The book of Ezra is traditionally associated with Ezra the priest-scribe. Ezra 9 continues the Ezra-centered reform narrative after His arrival in Jerusalem.
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Ezra 9
Ezra’s Grief and Prayer over Covenant Unfaithfulness
Restoration without repentance is fragile, because the people who have received mercy must not return to the very sins that brought judgment.
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Chapter Summary
Restoration without repentance is fragile, because the people who have received mercy must not return to the very sins that brought judgment.
Overview
Ezra 9 argues that covenant restoration must be guarded by holiness and repentance. The returned exiles have experienced extraordinary mercy, but their renewed compromise threatens the very restoration God has granted. Ezra’s grief and prayer teach that true spiritual leadership does not minimize sin, even when the community has recently experienced blessing. God is righteous, the people are guilty, and mercy must lead to obedience rather than presumption.
Context
The restored postexilic community and later covenant readers who needed to understand that return from exile, temple restoration, and royal favor did not remove the need for holiness, repentance, and covenant faithfulness.
Ezra 9 takes place after Ezra and the second return group have arrived safely in Jerusalem, delivered the sacred gifts, offered sacrifices, and delivered the king’s orders to Persian officials. Soon after, leaders report to Ezra that the people, priests, and Levites have not kept themselves separate from the surrounding peoples and have intermarried with them.
Restoration without repentance is fragile, because the people who have received mercy must not return to the very sins that brought judgment.
The book of Ezra is traditionally associated with Ezra the priest-scribe. Ezra 9 continues the Ezra-centered reform narrative after His arrival in Jerusalem.
The restored postexilic community and later covenant readers who needed to understand that return from exile, temple restoration, and royal favor did not remove the need for holiness, repentance, and covenant faithfulness.
Ezra 9 takes place after Ezra and the second return group have arrived safely in Jerusalem, delivered the sacred gifts, offered sacrifices, and delivered the king’s orders to Persian officials. Soon after, leaders report to Ezra that the people, priests, and Levites have not kept themselves separate from the surrounding peoples and have intermarried with them.
Social Pressure
- The restored community lives among surrounding peoples and faces the temptation to normalize alliances and practices that compromise covenant holiness. The problem is not mere ethnicity but participation in abominations and covenant unfaithfulness.
Marriage in the ancient world often joined households, inheritance, worship patterns, and covenant loyalties. Israel’s earlier commands about intermarriage with surrounding peoples were tied to the danger of idolatry and abominable practices, not racial superiority.
Ezra 9 exposes the deep spiritual crisis after physical restoration. The temple has been rebuilt, worship has resumed, and Ezra has arrived with the Law, but the people still need repentance and reform. The chapter shows that exile did not automatically cure the heart of covenant unfaithfulness.
Chapter Movement
After learning of covenant compromise among the returned community, Ezra responds with grief, shame, and intercessory confession before the Lord, acknowledging guilt, mercy, and the danger of renewed judgment.
Discourse Insight
Theological exposition and fulfillment
Ezra 9 brings the reader to the edge of the gospel by showing the impossibility of standing before God in guilt. The chapter reveals that restored places, restored rituals, restored leadership, and even renewed access to the Law cannot by themselves remove the guilt of sin. Ezra confesses shame and unworthiness, but He cannot atone for the people. Christ fulfills what Ezra’s prayer longs for: He is the righteous one who stands before God, the faithful Israelite who keeps covenant, the intercessor who represents His people, and the sacrifice who bears guilt.
In Him, guilty sinners receive forgiveness, cleansing, righteousness, and the power to live as a holy people.
Structural Flow
Covenant compromise through intermarriage and participation in surrounding practices is reported to Ezra.
Ezra physically embodies sorrow and horror before the gathered remnant who tremble at God’s Word.
Ezra kneels and spreads His hands to the Lord at the time of evening sacrifice.
Ezra confesses the community’s shame and inherited pattern of sin and judgment.
Ezra remembers the Lord’s favor in preserving a remnant and restoring the temple.
Ezra recalls the Lord’s commands against covenant-compromising intermarriage and alliance with defiling practices.
Ezra acknowledges that God has punished them less than their sins deserve.
Ezra ends by confessing the Lord’s righteousness and Israel’s inability to stand before Him in guilt.
Chapter Outline
- 1-2: The leaders report that the returned community, including priests and Levites, has entered covenant-compromising marriages with surrounding peoples.
