Outlandish
Modern vs. Biblical Meaning
In contemporary English, "outlandish" means bizarre, strange, or wildly unconventional. However, when the King James Version was published in 1611, the word carried its literal, etymological meaning: "out of the land" — that is, foreign. The word is composed of "out" + "land" + the suffix "-ish," making its original sense transparent: someone or something from outside one's own land.
This is one of many instances where the evolution of English vocabulary has created confusion for readers of the KJV. Modern translations have replaced "outlandish" with "foreign" or "strange" to preserve the original meaning of the Hebrew text.
The Passage in Nehemiah
The word appears in Nehemiah 13:26, where the KJV reads: "Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin."
The Hebrew word translated "outlandish" is nokhri, meaning foreign, alien, or belonging to another people. Nehemiah was confronting the problem of intermarriage in the restored Jerusalem community and invoked the cautionary example of Solomon to drive his point home.
Modern translations render this verse more clearly: "foreign women" (ESV, NASB) or "women from other nations" (NIV). The Revised Version used "strange women," which in older English also meant "foreign" rather than "peculiar."
Solomon's Warning Example
Nehemiah's reference to Solomon was powerful because Solomon represented both Israel's greatest glory and one of its most devastating spiritual failures. Despite being the wisest man who ever lived and the builder of God's temple, Solomon married many foreign women who turned his heart away from wholehearted devotion to the Lord (1 Kings 11:1-8).
The text in 1 Kings specifies that Solomon loved "many foreign women" from nations the Lord had specifically warned Israel about: Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. These marriages were political alliances common in the ancient world, but they violated God's command against intermarriage with the surrounding peoples (Deuteronomy 7:3-4). The result was exactly what God had warned: Solomon's wives "turned his heart after other gods" (1 Kings 11:4).
The Post-Exilic Crisis
Nehemiah raised the issue of "outlandish women" because the same problem had resurfaced in his own day. After the return from Babylonian exile, many Jewish men had married women from the surrounding peoples — Ashdodites, Ammonites, and Moabites (Nehemiah 13:23). Some of their children could not even speak Hebrew, instead speaking the languages of their mothers' peoples (Nehemiah 13:24).
Nehemiah's response was forceful. He confronted the men, called curses on them, and even pulled out the hair of some offenders (Nehemiah 13:25). His appeal to Solomon's example was meant to show that if foreign marriages could corrupt the wisest and most blessed king in Israel's history, how much more vulnerable were ordinary citizens.
This was not the first time the post-exilic community faced this issue. Earlier, Ezra had addressed the same problem, leading to a systematic investigation and the dissolution of foreign marriages (Ezra 9-10).
The Underlying Theological Concern
The biblical concern about foreign marriage was not racial or ethnic prejudice but religious faithfulness. The issue was consistently framed in terms of covenant loyalty: foreign spouses brought foreign gods, and foreign gods led to idolatry. Deuteronomy 7:3-4 makes this explicit: "You shall not intermarry with them... for they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods."
This concern proved well-founded throughout Israel's history. The book of Judges records repeated cycles of idolatry following assimilation with Canaanite peoples. Solomon's foreign marriages led directly to the division of the kingdom. The same pattern threatened to undermine the fragile post-exilic community that Nehemiah was working to rebuild.
Language as a Living Thing
The word "outlandish" serves as a small but instructive example of how languages change over time. What was perfectly clear to a 17th-century English reader — "foreign women" — now sounds like "bizarre women" to modern ears. This reality underscores the importance of continued Bible translation work, ensuring that God's Word remains accessible and accurately understood in every generation.
Biblical Context
"Outlandish" appears in Nehemiah 13:26 (KJV) in reference to foreign women who caused Solomon to sin. The passage connects to the broader narrative of 1 Kings 11:1-8 (Solomon's foreign wives), Deuteronomy 7:3-4 (the prohibition against intermarriage), and the post-exilic reforms of both Ezra (Ezra 9-10) and Nehemiah (Nehemiah 13:23-27).
Theological Significance
The concept behind "outlandish" — foreignness leading to spiritual compromise — illustrates a core biblical principle: covenant faithfulness requires guarding against influences that draw the heart away from God. Solomon's failure despite his wisdom shows that no one is immune to spiritual compromise. The post-exilic reforms demonstrate the community's commitment to learning from past mistakes.
Historical Background
In the ancient Near East, royal marriages with foreign women were standard diplomatic practice for sealing alliances. Solomon's 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3) reflected extensive political relationships. After the exile, the small Jewish community in Judah was surrounded by peoples who practiced other religions, making intermarriage a genuine threat to the survival of Yahweh worship and Jewish identity.