Nehemiah 13:23–31

Nehemiah opposes godless intermarriages

Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. 24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah.

25 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. 26 Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women. 27 Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?”

28 One of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. And I drove him away from me.

29 Remember them, O my God, because they defiled the priestly office and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites. 30 So I purified the priests and the Levites of everything foreign, and assigned them duties, each to his own task. 31 I also made provision for contributions of wood at designated times, and for the firstfruits.

Remember me with favor, O my God.

One of Ezra’s most basic reforms had been his action against illegal intermarriages with heathen neighbors (Ezra 10). The people had renewed their pledge to avoid these forbidden marriages during the governorship of Nehemiah: “We promise not to give our daughters in marriage to the peoples around us or take their daughters for our sons” (Nehemiah 10:30). Nevertheless, as soon as Nehemiah left Jerusalem, they quickly returned to this practice. Since Ezra is not mentioned in this chapter, it may be that he too was no longer on the scene. Perhaps the work of the prophet Malachi, who opposed these intermarriages and the neglect of the temple offerings, took place during Nehemiah’s absence (Malachi 2,3).

Again it is shocking to note that the spiritual leaders of Israel, including the family of the high priest, were among the chief offenders in this matter. One of the bad effects of these intermarriages on the religious life of Israel was the loss of the Hebrew language, the language of Scripture, as the Jews turned more and more to the dialects of their neighbors.

Once again Nehemiah took drastic action to curb the abuses. He reminded the people of the devastating consequences of such intermarriages in the past history of Israel, especially those intermarriages that took place during the life of Solomon (1 Kings 11:1-10). Nehemiah expelled the unfaithful priest from his position in the temple and took harsh action against others guilty of such marriages. The plucking of the hair or beard seems to have been a humiliating punishment (Isaiah 50:6; 2 Samuel 10:4). 

Again Nehemiah prayed, this time that the Lord would not forget the unfaithfulness of those who defiled the holy office of the priesthood, but that they would get the punishment they deserved.

The closing sentences serve as a memorial to all the work of Nehemiah. It is significant that Nehemiah made no mention of his great work of restoring the walls of Jerusalem. He wished to be remembered most for his contributions to the spiritual reform of Israel. Though he was a layman, it was his spiritual work that meant the most to him, rather than his achievements as governor of the nation.

The book of Nehemiah remains a memorial to the vital role this dedicated layman played at a crucial point in the history of Israel. Side by side, Ezra the priest and Nehemiah the governor labored faithfully to guide the people of Israel, so that at least a remnant would remain faithful to the Lord until the Messiah appeared. The book of Nehemiah also stands as a testimony to the faithfulness of the Lord. Throughout history God provides his people with strong leaders at critical times, so that the gospel may be preserved among them until he returns