Cameron Miranda
The topic of intermarriage among the Hebrews has been a subject of discussion and debate throughout history. While some interpret the Torah and the Bible as forbidding intermarriage with specific groups, such as idolaters and certain non-Israelites, others argue that these texts do not prohibit all intermarriages. The interpretation of these religious texts has evolved over time, with ancient Hebrews known to marry strangers, while modern interpretations tend to be more restrictive. The discussion surrounding this topic involves exploring the fine line between cultural preservation and inclusivity, with some advocating for a more inclusive approach that aligns with the spirit of love and acceptance.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Patriarchal law | Forbids descendants of Abraham to intermarry with the Canaanites |
| Deuteronomic law | Forbids intermarriage with the seven nations of Canaan |
| Torah | Does not prohibit all intermarriage, only restricted intermarriage with Canaanite idolaters |
| Talmud | States that concubine was a type of marriage |
| Inter-tribe marriages | Were allowed, but restrictions were placed on marriages between members of two different tribes |
| Intermarriage with non-Jews | Forbidden unless they have converted |
| Intermarriage with Christians | Allowed if children are permitted by the state to be brought up in the Israelitish religion |
| Intermarriage with monotheists | Holdheim argues that Biblical prohibition does not include monotheists |
| Intermarriage with non-Israelites | Allowed in the past, but not criticized |
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What You'll Learn
Intermarriage with non-Jews who have not converted is forbidden
The Talmud and the Torah prohibit intermarriage with non-Jews, and this has been a longstanding tradition in Judaism. The Talmud asserts that a marriage between a Jew and a non-Jew is not valid under Jewish law unless the non-Jew converts to Judaism. The Torah also posits that a Jewish soldier should not marry a captive non-Jewish woman as a wife because their son would rebel against his father. This is based on the story of King David and Absalom, which is used as a cautionary tale.
Historically, there have been instances of Jewish leaders and organizations opposing intermarriage. For example, Moses of Coucy in 1236 induced Jews who had married Christian or Muslim women to dissolve their marriages. The Rabbinical Conference of Brunswick in 1844 declared that marriages with adherents of monotheistic religions were acceptable if the state allowed the children to be raised Jewish. The Central Conference of American Rabbis consistently opposed intermarriage until the 1980s.
Despite these prohibitions and historical opposition, intermarriage rates among Jews have increased over time. In 1990, a study found that 52% of Jews who married between 1985 and 1990 married non-Jews. By 2013, a Pew Research poll found that 58% of Jewish marriages in the United States were interfaith, with the highest rates among non-denominational Jews (69%) and the lowest among Orthodox Jews (2%). Some Jewish organizations have made efforts to engage the descendants of intermarried parents and encourage non-Jewish spouses to convert.
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Intermarriage with Canaanites is forbidden
The Torah does not explicitly prohibit intermarriage with non-Jews. In fact, Moses, the most important prophet in Judaism, married a non-Jew, Zipporah, a Midianite. However, the Torah does prohibit intermarriage with Canaanites, a group of nations including the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivvites, and Jebusites. Intermarriage with the Canaanites is forbidden because they worship false idols and gods, and marrying into the Canaanite religion would lead to the adoption of idolatrous practices, which are forbidden by the first two commandments.
The prohibition on intermarriage with the Canaanites is found in Deuteronomy 7:1-4, which states:
> "When the Lord, your God, brings you into the land that you are going into to occupy, he will clear away many nations before you... the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivvites, and Jebusites—seven nations more numerous and powerful than you. The Lord, your God, will deliver them up to you and throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed. He will hand them over to you and you will defeat them. You must put them under the ban: you will not enter into a treaty with them nor show them any mercy."
The passage goes on to explicitly prohibit intermarriage with these nations:
> "You shall not intermarry with them: you shall not give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters for your sons. For they will turn your children away from me to worship other gods, and the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you and will speedily make you perish."
The prohibition on intermarriage with the Canaanites is thus based on the concern that marrying into Canaanite families would lead to the adoption of Canaanite religious practices, which are seen as a violation of the commandments to worship Yahweh, the God of Israel.
While the Torah does not prohibit all intermarriage, there are other instances in the Bible where intermarriage is discouraged or forbidden. For example, in Nehemiah 13:23-27, we see:
> "In those days, I also saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. As for their children, half spoke the language of Ashdod... and none of them knew how to speak the language of Judah."
This passage, and others like it, have been interpreted by some as a general prohibition on intermarriage, although this is a matter of debate.
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Intermarriage with Ammonites and Moabites is forbidden
The law forbidding intermarriage with Ammonites and Moabites is one of the oldest in Hebrew history. The law is referenced in Deuteronomy 23:3-4:
> No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the Lord; none of their descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall ever enter the assembly of the Lord, because they did not meet you with food and water on the way when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.
