Why is the Bible against interracial marriage?

Answer 1

The bible is not against interracial marriages. Moses' wife Zipporah was a Cushite. Cush was an ancient African empire whose inhabitants were black. In Numbers 12 God smote Moses' brother and sister with leprosy because they criticized the fact that his wife was black. Reason for this is the possibility that interracial marriage will make the followers of the Bible god to convert to the gods of the other race. Read Exodus 34:10-16. Deuteronomy 7:1-6 & 2 Corinthians 7:39 The question is a false and leading question in that it assumes something quite false. The Bible is not against interracial marriage but it is against a Christian marrying a non-Christian.

The issue of loss of faith is a real issue but this has nothing whatsoever to do with race since people of all races are Christian believers.

If a person of the same race or a different race is not a Christian then the New Testament certainly forbids the marriage. The Old Testament principle is essentially the same. The people of the Canaanites were pagan idolaters of the most vile kind. If they were around today, many of them would be locked up for their bestiality and child-sacrifices. Both Ruth the Moabite and Rahab the inhabitant of Jericho were taken in by the Israelites and Ruth is in the family line of Jesus Christ through her marriage to Boaz.

Thus it is, as always good to understand what the Bible is actually saying and to read it in context.

Answer 2

The Old Testament (the Jewish Bible) forbade the marrying of spouses outside their faith because of the complications that would arise - especially when bringing up children, and also the risk that the Jewish rites in their religion would be somehow tainted by the non-Jewish rituals that would creep in. In the more rigid Jewish groups today, it is still frowned upon to marry ouside your own race. In the New Testament, however, intermarriage between races and nationalities was not a problem. Whilst it was less common in the areas where there were many Jews who converted to Christianity, this was more of a culture thing than anything Biblical. Certainly in the rest of the Roman Empire there were many incidences recorded of interracial and international marriages. As far as The Bible is concerned, race is not a problem for we are all created equal in the sight of God. Paul put is succinctly when he wrote to the Christians in the (now) Turkish region of Galatia in the first century AD: "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." [Galatians 3: 26-28]

Answer 3

God does tell us not to be unequally yoked, but that is in the context of believers / unbelievers.

Answer #2

According to the Christian Bible there are no races among the Children of God, ethnicicty is (or should be) irrelvant to Christians as all are equal and the same to God.

Therefore (IMHO) there is no prohibition on interracial relationships.

Answer 4

The bible is not against interracial marriage, Moses married Zipora an Ethiopian. The Etheopians were not white. The bible simply says don't be unevenly yoked, a believer and a non- believer

Another Answer:

The is a school of thought that believes that God intended to keep His 3 primary tones of skin, with their respective physical attributes and eventual internal differences separate and pure. These believe that God loved all 3 tones He created and did not want inter-marriage that would mix the genes creating additional shades and physical problems. They cite Noah's being 'perfect in his generations' (Genesis 6:9) as referring to this.

Additionally, the 3rd son of Ham was Put. He is considered both the father of the western branch peoples of Libya (dark tone) and the eastern branche of people in India (lighter tone). It has been said that soon after the flood (2 generations), Ham's grandson, the first great warrior leader called Nimrod was black. Yet his son (3rd generation) was said to be white. So it appears to have taken some time for these 3 major lines of skin tone to fully develop. At the tower of Babel, God dispersed the peoples to their appointed lands and gave them their languages. This would have slowed down any inter-marrying.

In today's world, we can see the 'burden' placed upon couples of mixed marriages, particularly upon their children. I have no doubts these same human problems existed back soon after the flood as well.

Answer 5

bible doesn't have answers for everything

if you like the other person why care what race they are from?

Answer:

We are told that Moses married an "Ethiopian" woman [Num.12:1]... and the Lord didn't condemn him for it. In fact, the Lord rebuked Aaron and Miriam for their condemnation of Moses... but it wasn't to defend Moses' marriage choice.

"...'Listen to My Words: 'When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal Myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. BUT THIS IS NOT TRUE OF MY SERVANT MOSES; he is FAITHFUL in all My house.

"With him I SPEAK FACE TO FACE, clearly and not in riddles; HE SEES THE FORM OF THE LORD. Why then were you not AFRAID to speak against My servant Moses?'" (Num.12:6-8 NIV)

Early on in God's covenant relationship [marriage] to the children of Israel... there were two main concerns with marriage arrangements.

One was, that God was careful to maintain a pure line of Jewish descent for the Messiah, which is recorded in the New Testament.

The second, is to avoid marriages that might cause one or the other to "go after other gods" and cause them to forsake the Lord and His laws.

Among the Israelites, therefore, it was wise to remain within one's own tribe... or at least within the lineage of their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, thus staying with and among those who were reared in the Word of God.

One of God's promises to Abraham was to "bless ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH" [all the races of man]... which is the promise of "salvation" through the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

"Race" isn't the issue with God when it comes to marriage. Race is an issue with men. Although it's become a bit more acceptable today than it used to be... interracial marriages still have a certain stigma about them in man's societies which carry additional difficulties into the marriage beyond the normal ones associated with the marriage relationship.

Moses' interracial marriage to Zipporah wasn't the issue with God that it was with Moses' kin.

In fact, Zipporah's FAITH saved Moses from being KILLED by God when he hesitated to circumcise their son according to the commandment. When the Lord first recruited Moses, his faith wasn't quite what it should have been. And it was the faithful wife he chose who turned out to be his salvation:

"...At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met [Moses] and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched [Moses] feet with it. 'Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,' she said. So the LORD let him alone. (At that time she said 'bridegroom of blood,' referring to circumcision.)" (Ex.4:24-26 NIV)

God's concern for men and women in marriage is one of compatibility and purity of faith in Him... not in their races.

To the faithful churches of God, Paul wrote:

"...To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord)... the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her husband... How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches." (I Cor.7:10-17 NIV)

"...Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, Keeping God's Commands is what counts." (verse 19)

Answer 6

The Bible doesn't mention different races marrying in general terms. In the Old Testament, the Israelites specifically are cautioned several times not to intermarry with the various tribes surrounding them, but this seems to be more a matter of "don't marry pagans" than "don't marry those of different races" ... most of the surrounding tribes were probably, more or less, the same basic racial stock as the Israelites.

The New Testament speaks against being "unequally yoked", but this is essentially the same concept: what's meant is that believers should not marry unbelievers; no reference at all is made to race (however, it also says that those who believers who are already married to unbelievers should remain married, which is a bit different than most of the Old Testament references).

Answer 7

In the Old Testament King Solomon married a woman with dark skin. The Queen of Sheba, sometimes referred to as Candice.

Answer 8

It doesn't like it.