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.
I confronted them angrily, called down curses on them, hit some of them, and pulled out their hair. Then I made them swear an oath before God, saying, 'You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons, and you must not take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves.'
Nehemiah took drastic action to stop the Jewish people from marrying foreigners who didn't follow God, because these marriages were leading them away from their faith.
📚 Historical Context
Nehemiah had returned from exile to rebuild Jerusalem's walls and restore proper worship. He discovered that many Jewish men had married women from surrounding nations who worshiped other gods, which was forbidden by God's law. These interfaith marriages were causing the Jewish people to abandon their covenant with God and adopt pagan practices, threatening the spiritual survival of the nation.
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