Nehemiah 10:30

Neh 10:30 And that we would not give our daughters unto the people of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons:

Ver. 30. And that we would not give our daughters] This is the first particular branch of the covenant, that they would make no inter-marriages with the heathen; as knowing the snare that herein Satan laid for their souls. In the first sentence against man, this cause is expressed, Because you obeyed the voice of your wife, &c. By the rib, as by a ladder, Satan oft climbs to the heart, and corrupts it, as Gregory hath it. O wives (saith another)! the most sweet poison, the most desired evil in the world, &c. Make a wise choice, therefore. The heathen well saith, that every man, when he marrieth, brings either a good or an evil spirit into his house, and so makes it either a heaven or a hell.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Neh 10:30. And that we would not give our daughters — Namely, in marriage. Having sworn obedience to God’s laws in the general, they now specify some particular instances, wherein they had lately transgressed, or were most prone to transgress. In our covenants with God, we should engage particularly against those sins that we have been most frequently overtaken in and injured by.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

10:30-39 Although the community had committed itself broadly to all the instructions in the law of Moses, some specific issues were being addressed in this commitment. These issues related to maintaining the purity of the community and worship at the Temple.

10:30 Cp. Ezra 9–10.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 30. Not give our daughters] Make no affinity with the people of the land.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

30. Prohibition of Intermarriage with the Heathen

we] Observe the first person plural here introduced and maintained to Neh_10:39 throughout the rest of the Covenant details.

people] R.V. peoples.

This prohibition of intermarriage with the people of the land had been strenuously upheld by Ezr_9:2. (See note.) The difficulty of enforcing it appears from Neh_13:23-28. The words of the prohibition seem to be based on Deu_7:3 ‘Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.’ Cf. Exo_34:16; Jos_23:12; Jdg_3:6.

It is to be noticed that the so-called Priestly Code gives no such prohibition unless it is implied in Gen_26:35; nor is it found in the central legislative portion of Deut. (12–26).

The Covenant introduces no new enactment, but affirms the Deuteronomic teaching which itself appears to be an expansion of the oldest law in Exo_23:32-33, ‘Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me.’

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And that we would not give our daughters unto the people of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons,.... Intermarry with them as they had done, and were prone to do, and even did after this, Neh 13:23.

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Nehemiah 10:31

neh 10:31

neh 10:31

neh 10:31And if the people of the land bring ware,.... Any thing to be sold, any sort of goods, that being sold might be taken away, as the word signifies:

or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell; anything to make food of; wheat or barley, as Aben Ezra interprets it; the same word is rendered corn; see Gill on Gen 42:1; to sell which was not lawful on the sabbath day, see Amo 8:5

that we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day; any festival, as the feast of the passover, pentecost, and tabernacles:

and that we would leave the seventh year: the ground untilled in that year, the vines unpruned, and the fruits of the earth, which sprung of themselves, for the poor to gather, Lev 25:4,

and the exaction of every debt; that they would not demand the payment of any debt on the seventh year, as the law required they should not, Deu 15:2.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

And. In all covenants, the articles which have been chiefly broken, are specified. (Worthington)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

We would not give our daughters, to wit, in marriage. Having sworn obedience to God’s laws in the general, they now do so to some particulars, wherein they had lately transgressed, or were most prone to transgress.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

That we would not give our daughters, etc. On the recurrence of the mixed marriages so soon after the reformation of Ezra, see the comment on Neh_13:23.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

General Information:

In these verses, the people describe the content of the oath they were making in Nehemiah 10:29.

would not give our daughters to the people of the land or take their daughters for our sons

This means that they would not allow their sons and daughters to marry them. AT: "would not give our daughters to marry the people of the land or take their daughters to marry our sons" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

the people of the land

This refers to the people who live in their land who do not worship Yahweh. AT: "the people of this land who do not worship Yahweh" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

We promised ... we would not give ... we would not buy ... we will let ... we will cancel

The pronoun "we" here includes Nehemiah and the Jewish people, but not the reader of this book. (See: Exclusive and Inclusive "We")

seventh year

"year 7" (See: Ordinal Numbers)

we will let our fields rest

This is an idiom. AT: "we will not plow our fields" or "we will not grow anything in our fields" (See: Idiom)

we will cancel all debts

This means that they will not require that people pay them what they owe. AT: "we will cancel all debts that people owe us" or "we will tell people that they no longer have to pay us back"

translationWords

promise

people group

son

grain

Sabbath

holy

rest

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

with their brethen Heb. עַל אֲחֵיהֶם with their brothers.

their noblemen the great ones among them.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.