The Function of a Conjunction: Inclusivist or Exclusivist Strategies in Ezra 6.21 and Nehemiah 10.29–30?

In spite of the genealogical exclusion of non-Israelites evidenced throughout Ezra–Nehemiah, numerous scholars find strategies of inclusivism within the work. In particular, Ezra 6.19-21 and Neh. 10.29-30 have been understood to envision the incorporation of outsiders into the Golah group. After surveying the evidence for exclusivism in Ezra–Nehemiah, this article presents an alternative reading of these specific passages by providing a different interpretation of the function of the waw. It is argued that, instead of intending to portray outsiders joining the Golah group, Ezra 6.19-21 and Neh. 10.29-30 describe the separation of the Golah group from the impurity of the nations.