because they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but had hired Balaam to call down a curse against them (although our God had turned the curse into a blessing). for they had not met the Israelites with food and waterThis phrase refers to the Ammonites and Moabites, who failed to show hospitality to the Israelites during their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. In the ancient Near Eastern culture, hospitality was a significant virtue, and providing food and water to travelers was a basic expectation. The Hebrew root for "met" (קָדַם, qadam) implies a proactive approach, suggesting that the Ammonites and Moabites deliberately chose not to assist the Israelites. This lack of hospitality is a direct violation of the cultural norms of the time and highlights their hostility towards God's people. but had hired Balaam to curse them
The historical context of this phrase is found in Numbers 22-24, where Balak, the king of Moab, hires Balaam, a prophet, to curse the Israelites. The Hebrew word for "hired" (שָׂכַר, sakar) indicates a transactional relationship, emphasizing the Moabites' intent to harm Israel through spiritual means. Balaam's account is a powerful reminder of the spiritual warfare that God's people face and the lengths to which their enemies will go to undermine them. Despite Balaam's initial willingness to curse Israel, God intervenes, demonstrating His sovereignty and protection over His chosen people. Yet our God turned the curse into a blessing
This phrase encapsulates the overarching theme of God's providence and His ability to transform intended harm into good. The Hebrew word for "turned" (הָפַךְ, haphak) conveys a complete reversal, illustrating God's power to change circumstances. The transformation of a curse into a blessing is a testament to God's faithfulness and His covenantal love for Israel. This divine intervention is a source of inspiration and hope for believers, affirming that God can redeem any situation for His glory and the good of His people. It serves as a reminder that no weapon formed against God's people will prosper, as He is always working behind the scenes to fulfill His purposes. Persons / Places / Events 1. NehemiahA Jewish leader who played a crucial role in rebuilding Jerusalem's walls and reforming the community according to God's laws. 2. IsraelitesThe people of God who were returning from exile and re-establishing their identity and practices in Jerusalem. 3. BalaamA prophet hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Israelites, but God intervened and turned the curse into a blessing. 4. MoabitesA neighboring nation to Israel, often in conflict with them, who did not support the Israelites during their journey. 5. GodThe sovereign deity of Israel who protects and blesses His people, even turning intended curses into blessings. Teaching Points God's SovereigntyGod is in control and can turn any situation, even those meant for harm, into a blessing for His people. Faithfulness in AdversityThe Israelites faced opposition, but God's faithfulness ensured their protection and blessing. We can trust God in our own adversities. The Power of Blessing and CurseWords have power, but God's power is greater. He can nullify curses and transform them into blessings. Obedience to God's CommandsNehemiah's reforms remind us of the importance of adhering to God's laws and commands, which bring order and blessing. Community and SupportThe Moabites' refusal to support Israel highlights the importance of community and support among God's people. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the account of Balaam and the Moabites in Numbers 22-24 provide context for Nehemiah 13:2? 2. In what ways can we see God's sovereignty at work in our own lives, similar to how He turned Balaam's curse into a blessing? 3. How can Romans 8:28 encourage us when we face situations that seem to be against us? 4. What lessons can we learn from Nehemiah's leadership in ensuring the community adhered to God's laws? 5. How can we be a source of support and blessing to others in our community, contrasting the actions of the Moabites? Connections to Other Scriptures Numbers 22-24This passage provides the background account of Balaam and Balak, where God intervenes to prevent Balaam from cursing Israel. Deuteronomy 23:3-5This passage reiterates the prohibition against Moabites entering the assembly of the Lord due to their actions against Israel. Romans 8:28This New Testament verse echoes the theme of God working all things for the good of those who love Him, similar to how He turned Balaam's curse into a blessing. People Artaxerxes, Balaam, Eliashib, Hanan, Israelites, Joiada, Levites, Mattaniah, Pedaiah, Sanballat, Shelemiah, Solomon, Tobiah, Tobijah, Tyrians, ZaccurPlaces Ammon, Ashdod, Babylon, Jerusalem, MoabTopics Baalam, Balaam, Blessing, Bread, Curse, Didn't, Got, Hire, Hired, Howbeit, However, Israelites, Meet, Met, Revile, Reviling, Sons, Though, Turneth, YetDictionary of Bible Themes Nehemiah 13:2 5337 hiring Nehemiah 13:1-3 1611 Scripture, inspiration and authority
7525 exclusiveness Library Sabbath Observance
'In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. 16. There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. 17. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureThe True Manner of Keeping Holy the Lord's Day.
