Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives?
Should we listen to you and commit this terrible sin by disobeying our God and marrying foreign wives?
Nehemiah is confronting people who are encouraging intermarriage with non-believers, calling it a serious sin against God.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Nehemiah, the Jewish people had returned from exile in Babylon and were working to rebuild their community and restore their covenant with God after years of foreign domination. Nehemiah, as their governor appointed by the Persian king, confronted issues like intermarriage with non-Jews, which was prohibited because it often led to the adoption of idolatrous practices that had previously caused Israel's downfall. This verse captures Nehemiah's rebuke of those promoting such marriages, emphasizing the need to safeguard the nation's spiritual purity.
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