The law is reiterated in Nehemiah 13:3, 23, 25, and 27:
> And it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the alien mixture… Also in those days, I saw the Jews who had married Ashdodite, Ammonite, and Moabite women… And I quarrelled with them, and I cursed them, and I struck some of them, and I plucked out their hair, and I adjured them by God, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters either for your sons or for yourselves… Shall we then hearken to you to do all this great evil to betray our God to marry foreign women?”
The law is also referenced in Ezra ix. 1-2:
> The people of Israel and the priests and Levites have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Idumeans [LXX. and I Esd. viii. 68; Masoretic text incorrectly "Amorites"]; for they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons so that the holy seed have mingled with the people of those lands.
The law forbidding intermarriage with Ammonites and Moabites is not without its exceptions. For example, Ruth, a Moabite woman, is considered an ancestor of Christ and is described as worshipping YHVH. Similarly, King Solomon, who is said to have married many foreign women, including Ammonites and Moabites, fathered the next king of Israel, Rehoboam, with an Ammonite woman.
Over time, the interpretation of the law has evolved. Moses of Coucy, in 1236, induced Jews who had married Christian or Mohammedan women to dissolve their marriages. However, in 1807, the Great Sanhedrin, convened by Napoleon, declared that marriages between Israelites and Christians were valid, even if they could not be solemnized by the religious rites of Judaism. Furthermore, the Rabbinical Conference of Brunswick, in 1844, declared that the marriage of a Jew with a Christian or monotheistic woman was not prohibited if their children were permitted to be brought up in the Israelite religion.
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Intermarriage with Gentiles is forbidden
The Torah and Talmud contain several references to intermarriage, with varying degrees of prohibition. The Torah, for instance, mentions rules regarding marrying Gentile women captured in battle. Deuteronomy 7, which is often referenced as a source for forbidding intermarriage, specifically names the seven nations of Canaan and states that the Israelites should not intermarry with the Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivvites, and the Jebusites.
The Talmud, on the other hand, interprets these verses as a general prohibition against intermarriage with all non-Jews. This interpretation is supported by other passages in the Bible, such as Nehemiah, which mentions Jews marrying Ashdodite, Ammonite, and Moabite women, and the prophets' complaints about intermarriage with Gentiles. Additionally, during the Babylonian captivity, the Jews realized their identity as a "holy people unto the Lord their God," further solidifying the idea that intermarriage with Gentiles was forbidden.
The rabbis also made distinctions between different groups, forbidding intermarriage with Canaanites even after conversion, and making exceptions for Moabite and Edomite women, while prohibiting marriage with Moabite and Edomite men. An exception to the prohibition against intermarriage was also made in the case of a captive woman during wartime.
While some have argued that these prohibitions are subjective and discriminatory, others view them as objective, Divine commands. Marrying outside of the faith is seen as a contradiction to God's will and a failure to fulfill the obligation to manifest Divinity in the world. This belief has led to strong opposition to intermarriage within the Jewish community, with some even considering it the "worst thing a Jew can do."
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Intermarriage with idolaters is forbidden
The Torah and Talmud contain various opinions on intermarriage. While some verses in Deuteronomy and Genesis are referenced as a source for forbidding intermarriage with idolaters, the interpretation of these verses is debated. Some argue that these verses refer only to the seven Canaanite nations, while others claim that they refer to all non-Jews.
The Torah itself provides evidence that intermarriage was not always prohibited. For example, Moses, the most important prophet in Judaism, married a non-Jew, Zipporah, a Midianite woman. Similarly, Moses' successor, Joshua, married a Canaanite woman, and King Solomon, David's son, married the daughter of the Pharaoh of Egypt, indicating that intermarriage was not universally forbidden.
However, there are also verses in the Torah that speak against intermarriage. For example, in Ezra 9:2, 12, and 10:3, and Nehemiah 13:23-27, there are explicit prohibitions against intermarriage. The prophet Malachi also speaks against intermarriage. Furthermore, during the Babylonian captivity, the Jews realized they were to be "a holy people unto the Lord their God" and were forbidden to intermarry with the Gentiles.
In terms of Islamic perspectives on intermarriage, Muslim men are permitted to marry Jewish or Christian women, who are considered "People of the Book." However, Muslim women are forbidden from marrying non-Muslim men, as this is prohibited in the Quran in surah albaqarah 221. Additionally, Muslim men are prohibited from marrying "idolaters," and some sources argue that Christians and Jews are included in this category.
In summary, while there are differing opinions and interpretations, the weight of religious texts and traditions suggests that intermarriage with idolaters is forbidden, particularly in the case of Jewish and Muslim women.
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Frequently asked questions
Deuteronomy 7:3-4 commands the Israelites not to marry foreigners, but the reason for this is religious, not based on skin colour or ethnicity. Israelites were forbidden to marry idol worshippers, pagans, or heathens.
The Talmud sometimes points to the Deuteronomy verses as the source for the general prohibition of intermarriage. However, the Talmud also states that the prohibition does not apply exclusively to the seven Canaanite nations.
Moses himself married a non-Jew, a Midianite priest's daughter.
