Nehemiah 13:1-3

Foreigners Excluded

1 On that day ¹they read aloud from the book of Moses in the hearing of the people; and there was found written in it that ²no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God,

2 because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, but ³hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, ⁴our God turned the curse into a blessing.

3 So when they heard the law, ⁵they excluded ⁶all foreigners from Israel.

Nehemiah 13:1-3 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NEHEMIAH 13

This chapter relates the reformation of various abuses crept in among the Jews by Nehemiah, who removed the Moabites and Ammonites, mixed with them, Ne 13:1-3, threw the household goods of Tobiah out of a chamber of the temple, and restored it to its former use, Ne 13:4-9, took care that the Levites had their portion given them which had been kept from them, Ne 13:10-14 prevented the profanation of the sabbath by selling goods on that day, Ne 13:15-22, and put a stop to the marrying of strange wives, which had prevailed again among them, Ne 13:23-31.

Cross References

• 1. Nehemiah 9:3
• 2. Deuteronomy 23:3-5; Nehemiah 13:23
• 3. Numbers 22:3-11
• 4. Deuteronomy 23:5
• 5. Nehemiah 9:2; Nehemiah 10:28
• 6. Exodus 12:38