Judges 3:6

KJV

And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

KJV (with Strong's)

And they took {H3947} their daughters {H1323} to be their wives {H802}, and gave {H5414} their daughters {H1323} to their sons {H1121}, and served {H5647} their gods {H430}.

Complete Jewish Bible

taking their daughters as their wives, giving their own daughters to their sons and serving their gods.

Berean Standard Bible

And they took the daughters of these people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

American Standard Version

and they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons and served their gods.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Judges 3:6 marks a critical turning point in Israel's post-Joshua history, vividly depicting their direct and deliberate disobedience to God's commands regarding separation from the Canaanite nations. This verse encapsulates the twin failures of intermarriage and subsequent idolatry, illustrating how the Israelites' social and familial integration with pagan peoples inevitably led to their abandonment of Yahweh worship and their embrace of foreign deities. It serves as a stark and tragic precursor to the recurring cycles of apostasy, divine judgment, oppression, and eventual deliverance that define the entire period of the Judges, powerfully highlighting the profound and devastating consequences of covenant infidelity.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Judges 3:6 is strategically placed early in the book of Judges, immediately following the introductory chapters (Judges 1-2) which establish the context of Israel's failure to fully dispossess the Canaanites after Joshua's death. The book of Judges chronicles a tragic, predictable, and cyclical pattern of Israel's **sin** (often idolatry and disobedience), God's consequent **servitude** (oppression by foreign nations), Israel's **supplication** (cries for help), God's **salvation** (raising up a judge), and a period of **silence** or peace, before the cycle inevitably repeats. Judges 3:5 explicitly states that Israel "lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites," setting the immediate backdrop for the actions described in verse 6. This verse, therefore, marks the crucial initiation of the "sin" phase for the first major cycle of apostasy and judgment, demonstrating the direct violation of God's earlier, emphatic commands to utterly dispossess the inhabitants of the land and avoid any covenant or intermarriage with them, as found in foundational passages like [Deuteronomy 7](/deuteronomy/7 "Deuteronomy 7 - Warnings Against Alliances with Other Nations") and [Exodus 34](/exodus/34 "Exodus 34 - The Covenant Renewed"). It is the first concrete example of the spiritual decline prophesied.

* **Historical & Cultural Context:** During the period of the Judges, the land of Canaan was inhabited by various peoples, including those listed in Judges 3:5. These Canaanite groups were deeply polytheistic, with their religious practices centering on fertility cults that often involved ritual prostitution, sympathetic magic, and even child sacrifice, particularly in the worship of deities like Baal (the storm god, believed to bring rain and fertility) and Asherah (his consort, a goddess of fertility and motherhood). Their religious system was not merely a set of beliefs but was intricately interwoven with their daily life, agricultural cycles, social structures, and political alliances. For Israel, Yahweh worship demanded exclusive devotion, a distinct moral code based on the Mosaic Law, and a unique identity as God's chosen people, standing in stark contrast to Canaanite practices. God's command to dispossess these nations and avoid intermarriage was not merely about ethnic purity but fundamentally about preserving Israel's unique covenant identity and preventing spiritual contamination. To form marital alliances, as described in [Judges 3:6](/judges/3-6 "Judges 3:6 - Israel's Intermarriage and Idolatry"), was to integrate deeply into their social and religious fabric, inevitably exposing Israel to, and ultimately drawing them into, the worship of foreign gods. This cultural assimilation was a direct and existential threat to the very foundation of Israel's existence as God's holy nation.

* **Key Themes:** Judges 3:6 powerfully illustrates several critical themes that permeate the book of Judges and the broader Old Testament narrative. First, it highlights the theme of **intermarriage and assimilation**, explicitly stating, "And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons." This practice, strictly forbidden by God in passages like [Exodus 34:16](/exodus/34-16 "Exodus 34:16 - Warning Against Intermarriage") and [Deuteronomy 7:3-4](/deuteronomy/7-3 "Deuteronomy 7:3-4 - Prohibition of Intermarriage and Idolatry"), represented a profound compromise of Israel's distinct covenant identity and holiness. Second, the verse immediately reveals the devastating consequence: "**and served their gods**," underscoring the theme of **idolatry and spiritual compromise**. Intermarriage was not merely a social or political act but a direct gateway to spiritual apostasy, as familial ties inevitably led to participation in the worship of foreign deities like Baal and Asherah, directly violating the first two commandments of the Decalogue (cf. [Exodus 20:3-5](/exodus/20-3 "Exodus 20:3-5 - The First and Second Commandments")). This spiritual adultery demonstrates Israel's profound **disobedience to God's covenant**, choosing to follow their own desires and the ways of the surrounding nations rather than upholding their sacred agreement with Yahweh, thereby setting the stage for the recurring cycles of judgment that characterize the entire book of [Judges](/judges/1 "The Book of Judges").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

