What Does Nehemiah 7:70 Mean in the King James?
And some of the chief of the fathers gave unto the work. The Tirshatha gave to the treasure a thousand drams of gold, fifty basons, five hundred and thirty priests’ garments.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
Here, leadership is not a title above the work; it is a hand that places resources into it.
THE MEANING
The work among you takes shape through what people place into it: leaders contribute wealth, vessels, and garments for a shared purpose. Devotion becomes visible as concrete provision held for the work and its service.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that sacred work is sustained by intention alone: here, it is supplied with material resources.
THE ROOT
נתן
natan
GROWS FROM
נתן
To give, put, set, or place.
“gave” in this verse is natan. The same verb appears for giving to the work and giving to the treasury, joining generosity with the act of placing something into another’s keeping. Its family keeps that movement visible: what is given is placed into a shared purpose.
ALSO GROWS
mattanah: Gift.
מַתָּנָה
A gift is something placed into another’s keeping, echoing the leaders’ concrete contributions.
netinah: Giving; a donation.
נְתִינָה
This noun from the same root names the act of giving that sustains the work.
THE PATTERN
Shared work takes tangible form when people place their resources into a common purpose.
The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.THE THREAD
But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.The verb נתן (natan, to give or place) appears in both passages: here, leaders give resources to the work and treasury; there, the speaker says the people give from what already comes from God. The shared root opens giving as placing received resources into their next purpose.
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