Nehemiah 13 26

Nehemiah 13:26 kjv

Did 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.

Nehemiah 13:26 nkjv

Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him, who was beloved of his God; and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless pagan women caused even him to sin.

Nehemiah 13:26 niv

Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women.

Nehemiah 13:26 esv

Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin.

Nehemiah 13:26 nlt

"Wasn't this exactly what led King Solomon of Israel into sin?" I demanded. "There was no king from any nation who could compare to him, and God loved him and made him king over all Israel. But even he was led into sin by his foreign wives.

Nehemiah 13 verses

Nehemiah 13 26 Meaning

Nehemiah 13:26 serves as a severe warning, emphasizing that even King Solomon, renowned for his unmatched wisdom and unparalleled blessing from God, fell into grievous sin. His apostasy was directly attributed to his "outlandish women" (foreign wives) who turned his heart away from God and led him into idolatry. This verse powerfully illustrates that no amount of spiritual privilege, divine favor, or personal wisdom can protect an individual from the corrupting influence of ungodly alliances and disobedience to God's clear commands, specifically concerning marriage to those outside the covenant community. It underlines the pervasive danger of compromise and the dire consequences of spiritual impurity for both leaders and the community.

Nehemiah 13 26 Context

Nehemiah 13 describes the extensive reforms enacted by Nehemiah after his second return to Jerusalem. He found the post-exilic community of Judah in significant spiritual decline, having violated the Mosaic Law in various areas. Specifically, in verses 23-30, Nehemiah confronts the widespread practice of intermarriage between Jewish men and foreign women. This was a direct breach of the covenant, as detailed in texts like Exodus 34 and Deuteronomy 7. These mixed marriages threatened the unique spiritual identity of Israel, blurred distinctions between the holy and common, and inevitably led to syncretism and idolatry. Nehemiah's powerful rebuke and action in this section underscore the severity of the sin. To bolster his argument and demonstrate the dire consequences of such compromise, Nehemiah invokes the most formidable example from Israel's history: King Solomon. By citing Solomon's fall, Nehemiah makes a potent point that if even the wisest and most favored king succumbed to this sin's insidious influence, then the ordinary returning exiles were certainly at risk and had no excuse.

Nehemiah 13 26 Word analysis

Word-by-word analysis:

• Did not: Rhetorical question expecting an affirmative answer, drawing the audience to a undeniable truth from their own history. It implies, "Surely, you know..."
• Solomon: Refers to Shĕlōmōh (Hebrew: שְׁלֹמֹה), King David's son, known for his vast wisdom, wealth, and grand temple construction, but also his significant moral failures later in life.
• king of Israel: Emphasizes his unique position of authority and responsibility within God's chosen nation. His actions had national implications.
• sin: Chātā' (Hebrew: חָטָא), to miss the mark, err, offend against God's law. Highlights his transgression of divine commands.
• by these things: Directly refers to the practices Nehemiah is confronting in the preceding verses, specifically intermarriage with foreign women and the subsequent spiritual defilement.
• Yet: A strong adversative conjunction, emphasizing a stark contrast. Despite all his advantages, something tragic occurred.
• among many nations: Signifies the extent of Solomon's fame, influence, and recognition far beyond Israel's borders.
• no king like him: Highlights his unparalleled uniqueness in terms of wisdom, wealth, and power as a divinely appointed monarch (cf. 1 Kgs 3:12-13, 1 Kgs 4:30).
• who was beloved: From the Hebrew root ʾāhav (אהב) often reflecting deep affection and divine favor. Solomon was called Jedidiah ("beloved of the Lord") in 2 Sam 12:25. This underscores the exceptional closeness and favor God initially bestowed upon him, making his fall even more shocking.
• of his God: Points to the unique covenant relationship Solomon had with the one true God, not just any deity.
• and God made him king: Affirms his divine ordination and legitimate rule, establishing his position was God-given.
• over all Israel: Emphasizes the full extent of his dominion and the scale of his divinely ordained authority.
• nevertheless: Reinforces the strong contrast; despite all his blessings, power, and wisdom, he still succumbed. It conveys a sense of tragic irony.
• even him: Points out the extreme nature of the case – if even this highly favored and powerful man could fall, who is safe? A heightened warning.
• outlandish women: Nāshîm nokhriyôt (Hebrew: נָשִׁים נָכְרִיּוֹת), meaning "foreign women" or "strange women." This refers not merely to ethnicity, but to those who did not adhere to the God of Israel and brought idolatrous practices and false gods into the community, thus corrupting covenant purity.
• cause to sin: This is causative, meaning they were the agents that led him astray. It suggests influence, temptation, and turning one's heart away, not just passive coexistence but active leading into idolatry (cf. 1 Kgs 11:4).

