Bible Dictionary
OUTLANDISH
Outlandish is an old expression meaning foreign or from outside the land. In Nehemiah it describes foreign women whose influence led Israelites into disobedience.
Definition
Outlandish is an older English expression meaning foreign or from outside the land. It does not mean unusually strange in the modern colloquial sense when used in the King James Version.
Biblical Usage
In Nehemiah 13:26, “outlandish women” means foreign women. The passage states that such women caused Israelites to sin.
Historical Background
The expression translates a Hebrew word meaning “foreign.” Later English versions render it “strange women” or “foreign women.”
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>out-land'-ish (Ne 13:26, the King James Version "Him did outlandish women cause to sin") "Outlandish" in modern English is colloquial only and with the sense "utterly extraordinary," but the King James Version uses it in the literal meaning "out of the land," "foreign," the English Revised Version "strange women," the American Standard Revised Version "foreign women," Hebrew nokhri, "foreign."</p>