Deuteronomy 7:3-4
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This isn't just about not marrying foreigners; it's a two-way street emphasizing mutual restriction. God specifically forbids giving daughters to their sons and taking their daughters for your sons, highlighting the intentionality of the separation required to protect Israel's faith from foreign influence.
You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God has just commanded the Israelites to completely destroy the seven nations inhabiting the Promised Land, not to make any peace treaties with them or show them any mercy. This passage elaborates on that command by specifically forbidding intermarriage, warning that such unions would inevitably lead their sons and daughters away from faithfulness to God and toward the worship of foreign gods. The dire consequences of this disobedience, the text states, would be God's fierce anger and swift destruction upon Israel.
Ever heard the phrase 'unequally yoked'? It's not just about friendships; it hits hard when it comes to marriage. God's command here goes deep into protecting the spiritual heart of His people.
This prohibition isn't about racial purity or a general distrust of outsiders. It's specifically about spiritual unity and preventing the corruption of faith.
The Danger of Spiritual Drift
God knew the deep human tendency to be influenced by those closest to us. When an Israelite married a Canaanite, the risk was immense that the Israelite partner (or their children) would be pulled away from worshipping the one true God.
This wasn't about hate; it was about preservation. God was establishing a people set apart, a spiritual lineage that would carry His promises through history.
Imagine being called to be radically different, set apart for a unique purpose. This wasn't just about rules; it was about identity and mission.
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God's command to avoid intermarriage with the Canaanite nations was foundational to establishing Israel as a distinct people, a holy nation set apart for Himself. This separation had a purpose:
For Relationship and Witness
Understand the original words
aph · Hebrew Noun
The emotional, righteous response of God to sin, rebellion, or covenant-breaking; it is not a volatile human emotion but a settled, holy opposition to evil that protects His glory.
This passage echoes the prohibition against intermarriage, specifically linking it to the danger of being drawn into the idolatrous practices of the surrounding nations.
Joshua 23:12-13This passage serves as a stark warning, showing the negative consequences of disobeying God's command, as the nations Israel did not drive out became 'snares and traps' and 'scourges on your sides.'
1 Kings 11:1-4This account demonstrates the detrimental impact of Solomon's foreign marriages, which directly led him to worship other gods and turned his heart away from the LORD.
Nehemiah 13:23-27This passage highlights the continued struggle with mixed marriages generations later, showing how they corrupted the people and led them to neglect God's law.
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 isn't just about not marrying foreigners; it's a two-way street emphasizing mutual restriction. God specifically forbids giving daughters to their sons and taking their daughters for your sons, highlighting the intentionality of the separation required to protect Israel's faith from foreign influence.
God has just commanded the Israelites to completely destroy the seven nations inhabiting the Promised Land, not to make any peace treaties with them or show them any mercy. This passage elaborates on that command by specifically forbidding intermarriage, warning that such unions would inevitably lead their sons and daughters away from faithfulness to God and toward the worship of foreign gods. The dire consequences of this disobedience, the text states, would be God's fierce anger and swift destruction upon Israel.
God has just commanded the Israelites to completely destroy the seven nations inhabiting the Promised Land, not to make any peace treaties with them or show them any mercy. This passage elaborates on that command by specifically forbidding intermarriage, warning that such unions would inevitably lead their sons and daughters away from faithfulness to God and toward the worship of foreign gods. The dire consequences of this disobedience, the text states, would be God's fierce anger and swift destruction upon Israel.
"You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD would be kindled against…" — This isn't just about not marrying foreigners; it's a two-way street emphasizing mutual restriction. God specifically forbids giving daughters to their sons and taking their daughters for your so…
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Last reviewed October 2026
