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 Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. 24Half of their children spoke the dialect of Ashdod or the language of other peoples, but none of them understood the language of Judah. So I rebuked them. I cursed them, beat some of their men and pulled their beards. I made them swear by God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons—or for yourselves. 26Didn’t Solomon king of Israel sin about these things? Yet among many nations there was never any king like him. Yes, he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, the foreign women caused even him to sin. 27Must we then hear about you doing all this great evil, thereby being unfaithful with 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

Words taken from the KJV.

• 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 13:11So I rebuked the leaders and asked, “Why has the House of God been forsaken?” I assembled them and stationed them at their posts.
• Proverbs 28:4Those who forsake Torah praise the wicked, but those who keep Torah stir them up.
• Nehemiah 5:13Also I shook out my garment, and said, “In this way may God shake out from His house and from His property every one that does not keep this promise. In this way may he be shaken out and emptied!” And all the assembly replied, “Amen!” and they praised Adonai. So the people did according to this promise.
• Deuteronomy 27:14“Then the Levites are to answer and say with a loud voice to every man of Israel:
• Psalms 15:4who despises a vile person in his eyes, but honors those who fear Adonai, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, and does not change,
• Luke 11:45But answering, one of the Torah lawyers says to Him, “Teacher, when You say these things, You insult us too.”
• Deuteronomy 25:2Now if the guilty one deserves to be flogged, the judge is to make him lie down and be flogged before him, with the number of lashes in proportion to his guilt.
• Ezra 7:26Let anyone who does not observe the Law of your God and the law of the king, be punished with due diligence, whether it is death or banishment, confiscation of goods or imprisonment.”
• Isaiah 50:6I gave My back to those who strike, and My cheeks to those pulling out My beard; I did not hide My face from humiliation and spitting.
• Nehemiah 10:29“Now the rest of the people —the kohanim, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Temple servants, and all who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands for the sake of the Torah of God, along with their wives, their sons and their daughters who were able to understand—
• Deuteronomy 6:13You must fear Adonai your God and serve Him, and swear by His Name.
• 2 Chronicles 15:12They entered into a covenant to seek Adonai, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul.
• Ezra 10:5So Ezra rose up and made the leading kohanim, the Levites, and all Israel take an oath to do according to this word; and they took the oath.
• Exodus 34:16Do not take their daughters for your sons, for their daughters will prostitute themselves with their own gods, and cause your sons to prostitute themselves with their gods.
• Deuteronomy 7:3You are not to intermarry with them—you are not to give your daughter to his son, or take his daughter for your 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