#### Key Word Analysis
* **Took (Hebrew, _lâqach'_):** This verb (H3947) means "to take (in the widest variety of applications)." In this context, it signifies the Israelite men *actively acquiring* Canaanite women as wives. The use of "took" emphasizes a deliberate, volitional act on the part of the Israelite men, indicating that these unions were not accidental encounters but intentional choices to form marital bonds with those from forbidden nations.
* **Gave (Hebrew, _nâthan'_):** This verb (H5414) means "to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)." Here, it describes Israelite parents *actively bestowing* their daughters upon Canaanite men. The reciprocal nature of "took" and "gave" highlights the mutual and systemic integration between the Israelites and the Canaanites, indicating a widespread societal embrace of these forbidden alliances, rather than isolated incidents.
* **Served (Hebrew, _ʻâbad'_):** This verb (H5647) means "to work (in any sense); by implication, to serve, till, (causatively) enslave, etc." In the context of "their gods," it denotes active, intentional worship, devotion, and submission. It implies more than passive exposure; it signifies a deliberate act of allegiance and religious participation, involving rituals, sacrifices, and the adoption of pagan practices, directly contrasting with the exclusive service due to Yahweh.
* **Gods (Hebrew, _ʼĕlôhîym'_):** While _ʼĕlôhîym_ (H430) can refer to the one true God, in this context, it is clearly used in the plural to denote the pagan deities of the Canaanites. This plural usage emphasizes the polytheistic nature of the worship Israel adopted, contrasting sharply with the monotheistic worship of Yahweh. It highlights the abandonment of the unique covenant relationship with the one true God for a multitude of false, lifeless idols, signifying a complete spiritual betrayal.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"And they took their daughters to be their wives":** This initial clause describes the first aspect of the prohibited intermarriage: Israelite men marrying Canaanite women. This was a direct violation of God's explicit commands (e.g., [Deuteronomy 7:3](/deuteronomy/7-3 "Deuteronomy 7:3 - Prohibition of Intermarriage")), which strictly forbade such unions due to their inevitable spiritual consequences of leading Israel astray from Yahweh.
* **"and gave their daughters to their sons":** This clause completes the picture of reciprocal integration, indicating that Israelite parents also gave their daughters in marriage to Canaanite men. This act further cemented familial and social ties with the pagan nations, demonstrating a deep and pervasive level of assimilation and a profound disregard for their covenant obligations to maintain purity and separation as a holy nation.
* **"and served their gods":** This final clause presents the inevitable and devastating spiritual consequence of the intermarriage. The social and familial compromise directly and immediately led to religious apostasy. By forming intimate bonds with idolaters, the Israelites were drawn into the worship of foreign deities, precisely fulfilling God's earlier warnings that such alliances would lead them astray from Him. This was the ultimate betrayal of their covenant with Yahweh, demonstrating a divided heart and a departure from exclusive devotion.

#### Literary Devices
Judges 3:6 employs several potent literary devices to convey its powerful message. **Cause and Effect** is prominently displayed, where the act of intermarriage ("took their daughters... and gave their daughters") is presented as the direct precursor and inevitable cause of the spiritual apostasy ("and served their gods"). This highlights the direct causal link between social compromise and spiritual corruption, emphasizing that actions have consequences. There is also a strong element of **Irony**: Israel, chosen by God to be a distinct, holy nation set apart from the pagan world and called to dispossess these very peoples, actively chooses to integrate with them through the most intimate of bonds. Furthermore, the verse functions as powerful **Foreshadowing**, setting the stage for the recurring cycles of apostasy, divine judgment, and oppression that will characterize the remainder of the book of Judges, as Israel repeatedly falls into idolatry due to their failure to obey God's commands. Finally, the verse presents a clear **Antithesis** between God's explicit commands for separation and exclusive worship and Israel's actions of integration and polytheistic devotion, underscoring their profound covenant infidelity and spiritual rebellion.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Judges 3:6 serves as a profound theological statement on the insidious dangers of syncretism and the critical importance of covenant faithfulness. It reveals that spiritual compromise often begins with seemingly social or cultural choices, demonstrating that intimate relationships with those devoted to other gods inevitably lead to a divided heart and, ultimately, to apostasy. For ancient Israel, intermarriage was not merely a social act but a direct violation of their covenant identity, which was designed to keep them distinct and devoted to Yahweh alone. The verse powerfully illustrates God's unwavering demand for exclusive worship and the severe consequences of spiritual adultery, underscoring the timeless principle that one cannot serve two masters. The narrative throughout Judges consistently demonstrates that Israel's suffering and oppression were a direct result of their turning away from God to serve foreign deities, a destructive cycle initiated by the very actions described in this verse.

