mercy toward the poor and threatened the unity of the restored community.

Exo 3:7 The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction…
Deu 24:15 You are to pay his wages each day before sunset…
Jas 5:4 Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen…

I became extremely angry,

Nehemiah’s anger arose from the open injustice committed by leaders and nobles against their own people. As governor, he recognized that their actions dishonored God and undermined the covenant community.

Exo 32:19 As Moses approached the camp and saw the calf…
Mrk 3:5 Jesus looked around at them with anger and sorrow…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Nehemiah
The central figure in this passage, Nehemiah was a Jewish leader and cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes. He played a crucial role in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and reforming the community.

2. The Jewish People
The community in Jerusalem, who were facing economic oppression and exploitation by their own nobles and officials.

3. Jerusalem
The city where these events take place, significant as the center of Jewish worship and identity.

4. Nobles and Officials
The Jewish leaders who were exploiting their fellow Jews through usury and unjust practices.

5. Outcry
The complaints and grievances of the oppressed Jewish people, which reached Nehemiah and prompted his response.
Teaching Points
Righteous Anger
Nehemiah's anger was not sinful but righteous, as it was directed against injustice and exploitation. Believers should discern when anger is appropriate and ensure it aligns with God's principles.

Advocacy for the Oppressed
Nehemiah's response to the outcry teaches us the importance of standing up for those who are oppressed and taking action against injustice within our communities.

Leadership and Accountability
Nehemiah exemplifies godly leadership by holding the nobles and officials accountable. Leaders today should also ensure they are leading with integrity and justice.

Community Responsibility
The passage highlights the responsibility of the community to care for one another, especially the vulnerable. Christians are called to support and uplift each other.

Listening to the Outcry
Nehemiah's attentiveness to the people's grievances reminds us of the importance of listening to those who are suffering and responding with compassion and action.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1. What is the meaning of Nehemiah 5:6?

2. How does Nehemiah 5:6 demonstrate righteous anger in response to injustice?

3. What injustices today should provoke a similar response as Nehemiah's in 5:6?

4. How can we balance anger and love when addressing wrongs, like Nehemiah 5:6?

5. What other biblical figures showed righteous anger similar to Nehemiah's in 5:6?

6. How can we apply Nehemiah's leadership example in confronting modern-day injustices?

7. Why was Nehemiah so angry in Nehemiah 5:6?

8. How does Nehemiah 5:6 address social justice issues?

9. What historical context led to Nehemiah's reaction in Nehemiah 5:6?

10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Nehemiah 5?


(6) And I was very angry.--Nehemiah, recently arrived, had not known this state of things. The common wailing and the three complaints in which it found expression are distinct.

Verse 6. - I was very angry. It is not clear that the letter of the law was infringed, unless it were in the matter of taking interest (ver. 11), of which the people had not complained. That men might sell their daughters to be concubines or secondary wives is clear from Exodus 21:7; and it is therefore probable that they might sell their sons for servants. But the servitude might only be for six years (Exodus 21:2); and if a jubilee year occurred before the sexennial period was out, the service was ended (Leviticus 25:10). Land too might be either mortgaged or sold (ibid. vers. 14-16), but under the condition that it returned to the seller, or at any rate to his tribe, in the jubilee year (ibid. vers. 10, 13). The spirit, however, of the law - the command, "Ye shall not oppress one another" (ibid. vers. 14, 17) - was transgressed by the proceedings of the rich men. It was their duty in a time of scarcity not to press hard upon their poorer brethren, but freely to alleviate their necessities. Nehemiah, his near relations, and his followers had done so to the utmost of their power (ver. 10, with the comment). The rich men had acted differently, and made all the profit that they could out of the need of their fellow-countrymen. Hence Nehemiah's anger.

Nehemiah 5:6 shows a chain of godly leadership: he hears, acknowledges the people’s outcry, identifies concrete injustices, and responds with righteous anger that drives reform. The verse invites believers to listen attentively, empathize genuinely, condemn exploitation boldly, and let holy indignation move us to uphold God’s just commands.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
When
כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר (ka·’ă·šer)
Preposition-k | Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

I heard
שָׁמַ֙עְתִּי֙ (šā·ma‘·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

their outcry
זַֽעֲקָתָ֔ם (za·‘ă·qā·ṯām)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 2201: A shriek, outcry

and these
הָאֵֽלֶּה׃ (hā·’êl·leh)
Article | Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

complaints,
הַדְּבָרִ֥ים (had·də·ḇā·rîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

I became extremely
מְאֹ֑ד (mə·’ōḏ)
Adverb
Strong's 3966: Vehemence, vehemently, wholly, speedily

angry,
וַיִּ֥חַר (way·yi·ḥar)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2734: To glow, grow warm, to blaze up, of anger, zeal, jealousy


Additonal Resources
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OT History: Nehemiah 5:6 I was very angry when I heard (Neh Ne)

Nehemiah 5:5
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