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things?": This rhetorical question is a forceful accusation and a profound reminder. It grounds Nehemiah's argument in undisputed historical fact, using the ultimate historical figure, Solomon, as a cautionary tale directly relevant to the current problem of intermarriage.
• "Yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God; and God made him king over all Israel": This long descriptive phrase serves to amplify Solomon's unique status and exceptional divine favor. By extolling his greatness before revealing his downfall, Nehemiah intensifies the impact of the warning. It underscores that spiritual blessings, power, and renown offer no immunity to sin's corrupting power when one disobeys explicit commands. It also highlights God's initiative in raising Solomon, emphasizing that his failure was not due to a lack of divine support but a result of his own choices.
• "nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin": This climactic statement delivers the devastating blow. The strong adversative "nevertheless" and the emphasizing "even him" underscore the depth of the tragedy. It unequivocally pins the blame on the "outlandish women," not merely as instruments of temptation, but as agents that caused him to stray. This directly links the consequence (Solomon's sin) to the specific offense (marrying foreign women), making it an irrefutable argument against intermarriage for Nehemiah's contemporary audience. It teaches that ungodly influence, especially within intimate relationships, possesses an immense, destructive power capable of overturning even the strongest spiritual foundations.

Nehemiah 13 26 Bonus section

• Rhetorical Power: Nehemiah's argument here is not a detached lecture but a passionate plea and rebuke. By challenging them with Solomon's case, he taps into their collective memory and understanding of Israel's grandest, yet most tragically flawed, king. The rhetorical force of "Did not Solomon..." is intended to leave no room for argument or excuse from the men practicing intermarriage.
• The "Heart" of the Matter: While not explicitly in Nehemiah 13:26, the biblical accounts of Solomon's fall (1 Kgs 11:4) explicitly state that his wives "turned away his heart." This signifies that the issue went beyond outward actions to an internal spiritual apostasy. Nehemiah's point is that the external act of marrying foreign women inevitably leads to an internal turning away from God.
• Purity of Posterity: The issue of intermarriage also deeply impacted the future generations. Nehemiah observed that children of mixed marriages could not speak the language of Judah, signifying a loss of cultural and, more importantly, spiritual identity and inheritance. This points to the generational consequences of disobedience that stretch beyond the individual sinner.
• Divine Love and Human Responsibility: Solomon was "beloved of his God," a status of immense privilege. Yet, this divine love did not override his free will or absolve him from responsibility for his choices. His sin was a deliberate turning away despite receiving extraordinary blessings and insight, making his downfall a profound testament to the seriousness of human choices in the face of God's covenant.

Nehemiah 13 26 Commentary

Nehemiah's pointed reference to Solomon's sin in 13:26 serves as the climactic and most compelling argument against intermarriage and spiritual compromise. By evoking Solomon, the wisest, most celebrated, and uniquely favored king, Nehemiah strips away any illusion that success, wisdom, or initial divine blessing can protect against the insidious power of disobedience. Solomon, the one who literally built the Lord's Temple, eventually built high places for his foreign wives' detestable gods, illustrating the devastating effect of ungodly alliances.

The verse highlights that sin, especially the gradual erosion of faithfulness through wrong relationships, is profoundly destructive, capable of derailing even the most prominent of God's servants. It's a stark reminder that intimate associations deeply shape one's spiritual trajectory. The foreign women didn't just passively exist; they actively "caused" Solomon to sin, twisting his heart away from God. This underscores the subtle yet powerful influence ungodly spouses can exert, often leading to syncretism or outright idolatry. Nehemiah's use of this historical example wasn't merely didactic; it was a fervent and passionate warning to the post-exilic community in Judah. If Solomon, beloved of God and ruler of all Israel, could fall so spectacularly due to foreign women, then the returning exiles had absolutely no grounds to believe they were immune. Their survival and spiritual purity depended on strict adherence to God's covenant commands, including those on marriage.

This account of Solomon’s downfall through his "outlandish women" remains a timeless biblical lesson about the pervasive nature of temptation and the critical importance of guarding one's heart, mind, and most intimate relationships against influences that lead away from God. It champions uncompromising faithfulness over societal acceptance or personal gratification.