Nehemiah 7:70
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. 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 verse belongs to the second numbering of the Jews given in Nehemiah 7, which follows the finishing of the wall in fifty-two days and the appointing of proper officers and watches, in B.C. 444. It stands in the account of Nehemiah's work in Jerusalem after the return from captivity, the restoration of the Jews after the exile for the restoration of Jerusalem and the temple. In that work Nehemiah's governorship is distinguished from Ezra's priestly role.
Some of the chief of the fathers, that is the family heads, gave to the work, and the Tirshatha, meaning the governor, gave to the treasure or treasury a thousand drams of gold, fifty basons, and five hundred and thirty priests' garments. The governor's gift was the first part of a joint free offering with the rulers and the people. That offering amounted altogether in gold and silver to about three hundred thousand dollars in present currency, exactly double the one hundred fifty thousand dollar fund, and it was given freely by a poor people scarcely fifty thousand strong, the children of the captivity.
Nehemiah's work in Jerusalem is a model of God's work in other ages, especially the last days. Because raising funds for carrying on the work of God has always been an essential part of the gospel, the example of free giving in tribulation by the children of the captivity should not be outdone.