Study it in the app“But the former governors who were before me burdened the people and took from them for bread and wine, besides, forty shekels of silver; even their young men dominated the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of Elohim.”
But the formerוְהַ הָרִאשֹׁנִיםgovernorsפַּחוֹתwhoאֲשֶׁרwerebefore meלְפָנַיburdenedהִכְבִּידוּthe peopleעַל הָעָםand tookוַיִּקְחוּfrom themמֵהֶםforבְּbreadלֶחֶםand wine,וָיַיִןbesides,אַחַרfortyאַרְבָּעִיםshekelsשְׁקָלִיםof silver;כֶּסֶףevenגַּםtheir young menנַעֲרֵיהֶםdominatedשָׁלְטוּ עַלthe people.הָעָםBut Iוַאֲנִיdid notלֹאdoעָשִׂיתִיso,כֵןbecause ofמִפְּנֵיthe fearיִרְאַתof Elohim.אֱלֹהִים
former
What already happened or existed before, in past times.
Where else “rishonim” appearsgovernor
Governor: one who rules a province or district in the name of the king. A frequent word in the books of the Persian period.
Where else “pachot” appearsbefore
Literally "to the face of": in sight of someone, or on account of something.
Where else “fana” appearsbe heavy
To weigh much, like a burden.
Where else “hichbidu” appearscrowd
The people gathered in a place: the crowd, or the troops that go out to war.
Where else “am” appearstake
To grasp something in the hand to carry or use it.
Where else “yikchu” appearsfood
Everything eaten at the table, even if it is not bread.
Where else “lechem” appearswine
Wine; also drunkenness.
Where else “yayin” appearsforty
Forty.
Where else “arbaim” appearsshekel
Shekel: a weight of about 11 grams. Since there were no coins, silver was weighed, so a shekel is also an amount of money.
Where else “shekalim” appearsmoney
What is paid and received in exchange, weighed out in silver.
Where else “kesef” appearsyoung servant
A young man, often in someone's service: servant, messenger or soldier.
Where else “naare” appearsdominate, rule
To dominate, to have power over another.
Where else “shaltu” appearsdo
To carry out an act or to deal with someone in a certain way, for good or ill.
Where else “asiti” appearsfear
Fear. "The fear of God" is deep reverence that leads one to obey him and avoid evil.
Where else “yirat” appearsElohim
The one true God, the Creator; the word is plural but means one.
Where else “elohim” appears“Besides”: a word of uncertain meaning here; the sentence may say that they charged bread and wine to the value of forty shekels, or forty shekels besides the bread and the wine.
14Also, from the day that I was commanded to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, I and my brothers did not eat the bread of the governor.
15 · This verse (above)
16Also in the work of this wall I held firm, and a field we did not buy; and all my young men were gathered there for the work.
