The Meaning of Nehemiah 13:25 Explained

Nehemiah 13:25

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.

YLT: 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.

Darby: And 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.

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 Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Nehemiah 13:25 Mean?

Context Summary

Nehemiah 13:15-31 - A Disobedient And Gainsaying People
Let us remember to keep perpetual Sabbath in the heart, whatever be our outward life. In this life there is a Sabbath rest for the people of God, Hebrews 4:9, but we must labor to enter into it, and must set God's angel of peace to keep the door against all intruders, Philippians 4:7. Twenty years before, Ezra had dismissed the strange wives, but the evil had risen again. Alas, how sadly do children expose the inconsistencies of their parents, and betray the evil of unequal marriages! We see plenty of this around us; and where there is such a union, the balance is almost certain to turn in favor of the world and against vital godliness, Deuteronomy 7:4; 2 Corinthians 6:14. Nehemiah did not hesitate to add strong acts to strong words. Josephus says that this expelled priest was Manasseh, and that he went to his father-in-law, Sanballat, who built for him a temple on Mount Gerizim like that at Jerusalem, and that this was the origin of the religious rivalry and hatred between Samaritans and Jews, John 4:20. The faithful servant and the dying thief join in the same petition, Nehemiah 13:31. To be remembered by Jesus Christ is enough reward for any of us [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

What do the individual words in Nehemiah 13:25 mean?

So I contended with them and cursed them and struck some of them certain and pulled out their hair and made them swear by God [saying] not Ye You shall give as wives your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters for your sons or yourselves
וָאָרִ֤יב עִמָּם֙ וָאֲקַֽלְלֵ֔ם וָאַכֶּ֥ה מֵהֶ֛ם אֲנָשִׁ֖ים וָֽאֶמְרְטֵ֑ם וָאַשְׁבִּיעֵ֣ם בֵּֽאלֹהִ֗ים אִם־ תִּתְּנ֤וּ בְנֹֽתֵיכֶם֙ לִבְנֵיהֶ֔ם וְאִם־ תִּשְׂאוּ֙ מִבְּנֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם לִבְנֵיכֶ֖ם וְלָכֶֽם

וָאָרִ֤יב  So  I  contended 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: רִיב  
Sense: to strive, contend.
עִמָּם֙  with  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: עִם  
Sense: with.
וָאֲקַֽלְלֵ֔ם  and  cursed  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular, third person masculine plural
Root: קָלַל  
Sense: to be slight, be swift, be trifling, be of little account, be light.
וָאַכֶּ֥ה  and  struck 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
מֵהֶ֛ם  some  of  them 
Parse: Preposition-m, Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
אֲנָשִׁ֖ים  certain 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
וָֽאֶמְרְטֵ֑ם  and  pulled  out  their  hair 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular, third person masculine plural
Root: מָרַט  
Sense: to bare, polish, make smooth or bald or bare.
וָאַשְׁבִּיעֵ֣ם  and  made  them  swear 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁבַע  
Sense: to swear, adjure.
בֵּֽאלֹהִ֗ים  by  God 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
אִם־  [saying]  not 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: אִם  
Sense: if.
תִּתְּנ֤וּ  Ye  You  shall  give  as  wives 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
בְנֹֽתֵיכֶם֙  your  daughters 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
לִבְנֵיהֶ֔ם  to  their  sons 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
וְאִם־  nor 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Conjunction
Root: אִם  
Sense: if.
תִּשְׂאוּ֙  take 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
מִבְּנֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם  their  daughters 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
לִבְנֵיכֶ֖ם  for  your  sons 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
וְלָכֶֽם  or  yourselves 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition, second person masculine plural