Nehemiah 13:27
New International Version
Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?”

New Living Translation
How could you even think of committing this sinful deed and acting unfaithfully toward God by marrying foreign women?”

English Standard Version
Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?”

Berean Standard Bible
Must we now hear that you too are doing all this terrible evil and acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?”

King James Bible
Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives?

New King James Version
Should we then hear of your doing all this great evil, transgressing against our God by marrying pagan women?”

New American Standard Bible
Has it not then been reported about you that you have committed all this great evil by acting unfaithfully against our God, by marrying foreign women?”

NASB 1995
“Do we then hear about you that you have committed all this great evil by acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?”

NASB 1977
“Do we then hear about you that you have committed all this great evil by acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?”

Legacy Standard Bible
Do we then hear about you that you have done all this great evil by acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?”

Amplified Bible
Do we then hear about you that you have done all this great evil, acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign (pagan) women?”

Christian Standard Bible
Why then should we hear about you doing all this terrible evil and acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Why then should we hear about you doing all this terrible evil and acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?”

American Standard Version
Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to trespass against our God in marrying foreign women?

Contemporary English Version
So we will obey you and not rebel against our God by marrying foreign women.

English Revised Version
Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to trespass against our God in marrying strange women?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Should we follow your example, commit such a serious crime against our God, and be unfaithful to him by marrying non-Israelite women?"

Good News Translation
Are we then to follow your example and disobey our God by marrying foreign women?"

International Standard Version
Should we listen to you and do all of this terrible evil by transgressing against our God to marry foreign wives?"

Majority Standard Bible
Must we now hear that you too are doing all this terrible evil and acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?”

NET Bible
Should we then in your case hear that you do all this great evil, thereby being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign wives?"

New Heart English Bible
Shall we then listen to you to do all this great evil, to trespass against our God in marrying foreign women?"

Webster's Bible Translation
Shall we then hearken to you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying foreign wives?

World English Bible
Shall we then listen to you to do all this great evil, to trespass against our God in marrying foreign women?”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And do we listen to you to do all this great evil, to trespass against our God, to settle strange women?”

Young's Literal Translation
And to you do we hearken to do all this great evil, to trespass against our God, to settle strange women?'

Smith's Literal Translation
And to you shall we hear to do all this great evil to transgress against our God to cause strange women to dwell.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And shall we also be disobedient and do all this great evil to transgress against our God, and marry strange women?

Catholic Public Domain Version
So how could we disobey and do all this great evil, so that we would transgress against our God, and take foreign wives?”

New American Bible
Must it also be heard of you that you have done this same terrible evil, betraying our God by marrying foreign women?”

New Revised Standard Version
Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And this thing was reported to you, and yet you committed this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying foreign wives.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the word was made heard to you, and you did this great evil to deny our God and to marry foreign women.”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to break faith with our God in marrying foreign women?'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
So we will not hearken to you to do all this evil, to break covenant with our God, - to marry strange wives.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Intermarriage Forbidden
26Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations, and he was loved by his God, who made him king over all Israel—yet foreign women drew him into sin. 27 Must we now hear that you too are doing all this terrible evil and acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?” 28Even one of the sons of Jehoiada son of Eliashib the high priest had become a son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I drove him away from me.…

Cross References
Ezra 9:1-2
After these things had been accomplished, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the surrounding peoples whose abominations are like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. / Indeed, the Israelites have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed has been mixed with the people of the land. And the leaders and officials have taken the lead in this unfaithfulness!”

Deuteronomy 7:3-4
Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, / because they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and He will swiftly destroy you.

1 Kings 11:1-4
King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh—women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women. / These women were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your hearts after their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to these women in love. / He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines—and his wives turned his heart away. ...

Exodus 34:15-16
Do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you, and you will eat their sacrifices. / And when you take some of their daughters as brides for your sons, their daughters will prostitute themselves to their gods and cause your sons to do the same.

Malachi 2:11
Judah has broken faith; an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the LORD’s beloved sanctuary by marrying the daughter of a foreign god.

Judges 3:5-6
Thus the Israelites continued to live among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. / And they took the daughters of these people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

2 Corinthians 6:14-17
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? / What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? / What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” ...

1 Corinthians 7:39
A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, as long as he belongs to the Lord.

Joshua 23:12-13
For if you turn away and cling to the rest of these nations that remain among you, and if you intermarry and associate with them, / know for sure that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become for you a snare and a trap, a scourge in your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that the LORD your God has given you.

