Nehemiah 13 · Verse 25

Nehemiah 13:25

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.
Nehemiah 13:25, King James Version

Nehemiah 13:25 in other translations

BSBI 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!
WEBI 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.
ASVAnd 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.
YLTAnd 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.
DARBYAnd I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them and plucked off their hair, and adjured them by God saying, Ye shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.
BBEAnd I took up the cause against them, cursing them and giving blows to some of them and pulling out their hair; and I made them take an oath by God, saying, You are not to give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.
WebsterAnd 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.

What does Nehemiah 13:25 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
25. 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.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 25 I 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.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Nehemiah 13:23-31

If either parent be ungodly, corrupt nature will incline the children to take after that one; which is a strong reason why Christians should not be unequally yoked. In the education of children, great care should be taken about the government of their tongues; that they learn not the language of Ashdod, no impious or impure talk, no corrupt communication. Nehemiah showed the evil of these marriages. Some, more…

Read the full comment on Nehemiah 13:23-31 →

Nehemiah 13:25 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וָאָרִ֤יבva.'a.Rivand I contendedH7378
עִמָּם֙'i.Mamwith themH5973
וָאֲקַֽלְלֵ֔םva.'a.ka.Lemand I cursed themH7043
וָאַכֶּ֥הva.'a.Kehand I struckH5221
מֵהֶ֛םme.Hemsome of <the> them
אֲנָשִׁ֖ים'a.na.ShimmenH582
וָֽאֶמְרְטֵ֑םva.'em.re.Temand I pulled out beard theirH4803
וָאַשְׁבִּיעֵ֣םva.'ash.bi.'Emand I made take an oath themH7650
בֵּֽאלֹהִ֗יםbe.lo.Himby GodH430
אִם\־'im-ifH518
תִּתְּנ֤וּti.te.Nuyou will giveH5414
בְנֹֽתֵיכֶם֙ve.no.tei.Khemdaughters yourH1323
לִבְנֵיהֶ֔םliv.nei.Hemto sons theirH1121
וְאִם\־ve.'im-and ifH518
תִּשְׂאוּ֙tis.'Uyou will takeH5375
מִבְּנֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔םmi.be.No.tei.Hemany of daughters theirH1323
לִבְנֵיכֶ֖םliv.nei.Khemfor sons yourH1121
וְלָכֶֽם\׃ve.la.Khemand for <the> yourselves

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Nehemiah 13:25

  • 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.

  • 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; And that we would not give our daughters unto the people of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons:

  • Nehemiah 13:17

    Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day?

  • Ezra 10:5

    Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware.

  • 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.

  • Nehemiah 13:11

    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.

  • 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.

  • 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; That whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. And they sware unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets. And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the Lord gave them rest round about.

  • 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.

  • 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. Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.

  • 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 6:13

    Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
I contended.
11,17; Pr 28:4
cursed. or, reviled.
5:13; De 27:14-26; Ps 15:4; Lu 11:45,46
smote.
De 25:2,3; Ezr 7:26
plucked.
Isa 50:6
made them.
10:29,30; De 6:13; 2Ch 15:12-15; Ezr 10:5
Ye shall not.
Ex 34:16; De 7:3

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Nehemiah 13:24

    And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews’ language, but according to the language of each people.

  • Nehemiah 13:25

    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.

  • Nehemiah 13:26

    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.

Read all of Nehemiah 13

Nehemiah 13:25 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y reñí con ellos, y maldíjelos, y herí algunos de ellos, y arranquéles los cabellos, y juramentélos, diciendo: No daréis vuestras hijas á sus hijos, y no tomaréis de sus hijas para vuestros hijos, ó para vosotros.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et je les querellai, et je les maudis, et je battis quelques hommes d’entre eux et leur arrachai les cheveux, et je les fis jurer par Dieu, en disant: Vous ne donnerez pas vos filles à leurs fils, et vous ne prendrez pas de leurs filles pour vos fils, ni pour vous-mêmes!
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und ich zankte mit ihnen und fluchte ihnen, und schlug einige Männer von ihnen und raufte sie. Und ich beschwor sie bei Gott: Wenn ihr eure Töchter ihren Söhnen geben werdet, und wenn ihr von ihren Töchtern für eure Söhne und für euch nehmen werdet!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Et objurgavi eos, et maledixi. Et cecidi ex eis viros, et decalvavi eos, et adjuravi in Deo ut non darent filias suas filiis eorum, et non acciperent de filiabus eorum filiis suis et sibimetipsis, dicens: