The alleged Biblical exceptions to the Biblical norm of intra-racial marriage lack scriptural support because there is often a lack of racial information in the Bible about the so-called exceptions. The ancient world did not have surnames as we use them, and people were often referred to as being in a certain category based on geography and were called by their first name and the distinguishing place of origin. (“Jesus of Nazareth” is an example.) This and the uncertainty about which ethnic groups occupied which areas and when those ethnic groups occupied certain areas can make it extremely difficult to determine that the alleged exceptions were genuine exceptions.
Someone being described as “Ethiopian,” “Egyptian,” “Hittite,” “Hivite,” or “Canaanite” may tell us something about their geographic location or origin but may not tell us anything about their ethnic composition. For example, the land of Canaan was the land of the Hebrews before the Canaanites moved in, and there were Shemites (descendants of Shem) already living in the land of Canaan before the patriarchs arrived. "Canaanite" could mean a descendant of Canaan, a resident of the land of Canaan, or a merchant, depending on context, and context may not always clearly indicate which meaning applies.
Consider a few alleged exceptions to the Biblical norm of intra-racial marriage:
Hagar was an Egyptian slave given to Abraham by the Pharoah of Egypt. (Genesis 12:16; 16:1) Egyptian slaves originated from foreign lands.
Did Judah marry a Hamite or a Shemite woman? (Genesis 38) Why does the text specify the name "Shuah," and how much evidence is there that Shuah the son of Keturah in Genesis 25:2 and Shuah in Genesis 38:2 are not the same person? (Note also that the word "daughter" can also mean granddaughter or great granddaughter. -Genesis 38:2, 12)
Was Tamar a Hamite or Shemite? (Genesis 38:12-30) Ancient rabbinical writings say that Tamar was a daughter of Shem (the son of Noah), who was a priest; this would explain the penalty prescribed by Judah. (Genesis 38:24; Leviticus 21:9; note that much of the Mosaic Law codified customs or practices already in vogue among Israelites. Also note that Shem was still alive when Jacob turned fifty, and it was not odd or unknown for extremely old men to father children.)
Joseph's wife Asenath was the adopted daughter of Potipherah and the biological daughter of Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and Shechem, the prince of the town with the same name. (Genesis 41:45)
The Bible specifies that Zipporah was a Midianite, and then later refers to her as Ethiopian because the Midianites lived near Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Empire sometimes extended to both sides of the Red Sea. (Exodus 2:15-21; Numbers 12:1)
Rahab was a woman of Hebraic (probably Midianite) ancestry. Here are just a few points to consider: The name Rahab is distinctly Hebrew and predates the Book of Joshua. (Job 9:13; 26:12) Her comprehension of, and affinity toward, the God of Israel and her ease of communication with the spies. (Joshua 2) The spies agreed to spare Rahab and her family without any reservations. (Joshua 2:12-14; Deuteronomy 7:1-3; 20:16-17. Incidentally, Rahab was not a prostitute. The Bible does not say that Rahab was an harlot, it refers to her as Rahab the harlot. Rahab was an innkeeper, it was not common for a woman to be an innkeeper, and "harlot" was a title for female innkeepers. On the town wall at or near the city gate was the normal location for an inn, and her family living with her was typical of innkeepers.)
Did Boaz violate the command in Deuteronomy 23:3 by
marrying Ruth? No, Ruth was an Israelite woman. Let’s examine this further: Ruth 1:15-16 does indicate that Ruth and Orpah might have come from families that worshipped pagan deities, but this does not mean they were not Israelites. Israelites often worshipped the gods of the lands that they had taken and often tried to mix the worship of Jehovah and the worship of pagan deities. The land of Moab was the first land conquered by the Israelites after wandering in the wilderness, and the Amorites had already conquered and occupied the land of Moab when the Israelites came. (Numbers 21:25, 29) The Israelites conquered the land of Moab and killed everyone there. (Deuteronomy 2:32-34) Then the Israelites advanced into the land of Ammon and killed everyone there. (Numbers 21:33-35) After the Moabites and Ammonites were killed or driven out the entire area of the Jordan river was settled by the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and from that time onward that area was purely Israelite territory and Israelites living in the old lands of Moab and Ammon were often called Moabites or Ammonites (Consider that Anglo-Saxon Americans living in California today are called Californians, and being called Californians and living in a former Mexican territory does not make them Mexicans.). (Deuteronomy 3:12-16) Three hundred years later it was reported that the Israelites still had exclusive occupation of the lands of Moab and Ammon. (Judges 11:12-26) About one hundred and thirty years after the Israelites occupied the land of Moab, Elimelech and his wife and two sons left the land of Judah and “went to sojourn in the country of Moab,” which was occupied exclusively by the Israelites, and Elimelech’s sons married women of the country of Moab and one of them was Ruth. (Ruth 1:1-4; Numbers 21:25, 29, 31, 33-35; Deuteronomy 2:32-34; 3:12-16; 23:3; Judges 11:12-26)
Was Uriah born to ethnic Hittite parents and then later in his life converted to Yahwism? Consider that Uriah “the Hittite” had a distinctly Hebrew name that means “Jehovah is my light.” (II Samuel 11:3)
Didn’t Esther marry Ahaseurus, a Persian king? (Book of Esther) Persians were descended from Elam, a son of Shem. (Genesis 10:22)
God separated mankind into different races to prevent the different peoples from corrupting each other and uniting against God; race-mixing movements tend to turn people against God. (Acts 17:26-27; Genesis 10: 11:1-6; Deuteronomy 7:3-4; Joshua 23:11-13; I Kings 11:1-11; Ezra 9:2, 12-14; Nehemiah 13:23-27; United Nations; etc. If you look at the Middle East on a map or globe you can see that “the Lord’s inheritance” separated the descendants of Shem and the descendants of Japheth from the descendants of Ham and vice versa. -Deuteronomy 32:8) Many will point to supposed exceptions in Scripture, but, even if there are exceptions, exceptions should not nullify standards.
Further reading:
Reconsidering Interracial Marriage: The Christian Case For Intra-Racial Marriage
Kinist Orthodoxy: A Response to Brian Schwertley
Is Plan For Racial Strife Another Hoax? By Henry Makow PhD
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