In the biblical context, marriage holds a significant place as a covenantal union ordained by God. Among the Jewish people, marriage was not only a personal or familial matter but also a communal and religious institution. It was seen as a vital part of fulfilling God's commandments, ensuring the continuation of the Jewish lineage, and maintaining the covenantal relationship with God. However, there are instances in the Scriptures where being debarred from marriage is depicted as a form of divine punishment or consequence for disobedience and sin.

Biblical Instances of Debarment from Marriage:

1. Exile and Captivity:
The Babylonian exile serves as a profound example where the Jewish people faced severe disruptions in their social and familial structures, including marriage. The exile was a consequence of persistent disobedience to God's commandments. In this context, the inability to marry and establish families in their homeland was part of the broader punishment. Jeremiah 16:2-4 reflects this, where God instructs Jeremiah not to marry or have children in the land, symbolizing the impending disaster and the futility of establishing family life amidst divine judgment.

2. Intermarriage with Foreign Nations:
The prohibition against intermarrying with foreign nations was a command given to prevent the Israelites from being led astray into idolatry. In Ezra 9:12 , the Israelites are reminded, "Therefore, do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Never seek their peace or prosperity, so that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever." When the Israelites disobeyed this command, they faced severe consequences, including the dissolution of such marriages as seen in the reforms led by Ezra and Nehemiah.

3. Levitical Laws and Personal Conduct:
The Levitical laws outlined specific conditions under which individuals could be excluded from the assembly of the Lord, which included restrictions on marriage. For instance, Deuteronomy 23:2 states, "No one of illegitimate birth may enter the assembly of the LORD, nor may any of his descendants, even to the tenth generation." Such restrictions served as a form of social and religious exclusion, impacting one's ability to marry within the community.

4. Prophetic Symbolism:
The prophets often used marriage as a metaphor for Israel's relationship with God. When Israel was unfaithful, the prophets depicted this as spiritual adultery, leading to a form of separation or debarment from the covenantal blessings, including the blessings associated with marriage. Hosea's marriage to Gomer is a poignant example, symbolizing Israel's unfaithfulness and the resulting divine judgment.

Theological Implications:

From a theological perspective, being debarred from marriage in the Jewish context underscores the gravity of sin and disobedience. Marriage, as a divine institution, reflects God's covenantal faithfulness and love. Therefore, exclusion from marriage due to sin serves as a powerful reminder of the consequences of turning away from God's commandments. It also highlights the importance of repentance and restoration, as seen in the prophetic calls for Israel to return to God and renew their covenantal relationship.

In summary, the debarment from marriage among the Jews, as depicted in the Bible, serves as both a literal and symbolic form of punishment for disobedience. It reflects the broader themes of covenant, faithfulness, and the consequences of sin within the biblical narrative.Jeremiah 7:34
Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 16:9
For thus said the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 25:10
Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Of the Discipline of the Church, and Its Principal Use in Censures ...
... from the commendation of virginity as superior to marriage. ... The first end is not
very often regarded in ... bitterly against the hypocrisy of the Jews, in thinking ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 12 of the discipline.htm

That the Scriptures are Divinely Inspired.
... to receive them; or rather, when desiring often to destroy ... patterns and shadow, who
are Jews "according to ... consisted of injunctions relating to marriage and to ...
/.../origen/origen de principiis/chapter i that the scriptures are.htm

Abraham, his Trial in Egypt; his Humility
... not armeth, evil men, [765]400; threatens often without punishing ... place, [1021]310;
hid from the Jews, [1022]311 ... 389; permitted in a sort in marriage, [1065]389 ...
/.../abraham his trial in egypt.htm

Of the Five Sacraments, Falsely So Called. Their Spuriousness ...
... all ages, and cures their sicknesses as often as there ... The Jews placed their confidence
of justification in ... Marriage being thus recommended by the title of a ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 19 of the five.htm

Treatise on the Priesthood. Book iii.
... a load of reproaches as to be often oppressed and ... many and ineffectual sacrifices
of the Jews with the ... encouraged abstinence from a second marriage: and many ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/treatise on the priesthood book 3.htm

Footnotes
... the one in which after sermon, the marriage ceremony was ... ELLIPSIS} Some useful sermons
have been often perplexed with a ... 109 [It being "the perfection of art to ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/footnotes.htm

The Iranian Conquest
... of a hedgehog is no less severely punished"for does ... observed strict fidelity to the
marriage vow;* and ... writers maintain that the Magi often cloaked monstrous ...
/.../chapter ithe iranian conquest.htm

The Holy City; Or, the New Jerusalem:
... not where to lay his head'-of whom the Jews said, 'How ... too perhaps the worst, I hope
my little, being all, my ... Sir, words easy to be understood do often hit the ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the holy city or the.htm

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