Week 22 Ezra 9-10
Ezra’s last two chapters are a Reader’s Alert section because they absolutely sound like Ezra’s on an anti-inter-racial marriage rant. It looks like his rule is: a Hebrew guy has to marry a Hebrew gal. No other combination is permitted. Which seems weird. I think back to Rahab. Think back to Ruth. Think of outsiders who married-in.
I re-read the first paragraph and realize my problem might have started when I glided over verse one: the people of Israel have not kept themselves separate from the neighboring people with their detestable practices. The issue was racial but included loving ‘detestable’ practices of other races. So racial-plus-religious.
When I add religion to race I expand my matrimonial options:
a) a Hebrew guy reveres the Lord and marries a Hebrew gal who reveres the Lord
b) a Hebrew guy despises the Lord and marries a Hebrew gal who reveres the Lord
c) a Hebrew guy reveres the Lord and marries a Hebrew gal who despises the Lord
c) a Hebrew guy despises the Lord and marries a Hebrew gal who despises the Lord.
Four weddings that technically comply with the Hebrew-Race Marriage Rule. But 75% of them are scrambled when faith is in the mix.
So it’s like Ezra was using his marrying-within-the-race requirement as code-language for marrying-within-the-faith. The code was likely assumed by Ezra and likely understood by his audience. But it’s confusing for a reader who misses that key point.
Note: quoted from Ezra 9:1 (NIV)