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 also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab: 24And 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. 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. 26Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin. 27Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives?

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

• And I contendedרִיבrîyb rûb · to contendH7378
• with them, and cursedקָלַלqâlal · to lightenH7043
• them, and smoteנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
• certainאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
• of them, and plucked off their hairמָרַטmâraţ · to smoothH4803
• and made them swearשָׁבַעshâba‛ · to swearH7650
• by Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• Ye shall not giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: give(marriage)H5414
• your daughtersבַּתbath · daughterH1323
• unto their sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• nor takeנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: marryH5375

Cross-references for Nehemiah 13:25

• Nehemiah 13:11Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place.
• Proverbs 28:4They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.
• Nehemiah 5:13Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised Yhwh. And the people did according to this promise.
• Deuteronomy 27:14And the Levites shall speak, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice,
• Psalms 15:4In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear Yhwh. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.
• Luke 11:45Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also.
• Deuteronomy 25:2And it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number.
• Ezra 7:26And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.
• Isaiah 50:6I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
• Nehemiah 10:29They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of Yhwh our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes;
• Deuteronomy 6:13Thou shalt fear Yhwh thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.
• 2 Chronicles 15:12And they entered into a covenant to seek Yhwh God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;
• Ezra 10:5Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware.
• Exodus 34:16And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.
• Deuteronomy 7:3Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.

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
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Contend
• Hittites
• Outlandish
• Testify
• Understand
• Genealogy
• Hair
• Peel; Pill

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