Exodus 34:16
and you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The verse doesn't just warn against marrying Canaanites; it highlights a chilling consequence: the daughters themselves, accustomed to their own gods, will lead Israelite sons astray. This shows that the danger isn't just external influence, but a contagion from within, as the women drawn into Israel's families will actively draw their new kin back to their own former worship.
Fresh from God's gracious reaffirmation of His covenant after the people's sin, Moses receives new instructions for entering the Promised Land. These commands are designed to protect the Israelites from the idolatry and corrupt practices of the Canaanites, emphasizing the need for complete separation from their ways to maintain their unique relationship with God. This includes prohibiting intermarriage and any participation in the surrounding nations' worship.
The Bible often forbids something more than just marrying someone from a different background. Why was this particular command so serious?
A Dangerous Union
When God warns against taking wives for their sons from the Canaanite nations in Exodus 34:16, it's not just about cultural differences. The core issue is spiritual contamination.
God's commands often seem strict. What lies at the heart of His fierce protection over His people?
The Cost of Faithfulness
God's command in Exodus 34:16 stems from His holy jealousy and His commitment to His covenant people. He is not arbitrarily restricting them; He is protecting them from ruin.
Understand the original words
zanah · Hebrew Verb
In biblical usage, 'whoring' or 'playing the harlot' refers to spiritual infidelity, describing God's people turning away from Him to serve or worship other deities, thus breaking the covenant relationship.
elohim · Hebrew Noun
In the context of the Old Testament, these refer to non-Israelite deities, which were forbidden because the Lord is the only true God and demanded exclusive worship from His people.
This passage directly parallels the prohibition of intermarriage found in Exodus 34:16, explicitly stating that foreign wives will turn the hearts of Israelite sons away from the Lord to serve other gods.
Judges 3:6-7This historical account illustrates the dire consequences of ignoring the command against intermarriage, showing how the Israelites took foreign wives and daughters and then served their gods, leading to Israel's subsequent oppression.
1 Kings 11:1-4This narrative describes how King Solomon, despite his wisdom, fell into idolatry because he 'clave unto them in love' with foreign women who turned his heart after their gods, mirroring the spiritual 'whoredom' warned against in Exodus.
2 Corinthians 6:14-16While a New Testament passage, Paul's strong admonition against being 'unequally yoked' with unbelievers echoes the Old Testament principle found in Exodus 34:16, warning against the corrupting influence that association with those who do not follow God can have on one's spiritual life.
gillExodus 34:16: "And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods."
And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons,.... That is, marry them to them, which explains what is meant by making a covenant with them, entering into such a near relation, and joining families, and thus intermixing with one another: and their daughters go a whoring after their gods; the worship of whom they have been trained up…
cambridgeExodus 34:16: "And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods."
16 . and thou take , &c.] Intermarriage with Canaanites is forbidden, for the same reason, in Deuteronomy 7:3 f.; cf. Joshua 23:12 (D2[221]), and Jdg 3:6 (where disregard of the prohibition is said to have been followed by the same consequences which are here apprehended). [221] Deuteronomic passages in Josh., Jud., Kings.
The verse doesn't just warn against marrying Canaanites; it highlights a chilling consequence: the daughters themselves, accustomed to their own gods, will lead Israelite sons astray. This shows that the danger isn't just external influence, but a contagion from within, as the women drawn into Israel's families will actively draw their new kin back to their own former worship.
Fresh from God's gracious reaffirmation of His covenant after the people's sin, Moses receives new instructions for entering the Promised Land. These commands are designed to protect the Israelites from the idolatry and corrupt practices of the Canaanites, emphasizing the need for complete separation from their ways to maintain their unique relationship with God. This includes prohibiting intermarriage and any participation in the surrounding nations' worship.
Fresh from God's gracious reaffirmation of His covenant after the people's sin, Moses receives new instructions for entering the Promised Land. These commands are designed to protect the Israelites from the idolatry and corrupt practices of the Canaanites, emphasizing the need for complete separation from their ways to maintain their unique relationship with God. This includes prohibiting intermarriage and any participation in the surrounding nations' worship.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Exodus 34:16 is available in the Sola app.
"and you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods." — The verse doesn't just warn against marrying Canaanites; it highlights a chilling consequence: the daughters themselves, accustomed to their own gods, will lead Israelite sons astray. This shows th…
