3 “Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. 4 “For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly. (Deuteronomy 7:3-4 NKJV)
In times past, the Israelites were the only chosen people of God. Therefore, God gave them a set of laws that dictated their way of life. One of these laws forbade them from marrying Canaanites, the people living in the land they were to occupy. Considering that the Canaanites worshipped many gods and carried out detestable rituals, this law was not based on discrimination or bias but aimed at preserving their religious and cultural identity.
Concerning the preservation of their religious identity, the Israelites were instructed to worship and serve only the one true God. Marrying Canaanites, who practiced idolatry, would have put the Israelites at risk of adopting false gods, idolatrous beliefs, and their practices. This could have weakened their faith, compromised their religious beliefs and moral values, and moved them away from the covenant they had with God.
Concerning the preservation of their cultural identity, intermarriage with the Canaanites would have mixed their cultures and traditions. The Israelites were meant to be a separate nation, distinct from others. Such marriages would have blurred the boundaries between them and the Canaanites, which would have undermined their unique identity and blended them into Canaanite culture.
Despite the law of non-alliance and non-marriage to foreigners, many notable Israelites married foreigners. Even Moses, the very man through whom the law was given, married Zipporah, a foreigner. But this happened before the law was given, so we can dismiss this as normal. The law that forbade the Israelites from marrying foreigners was given during the exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land.
But even while this law, Deuteronomy 7:3-4, was in operation, David, the most celebrated king of Israel, married about eight women. One of them, Maachah, was a foreigner who came from an idolatrous culture, for she was the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur. David, being exceptionally pious, did not fall into idolatry, nor did he entertain idolatry in his kingdom because of her.
However, King Solomon took things too far. He had 1000 women in his life – 700 wives and 300 concubines. Solomon’s first marriage was to a foreign woman, a princess of Egypt. The Bible categorically said that apart from her, Solomon also loved and married many foreign women. 90% of his 1000 wives were likely foreigners. His foreign wives misled him into idolatry and apostasy, just as God warned them in Deuteronomy 7:3-4.
King Ahab was another person who defaulted on Deuteronomy 7:3-4. At the time of Ahab, the Kingdom of Israel was already apostate; they had forsaken the Lord and were worshipping the golden calves established by Jeroboam I. But things turned darker and bloodier when Ahab married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of Sidon. This woman corrupted Ahab and also established the cult of Baal and Asherah in Israel, which was soon followed by the persecution of the prophets of God. Like Solomon, King Ahab’s life affirmed that God was right in preventing the Israelites from marrying Canaanites and other non-Israelites.
Now we see that God’s law that stops the Israelites from Canaanites and other non-Israelites was not a sign of superiority or contempt for other nations. Instead, it was essential to keep the Israelites safe from apostasy, idolatry, and the influence of foreign gods.