- 3-4: Ezra responds with visible grief, and those who tremble at the words of God gather around Him.
- 5: At the evening sacrifice, Ezra kneels, spreads out His hands, and turns to the Lord.
- 6-7: Ezra acknowledges the depth of Israel’s guilt and the justice of past judgment.
- 8-9: Ezra recognizes the Lord’s favor in preserving a remnant, restoring the temple, and granting relief under Persian rule.
- 10-12: Ezra recalls the Lord’s command not to enter covenant-compromising unions with the peoples of the land.
- 13-14: Ezra confesses that God punished them less than they deserved and warns that renewed unfaithfulness risks destruction.
- 15: Ezra ends with no defense, only confession that the Lord is righteous and the people are guilty.
Theological Argument
Ezra 9 argues that covenant restoration must be guarded by holiness and repentance. The returned exiles have experienced extraordinary mercy, but their renewed compromise threatens the very restoration God has granted. Ezra’s grief and prayer teach that true spiritual leadership does not minimize sin, even when the community has recently experienced blessing. God is righteous, the people are guilty, and mercy must lead to obedience rather than presumption.
From reported compromise, to embodied grief, to trembling before the Word, to intercessory confession, to remembrance of mercy, to acknowledgment of guilt before the righteous Lord.
- 1.Restored privilege does not eliminate the danger of renewed sin.
- 2.Faithful leaders grieve sin before they manage solutions.
- 3.Corporate sin must be confessed without evasion.
- 4.God’s recent mercy makes renewed disobedience more grievous.
- 5.Covenant commands are not disposable after restoration.
- 6.The Lord is righteous even when his people are guilty.
Theological Focus
- Covenant holiness
- Corporate confession
- The seriousness of sin after mercy
- Leadership grief over communal unfaithfulness
- Trembling at the Word of God
- God’s righteousness in judgment
- God’s mercy in preserving a remnant
- The danger of syncretism and covenant compromise
- Repentance as necessary to true restoration
- Grace that must not be presumed upon
- Mercy does not make sin safe
- Trembling at God’s Word
- Corporate guilt
- Holy seed and covenant identity
- God’s restrained judgment
- No defense before God
- Sin after restoration
- Sin
- Repentance and Confession
- Holiness
- Divine Righteousness
- Mercy
- Leadership
- Doctrine of Scripture
- Christology
Theological Themes
The people have received a remnant, a restored temple, and relief from bondage, yet renewed disobedience remains dangerous.
Those who tremble at the words of the God of Israel gather around Ezra, showing reverent sensitivity to divine authority.
Ezra identifies with the people’s guilt even though He was not personally named among the offenders.
The community is called holy because it belongs to the Lord and must not be absorbed into surrounding abominable practices.
Ezra acknowledges that the Lord has punished the people less than their sins deserved.
Ezra ends His prayer without excuse or bargain, confessing that the people cannot stand before the righteous Lord in their guilt.
The chapter shows that outward restoration does not automatically produce inward faithfulness.
Covenant Significance
Ezra 9 confronts the covenant danger that the restored people might repeat the sins that brought exile. Intermarriage here is not treated as a biological or ethnic issue in isolation but as covenant compromise tied to the detestable practices of surrounding peoples. The chapter insists that the remnant preserved by grace must be holy to the Lord and governed by His commands.
Old Testament Connections
- The remnant is accountable to the covenant - Being spared from exile does not exempt the people from obedience. Mercy increases responsibility.
- The holy seed must not be absorbed into defiling practices - The issue is covenant identity and worship fidelity, not racial superiority.
- Leaders share heightened responsibility - The officials and leaders are first in the unfaithfulness, making the crisis more severe.
- The restored temple requires a restored people - The house of God has been rebuilt, but the people must not live in contradiction to the God who dwells there.
- The Lord’s mercy preserves but does not excuse - God has given relief, a remnant, and restoration, but Ezra knows renewed rebellion could bring severe judgment.
- Exodus 34:11-16 - The Lord warns Israel against covenant-making and intermarriage that would lead them into idolatry.
- Deuteronomy 7:1-6 - Israel is commanded not to intermarry with the surrounding nations because they would turn their children away from the Lord.
- Deuteronomy 23:3-6 - Certain covenant boundaries are given concerning peoples who opposed Israel, though these must be read alongside examples of repentant inclusion.
- 1 Kings 11:1-13 - Solomon’s foreign marriages turned His heart after other gods, illustrating the danger Ezra fears.
