The Exegetical Practice of Ezra: A Case Study of Mixed Marriages (Ezra 9-10)

The Exegetical Practice of Ezra: A Case Study of Mixed Marriages (Ezra 9-10)

LAU Wing Kwan Fiona

There is no regulation in the Pentateuch prohibiting intermarriages in general. The most specific rule on the matter is the prohibition of marriages between the Israelites and the descendants of the “seven nations” (Ex 34:11-16; Dt 7:1-3 ). For others there is no sanction at all. In Deuteronomy 21:11-14, a specific case of marrying a “beautiful captive woman” is cited; the law indicates that an Israelite is in general permitted to marry women who do not belong to the “seven nations.” Therefore, the regulation of Ezra 10:3, “to put away all these wives and their children,” is clearly not taken from the Torah, whether generally or specifically, directly or indirectly. The questions are: what is the basis and origin of Ezra's regulation, and why is it introduced with the saying “let it be done according to the Law”? There is generally a consensus among scholars that “the Law” to which it refers is not an unknown law -book, but a homiletical interpretation of the canonical one. This paper investigates this issue — the citation and reinterpretation of the Pentateuch by Ezra. It argues that Ezra's exegesis of the law emphasizes multiple aspects of the priestly-holiness nature of the community as revealed by the issue of mixed marriages. It involves holiness as purity, separation and covenantal relationships. Such hermeneutics helps consolidate the identity of the returnees.