Nehemiah 13:23 - In those days I also saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab;

Generated Verse: Nehemiah 13:23

What does "Nehemiah 13:23" mean?


Nehemiah 13:23 describes a problem that Nehemiah observed upon his return to Jerusalem after a period of absence. Let's break down what the verse means:

"In those days I also saw...": This indicates Nehemiah's personal observation and involvement. He's back in Jerusalem and is actively looking around and noticing issues.

"...the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab;": This is the core of the problem. Jewish men had married women from the surrounding nations of Ashdod (a Philistine city), Ammon, and Moab.

Why was this a problem? Intermarriage with foreigners was a major concern for several reasons:

Religious Purity: God had commanded the Israelites to remain separate from other nations to avoid being led astray into idolatry and pagan practices. These neighboring cultures worshipped different gods.
Cultural Assimilation: The fear was that the foreign wives would influence their husbands and children to adopt foreign customs, languages, and religious beliefs, diluting Jewish identity and faithfulness to God.
Covenant Disobedience: Marrying outside the faith was seen as a direct violation of the covenant God had established with Israel.

In summary, Nehemiah 13:23 highlights the problem of Jewish men marrying foreign women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. This was seen as a serious issue because it threatened the religious and cultural purity of the Jewish people and was a direct disobedience to God's commands.

The following verses in Nehemiah 13 explain Nehemiah's reaction and the actions he took to address this issue, which were quite severe.

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