In Ezra 9:12 and Deuteronomy 7:3, God strictly commanded the Israelites not to intermarry with people from other nations. The purpose of this command was to prevent the Israelites from being led astray to worship foreign gods. So the question arises: Did servants of God who married foreign women sin?
Examples often brought up include:
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Esther marrying King Ahasuerus, a Gentile ruler.
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Boaz marrying Ruth, a Moabite woman.
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Moses marrying Zipporah, a Cushite woman.
Let’s explore each case theologically and biblically.
1. Esther’s Marriage to King Ahasuerus (Xerxes)
According to God’s law in Deuteronomy 7:3–4 (ESV):
“You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods.”
Esther’s marriage to a pagan king was not ideal according to this law. However, God allowed it for a redemptive purpose: to save His people from annihilation under the rule of Haman. This is similar to how God occasionally uses flawed circumstances to accomplish His sovereign will.
Romans 8:28 (NIV) says:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
So although Esther’s marriage wasn’t aligned with the full intent of the Mosaic law, God permitted it to accomplish a greater purpose—deliverance of the Jews.
2. Samson’s Marriage to Foreign Women
Judges 14:3–4 (ESV) records:
“But his father and mother said to him, ‘Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?’ But Samson said to his father, ‘Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.’
His father and mother did not know that it was from the LORD, for He was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines.”
Though Samson pursued a Philistine woman based on physical attraction, the text clearly says that “it was from the LORD.” This doesn’t mean God approved of the method, but that He would use even Samson’s flawed choices to provoke conflict with the Philistines, who were oppressing Israel.
This shows how God can use human weakness and even disobedience to fulfill His divine purposes, without necessarily endorsing the act.
3. Boaz Marrying Ruth the Moabite
On the surface, Ruth was from Moab—a nation prohibited from entering the assembly of the Lord (Deut. 23:3). However, Ruth made a deliberate and full conversion to the God of Israel.
Ruth 1:16–17 (ESV):
“For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”
This makes a critical theological point: The prohibition against foreign marriages was not about race, but about religious faithfulness. Ruth had renounced her gods and fully embraced the God of Israel. That made her, by faith, a part of the covenant community—just like Rahab the Canaanite (Joshua 2:11, Hebrews 11:31).
In essence, Ruth ceased being a “foreigner” in a spiritual sense, and Boaz’s marriage to her was both lawful and blessed.
4. Moses Marrying Zipporah, a Cushite Woman
In Numbers 12:1 (ESV):
“Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman.”
This sparked tension in the family, but notably, God Himself defended Moses and punished Miriam with leprosy (Numbers 12:10). This reveals that God did not see Moses’ marriage as a sin.
Additionally, Moses married Zipporah before the giving of the Law at Sinai, so he could not be judged by a law that did not yet exist. Furthermore, Zipporah was the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian (Exodus 2:16), who appears to have been a priest of the true God (Exodus 18:10–12). Thus, it’s reasonable to believe Zipporah was a God-fearing woman.
Therefore, Moses’ marriage to Zipporah was not in violation of God’s covenant, and there is no biblical evidence that it was sinful.
5. Other Old Testament Examples: Joseph in Egypt
Joseph married Asenath, the daughter of an Egyptian priest (Genesis 41:45). This was also before the giving of the Law, and God never condemned the union. Instead, He used it to preserve the lineage of Israel through the famine. Again, it was not ideal by later standards, but not considered sin at the time.
Final Application for Christians Today
In the New Testament, God’s principle is clear: believers are to marry fellow believers.
2 Corinthians 6:14 (ESV):
“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness?”
It’s not about ethnicity, but faith. Christians are to marry those who are also in Christ—who have been born again and walk in obedience to the gospel. A believer marrying an unbeliever is considered disobedience to God’s will.
Conclusion
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Moses did not sin by marrying Zipporah. He married before the Law, and God did not condemn him for it—instead, He defended him.
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Esther, Samson, Boaz, Ruth, and even Joseph illustrate that God sometimes permits exceptions or uses unusual circumstances for redemptive purposes.
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The heart of God’s law was to preserve holiness and fidelity to Him, not mere ethnic boundaries.
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In both Old and New Testaments, the focus is on spiritual alignment. Faith, not race, defines God’s covenant community.