The verse highlights that it wasn't just taking foreign wives, but also giving their own daughters to foreign sons, cementing these alliances. This mutual exchange wasn't simply about convenience; it sealed their spiritual fate, leading directly to them serving foreign gods.
And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods. And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Israelites, a generation removed from Joshua's leadership, began to intermarry with the very Canaanite nations God had commanded them to drive out. This act of forming familial ties with pagans inevitably led to religious compromise, as they adopted the worship of local deities like Baal and Asherah, forgetting the Lord who had delivered them. This compromise set the stage for the cycle of oppression and deliverance that defines the Book of Judges.
God’s people were warned repeatedly against marrying outsiders. What made these unions so dangerous?
The book of Judges opens with a stark picture of Israel’s compromise. They didn't just fight the Canaanites; they began to marry them. This wasn't just a social issue; it was a spiritual crisis.
A Clear Command Ignored
God’s instructions were unambiguous (Deuteronomy 7:3). He knew that intermarriage would inevitably lead to spiritual contamination. The connections formed in marriage weren't just personal; they were deeply intertwined with religious and political alliances.
The Inevitable Slide
When Israelites married Canaanite women, they brought the pagan gods and practices into their homes. And when they gave their own daughters to Canaanite sons, they were sending their families directly into the heart of idolatry. This wasn't a slow drift; it was a swift descent into forgetting the Lord.
Idolatry wasn't just about statues; it was about a heart turned away from the true God. How did this happen?
The verse doesn't just say they served other gods; it explicitly states they 'served their gods.' This implies a deep entanglement, a sharing in the worship of the very nations God had commanded Israel to drive out.
More Than Just Marriage
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The commentators highlight that these marriages were gateways to idol worship. The 'yoke-fellows' (spouses from these nations) persuaded and influenced the Israelites. What began as matrimonial alliances quickly became religious ones.
The Nature of Idolatry
This wasn't simply a matter of adding a few foreign gods to their worship. The consequence was that they 'forgot the Lord their God' (as noted in the commentary context). Idolatry captivates the heart, drawing devotion away from the One who deserves it all.
Understand the original words
elohim · Hebrew Noun
A general term for spiritual beings or deities worshipped by nations other than the one true God, often associated with idols and demonic influence. In the Bible, these are frequently set in direct opposition to the worship of Yahweh.
YHWH · Hebrew Noun
The covenant name of the God of Israel, revealing His nature as the self-existent, eternal, and faithful Redeemer who enters into a personal relationship with His people.
Baal · Hebrew Noun
A general term for male Canaanite fertility deities associated with weather, rain, and agricultural success. Their worship involved moral degradation and was strictly forbidden by God's covenant with Israel.
Asherah · Hebrew Noun
Cultic objects or symbols, often wooden poles, representing the Canaanite mother goddess Asherah, associated with fertility rites and forbidden idolatrous worship in Israel.
This verse marks a critical turning point where relational compromises with foreign peoples led directly to spiritual idolatry, setting Israel on a downward spiral that would characterize the entire period of the Judges.
c. 1400 BC
Israelites Conquer Canaan
Under Joshua's leadership, the Israelites conquered and settled the land of Canaan, driving out or subjugating its inhabitants. Specific prohibitions were given against intermarrying with the remaining Canaanite peoples.
c. 1390 BC
Joshua's Death and the Elders
After Joshua's death, the generation that had experienced the conquest passed away. This new generation had not fought in the wars of Canaan and was less familiar with God's commands.
c. 1380 BC— this verse
Israelites Intermarry with Canaanites
The Israelites began forming marital alliances with the Canaanite peoples still living among them. This violated direct commands given by God to maintain religious distinctiveness.
c. 1380 BC
Adoption of Canaanite Gods
Following intermarriage, the Israelites adopted the worship of local deities like Baal and Asherah, often in sacred groves, forsaking the Lord their God.
c. 1370 BC
First Cycle of Apostasy and Oppression
This spiritual compromise led to God allowing surrounding nations, like Mesopotamia, to oppress Israel for eight years, marking the beginning of the cycle of sin, judgment, and deliverance seen throughout the book of Judges.
This passage explicitly warns against forming marriage alliances with the inhabitants of the land, highlighting the danger of their gods leading Israel astray, which is exactly what happened in Judges 3:6.
Deuteronomy 7:3Similar to Exodus, this verse directly forbids intermarriage with these nations, specifying that such unions would cause the people's hearts to turn away from the Lord to their gods.
1 Kings 11:1This verse demonstrates the disastrous consequences of Solomon, a king, marrying foreign wives, which led him and his kingdom into idolatry, mirroring the spiritual compromise seen in Judges 3:6.
Joshua 23:12Joshua had warned the Israelites that if they allied themselves through marriage with the remaining nations, they would become a snare and a scourge, directly predicting the outcome described in Judges 3:6.
Nehemiah 13:23Centuries later, Nehemiah confronted the same issue of intermarriage leading to religious compromise, showing the recurring pattern of this sin and its devastating effects on God's people.
bensonJudges 3:6: "And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods."
Jdg 3:6-7 . They took their daughters, and served their gods — Were drawn to idolatry by the persuasions and examples of their yoke-fellows. And served Baalim and the groves — Or, Baalim in groves; that is, false gods, or rather their images, set up under shady trees, contrary to the command given Exodus 34:13 . Some expositors, however, think the meaning is, Baalim and…
clarkeJudges 3:6: "And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods."
And they took their daughters - They formed matrimonial alliances with those proscribed nations, served their idols, and thus became one with them in politics and religion.
The verse highlights that it wasn't just taking foreign wives, but also giving their own daughters to foreign sons, cementing these alliances. This mutual exchange wasn't simply about convenience; it sealed their spiritual fate, leading directly to them serving foreign gods.
The Israelites, a generation removed from Joshua's leadership, began to intermarry with the very Canaanite nations God had commanded them to drive out. This act of forming familial ties with pagans inevitably led to religious compromise, as they adopted the worship of local deities like Baal and Asherah, forgetting the Lord who had delivered them. This compromise set the stage for the cycle of oppression and deliverance that defines the Book of Judges.
The Israelites, a generation removed from Joshua's leadership, began to intermarry with the very Canaanite nations God had commanded them to drive out. This act of forming familial ties with pagans inevitably led to religious compromise, as they adopted the worship of local deities like Baal and Asherah, forgetting the Lord who had delivered them. This compromise set the stage for the cycle of oppression and deliverance that defines the Book of Judges.
"And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods. And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and ser…" — The verse highlights that it wasn't just taking foreign wives, but also giving their own daughters to foreign sons, cementing these alliances. This mutual exchange wasn't simply about convenience;…
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Last reviewed October 2026
