Nehemiah 13 25

Nehemiah 13:25 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.

Nehemiah 13:25 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.

Nehemiah 13:25 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.

Nehemiah 13:25 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.

Nehemiah 13:25 nlt

So I confronted them and called down curses on them. I beat some of them and pulled out their hair. I made them swear in the name of God that they would not let their children intermarry with the pagan people of the land.

Nehemiah 13 verses

Nehemiah 13 25 Meaning

Nehemiah 13:25 records Nehemiah's extreme and forceful actions to confront and rectify the widespread problem of intermarriage with foreign women and men among the people of Judah. He contended vigorously with those who had transgressed, subjecting some to severe verbal rebuke, physical assault, public humiliation by pulling their hair, and compelling them to take a solemn oath before God. This oath bound them to cease giving their daughters to foreign sons or taking foreign daughters for their own sons or themselves, thus ensuring the restoration of the covenant boundary regarding marriage.

Nehemiah 13 25 Context

Nehemiah 13 describes the reforms Nehemiah initiated upon his second return to Jerusalem as governor, finding widespread dereliction from the covenant made years prior (Neh 9-10). While absent, key covenant stipulations regarding the Temple, Sabbath, and intermarriage had been violated. This verse is the climax of his direct intervention regarding the egregious practice of intermarriage with foreign peoples (like Ammonites, Moabites, Ashdodites), which directly threatened Israel's unique identity as God's holy people. This was a direct breach of Mosaic Law (Deut 7:3-4) designed to protect Israel from idolatry and assimilation. Nehemiah, acting as the divinely appointed leader, took severe and immediate action to purge these abuses and restore faithfulness to the covenant, demonstrating his righteous indignation and uncompromising commitment to God's standards for His people in post-exilic Judah.

Nehemiah 13 25 Word analysis

• And I contended (וָאָרִיב - va'ariv): Derived from the Hebrew root רוב (riv), meaning to strive, contend, dispute, or litigate. It implies a strong, forceful, verbal confrontation or even a judicial contest, highlighting Nehemiah's direct and official opposition to their actions.

• with them (עִמָּם - ‘immām): Refers to the specific people of Judah who had engaged in forbidden intermarriage or whose children had. This was a targeted intervention.

• and cursed them (וָאֲקַלְלֵם - va'aqal’lēm): From קלל (qalal), to treat with contempt, revile, curse. This was likely a public declaration of condemnation, using strong, shaming language that might have invoked potential negative consequences or disfavor, not necessarily a formal prophetic curse but a severe denunciation of their sin.

• and smote some of them (וָאַכֶּה בָהֶם - va’akkeh vāhem): From נכה (nakah), meaning to strike or beat. This indicates a physical application of force. "Some of them" suggests a targeted action, possibly against key leaders or particularly obstinate offenders, making an example of them. This reflects the gravity of the offense and Nehemiah's fierce determination.

• and pulled out their hair (וָאֶמְרְטֵם - va’emrĕṭēm): From מרט (maraṭ), to pluck off, pull out. In ancient Near Eastern culture, particularly for men, loss of hair (head or beard) was a profound act of public humiliation, degradation, and loss of honor, symbolizing deep shame and punishment. It vividly underscores the extreme indignation Nehemiah felt and the severity of the sin in God's eyes. (Cf. Ezra 9:3 where Ezra pulled his own hair in lament; here it's an imposed punishment).

• and made them swear by God (וָאַשְׁבִּיעֵם בֵּאלֹהִים - va’ashbi‘em bē’lōhîm): From שבע (shaba‘), to swear an oath. This was a solemn, legally binding religious act, committing them to an agreement under divine sanction. It brought God directly into the enforcement, implying severe consequences if the oath was broken.

• saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves: This states the precise command they must swear to uphold. It explicitly mirrors the prohibition found in Deut 7:3-4, specifying the immediate cessation of all forms of intermarriage, both bringing in foreign wives and sending Israelite daughters to foreign husbands. It underlines the necessity of complete separation for covenant purity.

• "And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote some of them, and pulled out their hair": This sequence reveals a deliberate, escalating pattern of Nehemiah's forceful intervention. It progresses from verbal challenge to public shaming and physical discipline, reflecting Nehemiah's righteous indignation and resolute commitment to eradicating sin from the community. These actions highlight the deep spiritual compromise he perceived and the absolute necessity of decisive action to purify the covenant people.

• "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": This marks the culmination of Nehemiah's corrective action. The forced oath under God's name serves as a formal covenant renewal, binding the community to explicit obedience to the Mosaic Law regarding marital separation. It was an effort to instill deep, lasting change by bringing divine authority to bear on their commitments, not merely temporary compliance but a solemn pledge for future generations.

Nehemiah 13 25 Bonus section

• Nehemiah's Administrative Authority: Nehemiah was a Persian governor, a lay leader, not a priest. His direct and physical actions highlight the extraordinary extent of his God-given civil authority to enforce the Torah among the Jewish returnees, ensuring political stability intertwined with spiritual integrity.
• Contextual Understanding of Violence: While jarring to modern sensibilities, Nehemiah's actions were understood within the judicial and social customs of his time. They were forms of public punishment and shaming aimed at severe correction and deterrence, signifying the profound seriousness of the transgression against the community and God. This passage describes Nehemiah's specific leadership and God's particular covenant with Israel, and is not a universal prescription for church discipline or civil rule today.
• Protection of Future Generations: The explicit instruction against giving and taking daughters underscores that the intermarriage issue was not just about individual acts but the preservation of a pure spiritual lineage and covenant inheritance for future generations. The core concern was theological—maintaining faith in Yahweh—rather than mere ethnic purity.
• Echoes of Deut 7: This verse directly quotes or echoes the core prohibition in Deuteronomy 7:3-4, demonstrating Nehemiah's strict adherence to foundational Mosaic law. The re-enforcement of this command centuries later indicates its enduring importance for Israel's spiritual survival.

Nehemiah 13 25 Commentary

Nehemiah 13:25 vividly portrays Nehemiah's fierce resolve in safeguarding the holiness and covenant identity of post-exilic Judah. His extreme methods – confronting, cursing, striking, and publicly shaming individuals by pulling out their hair – were not acts of personal vindictiveness but expressions of righteous zeal for God's law. In ancient Israel, intermarriage with those who did not adhere to Yahweh was forbidden because it consistently led to idolatry and spiritual apostasy, threatening the very existence and mission of the covenant people. Nehemiah understood that preserving the distinctiveness of God's chosen nation was paramount to their role as a light to the Gentiles and a testament to God's faithfulness. By making them swear a solemn oath, he aimed to establish a binding commitment before God, re-emphasizing the seriousness of the covenant and the consequences of its violation, thus purging the community of practices that diluted their spiritual purity. This passage underscores that defending divine truth and purity sometimes requires confronting sin with unwavering conviction, even with unpopular or harsh measures.