Mixed Blood in Israel

This doesn’t really have to do with anything special, but I’ve noticed more than once how people were allowed to marry into the house of Israel who were of different nations and bloodlines. I don’t think there is any great meaning to it, but it shows that God was willing to let Gentiles into His family before the time of Jesus. So just a couple examples here:

“And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-paaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.” Genesis 41:45 KJV

Ephraim and Manasseh were half Egyptian since Asenath would have been a full-blooded Egyptian.

“And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;” Matthew 1:5-6 KJV

Ruth, of course, was from Moab, which meant that King David had a little bit of Moabite blood coursing through his veins.

I think about this kind of stuff, I find it fascinating.