Deuteronomy 7:3
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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This verse isn't just about avoiding bad influences; it's a strategic command to protect the purity of Israel's covenant relationship with God. By forbidding intermarriage, God was preventing the subtle, gradual erosion of their devotion to Him, recognizing that associating closely with idolaters was the surest way to drift from faithfulness.
God is instructing the Israelites on how to handle the nations they are about to conquer in the land of Canaan, emphasizing a complete separation from their idolatrous practices. After commanding them to utterly destroy these peoples, the text immediately follows by forbidding any intermarriage, highlighting the danger of their sons and daughters being led away from faithfulness to God through these unions. This prohibition is part of a broader command to sever all ties with the inhabitants of the land to prevent them from corrupting Israel's worship and ultimately drawing God's wrath upon them.
Have you ever thought a relationship could change someone for the better? God’s command here is a stark warning against this very hope.
God’s prohibition against intermarriage wasn't about ethnic hatred; it was about spiritual protection. The assumption was that the non-believing spouse or in-laws would have a stronger, negative influence.
A Two-Way Street of Risk
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This wasn't just a rule; it was a protective measure rooted in God's deep love for His people. What does that look like in practice?
God’s commands, even those that seem harsh, always flow from His desire for His people's well-being and a pure relationship with Him.
Why Such Severity?
This passage warns against making covenants with the inhabitants of the land, which naturally includes marriage, to prevent them from drawing Israel into their idolatrous practices.
Joshua 23:12-13This passage directly reiterates the warning, stating that if Israel mixes with the remaining nations, they will become a snare and whip, leading to their destruction.
1 Kings 11:1-4This historical account provides a clear example of the negative consequences of intermarriage, showing how Solomon's foreign wives turned his heart away from the Lord, leading to idolatry.
2 Corinthians 6:14This New Testament passage offers a parallel spiritual principle, urging believers not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers, highlighting the danger of spiritual compromise.
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 isn't just about avoiding bad influences; it's a strategic command to protect the purity of Israel's covenant relationship with God. By forbidding intermarriage, God was preventing the subtle, gradual erosion of their devotion to Him, recognizing that associating closely with idolaters was the surest way to drift from faithfulness.
God is instructing the Israelites on how to handle the nations they are about to conquer in the land of Canaan, emphasizing a complete separation from their idolatrous practices. After commanding them to utterly destroy these peoples, the text immediately follows by forbidding any intermarriage, highlighting the danger of their sons and daughters being led away from faithfulness to God through these unions. This prohibition is part of a broader command to sever all ties with the inhabitants of the land to prevent them from corrupting Israel's worship and ultimately drawing God's wrath upon them.
God is instructing the Israelites on how to handle the nations they are about to conquer in the land of Canaan, emphasizing a complete separation from their idolatrous practices. After commanding them to utterly destroy these peoples, the text immediately follows by forbidding any intermarriage, highlighting the danger of their sons and daughters being led away from faithfulness to God through these unions. This prohibition is part of a broader command to sever all ties with the inhabitants of the land to prevent them from corrupting Israel's worship and ultimately drawing God's wrath upon them.
"You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons," — This verse isn't just about avoiding bad influences; it's a strategic command to protect the purity of Israel's covenant relationship with God. By forbidding intermarriage, God was preventing the sub…
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