Jewish Intermarriage

As a small and persecuted religious group, the Jewish population in the fifth century BCE was concerned about intermarriage and its potential damage to the future of Judaism. After many Judeans had returned from Exile and married women of neighboring peoples, the idea of intermarriage created significant anxieties. Thus, Nehemiah authorized a ban on intermarriage, along with several other laws to protect the sanctity of Judaism. While Nehemiah enforced endogamy among the Judeans for their protection, the story of Ruth, a Moabite woman who married Boaz of Judah and was the great-grandmother of King David, shows that intermarriage does not necessarily weaken the Jews. Since King David’s ancestry can be traced back to a Moabite great-grandmother,

The book tells the story of a Moabite woman named Ruth who follows her former mother-in-law, Naomi, to Naomi’s homeland of Judah instead of remaining in Moab. In chapter 1, Ruth tells Naomi, “‘Your people will be my people, and your God my God’” (Ruth 1:16). Ruth’s eagerness to convert impressed Naomi enough for Naomi to introduce Ruth to her next husband, Boaz of Judah. Boaz marries and conceives a child with Ruth, and the Book of Ruth outlines Boaz’s lineage to show that King David is the great-grandson of Ruth. The text emphasizes David’s ancestry to recognize that intermarriage not only can spawn a successful lineage of Jews, but it can also produce one of the most significant leaders in Jewish history. Ruth’s relationship to David shapes the Book of Ruth to offer a positive view of intermarriage, and the relationship “legitimized the practice for later generations” (Segal, 36). Even though the Book of Ruth advocates for intermarriage, the text suggests that Ruth’s marriage into the Jewish community is only permissible under the condition that she leaves her life in Moab and fully commits herself to Judaism. Nevertheless, this text is much more approving of intermarriage than the Book of Nehemiah