Nehemiah 5:6I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
The setting
Jerusalem, 445 BC. Nehemiah, the Persian governor, hears reports of Jewish nobles charging interest and enslaving children. Modern-day Jerusalem, Israel.
The emotion here: burning with righteous indignation
The original word
charah (חָרָה) — to burn with anger, literally 'to be hot'
Why it matters
Nehemiah had absolute authority as Persian governor but chose to address this through Jewish law
Read with care
What most readers miss in Nehemiah 5:6
This is righteous anger - Nehemiah is furious at injustice, not personal offense
Common misconceptionPeople think all anger is sin, but this shows godly anger at oppression is actually required of leaders.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Nehemiah 5:6
Bible Genome reading
Nehemiah 5:6 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Nehemiah 5:6 comes from the book of Nehemiah, written during the Post-Exile period. These words are attributed to Nehemiah. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 30% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include righteous anger, leadership response. Notable phrases: very angry; heard their cry.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same angry
“Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'”
— Joel 3:10
“You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!”
— Matthew 23:24
“Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husba…”
— Amos 4:1
“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can't stand your solemn assemblies.”
— Amos 5:21
“Your eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
— Deuteronomy 19:21
Your reflection
What does Nehemiah 5:6 mean to you, today?
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