- Nehemiah 13:23-29 - Nehemiah later confronts a similar crisis of intermarriage and covenant compromise.
- Malachi 2:10-16 - Malachi addresses covenant faithlessness in marriage among the postexilic people.
Canonical Connections
Ezra’s concern reflects earlier commands warning that intermarriage with surrounding peoples would turn Israel away from the Lord.
Solomon’s foreign marriages turned His heart after other gods, illustrating the danger of covenant compromise.
Nehemiah later confronts a similar crisis, showing that the issue remained a serious threat in the restored community.
Ezra’s prayer belongs to the biblical pattern of leaders confessing the sins of the people before God.
Ezra recognizes that God has preserved a remnant, continuing the prophetic theme of mercy after judgment.
Ezra’s intercession points forward to Christ, who intercedes for His people as the righteous mediator.
Ezra confesses that the guilty cannot stand before God, while the New Testament proclaims standing by grace through Christ.
Cross References
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Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
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Provides immediate literary context around the same argument flow.
Provides immediate literary context around the same argument flow.
Gospel Clarity
Ezra 9 brings the reader to the edge of the gospel by showing the impossibility of standing before God in guilt. The chapter reveals that restored places, restored rituals, restored leadership, and even renewed access to the Law cannot by themselves remove the guilt of sin. Ezra confesses shame and unworthiness, but He cannot atone for the people. Christ fulfills what Ezra’s prayer longs for: He is the righteous one who stands before God, the faithful Israelite who keeps covenant, the intercessor who represents His people, and the sacrifice who bears guilt.
In Him, guilty sinners receive forgiveness, cleansing, righteousness, and the power to live as a holy people.
Gospel Guardrails
- Guilt must be confessed, not hidden - Ezra’s prayer exposes the truth that sin leaves the people unable to stand before the righteous God.
- Mercy does not deny righteousness - Ezra confesses that the Lord is righteous even while the people are guilty.
- The remnant needs more than return - Physical return from exile does not solve the deeper guilt and heart problem.
- Ezra’s intercession points beyond itself - Ezra prays as a grieving leader, but Christ intercedes as the sinless mediator whose sacrifice secures forgiveness.
- Christ enables guilty people to stand - Where Ezra says the people cannot stand in guilt, the gospel announces justification before God through Christ.
- Do not preach Ezra 9 as moral outrage detached from gospel hope.
- Do not soften the sin in the chapter into mere social awkwardness or administrative disorder.
- Do not frame the issue as racial purity. The biblical concern is covenant holiness and worship allegiance.
- Do not make repentance a work that earns mercy. Repentance is the honest return of guilty people to the righteous and merciful God.
- Do not leave hearers unable to stand. Move from Ezra’s confession of guilt to Christ’s provision of righteousness, atonement, and intercession.
Gospel Cross References
Primary Emphasis
Ezra 9 contributes to the Christ-centered storyline by exposing the insufficiency of external restoration to heal the human heart. The temple is rebuilt, the sacrifices have resumed, and the Law has arrived with Ezra, yet the people remain guilty and unable to stand before the righteous God. Ezra’s intercessory grief points forward to the need for a greater intercessor who does not merely confess with the guilty but bears guilt for them.
Christ is the righteous one who stands where sinners cannot stand, fulfills covenant faithfulness where Israel failed, and secures cleansing by His own sacrifice.
Chapter Contribution
Ezra 9 argues that covenant restoration must be guarded by holiness and repentance. The returned exiles have experienced extraordinary mercy, but their renewed compromise threatens the very restoration God has granted. Ezra’s grief and prayer teach that true spiritual leadership does not minimize sin, even when the community has recently experienced blessing. God is righteous, the people are guilty, and mercy must lead to obedience rather than presumption.
Doctrines in This Chapter
The present crisis is interpreted by God's commands given through His servants the prophets.
The gathering of those who tremble at the words of the God of Israel shows that reform begins where God's Word is feared and received as binding.
Ezra identifies with the guilt of the people and brings the community's sin before God in prayer.
The language of holy seed points to Israel's set-apart covenant identity and vocation among the nations, not to salvation by ethnicity.
God's restored people are called to live under His holy claim and cannot treat idolatrous compromise as a small matter.
The leaders and officials are foremost in the unfaithfulness, showing that leadership sin deepens communal guilt and demands sober reckoning.
Ezra stands before God on behalf of the guilty people, anticipating the need for a greater mediator who can deal finally with sin.
God has preserved a remnant, granted favor, revived His people, and punished them less than their sins deserved.
The survival and restoration of a remnant are acts of divine favor, not proof that the people are immune from judgment.
Ezra's grief and the gathering of the trembling remnant prepare the way for confession, repentance, and reform.
Ezra confesses that the Lord is righteous even while the restored remnant stands guilty before Him.
The passage names the community's compromise as unfaithfulness, not merely poor judgment or cultural adaptation.
The passage treats sin as accumulated covenant guilt that rises before God and cannot be managed by excuse or comparison.
Doctrinal Weight
The chapter exposes serious covenant unfaithfulness among the restored community, including leaders, priests, and Levites.
Ezra models grief, shame, and corporate confession before the Lord.
The returned community is called holy and must not be absorbed into defiling practices.
Ezra ends by confessing that the Lord is righteous and the people are guilty.
God has preserved a remnant, granted relief, restored the temple, and punished less than their sins deserved.
Ezra models spiritual leadership that grieves sin, trembles at God’s Word, and intercedes for the people.
The crisis is interpreted through the commands of God and the words spoken through His servants the prophets.
The people’s inability to stand in guilt points to the need for Christ’s righteousness, atonement, and intercession.
Reading Lenses
Theological exposition and fulfillment
- Ezra 9 brings the reader to the edge of the gospel by showing the impossibility of standing before God in guilt. The chapter reveals that restored places, restored rituals, restored leadership, and even renewed access to the Law cannot by themselves remove the guilt of sin. Ezra confesses shame and unworthiness, but He cannot atone for the people. Christ fulfills what Ezra’s prayer longs for: He is the righteous one who stands before God, the faithful Israelite who keeps covenant, the intercessor who represents His people, and the sacrifice who bears guilt. In Him, guilty sinners receive forgiveness, cleansing, righteousness, and the power to live as a holy people.
Key Hebrew Terms
Form in passage Niphal · Perfect · 3rd Person · Common · Plural What is this?
Sense to separate, divide, set apart
Definition To separate or set apart from something.
References Ezra 9:1
Lexicon to separate, divide, set apart
Why it matters The reported sin is that the people have not kept themselves separate from surrounding peoples and their detestable practices.
Sense abomination, detestable thing
Definition Something detestable, abominable, or ritually and morally offensive before the Lord.
References Ezra 9:1, 11, 14
Lexicon abomination, detestable thing
Why it matters The issue is tied to the practices of surrounding peoples that defile covenant faithfulness.
Sense unfaithfulness, treachery, trespass
Definition A breach of faith, treachery, or covenant violation.
References Ezra 9:2, 4
Lexicon unfaithfulness, treachery, trespass
Why it matters The leaders and officials are first in the unfaithfulness, making the crisis a covenant betrayal.
Form in passage Masculine · Singular · Construct What is this?
Sense holy seed, set-apart offspring/community
Definition Seed or offspring belonging to the Lord as holy and set apart.
References Ezra 9:2
Lexicon holy seed, set-apart offspring/community
Why it matters The phrase expresses covenant identity and holiness, not ethnic pride. The people belong to the Lord and must not be absorbed into defiling worship practices.
Form in passage Poel · Participle passive What is this?
Sense to be appalled, desolate, devastated
Definition To be appalled, stunned, desolate, or devastated.
References Ezra 9:3-4
Lexicon to be appalled, desolate, devastated
Why it matters Ezra sits appalled because sin after restoration is spiritually devastating.
Sense trembling, fearful, reverent dread
Definition One who trembles or is fearful, especially before God’s word.
References Ezra 9:4
Lexicon trembling, fearful, reverent dread
Why it matters Those who tremble at God’s words gather around Ezra, representing reverent responsiveness to Scripture.
Sense word, matter, spoken command
Definition A word, matter, command, or spoken message.
References Ezra 9:4
Lexicon word, matter, spoken command
Why it matters The faithful remnant trembles at the words of the God of Israel, showing submission to divine authority.
Sense iniquity, guilt, perversity
Definition Iniquity or guilt, including both the sinful act and its liability.
References Ezra 9:6-7, 13, 15
Lexicon iniquity, guilt, perversity
Why it matters Ezra confesses that the people’s guilt is overwhelming and reaches up to the heavens.
Form in passage Qal · Perfect · 1st Person · Common · Singular What is this?
