Nehemiah 13:25
New International Version
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.

New Living Translation
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.

English Standard Version
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.

Berean Standard Bible
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!

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
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.

New American Standard Bible
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.

NASB 1995
So I contended 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 of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.

NASB 1977
So I contended 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 of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.

Legacy Standard Bible
So I contended 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 up their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.

Amplified Bible
So I contended with them and cursed them and struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters [in marriage] to their sons, nor take [any of] their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.

Christian Standard Bible
I rebuked them, cursed them, beat some of their men, and pulled out their hair. I forced them to 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 yourselves!

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I rebuked them, cursed them, beat some of their men, and pulled out their hair. I forced them to 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 yourselves!

American Standard Version
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 for your sons, or for yourselves.

Contemporary English Version
So in my anger, I called down curses on those men. I had them beaten and even pulled out the hair of some of them. Then I made them promise: In the name of God we solemnly promise not to let our sons and daughters marry foreigners.

English Revised Version
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 for your sons, or for yourselves.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So I reprimanded those Jews, cursed them, beat some of them, and pulled out their hair. I made them swear by God: "We won't allow our daughters to marry their sons, and we won't allow their daughters to marry us or our sons."

Good News Translation
I reprimanded the men, called down curses on them, beat them, and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath in God's name that never again would they or their children intermarry with foreigners.

International Standard Version
So I rebuked them, cursed them, struck some of their men, tore out their hair, and made them take this oath in the name of God: "You are not to give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.

Majority Standard Bible
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!

NET Bible
So I entered a complaint with them. I called down a curse on them, and I struck some of the men and pulled out their hair. I had them swear by God saying, "You will not marry off your daughters to their sons, and you will not take any of their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves!

New Heart English Bible
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.

Webster's Bible Translation
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 to their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons, or for yourselves.

World English Bible
I contended with them, cursed them, struck certain of them, 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.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And I strive with them, and declare them vile, and strike certain of them, and pluck off their hair, and cause them to swear by God, “You do not give your daughters to their sons, nor do you take of their daughters to your sons, and to yourselves.

Young's Literal Translation
And I strive with them, and declare them vile, and smite certain of them, and pluck off their hair, and cause them to swear by God, 'Ye do not give your daughters to their sons, nor do ye take of their daughters to your sons, and to yourselves.

Smith's Literal Translation
And I shall contend with them, and I shall curse them and I shall strike of them men, and I shall make them bald, and cause them to swear by God, If ye shall give your daughters to their sons, and if ye shall lift up from their daughters to your sons and to yourselves.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I chid them, and laid my curse upon them. And I beat some of them, and shaved off their hair, and made them swear by God that they would not give their daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for their sons, nor for themselves, saying:

Catholic Public Domain Version
And I put them under oath, and I cursed them. And I struck some of their men, and I shaved off their hair, and I made them swear to God that they would not give their daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for their sons, nor for themselves, saying:

New American Bible
So I reprimanded and cursed them; I beat some of their men and pulled out their hair; and I adjured them by God: “You shall not marry your daughters to their sons nor accept any of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves!

New Revised Standard Version
And I contended with 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.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And I contended with them and cursed them and smote some of them and buried them and made the others swear by God, saying, You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take of their daughters to your sons or for yourselves.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And I judged with them and I cursed them and I killed some of the men, and I buried them, and I took an oath of them by God: “You shall not give your daughters to their sons and you shall not take from their daughters for your sons! Woe to you!
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God: 'Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons, or for yourselves.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And I strove with them and cursed them; and I smote some of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters to their sons, and ye shall not take of their daughters to your sons.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Intermarriage Forbidden
24Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or of the other peoples, but could not speak the language of Judah. 25I 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! 26Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations, and he was loved by his God, who made him king over all Israel—yet foreign women drew him into sin.…

Cross References
Ezra 9:1-2
After these things had been accomplished, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the surrounding peoples whose abominations are like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. / Indeed, the Israelites have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed has been mixed with the people of the land. And the leaders and officials have taken the lead in this unfaithfulness!”

Deuteronomy 7:3-4
Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, / because they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and He will swiftly destroy you.

Malachi 2:11-12
Judah has broken faith; an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the LORD’s beloved sanctuary by marrying the daughter of a foreign god. / As for the man who does this, may the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob everyone who is awake and aware—even if he brings an offering to the LORD of Hosts.

Exodus 34:15-16
Do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you, and you will eat their sacrifices. / And 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.

1 Kings 11:1-2
King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh—women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women. / These women were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your hearts after their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to these women in love.

Judges 3:5-6
Thus the Israelites continued to live among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. / And they took the daughters of these people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

2 Corinthians 6:14-17
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? / What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? / What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” ...

1 Corinthians 5:9-11
I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. / I was not including the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. / But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

1 Corinthians 7:39
A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, as long as he belongs to the Lord.

Joshua 23:12-13
For if you turn away and cling to the rest of these nations that remain among you, and if you intermarry and associate with them, / know for sure that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become for you a snare and a trap, a scourge in your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that the LORD your God has given you.

2 Kings 17:33-34
They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods according to the customs of the nations from which they had been carried away. / To this day they are still practicing their former customs. None of them worship the LORD or observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom He named Israel.

1 Kings 21:25-26
(Surely there was never one like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, incited by his wife Jezebel. / He committed the most detestable acts by going after idols, just like the Amorites whom the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.)

2 Corinthians 11:2-3
I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. / I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.

Matthew 19:4-6
Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ / and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? / So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

1 Peter 2:9-12
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. / Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. / Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul. ...


Treasury of Scripture

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, You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons, or for yourselves.

I contended.

Nehemiah 13:11,17
Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place…

Proverbs 28:4
They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.

cursed.

Nehemiah 5:13
Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the LORD. And the people did according to this promise.

Deuteronomy 27:14-26
And the Levites shall speak, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice, …

Psalm 15:4
In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.

smote.

Deuteronomy 25:2,3
And it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number…

Ezra 7:26
And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.

plucked.

Isaiah 50:6
I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

made them.

Nehemiah 10:29,30
They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes; …

Deuteronomy 6:13
Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.

2 Chronicles 15:12-15
And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; …

Ye shall not.

Exodus 34:16
And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.

Deuteronomy 7:3
Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.

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Beat Contended Cursed Curses Daughters Hair Oath Plucked Pulled Rebuked Smote Struck Swear Yourselves
Nehemiah 13
1. Upon the reading of the law, separation is made from the mixed multitude.
4. Nehemiah, at his return, causes the chambers to be cleansed.
10. He reforms the offices in the house of God;
15. the violation of the Sabbath;
23. and the marriages with the strange wives.














I rebuked them
The Hebrew word for "rebuked" is "רִיב" (rîb), which conveys a sense of contending or striving against someone. Nehemiah's rebuke is not merely a verbal reprimand but a passionate confrontation against the people's disobedience. This reflects the seriousness with which Nehemiah viewed the covenant violations, emphasizing the need for leaders to address sin directly and courageously.

cursed them
The term "cursed" here is derived from the Hebrew "קָלַל" (qalal), meaning to declare someone as contemptible or to pronounce a curse. This action underscores the gravity of the people's sin and the potential consequences of their actions. It serves as a reminder of the covenantal blessings and curses outlined in Deuteronomy, where obedience brings blessing and disobedience brings curse.

beat some of their men
The physical discipline Nehemiah administered, indicated by the Hebrew "נָכָה" (nakah), meaning to strike or smite, reflects the severity of the situation. In the ancient Near Eastern context, such actions were sometimes necessary to maintain order and adherence to the law. This highlights the importance of upholding God's standards, even when it requires difficult measures.

pulled out their hair
This phrase, "מָרַט" (marat), meaning to pluck or pull out, signifies a public shaming and a call to repentance. In ancient cultures, pulling out hair was a sign of extreme distress or mourning. Nehemiah's actions were intended to bring about a deep sense of remorse and a return to covenant faithfulness.

