Board index ‹ Assorted Bible Questions

[Mother]

I know that the physical national of Israel was started by a physical man who likely resided in what is now the southeastern area of modern-day Turkey and was likely some complexion of “middle eastern.”

However, even though Israel was started by a [likely-]middle eastern man, does that mean that the nation of Israel remained that complexion up thru the time of Christ? We’re there any Israelites who were of a different complexion, making the nation itself noticeably more spiritual than physical? (Even though it was always more spiritual than physical to begin with)

Bonus question: Apart from Abraham, when the nation of Israel was starting out, were the wives grafted in? If not, where did they come from? Basically, where did the 12 wives of the sons of Jacob come from? Was their any inter-familial relations among the burgeoning Israelites?

[jimwalton]

Other ethnicities became part of the Israelite nation.

• Moses married a Midianite woman (Ex. 2.21)
• When they left Egypt, some Egyptians and other ethnic peoples left with them and became part of them (Ex. 12.38).
• Rahab, a Canaanite, became part of them (Josh 6.25).
• Ruth, a Moabitess, became part of them (Ruth 4)
• The Gibeonites became part of them (Josh 9)
• Solomon married many wives for political alliances. They and their children became part of them.
• Etc.

[Ang]

> Moses married a Midianite woman (Ex. 2.21)

And a Cushite (Sudanese)

While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had indeed married a Cushite woman)

Numbers 12:1 NRSV

[Mother]

Thank you for this. There’s a fair bit about certain parts of the OT I’m not really too knowledgeable on.

[Recipe]

The people that God chose were specifically of the line of Abraham, and the promises he made to Abraham were that Abraham's seed would become a blessing. That is one single race to whom God's promises and election or choice were made. No other races could fulfill that choice, though they can be included in that choice/promise.

The covenant with Abraham become a religious covenant of observance and dedication. Anyone who meets the covenant obligations became an Israelite and received all the blessings that came with that covenant. We see this with all the people that Jim mentioned. They all became a part of the covenant people of Israel and made up the nation of Israel. However, if you follow the genealogies, you will see that David (from whom Christ would come) was of the line of Abraham. It is all part of God's promise to Abraham.

Note that Ruth, a Moabitess, was included in that line, but the line still traces back to Abraham. So what we see is God choosing and using a very specific race of people for his own purposes, and we also see God including a means for Gentiles to become a part of that people as well. God's choice of one race includes other races, but is ultimately fulfilled by that one race as he promised so long ago.