Sense to be ashamed, put to shame
Definition To experience shame, embarrassment, or disgrace.
References Ezra 9:6
Lexicon to be ashamed, put to shame
Why it matters Ezra is ashamed to lift His face to God because the people’s guilt is so great.
Form in passage Feminine · Singular · Absolute What is this?
Sense remnant, escaped survivors
Definition A remnant or group of survivors who have escaped judgment.
References Ezra 9:8, 13-15
Lexicon remnant, escaped survivors
Why it matters Ezra recognizes that the restored community exists only because God has graciously preserved a remnant.
Form in passage Feminine · Singular · Absolute What is this?
Sense favor, grace, supplication
Definition Favor, grace, or supplication depending on context.
References Ezra 9:8
Lexicon favor, grace, supplication
Why it matters Ezra describes a brief moment of grace from the Lord that preserved the remnant and restored the temple.
Form in passage Feminine · Singular · Absolute What is this?
Sense peg, tent peg, secure place
Definition A peg or stake that gives secure fastening.
References Ezra 9:8
Lexicon peg, tent peg, secure place
Why it matters Ezra says God has given the remnant a secure hold in His holy place, expressing fragile but real stability by mercy.
Sense to give light, shine, brighten
Definition To give light, illuminate, or brighten.
References Ezra 9:8
Lexicon to give light, shine, brighten
Why it matters God has brightened the eyes of the remnant, giving renewed life and hope after judgment.
Form in passage Feminine · Singular · Absolute What is this?
Sense reviving, preservation of life, relief
Definition Preservation of life, sustenance, reviving, or relief.
References Ezra 9:8-9
Lexicon reviving, preservation of life, relief
Why it matters The Lord has granted the remnant relief and life in the midst of bondage.
Sense steadfast love, loyal kindness, covenant favor
Definition The Lord’s loyal love, mercy, kindness, and covenant favor.
References Ezra 9:9
Lexicon steadfast love, loyal kindness, covenant favor
Why it matters Ezra recognizes that the Lord extended covenant favor before the kings of Persia.
Cross-language bridge 2 links · View in lexicon
Form in passage Qal · Perfect · 1st Person · Common · Plural What is this?
Sense to forsake, abandon, leave
Definition To leave, abandon, or forsake.
References Ezra 9:10
Lexicon to forsake, abandon, leave
Why it matters Ezra confesses that the people have forsaken the Lord’s commands despite receiving mercy.
Sense righteous, just
Definition Righteous, just, or morally right.
References Ezra 9:15
Lexicon righteous, just
Why it matters Ezra’s prayer ends by confessing the Lord’s righteousness in the face of Israel’s guilt.
Sense to stand, remain, present oneself
Definition To stand, remain, or present oneself before someone.
References Ezra 9:15
Lexicon to stand, remain, present oneself
Why it matters Ezra confesses that the guilty people cannot stand before the righteous Lord because of their guilt.
Lexicon data: MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML (CC0) · Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (CC BY 4.0) · Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon (CC BY 4.0) · STEPBible Data (CC BY 4.0) · Full details
Commentary (Keil & Delitzsch)
C.F. Keil & F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–91) — public domain
Formation Focus
To form a holy people who understand that God’s mercy after judgment calls for trembling obedience, not renewed compromise.
To help believers grieve sin truthfully, confess guilt humbly, remember mercy rightly, and seek restoration on God’s terms.
Trembling, repentant, holy, mercy-aware faithfulness before the righteous Lord.
Practice Response
- Examine whether external signs of restoration are masking internal compromise.
- Cultivate trembling reverence before the words of God.
- Respond to sin first with prayer and confession before rushing to visible solutions.
- Name guilt without softening or blame-shifting.
- Remember specific mercies from God and let them deepen obedience.
- Guard households and churches from alliances that pull hearts away from the Lord.
- Lead repentant people to the only place guilty sinners can stand: the mercy of God fulfilled in Christ.
Warnings and Misreadings
- Ezra 9 gives one of the strongest warnings in the book: restored people can still return to the sins that brought judgment. The warning is intensified because the sin occurs after mercy, after temple rebuilding, after sacrificial worship, and after the gracious hand of God has been evident. Grace must lead to trembling obedience, not presumption.
- Ezra 9 teaches racial purity as the main concern. - The chapter’s concern is covenant holiness and separation from detestable practices. The Old Testament itself includes Gentiles such as Rahab and Ruth who join the people of God by faith and covenant allegiance.
