Nehemiah 13:25
in Nehemiah 13I 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!
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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.
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.
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This verse in Nehemiah 13
Commentary
8 notes on this verseI contended with them - Proved the fact against these iniquitous fathers, in a legal assembly. And cursed them - Denounced the judgments of God and the sentence of the law upon them. Smote certain of them - Had them punished by whipping. And plucked off their hair - Had them shaven, as a mark of the greatest ignominy. And made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give - Caused them to bind themselves by an oath, that they would make no intermarriages with those who were not of the seed of Israel.
This site's exposition
pulled out their hair
on Nehemiah 13:25-27
Nehemiah's response is the sharpest in the book: "I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair." At Ezra 9:3 Ezra had pulled out his own hair in grief over the same sin. Nehemiah argues from history, "Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this?"
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening5 voices
Cursed - Caused them to be excommunicated and cast out of the society of God's people. This and the following punishments were justly inflicted upon them, because this transgression was contrary both to a plain law of God, and to their own late solemn covenants.
And I contended with them,.... Argued with them, faithfully admonished them, and sharply reproved them: and cursed them; assuring them that the curse of God would come upon them, unless they repented.
It was the honour of Israel, and the greatest preservation of their holiness, that they were a peculiar people, and were so to keep themselves, and not to mingle with the nations, nor suffer any of them to incorporate with them.
They offered to justify themselves in what they did, but he showed them how frivolous their excuses were, and argued it warmly with them. When he had silenced them he cursed them, that is, he denounced the judgments of God against them, and showed them what their sin deserved.
Thus did he try all ways and means to put a stop to this mischief and to prevent another relapse into this disease. He took particular care of the priests' families, that they might not lie under this stain, this guilt.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
cursed them--that is, pronounced on them an anathema which entailed excommunication. smote . . . and plucked off their hair--To cut off the hair of offenders seems to be a punishment rather disgraceful than severe; yet it is supposed that pain was added to disgrace, and that they tore off the hair with violence as if they were plucking a bird alive.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
18 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וָאָרִ֤יב | vaariv | and I contended | H7378 → | 67 times |
| עִמָּם֙ | ʾimam | with them | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| וָאֲקַֽלְלֵ֔ם | vaakalem | and I cursed them | H7043 → | |
| וָאַכֶּ֥ה | vaakeh | and I struck | H5221 → | |
| מֵהֶ֛ם | mehem | some of <the> them | ||
| אֲנָשִׁ֖ים | ʾanashim | men | H582 → | 566 times |
| וָֽאֶמְרְטֵ֑ם | vaemretem | and I pulled out beard their | H4803 → | |
| וָאַשְׁבִּיעֵ֣ם | vaashbiem | and I made take an oath them | H7650 → | |
| בֵּֽאלֹהִ֗ים | belohim | by God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אִם־ | ʾim- | if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| תִּתְּנ֤וּ | titenu | you will give | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| בְנֹֽתֵיכֶם֙ | venoteikhem | daughters your | H1323 → | 588 times |
| לִבְנֵיהֶ֔ם | livneihem | to sons their | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| וְאִם־ | veim- | and if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| תִּשְׂאוּ֙ | tisu | you will take | H5375 → | 656 times |
| מִבְּנֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם | mibenoteihem | any of daughters their | H1323 → | 588 times |
| לִבְנֵיכֶ֖ם | livneikhem | for sons your | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| וְלָכֶֽם׃ | velakhem | and for <the> yourselves |
וָאָרִ֤יבand I contended
vaarivH7378 →67 times
עִמָּם֙with them
ʾimamH5973 →1050 times
וָאֲקַֽלְלֵ֔םand I cursed them
vaakalemH7043 →
וָאַכֶּ֥הand I struck
vaakehH5221 →
מֵהֶ֛םsome of <the> them
mehem
אֲנָשִׁ֖יםmen
ʾanashimH582 →566 times
וָֽאֶמְרְטֵ֑םand I pulled out beard their
vaemretemH4803 →
וָאַשְׁבִּיעֵ֣םand I made take an oath them
vaashbiemH7650 →
בֵּֽאלֹהִ֗יםby God
belohimH430 →2601 times
אִם־if
ʾim-H518 →1069 times
תִּתְּנ֤וּyou will give
titenuH5414 →2011 times
בְנֹֽתֵיכֶם֙daughters your
venoteikhemH1323 →588 times
לִבְנֵיהֶ֔םto sons their
livneihemH1121 →4930 times
וְאִם־and if
veim-H518 →1069 times
תִּשְׂאוּ֙you will take
tisuH5375 →656 times
מִבְּנֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔םany of daughters their
mibenoteihemH1323 →588 times
לִבְנֵיכֶ֖םfor sons your
livneikhemH1121 →4930 times
וְלָכֶֽם׃and for <the> yourselves
velakhem
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Deuteronomy 7:3Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons,
it leads to
- 1 Kings 11:2
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…
- 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,
- 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.
- Nehemiah 13:23–27
In those days I also saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.
- Judges 3:6–7
And they took the daughters of these people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
- 1 Kings 11:2
Through
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.
it leads to
- Nehemiah 5:12
“We will restore it,” they replied, “and will require nothing more from them. We will do as you say.” So I summoned the priests and required of the nobles and officials an oath that…
- Nehemiah 5:12
Through
Nehemiah 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,
it leads to
- Nehemiah 10:39
For the Israelites and the Levites are to bring the contributions of grain, new wine, and oil to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are kept and where the ministering priests, the…
- Proverbs 28:4
Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Nehemiah 10:39
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Nehemiah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.