have mortgaged. are mortgaging.
the dearth. One of the thirteen famines (App-10) recorded in Scripture. See note on Genesis 12:10.
Related Commentaries of Nehemiah 5:3
Nehemiah 5:3
3 Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth.