Topical Bible: Marriage: Wives Among the Israelites Must be Israelites

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In the context of ancient Israelite society, marriage was not only a personal or familial matter but also a covenantal and communal one. The Israelites were a people set apart by God, and this distinctiveness extended to their marital practices. The expectation that Israelite men would marry Israelite women is rooted in the desire to maintain religious purity and cultural identity.

Biblical Foundations

The directive for Israelites to marry within their own people is grounded in several biblical passages. In Deuteronomy 7:3-4 , God commands the Israelites, "Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and He will swiftly destroy you." This passage highlights the primary concern: intermarriage with foreign nations could lead to idolatry and a turning away from the covenant with Yahweh.

Historical Context

The Israelites were surrounded by nations with differing religious practices and deities. Marrying outside the Israelite community posed a significant risk of introducing foreign gods and practices into the household, which could lead to syncretism and a dilution of the worship of Yahweh. The historical books of the Old Testament, such as Judges and Kings, provide accounts of how intermarriage often led to spiritual compromise and national decline.

Cultural and Religious Identity

Marriage within the Israelite community was a means of preserving cultural and religious identity. The Israelites were chosen by God to be a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:6). This calling required a distinct way of life, including adherence to the Mosaic Law, which governed not only religious practices but also social and familial relationships.

Examples and Exceptions

While the general expectation was for Israelites to marry within their own people, there are notable exceptions in the biblical narrative. For instance, Rahab, a Canaanite woman, and Ruth, a Moabite, both became part of the Israelite community through their faith and allegiance to Yahweh. Their inclusion demonstrates that while ethnic identity was significant, faith and commitment to the God of Israel were paramount.

Prophetic and Wisdom Literature

The prophetic books often address the issue of intermarriage as part of a broader call to faithfulness. Malachi 2:11 states, "Judah has acted treacherously, and a detestable thing has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the LORD, which He loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god." This underscores the spiritual implications of marrying outside the covenant community.

The wisdom literature, particularly Proverbs, also speaks to the importance of choosing a spouse who shares the same values and faith. Proverbs 31:10-31 extols the virtues of a godly wife, emphasizing qualities that align with the fear of the Lord and the wisdom of the Israelite tradition.

Post-Exilic Reforms

After the Babylonian exile, leaders like Ezra and Nehemiah took decisive action to address the issue of intermarriage. Ezra 9-10 recounts how Ezra led the people in repentance and reform, emphasizing the need to separate from foreign wives to restore covenant faithfulness. Nehemiah 13:23-27 similarly records Nehemiah's efforts to correct the practice of intermarriage, highlighting the ongoing struggle to maintain the distinctiveness of the Israelite community.

In summary, the expectation that Israelite men marry Israelite women was deeply rooted in the desire to preserve religious purity, cultural identity, and covenantal faithfulness. This principle, while challenged and nuanced throughout Israel's history, remained a significant aspect of their communal life and spiritual integrity.

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Exodus 34:16
And you take of their daughters to your sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make your sons go a whoring after their gods.
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Deuteronomy 7:3,4
Neither shall you make marriages with them; your daughter you shall not give to his son, nor his daughter shall you take to your son.
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1 Chronicles 23:22
And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters: and their brothers the sons of Kish took them.
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Ezra 9:1,2,12
Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
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Nehemiah 10:30
And that we would not give our daughters to the people of the land, not take their daughters for our sons:
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Nehemiah 13:26,27
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.
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Malachi 2:11
Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loved, and has married the daughter of a strange god.
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1 Corinthians 7:39
The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.
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2 Corinthians 6:14
Be you not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion has light with darkness?
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Library

On the Words of the Gospel, Matt. xxii. 2, Etc. , About the ...
... of the Householder at the King's marriage, were not ... wrought miracles, the Israelites
did not; among the Israelites ... and limit it not to your wives and children. ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon xl on the words.htm

Concerning virginity.
... and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives [2680] . Lo, again, marriage is
granted for the sake of the ... Virginity is the rule of life among the angels, the ...
/.../john/exposition of the orthodox faith/chapter xxiv concerning virginity.htm

Of the Discipline of the Church, and Its Principal Use in Censures ...
... up a similar form of fast among the Israelites. ... which prescribes the kind of wives
whom bishops ... Paul enumerates marriage among the qualities of a bishop; those ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 12 of the discipline.htm

The Polity Settled by Moses; and How He Disappeared from among ...
... will not fail, and the estate will continue among the kindred ... this will be for the
solace of wives under their ... is that he is averse to this marriage, whether he ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 8 the polity settled.htm

That the Judges who Succeeded Gideon Made War with the Adjoining ...
... of Gilead, and he made a great slaughter among them; and ... left alive behind him, giving
the daughters in marriage to husbands, and taking wives for his ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 7 that the judges.htm

Authenticity and Credibility of the Pentateuch.
... hearts, suffered you to put away your wives: but from ... so." He then proceeds to enforce
the marriage covenant as it ... shall be unto you as one born among you, and ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter x authenticity and credibility.htm

The Early Training of a Race.
... society and tribal government develop among savages primarily ... this need the institutions
of permanent marriage and bondage arise and the wife or wives and the ...
/.../kent/the making of a nation/study xi the early training.htm

Pride of Prosperity
... with a heathen nation, and sealing the compact by marriage with an ... To please his
wives, he placed huge idols, unshapely images of ... Come out from among them," He ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 3 pride of prosperity.htm

Chapter xxix
... 5. Jacob's Double Marriage (29:1-30) ... Allowing for the fact that in those days, among
a different people, a ... At no time in Israel's history were wives purchased. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxix.htm

The Pentateuch.
... the institution of the Sabbath and marriage; the probation ... Egypt, two opinions are
held among biblical scholars ... of Jacob's family, with their wives and children ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xix the pentateuch.htm