Now the sanctifying of the Sabbath consists in two things--First, In resting from all servile and common business pertaining to our natural life; Secondly, In consecrating that rest wholly to the service of God, and the use of those holy means which belong to our spiritual life. For the First. 1. The servile and common works from which we are to cease are, generally, all civil works, from the least to the greatest (Exod. xxxi. 12, 13, 15, &c.) More particularly-- First, From all the works of our …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety Two Famous Versions of the Scriptures
[Illustration: (drop cap B) Samaritan Book of the Law] By the blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea, on the coast of Egypt, lies Alexandria, a busy and prosperous city of to-day. You remember the great conqueror, Alexander, and how nation after nation had been forced to submit to him, until all the then-known world owned him for its emperor? He built this city, and called it after his own name. About a hundred years before the days of Antiochus (of whom we read in our last chapter) a company of Jews …
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making The Last Days of the Old Eastern World
The Median wars--The last native dynasties of Egypt--The Eastern world on the eve of the Macedonian conquest. [Drawn by Boudier, from one of the sarcophagi of Sidon, now in the Museum of St. Irene. The vignette, which is by Faucher-Gudin, represents the sitting cyno-cephalus of Nectanebo I., now in the Egyptian Museum at the Vatican.] Darius appears to have formed this project of conquest immediately after his first victories, when his initial attempts to institute satrapies had taught him not …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 9 The Formation of the Old Testament Canon
[Sidenote: Israel's literature at the beginning of the fourth century before Christ] Could we have studied the scriptures of the Israelitish race about 400 B.C., we should have classified them under four great divisions: (1) The prophetic writings, represented by the combined early Judean, Ephraimite, and late prophetic or Deuteronomic narratives, and their continuation in Samuel and Kings, together with the earlier and exilic prophecies; (2) the legal, represented by the majority of the Old Testament …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament Questions About the Nature and Perpetuity of the Seventh-Day Sabbath.
AND PROOF, THAT THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK IS THE TRUE CHRISTIAN SABBATH. BY JOHN BUNYAN. 'The Son of man is lord also of the Sabbath day.' London: Printed for Nath, Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, 1685. EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. All our inquiries into divine commands are required to be made personally, solemnly, prayerful. To 'prove all things,' and 'hold fast' and obey 'that which is good,' is a precept, equally binding upon the clown, as it is upon the philosopher. Satisfied from our observations …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Jesus Heals on the Sabbath Day and Defends his Act.
(at Feast-Time at Jerusalem, Probably the Passover.) ^D John V. 1-47. ^d 1 After these things there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. [Though every feast in the Jewish calendar has found some one to advocate its claim to be this unnamed feast, yet the vast majority of commentators choose either the feast of Purim, which came in March, or the Passover, which came in April. Older commentators pretty unanimously regarded it as the Passover, while the later school favor the feast …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Ezra-Nehemiah
Some of the most complicated problems in Hebrew history as well as in the literary criticism of the Old Testament gather about the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Apart from these books, all that we know of the origin and early history of Judaism is inferential. They are our only historical sources for that period; and if in them we have, as we seem to have, authentic memoirs, fragmentary though they be, written by the two men who, more than any other, gave permanent shape and direction to Judaism, then …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Nehemiah 13:2 NIVNehemiah 13:2 NLTNehemiah 13:2 ESVNehemiah 13:2 NASBNehemiah 13:2 KJV
Nehemiah 13:2 Commentaries
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