Nehemiah is restating the number of years for emphasis. AT: "during that entire time"
## neither I nor my brothers ate the food provided for the governor ##
"Neither my brothers nor I ate the food provided for the governor." This food was provided by the king and was part of what a governor was paid by the people. Because the people were starving, Nehemiah chose not to make use of this privilege.
## former governors ##
"previous governors" or "governors from the past" Nehemiah was not the first governor of Judah.
## took from them forty shekels of silver for their daily food and wine ##
AT: "from them forty shekels of silver in addition to daily food and wine."
## shekel ##
(See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/biblicalmoney]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/biblicalweight]])