Nehemiah 13:24

Nehemiah 13:24 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews’ language, but according to the language of each people.
• New International Version (NIV)Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but only the language of each people.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke according to the language of one or the other people.

Context of Nehemiah 13:24

22Then I told the Levites to cleanse themselves and guard the gates to keep the day of rest holy. ⌞Nehemiah prayed,⌟ “Remember me also for this, my God, and spare me, since you are very kind.” 23In those days I saw some Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. Half their children spoke the language of Ashdod or one of the other languages, but they couldn’t understand the language of Judah well enough to speak it. 25So I reprimanded those Jews, cursed them, beat some of them, and pulled out their hair. I made them swear by God: “We won’t allow our daughters to marry their sons, and we won’t allow their daughters to marry us or our sons.” 26I said, “Wasn’t it because of marriages like these that King Solomon of Israel sinned? There wasn’t a king like him among all nations. God loved him, and God made him king of all Israel. But his non-Israelite wives led him to sin.

Nehemiah 13:24 word by word

וּבְנֵיהֶ֗ם חֲצִי֙ מְדַבֵּ֣ר אַשְׁדּוֹדִ֔ית וְאֵינָ֥ם מַכִּירִ֖ים לְדַבֵּ֣ר יְהוּדִ֑ית וְכִלְשׁ֖וֹן עַ֥ם וָעָֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And their childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• spakeדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
• halfחֲצִיchêtsîy · halfH2677
• in the speech of Ashdodאַשְׁדּוֹדִית'ashdôdîyth · AshdodH797
• and couldנָכַרnâkar · to recognizeH5234
• in the Jews’ languageיְהוּדִיתyehûdîyth · JewishH3066
• but according to the languageלָשׁוֹןlâshôn lâshôn leshônâh · tongue: languageH3956
• of eachעַם‛am · peopleH5971

Cross-references for Nehemiah 13:24

• Zephaniah 3:9“Then I will give all people pure lips to worship the Lord and to serve him with one purpose.

Commentaries on Nehemiah 13:24

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 24Half in the speech of Ashdod - There were children in the same family by Jewish and Philistine mothers. As the Jewish mother would always speak to her children in Hebrew or Chaldee, so they learnt to speak these languages; and as the Ashdod mother would always speak to her children in the Ashdod language, so they learnt that tongue. Thus there were, in the same family, children who could not understand each other; half, or one part, speaking one language…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 24The speech of Ashdod - The Philistine language, which was akin to that of Egypt. According to the language of each people - The children spoke a mixed dialect - half-Philistine, half-Hebrew.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 23-31Verses 23-31 If either parent be ungodly, corrupt nature will incline the children to take after that one; which is a strong reason why Christians should not be unequally yoked. In the education of children, great care should be taken about the government of their tongues; that they learn not the language of Ashdod, no impious or impure talk, no corrupt communication. Nehemiah showed the evil of these marriages. Some, more obstinate than the rest, he…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 23-24The earlier marriage reforms (Nehemiah 9:2; 10:28; Ezra 9:1–10:44) did not last. The children could not speak Hebrew, the language of Judah. This was disastrous because they could not read or understand the Scriptures.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2424. could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people--a mongrel dialect imbibed from their mothers, together with foreign principles and habits.Read the comment

Topics related to Nehemiah 13:24

• Ashdod
• Divorce
• Language
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Ashdod
• Ashdod, or Azotus
• Ashdod, Azotus
• Contend
• Hittites
• Outlandish
• Testify
• Understand
• Genealogy
• Jew, Jewess, Jewish

Commentaries on Nehemiah 13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings