Statement
Nehemiah, who played an important role in rebuilding Jerusalem, seems to have been troubled by marriages between Israelites and non-Israelite women, and cursed and beat Judahites married to women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. The ban seems to have arisen from fear that such marriages would lead to worship of Canaanite gods, but Nehemiah's worry was different: that the children were losing the ability to speak the language of Judah.
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.