Nehemiah 13:25

Nehemiah 13:25 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves.
• New International Version (NIV)I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath in God’s name and said: “You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take an oath in the name of God, saying, "You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So I contended with them and cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters as wives to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or yourselves.

Context of Nehemiah 13:25

23In those days I also saw that the Jews had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. 24As for their children, half spoke in the language of Ashdod, and none of them was able to speak the language of Judah, but the language of his own people. So I contended with them and cursed them and struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. 26Did not Solomon king of Israel sin regarding these things? Yet among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless the foreign women caused even him to sin. 27Do we then hear about you that you have committed all this great evil by acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?”

Nehemiah 13:25 word by word

וָאָרִ֤יב עִמָּם֙ וָאֲקַֽלְלֵ֔ם וָאַכֶּ֥ה מֵהֶ֛ם אֲנָשִׁ֖ים וָֽאֶמְרְטֵ֑ם וָאַשְׁבִּיעֵ֣ם בֵּֽאלֹהִ֗ים אִם־תִּתְּנ֤וּ בְנֹֽתֵיכֶם֙ לִבְנֵיהֶ֔ם וְאִם־תִּשְׂאוּ֙ מִבְּנֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם לִבְנֵיכֶ֖ם וְלָכֶֽם׃Read the interlinear

• I contendedרִיבrîyb rûb · to contendH7378
• with them and cursedקָלַלqâlal · to lightenH7043
• struckנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
• someאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• of them and pulledמָרַטmâraţ · to smoothH4803
• made them swearשָׁבַעshâba‛ · to swearH7650
• by Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• You shall not giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: give(marriage)H5414
• your daughtersבַּתbath · daughterH1323
• to their sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• norאִם'im · ifH518
• takeנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: marryH5375

Cross-references for Nehemiah 13:25

• Nehemiah 13:11So I reprimanded the officials and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” Then I gathered them together and restored them to their posts.
• Proverbs 28:4Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, But those who keep the law strive with them.
• Nehemiah 5:13I also shook out the front of my garment and said, “Thus may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not fulfill this promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said, “Amen!” And they praised the Lord. Then the people did according to this promise.
• Deuteronomy 27:14The Levites shall then answer and say to all the men of Israel with a loud voice,
• Psalms 15:4In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honors those who fear the Lord; He swears to his own hurt and does not change;
• Luke 11:45One of the lawyers said to Him in reply, “Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too.”
• Deuteronomy 25:2then it shall be if the wicked man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall then make him lie down and be beaten in his presence with the number of stripes according to his guilt.
• Ezra 7:26Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon him strictly, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of goods or for imprisonment.”
• Isaiah 50:6I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.
• Nehemiah 10:29are joining with their kinsmen, their nobles, and are taking on themselves a curse and an oath to walk in God’s law, which was given through Moses, God’s servant, and to keep and to observe all the commandments of God our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes;
• Deuteronomy 6:13You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.
• 2 Chronicles 15:12They entered into the covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and soul;
• Ezra 10:5Then Ezra rose and made the leading priests, the Levites and all Israel, take oath that they would do according to this proposal; so they took the oath.
• Exodus 34:16and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods.
• Deuteronomy 7:3Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons.

Commentaries on Nehemiah 13:25

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 25I contended with them - Proved the fact against these iniquitous fathers, in a legal assembly. And cursed them - Denounced the judgments of God and the sentence of the law upon them. Smote certain of them - Had them punished by whipping. And plucked off their hair - Had them shaven, as a mark of the greatest ignominy. And made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give - Caused them to bind themselves by an oath, that they would make no intermarriages…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. 25Nehemiah cursed them because the parents avoided Hebrew and did not teach their children the language of the Hebrew Bible. A curse asked God to remove his blessing from people. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair: Some men did not accept Nehemiah’s rebuke at first, so he made them swear in the name of God not to marry pagans.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2525. cursed them--that is, pronounced on them an anathema which entailed excommunication. smote ... and plucked off their hair--To cut off the hair of offenders seems to be a punishment rather disgraceful than severe; yet it is supposed that pain was added to disgrace, and that they tore off the hair with violence as if they were plucking a bird alive.Read the comment

Topics related to Nehemiah 13:25

• Divorce
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• God
• Contend
• Hittites
• Outlandish
• Testify
• Understand
• Genealogy
• Hair
• Peel; Pill
• Punishments

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