A citation from the library
John Gill, on Neh 5:11
John Gill · 1697–1771
Neh 5:11 · Douay-Rheims
“Restore ye to them this day their fields, and their vineyards, and their oliveyards, and their houses: and the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, which you mere wont to exact of them, give it rather for them.”
On this verse:
“Then said they, we will restore them,.... The lands, vineyards, oliveyards, and houses: and will require nothing of them; not the hundredth part of the fruits of the earth by way of salary: so will we do as thou sayest; they approved of his proposal, and readily agreed to it: then I called the priests, and took an oath of them that they should do according to this promise; not that the priests were delinquents, they were not charged with anything of this kind, nor were they the men that promised restitution; but the priests were called to administer the oath to the nobles, and rulers, and rich men, to oblige them the more to keep their word; an oath being sacred, priests in an holy office were made use of to give it, that it might be the more solemn, and the more strictly regarded.”
Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.