Bible Strands
Nehemiah 13:3
As soon as the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all of foreign descent.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Nehemiah addresses the post-exilic community in Jerusalem as they enact covenant reforms following the public reading of the Law. This measure is taken immediately after the people acknowledge the command to reject foreign alliances and intermarriage.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַ/יַּבְדִּ֥ילוּ (va/i.yav.Di.lu) literally means "and they separated," paired with עֵ֖רֶב ('E.rev), meaning "person of mixed ancestry." This lexical combination explicitly defines the boundary the text establishes between Israel and outsiders.
The thread — This separation motif reappears in Nehemiah 9:2, where Israelite descendants purge foreign influences, and stands in contrast to Exodus 12:38 and Numbers 11:4, which describe a "mixed multitude" accompanying Israel during the Exodus. The later text treats the mixing as a covenant violation requiring removal.
Why it lands — The verse demands a concrete response to covenant fidelity by prioritizing communal holiness over cultural assimilation. Readers must acknowledge that the text treats ethnic and religious boundaries as non-negotiable requirements for maintaining Israel's identity.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.
Cross-references
- Nehemiah 9:2 Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all the foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
- Exodus 12:38 And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with great droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.
- Numbers 11:4 Meanwhile, the rabble among them had a strong craving for other food, and again the Israelites wept and said, “Who will feed us meat?
- Nehemiah 10:28 “The rest of the people—the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants, and all who had separated themselves from the people of the land to obey the Law of God—along with their wives and all their sons and daughters who are able to understand,
- James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
- Ezra 10:11 Now, therefore, make a confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do His will. Separate yourselves from the people of the land and from your foreign wives.”
- Psalms 19:7 The Law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy, making wise the simple.
- Psalms 119:9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your word.
- Psalms 119:11 I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.
- Proverbs 6:23 For this commandment is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way to life,