* [Deuteronomy 7:3-4](/deuteronomy/7-3 "Prohibition of Intermarriage and its Consequences")
* [Exodus 34:15-16](/exodus/34-15 "Warning Against Covenant with Inhabitants and Intermarriage")
* [1 Kings 11:4](/1_kings/11-4 "Solomon's Heart Turned by Foreign Wives")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Judges 3:6 offers a timeless and sobering warning for believers today, highlighting the enduring temptation to compromise faith for the sake of worldly acceptance or comfort. The Israelites' failure to maintain spiritual distinctiveness, leading to intermarriage and idolatry, mirrors the subtle and often insidious ways worldly influences can erode our devotion to Christ. In our increasingly pluralistic and secular society, the pressure to conform, to dilute our convictions, or to prioritize social integration over spiritual integrity remains potent. While we may not bow to physical idols of Baal or Asherah, modern "gods" such as materialism, consumerism, career ambition, self-worship, comfort, or even political ideologies can subtly demand our ultimate allegiance, drawing our hearts away from exclusive devotion to Christ. This verse calls us to a vigilant self-examination, urging us to discern where our allegiances truly lie and to guard against any relationship, pursuit, or cultural trend that might subtly lead us away from the purity of worship and obedience to God. It underscores the necessity of intentional spiritual separation (not isolation from the world, but separation from its ungodly values), maintaining a distinct Christ-centered identity in a world that constantly pressures conformity, and prioritizing our covenant relationship with God above all else.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what areas of my life might I be tempted to compromise my faith for cultural acceptance, social integration, or perceived personal gain?**
* **How can I actively guard against subtle forms of modern idolatry (e.g., materialism, self-reliance, comfort, approval of others) in my daily routines, relationships, and aspirations?**
* **What specific steps can I take to ensure my devotion to God remains exclusive and uncompromised, reflecting a truly Christ-centered life in all its facets?**

### FAQ

**Why was intermarriage with the Canaanites so strictly forbidden?**

Answer: The prohibition against intermarriage was not based on racial discrimination but on the critical importance of preserving Israel's unique spiritual identity and their exclusive covenant relationship with Yahweh. God knew that such alliances would inevitably lead to syncretism, where the worship of Yahweh would be blended with the pagan practices of the Canaanites. As [Deuteronomy 7:3-4](/deuteronomy/7-3-4 "Deuteronomy 7:3-4 - Prohibition of Intermarriage and its Consequences") explicitly states, "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." The primary concern was the spiritual purity of the nation, their exclusive devotion to the one true God, and the prevention of their corruption by the pervasive idolatry and immoral practices of the surrounding cultures.

**Does this verse imply that all relationships with non-believers are forbidden for Christians today?**

Answer: No, this verse does not imply that all relationships with non-believers are forbidden for Christians today. The context of Judges 3:6 is specific to ancient Israel's unique covenant relationship with God and their role as a holy nation in the Promised Land, where intermarriage with pagan idolaters was a direct and inevitable path to national apostasy and the corruption of their worship. For Christians, the New Testament warns against being "unequally yoked" in marriage (cf. [2 Corinthians 6:14](/2_corinthians/6-14 "2 Corinthians 6:14 - Do Not Be Unequally Yoked")), emphasizing the critical importance of spiritual unity and shared devotion to Christ in the most intimate of human relationships. However, Christians are also called to be salt and light in the world, engaging with non-believers for the purpose of witness, evangelism, and demonstrating God's love (cf. [1 Corinthians 5:9-10](/1_corinthians/5-5 "1 Corinthians 5:5 - Immorality in the Church")). The principle derived from Judges 3:6 for today is about guarding one's spiritual integrity and ensuring that one's deepest allegiances and practices remain exclusively devoted to Christ, without compromising faith through unholy alliances or the adoption of worldly values that contradict God's truth.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Judges 3:6 poignantly illustrates Israel's profound failure to uphold their covenant with God, particularly their inability to maintain spiritual purity and exclusive devotion to Yahweh. Their intermarriage with pagan nations and subsequent idolatry reveal a recurring pattern of human weakness, unfaithfulness, and a deep-seated inability to live up to God's holy standards. This consistent failure throughout the Old Testament narrative underscores humanity's desperate need for a perfect deliverer and a new, more effective covenant. Jesus Christ perfectly fulfills what Israel could not. He is the true Israel, the faithful Son who never compromised His devotion to the Father, even when tempted by the world. Unlike Israel, who turned to serve other gods, Jesus perfectly embodies the exclusive worship of God, declaring, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve" ([Matthew 4:10](/matthew/4-10 "Matthew 4:10 - Worship God Alone")). Through His atoning sacrifice on the cross, Jesus, the [Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world](/john/1-29 "John 1:29 - Jesus, the Lamb of God"), cleanses humanity from the spiritual adultery of idolatry and establishes a [New Covenant](/jeremiah/31-31 "Jeremiah 31:31 - The New Covenant") where God's law is written not merely on stone tablets but directly on the hearts of His people. By the indwelling power of His Holy Spirit, believers are empowered to live lives of genuine purity, exclusive devotion to God, and true worship, something Israel could not achieve under the Old Covenant. In Christ, we find the ultimate solution to the problem of a divided heart, enabling us to truly serve the one true God and avoid the spiritual compromises that plagued ancient Israel.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Deuteronomy 7:3

Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.

Deuteronomy 7:4

For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.

Exodus 34:16

And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.

Ezra 9:11

Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness.

Ezra 9:12

Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave [it] for an inheritance to your children for ever.

Nehemiah 13:23

¶ In those days also saw I Jews [that] had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, [and] of Moab:

Nehemiah 13:27

Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives?