Statement
Other parts of the Hebrew Bible are less plainly opposed. The ban is aimed at non-Israelites living within Canaan; there is no general ban on marrying foreigners, and Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses marry Arameans, Egyptians, Midianites and Ethiopians, women who were not Canaanites.
References
p. 38
supports · boxed feature · ch. 2
Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman. The Jews: A History. 3rd edition. New York and Abingdon: Routledge, 2019.
Section: Intermarriage: Biblical Arguments For and Against
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Scholarly debate
What does the Bible say about marrying foreigners?
3 positions · no single answer · take a seat →
- A
Strong opposition (Nehemiah)
Nehemiah and the laws against marriage with Canaanites
Nehemiah curses and beats Judahites married to women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab; the biblical ban seems to have arisen from fear that such marriages lead to worship of Canaanite gods, but Nehemiah's worry is that the children lose the language of Judah.
- B
No blanket ban
Other texts of the Hebrew Bible
The ban targets non-Israelites living in Canaan; there is no general veto on marrying foreigners, and Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses marry Arameans, Egyptians and Midianites.
- C
Mixed marriage as blessing
Ruth and Esther
In Ruth, David descends from the marriage of the Israelite Boaz and the Moabite Ruth; the author of Esther likewise is not troubled by Esther's marriage to Ahasuerus.