Nehemiah 13 Footnotes

13:3 Racists cite this act as support for their bigotry. They are mistaken when they do so, however. God’s exclusion of Ammonites and Moabites from the assembly was in response to their refusal to assist the Israelites during the wilderness journey (Nm 21:21-24; 22:1–24:25; Dt 23:3-6). Their race was not the issue; their refusal to assist God’s people was the issue. These people experienced God’s vow to bless those who bless Abraham and to curse those who curse him (Gn 12:3; 27:29; Nm 24:9). This vow is still in force today.

13:23-28 Nehemiah’s action does not reveal a racist attitude, nor can it be used today as support for discrimination against others on the basis of race or ethnicity. His concern about these foreign women was spiritual in nature. These other peoples were not true believers. Consequently, they represented a threat to the spiritual integrity of the community. Nehemiah’s reference to Solomon makes clear that he was concerned about the negative spiritual ramifications of these marriages. Solomon’s marriages to foreign women resulted in his own worship of false gods and the introduction of the worship of false gods in Israel (1Kg 11:1-13). Nehemiah’s concern is echoed in the apostle Paul’s exhortation not to be “partners with those who do not believe” (2Co 6:14). See note on Ezr 10:3 for more discussion.