What is the meaning of “lending them money and grain”?

The pronoun them directs the attention of Nehemiah’s addressees (namely, the oppressing nobles and officials) to the oppressed (the great assembly standing offside), the people crying out for grain (Nehemiah 5:2–3) and money (Nehemiah 5:4). The precise content of the word translated here as lending is hard to determine, specifically whether interest rates are included. It is perhaps sufficient to say that Nehemiah (with his family and staff) gave assistance to the needy without suggesting that he was personally targeted in the outcry of Nehemiah 5:1. It should also be remembered that Nehemiah had only recently arrived in the city (Nehemiah 2:11–15; Nehemiah 6:15).