The central prohibition against intermarriage in the Law of Moses is from Deut 7.3. Intermarriage with peoples of the lands was interpreted by Ezra as the cause for the pollution of the land and for the rejection of the worship of the people by God.
Therefore is a translation of the Hebrew connective conjunction and the adverb “now” (see verses 8 and 10 above). Here it is a discourse marker that indicates the next development in the statement, which will be the prohibition against intermarriage. It is very emphatic. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translates literally with “And now,” while Revised English Bible says “Now therefore.”
Give not your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons: This is a parallelism that forbids both the marriage of Israelite women into a foreign society and the bringing of foreign women into Israel in marriage. Even though the Revised Standard Version rendering is unnatural English, the expressions “giving your daughters” and “taking their daughters” reflect the patriarchal view of society that was prevalent in Israel at the time. This is lost in the Good News Translation restructuring of this prohibition with the English verb “to intermarry.” It is preferable to retain the reflection of Jewish marriage practice in the translation, if the vocabulary of the receptor language allows it. Compare verse 2 above.
And never seek their peace or prosperity: They were not only forbidden to intermarry with them but they were also not to seek their peace (shalom in Hebrew) or prosperity (literally “good”). Although the general meaning of this expression is apparent, there are several possible interpretations. This negative command may mean that the Israelites were not to seek to enjoy the peace and good life enjoyed by the other peoples (so Bible en français courant, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Osty-Trinquet), or that the Israelites were not to seek to enable the other peoples to live in peace and prosperity (so Good News Translation, Revised English Bible). This latter interpretation reflects the original context of the clause in Deut 23.6. New International Version condenses the two ideas of peace and prosperity into a single expression saying that the Israelites should not try to make a “treaty of friendship” with their neighbors. This is based on the instructions in Exo 34.12, 15 and the political implications of this phrase from Deut 23.6. New Jerusalem Bible says that they should not concern themselves “about peace or good relations with them.” It is best to translate the clause as in Revised Standard Version or Good News Translation without reference to a treaty that is not mentioned in the text.
The result of obeying these prohibitions is to be a threefold blessing: to be strong (Deut 11.8); to eat the good of the land (Deut 8.11-12; compare Isa 1.19; Jer 2.7); and to leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever (Deut 11.9; compare Ezek 37.25). The first blessing is the well-being of the nation, the second is the well-being of the people, and the third is the well-being of the people’s descendants. Good News Translation translates the first two ideas in one expression, “to enjoy the land,” but it is preferable to retain the three distinct elements as is done by most translations.
Be strong may be translated “find strength” or “become strong as a nation.”
Eat the good of the land is a literal translation of the Hebrew. It means to “enjoy the good things that the land offers” (so Bible en français courant, New English Bible), such as what is described by Moses in Deut 8 and 11. New Jerusalem Bible says “live off the fat of the land,” which is a colloquial expression in English. Some languages may say “have a profitable land.”
Inheritance is a keyword in God’s relationship with his people. It expresses the concept that the land is given to them by God without their earning it or winning it. Here it has its primary sense of leaving land for one’s children, but its use recalls also the theological significance of the term. Similarly to Good News Translation, New English Bible translates the last clause as “and pass it on to your children as an everlasting possession.”
The quotation within the quotation that began with verse 11 ends here. This may be indicated with a closing quotation mark as Revised Standard Version has done.
Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Ezra. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .