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Nehemiah 13:26

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does Nehemiah 13:26 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, and he was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did foreign women cause to sin.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, and he was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did foreign women cause to sin.
Nehemiah 13:26 — American Standard Version

Context — Nehemiah 13

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
23In those days also saw I the Jews that had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, [and] of Moab:
24and their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews` language, but according to the language of each people.
25And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, [saying], Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons, or for yourselves.
26Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, and he was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did foreign women cause to sin.
27Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to trespass against our God in marrying foreign women?
28And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite: therefore I chased him from me.
29Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites.
← Nehemiah 13:25Nehemiah 13:27 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? etc.] By marrying strange wives, by whom he was drawn into idolatry, (<111103>1 Kings 11:3,4), yet among many nations was there no king like him; as not for grandeur and riches, so not for wisdom, and yet was ensnared by his idolatrous wives: who was beloved of God; alluding to his name Jedidiah, which signifies beloved of the Lord, (<101224>2 Samuel 12:24,25) and God made him king over all Israel; which was a proof of his love to him, and so he was under the greater obligation to serve him, and him only, and yet his heart, through his wives, was turned after other gods: even him did outlandish women cause to sin; and if so great and wise a…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“13:26-27 King Solomon had led the nation into sin by his foreign wives (1 Kgs 11). If intermarriage with pagans was allowed to continue, the same apostasy would overtake the community. Nehemiah would not let that happen.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Did not Solomon: Kg1 11:1-8; Ecc 7:26 yet among: Sa2 12:24, Sa2 12:25; Kg1 3:13; Ch2 1:12, Ch2 9:22 who was beloved: Sa2 12:24 Nehemiah 13:27”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification