You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons,
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Deuteronomy 7:3
What does Deuteronomy 7:3 mean?
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Deuteronomy 7:3
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This verse highlights a subtle but crucial detail: it's a two-way street of prohibition. God doesn't just say "don't take their daughters for your sons," but also "don't give your daughters to their sons." This emphasizes the equal danger in both directions, showing that the concern wasn't just about your sons being led astray, but also your daughters, and that both sides of the family were vulnerable to assimilation and idolatry.
You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons,
English Standard Version (ESV)
God is giving the Israelites a solemn command to utterly destroy the seven nations inhabiting the land they are about to conquer. This verse directly follows the order to annihilate them, forbidding any marriages between Israelites and these foreign peoples. The reason given is that such unions would surely lead the Israelites' children away from following God to worship other gods.
Why would God issue such a specific command about marriage? It wasn't just about politics or social boundaries; it was deeply personal.
The Bible is clear: God knew the human heart is naturally inclined towards what is familiar and often towards sin. When Israelites married people from the surrounding nations who worshiped other gods, the risk wasn't that the Israelite would convert the pagan spouse, but the other way around.
Imagine bringing a non-believer into your closest family circle. While the intention might be to share your faith, the reality is that the influence of daily life, cultural practices, and the temptations of idolatry could easily pull the Israelite away from God. It's like trying to keep a log from burning when you place it next to a raging fire; the fire usually wins.
This wasn't about condemning the other nations outright, but about protecting the unique relationship God was establishing with Israel and preserving their devotion to Him alone.
This wasn't just a cultural preference; it was essential for fulfilling God's redemptive plan. What made this command so critical for Israel's identity?
God was setting Israel apart as a unique people, a distinct nation chosen to be His own. Their relationship with Him was a covenant, a sacred promise that demanded exclusivity in worship.
Marrying outside the covenant community wasn't just a personal choice; it threatened the very foundation of Israel's identity and their role in God's unfolding plan. If they adopted the religious practices of their neighbors through intermarriage, they would dilute their distinctiveness and lose their ability to be a light to the surrounding nations.
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The command to avoid intermarriage was a vital boundary, designed to keep Israel focused on worshipping Yahweh alone and to prevent them from being assimilated into the corrupt idolatry of the land they were entering.
This passage parallels Deuteronomy's command, warning against making covenants and intermarrying with the surrounding peoples, explicitly stating that their daughters would lead Israelite sons astray to serve other gods.
Joshua 23:12-13Joshua echoes this warning, highlighting the severe consequences of intermarriage, stating that such unions would become 'snares and traps,' leading to the Israelites' downfall and God's judgment.
1 Kings 11:1-4This passage serves as a historical example of the negative consequences of violating this command, showing how Solomon's foreign wives turned his heart away from the Lord, leading him to worship other gods.
Ezra 9:1-2The returned exiles faced a similar crisis, where the people had intermarried with the surrounding nations, a practice explicitly condemned for corrupting the holy race and mixing the sacred with the profane.
2 Corinthians 6:14Paul directly applies this principle to the New Testament church, urging believers not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers, underscoring the spiritual danger and incompatibility of such unions.
clarkeDeuteronomy 7:3: "Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son."
Neither shalt thou make marriages, etc. - The heart being naturally inclined to evil, there is more likelihood that the idolatrous wife should draw aside the believing husband, than that the believing husband should be able to bring over his idolatrous wife to the true faith.
calvinDeuteronomy 7:1-4: "When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;"
- When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and…
This verse highlights a subtle but crucial detail: it's a two-way street of prohibition. God doesn't just say "don't take their daughters for your sons," but also "don't give your daughters to their sons." This emphasizes the equal danger in both directions, showing that the concern wasn't just about your sons being led astray, but also your daughters, and that both sides of the family were vulnerable to assimilation and idolatry.
God is giving the Israelites a solemn command to utterly destroy the seven nations inhabiting the land they are about to conquer. This verse directly follows the order to annihilate them, forbidding any marriages between Israelites and these foreign peoples. The reason given is that such unions would surely lead the Israelites' children away from following God to worship other gods.
God is giving the Israelites a solemn command to utterly destroy the seven nations inhabiting the land they are about to conquer. This verse directly follows the order to annihilate them, forbidding any marriages between Israelites and these foreign peoples. The reason given is that such unions would surely lead the Israelites' children away from following God to worship other gods.
"You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons," — This verse highlights a subtle but crucial detail: it's a two-way street of prohibition. God doesn't just say "don't take their daughters for your sons," but also "don't give your daughters to their…
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Last reviewed October 2026