| Of course the prohibition against intermarriage was religious. It was a commandment of Almighty God after all. The problem is, whether you and I see it as religious, others will not. It will be seen as racial. Which is why Resident Skeptic asked the question initially. It is not racial, it is also OT and of course does not apply to us but there are many references against it beyond Ezra. See below.Deu 7:2-5Â And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: Â (3)Â Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. Â (4)Â For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. Â (5)Â But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.Jos 23:11-12Â Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God. Â (12)Â Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you:Jdg 3:5-8Â And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites: Â (6)Â And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods. Â (7)Â And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves. Â (Â Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years.1Ki 11:1-6Â But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; Â (2)Â Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. Â (3)Â And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. Â (4)Â For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. Â (5)Â For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. Â (6)Â And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.Neh 13:24-27Â And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people. Â (25)Â And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves. Â (26)Â Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin. Â (27)Â Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives? |