I rebuked them and called down curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God and said, “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves!
Parallel translations
- WEB I contended with them, and cursed them, and struck certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons, or for yourselves.
- 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.
- 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.
- NASB So I quarreled with them and cursed them, and struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take any of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.
- 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.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Nehemiah rebuked, cursed, and physically disciplined the offenders, making them swear not to give or take foreign marriages. It matters because he acted forcefully to halt a sin that endangered the whole community's faith.
Overview
Nehemiah's severe response, including physical confrontation, reflects the gravity of the threat to Israel's covenant life. His extracting an oath aimed to bind the people to God's command for the future. While his measures fit his office and era, the abiding principle is that God's people must guard against unions that pull them from devotion to Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Neh 13:17Then I rebuked the nobles of Judah and asked, “What is this evil you are doing—profaning the Sabbath day?
- Neh 10:29–30hereby join with their noble brothers and commit themselves with a sworn oath to follow the Law of God given through His servant Moses and to carefully obey all the commandments, ordinances, and statutes of the LORD our Lord.
- Deut 7:3Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons,
- Ezra 10:5So Ezra got up and made the leading priests, Levites, and all Israel take an oath to do what had been said. And they took the oath.
- Neh 13:11So I rebuked the officials and asked, “Why has the house of God been neglected?” Then I gathered the Levites and singers together and stationed them at their posts,
- Neh 5:13I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “May God likewise shake out of His house and possession every man who does not keep this promise. May such a man be shaken out and have nothing!” The whole assembly said, “Amen,” and they praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.
- Isa 50:6I offered My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who tore out My beard. I did not hide My face from scorn and spittle.
- Deut 27:14–26Then the Levites shall proclaim in a loud voice to every Israelite:
- Prov 28:4Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them.
- Ezra 7:26If anyone does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, let a strict judgment be executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.
- 2 Chr 15:12–15Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul.
- Deut 25:2–3If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall have him lie down and be flogged in his presence with the number of lashes his crime warrants.
- Exod 34:16And when you take some of their daughters as brides for your sons, their daughters will prostitute themselves to their gods and cause your sons to do the same.
- Deut 6:13Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name.
- Ps 15:4who despises the vile but honors those who fear the LORD, who does not revise a costly oath,
- Luke 11:45–46One of the experts in the law told Him, “Teacher, when You say these things, You insult us as well.”
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Christ at the center
The rebuilt walls and renewed covenant community foreshadow the greater builder who gathers and secures a people for God, the one who declares 'I will build my church.'
How Nehemiah 13:25 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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