Why were some Jews selling their sons and daughters into slavery (Nehemiah 5:5)?
In times of economic distress families would borrow funds, using family members as collateral. If a man could not repay the loan and its interest, his children, his wife, or even the man himself could be sold into bondage. An Israelite who fell into debt, however, would serve his creditor as a hired worker (Leviticus 25:3940). He was to be released in the seventh year (Deuteronomy 15:1218), unless he chose to stay voluntarily. NIV Bible Study Notes What is usury (Nehemiah 5:7)? Usury means to impose a burden or claim for repayment of debt. The Old Testament passages prohibiting the giving of loans at interest (Exodus 22:2527; Leviticus 25:3537; Deuteronomy 23:1920; 24:1013) were not intended to prohibit commercial loans but rather the charging of interest to the poor so as to make a profit from the helplessness of one s neighbors. NIV Bible Commentary Why don t the numbers in the list equal the total figure (Nehemiah7:66)? Neither Nehemiah s total (31,089) nor Ezra s (29,818) match the
