John Gill, on Neh 5:3

“And there were some that said: Let us mortgage our lands, and our vineyards, and our houses, and let us take corn because of the famine.”

“Some also there were that said, we have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses,.... Made them over to others, put them into their hands as pledges for money received of them: that we may buy corn; for the support of their families: because of the dearth; or famine; which might be occasioned by their enemies lying in wait and intercepting all provisions that might be brought to them; for this seems not to be the famine spoken of in Hag 1:10 for that was some years before this, and for a reason which now was not.”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.