1 Kings 16:31-33
And as if it were not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he even married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he then proceeded to serve and worship Baal. / First, Ahab set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria. / Then he set up an Asherah pole. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel before him.

2 Kings 17:7-8
All this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods / and walked in the customs of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites, as well as in the practices introduced by the kings of Israel.

1 Corinthians 5:9-11
I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. / I was not including the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. / But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

2 Corinthians 11:2-3
I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. / I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.

1 Peter 2:9-12
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. / Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. / Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul. ...

Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.


Treasury of Scripture

Shall we then listen to you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives?

Shall we then.

1 Samuel 30:24
For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.

to transgress.

Ezra 10:2
And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.

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Act Acting Break Committed Evil Faith Foreign Great Hear Hearken Marrying Protest Settle Sinning Strange Terrible Transgress Treacherously Trespass Unfaithful Unfaithfully Wickedness Wives Women
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Act Acting Break Committed Evil Faith Foreign Great Hear Hearken Marrying Protest Settle Sinning Strange Terrible Transgress Treacherously Trespass Unfaithful Unfaithfully Wickedness Wives Women
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.














Why should we hear now
This phrase indicates a sense of urgency and surprise. Nehemiah is expressing astonishment that, despite previous reforms, the people have reverted to disobedience. The Hebrew root for "hear" (שָׁמַע, shama) implies not just hearing but understanding and responding. Nehemiah is calling the people to account, emphasizing that their actions are not hidden from God or the community.

that you too are doing
The phrase "you too" suggests that this behavior is not isolated but part of a broader pattern of disobedience among the people. It highlights the communal nature of sin and the influence of leaders on the people. The Hebrew verb "doing" (עָשָׂה, asah) is active, indicating ongoing action, which underscores the seriousness of their continued disobedience.

all this terrible wickedness
The word "terrible" (רַע, ra) in Hebrew conveys a sense of great evil or calamity. Nehemiah is not merely pointing out a minor infraction but a significant breach of covenant. "Wickedness" (רִשְׁעָה, rish'ah) denotes moral corruption and rebellion against God's laws. This phrase underscores the gravity of their actions in the eyes of God.

and are being unfaithful to our God
"Unfaithful" (מָעַל, ma'al) in Hebrew carries the connotation of treachery or betrayal. It is a covenantal term, indicating that the people have broken their sacred agreement with God. The phrase "our God" personalizes the relationship, reminding the Israelites of their unique covenant with Yahweh, who has chosen them as His people.

by marrying foreign women
The issue of "marrying foreign women" is not about ethnicity but about religious influence. The Hebrew term for "foreign" (נָכְרִי, nokri) refers to those outside the covenant community who worship other gods. Historically, intermarriage often led to idolatry, as seen in the cases of Solomon and others. Nehemiah's concern is for the spiritual purity and faithfulness of the community to Yahweh.

Verse 27. - Shall we then hearken unto you? Shall we give way to you, and adopt the practice which you recommend, thus transgressing against God, and provoking him to destroy us? Surely not. Solomon's example is enough to deter us.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Why should we now hear
הֲנִשְׁמַ֗ע (hă·niš·ma‘)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

that you too are doing
לַעֲשֹׂת֙ (la·‘ă·śōṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 6213: To do, make

all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

this
הַזֹּ֔את (haz·zōṯ)
Article | Pronoun - feminine singular
Strong's 2063: Hereby in it, likewise, the one other, same, she, so much, such deed, that,

terrible
הַגְּדוֹלָה֙ (hag·gə·ḏō·w·lāh)
Article | Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 1419: Great, older, insolent

evil
הָרָעָ֤ה (hā·rā·‘āh)
Article | Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

and acting unfaithfully
לִמְעֹ֖ל (lim·‘ōl)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 4603: To cover up, to act covertly, treacherously

against our God
בֵּֽאלֹהֵ֑ינוּ (bê·lō·hê·nū)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

by marrying
לְהֹשִׁ֖יב (lə·hō·šîḇ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

foreign
נָכְרִיּֽוֹת׃ (nā·ḵə·rî·yō·wṯ)
Adjective - feminine plural
Strong's 5237: Foreign, alien

women?”
נָשִׁ֥ים (nā·šîm)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female


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OT History: Nehemiah 13:27 Shall we then listen to you (Neh Ne)
Nehemiah 13:26
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