“Israel’s confidence in God underwent a trial because of its near extinction as a nation. Was God faithful? God had promised to be with Israel; why had he deserted his people and let them be made captive? The Babylonian captivity must, the Israelites reasoned, be the result of some grievous failing on the part of the people, who had not kept their part of the covenant. What was the failure and what were the roots of that failure? Could Israel avoid such sin in the future and never again go into exile?

In Nehemiah the repatriated exiles have been contaminated with paganism because they have married Pagan women of ‘Ashdod, Ammon and Moab’ (Neh. 13:26) who import the worship of idols into Israel. Idolatry, failure to worship Yahweh as God, replacing him with other gods, was the sin for which Israel was punished in the first place. Men failed to keep themselves free from such sin and were punished with exile. And they failed because they were let astray by their wives. Uxoriousness was a vice that could lead to calamity. Pagan wives led the Israelite husbands astray, and husbands, besotted by love for their wives, were weak, refusing to discipline their families. Even Solomon was led astray: ‘ Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women” Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless foreign women made him to sin (Neh. 13:26.) “ (Leon Podles, The Church Impotent, 1999, p.65)