Then I made them swear by God
The act of making them "swear by God" involves invoking the divine name as a witness to their oath, emphasizing the seriousness and binding nature of their promise. This reflects the biblical principle that oaths made before God are sacred and must be kept, as seen throughout Scripture.

You shall not give your daughters in marriage to their sons
This command echoes the prohibitions found in Deuteronomy 7:3-4, where intermarriage with pagan nations is forbidden to prevent the Israelites from being led astray into idolatry. Nehemiah's insistence on this point underscores the importance of maintaining spiritual purity and the distinct identity of God's people.

or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves
The prohibition against taking foreign wives for themselves or their sons further emphasizes the need to avoid alliances that could compromise their faith. This reflects the broader biblical theme of separation from practices that lead to spiritual compromise, as seen in the lives of Solomon and others who fell into idolatry through such unions.

(25) Cursed them.--Nehemiah simply echoed the covenant sanction on this very point (Nehemiah 10:29-30).

Certain of them.--Some were selected for special punishment and humiliation. Ezra, on a like occasion, humbled himself by plucking off the hair of his own head (Ezra 9:3). Then they were obliged to repeat the oath of the covenant.

Verse 25. - I contended with them, and cursed them. Or, "reviled them," as Gesenius and Professor Lee explain. And smote certain of them. i.e. "had some of them beaten." Some understand by this that the offenders underwent the bastinado by sentence of a court (Deuteronomy 25:2); others think Nehemiah had them struck informally by his attendants. This latter explanation 'is supported by the following clause, since "plucking out the hair" was never a legal punishment. Made them swear by God. Literally, "swore them by God," i.e. dictated the words, and made them repeat the formula and accept the oath. Saying, Ye shall not give. Literally, "If ye shall give,' etc. Nehemiah made them swear that they should intermarry with the heathen the curse of God should fall upon them.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
I rebuked them
וָאָרִ֤יב (wā·’ā·rîḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 7378: To toss, grapple, to wrangle, controversy, to defend

and called down curses on them.
וָאֲקַֽלְלֵ֔ם (wā·’ă·qal·lêm)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 7043: To be slight, swift or trifling

I beat
וָאַכֶּ֥ה (wā·’ak·keh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 5221: To strike

some of
מֵהֶ֛ם (mê·hem)
Preposition-m | Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They

these men
אֲנָשִׁ֖ים (’ă·nā·šîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

and pulled out their hair.
וָֽאֶמְרְטֵ֑ם (wā·’em·rə·ṭêm)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 4803: To make smooth, bare or bald, to scour, polish

Then I made them take an oath
וָאַשְׁבִּיעֵ֣ם (wā·’aš·bî·‘êm)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 7650: To seven oneself, swear

before God [and said]:
בֵּֽאלֹהִ֗ים (bê·lō·hîm)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

“You must not
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

give your daughters
בְנֹֽתֵיכֶם֙ (ḇə·nō·ṯê·ḵem)
Noun - feminine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 1323: A daughter

in marriage
תִּתְּנ֤וּ (tit·tə·nū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

to their sons
לִבְנֵיהֶ֔ם (liḇ·nê·hem)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 1121: A son

or take
תִּשְׂאוּ֙ (tiś·’ū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

their daughters
מִבְּנֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם (mib·bə·nō·ṯê·hem)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 1323: A daughter

as wives for your sons
לִבְנֵיכֶ֖ם (liḇ·nê·ḵem)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 1121: A son

or for yourselves!
וְלָכֶֽם׃ (wə·lā·ḵem)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition | second person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew


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OT History: Nehemiah 13:25 I contended with them and cursed them (Neh Ne)
Nehemiah 13:24
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