Nehemiah 13 2

Nehemiah 13:2 kjv

Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, that he should curse them: howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing.

Nehemiah 13:2 nkjv

because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing.

Nehemiah 13:2 niv

because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam to call a curse down on them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.)

Nehemiah 13:2 esv

for they did not meet the people of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them ? yet our God turned the curse into a blessing.

Nehemiah 13:2 nlt

For they had not provided the Israelites with food and water in the wilderness. Instead, they hired Balaam to curse them, though our God turned the curse into a blessing.

Nehemiah 13 verses

Nehemiah 13 2 Meaning

This verse recounts two significant historical transgressions by the Ammonites and Moabites against Israel: their failure to provide basic provisions (bread and water) to the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings and their hostile act of hiring Balaam to curse them. The verse then highlights God's sovereign power, who nullified the attempted curse and transformed it into a blessing, demonstrating His unwavering protection and faithfulness to His people.

Nehemiah 13 2 Context

This verse provides the historical justification for the separation of "all foreigners from Israel" decreed in Nehemiah 13:1, specifically citing the law in Deuteronomy 23:3-5. Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem and finds that Tobiah, an Ammonite, has been allowed to live in a chamber of the temple, violating this long-standing Mosaic law. This verse explains the foundational reason for the original prohibition against the Ammonites and Moabites from entering "the assembly of the Lord." Their historical actions—lack of aid and attempt to curse Israel—were seen as deeply hostile and antithetical to Israel's covenant relationship with God. Nehemiah uses this ancient historical event to justify his present actions of purifying the temple and re-establishing the distinctiveness of the Israelite community, enforcing strict adherence to God's law.

Nehemiah 13 2 Word analysis

• because: Establishes the reason for the command in Deut 23:3-5, which Nehemiah 13:1 directly references.
• they: Refers to the Ammonites and Moabites, specified in Nehemiah 13:1 and Deuteronomy 23:3-4.
• did not meet: Hebrew lo' qādam (לֹא קָדַם). qādam means to come before, to meet, to greet, or anticipate. In this negative context, it signifies a failure to welcome or provide aid, which was a fundamental breach of expected conduct in the ancient Near East, particularly towards a people undergoing a difficult journey. This inaction was not mere passivity but an act of hostile neglect.
• the children of Israel: Refers to the Israelites during their wilderness exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land.
• with bread and water: lechem (לֶחֶם) and mayim (מַיִם). These are essential life provisions. Denying them was an extreme form of hostility, signifying an intention to cause distress, even death. This contrasts with hospitality shown by others like the Kenites.
• but hired: Hebrew sakhar (שָׂכַר), meaning to hire for a wage. This highlights the deliberate and mercenary nature of their antagonism. Their hostility was not accidental but a paid attempt at spiritual warfare.
• Balaam: A diviner or prophet from Pethor in Mesopotamia (Num 22:5), renowned for his curses and blessings. His story is detailed in Numbers 22-24. He was not an Israelite, showing that even outside of Israel, people acknowledged divine power, albeit twisted for their own ends.
• against them: Clearly denotes a malicious intent towards Israel.
• to curse them: Hebrew le-qālal (לְקַלֵּל). qālal means to be light, swift; causatively, to curse or treat lightly/with contempt. The intent was to bring divine disfavor or harm upon Israel, often by invoking spiritual powers. This was a direct assault on Israel's well-being and their covenant with God.
• yet our God: The direct counter-agent to the evil intent. The phrase emphasizes God's personal relationship with Israel ("our God") and His sovereignty.
• turned: Hebrew hāphakh (הָפַךְ), meaning to turn, overturn, change, or transform. This powerful verb emphasizes God's complete reversal of the situation, demonstrating His absolute control over human and spiritual schemes.
• the curse: qillâlâh (קְלָלָה), the malediction invoked by Balaam.
• into a blessing: bi-b'rākâh (בִּבְרָכָה). b'rākâh is a benediction, prosperity, or divine favor. God not only neutralized the curse but converted its spiritual energy into its positive opposite, highlighting His benevolent power.

Words-group analysis:

• did not meet... with bread and water: This phrase describes an active form of hostile inaction, demonstrating a complete lack of humanitarianism and direct defiance of hospitality norms, particularly concerning people on a divinely guided journey. It suggests a desire for Israel's demise through starvation and dehydration.
• hired Balaam against them to curse them: This denotes a deliberate and calculated act of spiritual warfare and sorcery. By seeking a diviner to curse, Moab and Ammon were employing pagan spiritual means to try and undermine God's plans for His people, showcasing a profound enmity against Israel's God.
• our God turned the curse into a blessing: This powerfully contrasts human malice with divine sovereignty. It illustrates God's protective nature and His ability to supernaturally reverse any evil intended against His chosen people, showcasing His ultimate control over all circumstances and even the pronouncements of prophets. It underscores a key theological principle: God's purposes cannot be thwarted by human or demonic opposition.

Nehemiah 13 2 Bonus section

The account of Balaam turning curses into blessings for Israel is a strong foreshadowing of the New Testament truth that what evil men intend for harm, God can repurpose for good (Rom 8:28). This specific event solidified for Israel a profound understanding of God's direct involvement in their national life and His unbreakable commitment to the Abrahamic covenant to bless those who bless them and curse those who curse them (Gen 12:3). The repeated instances of Balaam being forced to bless Israel highlight that divine pronouncements are irreversible by human means once given, and God is faithful to His word. This historical account of a pagan prophet's unwilling service to God's plan became a well-known example throughout Israel's history of divine overruling of human malice, cementing God's unique position as the sovereign ruler over all nations and spiritual powers.

Nehemiah 13 2 Commentary

Nehemiah 13:2 acts as a crucial scriptural citation within Nehemiah's purification reforms. It points to two severe historical failures of the Ammonites and Moabites, foundational to their perpetual exclusion from the assembly of the Lord (Deut 23:3-5). First, their lack of basic provision—bread and water—for the weary Israelites was not merely unkind but an active malicious refusal to aid those in dire need, reflecting a deeper anti-Israel, and by extension, anti-God, sentiment. Second, hiring Balaam to curse Israel was a direct, premeditated act of spiritual warfare, employing pagan means to counter God's covenant promises. The pivotal clause, "yet our God turned the curse into a blessing," serves as the ultimate theological reassurance and demonstration of God's unwavering faithfulness. This highlights God's sovereignty over evil schemes, showing that even the most potent curses of human origin or dark spiritual power are powerless against His divine will. For Nehemiah and his contemporary Jewish audience, this served as a stark reminder of the ancient, divine mandate for separation and purity within the covenant community, demonstrating that those who were historically opposed to God's people in such fundamental ways must not be reintegrated into their sacred fellowship. It is a timeless lesson in divine protection and the futility of trying to thwart God's plans.