Have not eaten the bread of the governor - i. e. “have not, like other Persian governors, lived at the expense of the people under my government.” See Ezra 4:14 note.
Related Commentaries of Nehemiah 5:14
Nehemiah 5:14
14 Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.