Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah
Sforno on Deuteronomy 7:6/ספורנו על דברים ז׳:ו׳
אכִּי עַם קָדוֹשׁ אַתָּה. וְאֵין רָאוּי שֶׁתְּחַלֵּל קְדֻשָּׁתְךָ לְהוֹלִיד זֶרַע פָּסוּל, כַּאֲמָרוֹ ״כִּי חִלֵּל יְהוּדָה אֶת קֹדֶשׁ ה׳ אֲשֶׁר אָהֵב וְגוֹ׳״ (מלאכי ב:יא).
1כי עם קדוש אתה, and it is not appropriate for you to desecrate your sanctity through women committed to alien deities, who will bear you children that are already genetically corrupted. It is this that the prophet Maleachi 2,11 had in mind when he spoke of כי חלל יהודה קדש ה' אשר אהב ובעל בת נכר,”for Yehudah profaned what is holy to the Lord, what He desires, by sleeping with daughters of alien gods.”
בבְּךָ בָּחַר. וְלֹא בְּזֶרַע פָּסוּל, כְּאָמְרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (קידושין ע׳).
2בך בחר, as distinct from corrupt seed; our sages referred to this concept as “the benevolent presence of G’d is present (rests on) only families who are genetically offspring of families with good Jewish pedigrees.” (Kidushin 70)