- All foreign marriages were automatically condemned in every circumstance. - The concern is covenant-compromising unions that threaten faithfulness to the Lord. The issue is worship, allegiance, and obedience, not ethnicity in isolation.
- Ezra overreacts emotionally. - Ezra’s grief fits the gravity of sin after exile and mercy. He understands the covenant danger more clearly than those who normalized the compromise.
- Corporate confession means Ezra is personally guilty of the same sin. - Ezra identifies with the covenant community in intercession, but the text does not say He personally committed the reported sin.
- The restored temple proves the people are spiritually healthy. - Ezra 9 shows that restored structures can coexist with serious covenant unfaithfulness.
- God’s mercy means renewed sin will have no serious consequences. - Ezra explicitly fears that renewed disobedience after mercy could bring devastating judgment.
Discipleship Questions
- Where am I confusing external progress with true spiritual faithfulness?
- Do I tremble at God’s Word, or do I treat clear commands as negotiable?
- How do I respond when sin is exposed in the community of God’s people?
- Do I grieve sin before trying to manage its consequences?
- Where have I received mercy and then treated that mercy as permission to drift?
- Am I willing to confess corporate and communal sins without distancing myself in pride?
- What compromises threaten the holiness and worship fidelity of our church or household?
- Do I understand that before the righteous God, my only hope is mercy fulfilled in Christ?
Pastoral Applications
- Teach that mercy increases responsibility - Ezra 9 presses the church to understand that grace after judgment should lead to deeper holiness, not relaxed obedience.
- Recover biblical grief over sin - Ezra’s grief challenges shallow repentance. True leaders are not embarrassed to mourn when God’s people dishonor the Lord.
- Clarify covenant holiness carefully - This chapter must be taught with precision. The concern is not racial superiority but covenant faithfulness, worship purity, and separation from practices that lead away from God.
- Lead through confession before correction - Ezra does not begin with policy. He begins on His knees, confessing guilt before the Lord.
- Show that restored structures cannot replace holy lives - A rebuilt temple did not guarantee obedience. Churches need more than buildings, programs, and activity. They need repentance and submission to Scripture.
- Point guilty people to Christ - Ezra ends with the people unable to stand before God in guilt. This opens a direct path to proclaim the righteousness and intercession of Christ.
Pastoral Trajectories
Ezra 9 provides a model for confronting sin with grief, Scripture, confession, and dependence on God’s mercy.
Ezra shows that leaders must feel the spiritual weight of sin, not merely manage institutional damage.
The chapter warns that household decisions can shape covenant faithfulness across generations.
The issue is formation of holy people, not mere information transfer or religious activity.
Ezra’s prayer teaches confession that is honest about sin, honest about mercy, and honest about God’s righteousness.
The final admission that no one can stand in guilt prepares the way for the gospel of justification and cleansing in Christ.
The Biblical World
Chapter At A Glance
After learning of covenant compromise among the returned community, Ezra responds with grief, shame, and intercessory confession before the Lord, acknowledging guilt, mercy, and the danger of renewed judgment.
Ezra 9 confronts the covenant danger that the restored people might repeat the sins that brought exile. Intermarriage here is not treated as a biological or ethnic issue in isolation but as covenant compromise tied to the detestable practices of surrounding peoples. The chapter insists that the remnant preserved by grace must be holy to the Lord and governed by His commands.
Ezra 9 brings the reader to the edge of the gospel by showing the impossibility of standing before God in guilt. The chapter reveals that restored places, restored rituals, restored leadership, and even renewed access to the Law cannot by themselves remove the guilt of sin. Ezra confesses shame and unworthiness, but He cannot atone for the people. Christ fulfills what Ezra’s prayer longs for: He is the righteous one who stands before God, the faithful Israelite who keeps covenant, the intercessor who represents His people, and the sacrifice who bears guilt.
In Him, guilty sinners receive forgiveness, cleansing, righteousness, and the power to live as a holy people.
Trembling, repentant, holy, mercy-aware faithfulness before the righteous Lord.
Focus Points
- Covenant holiness
- Corporate confession
- The seriousness of sin after mercy
- Leadership grief over communal unfaithfulness
- Trembling at the Word of God
- God’s righteousness in judgment
- God’s mercy in preserving a remnant
- The danger of syncretism and covenant compromise
- Repentance as necessary to true restoration
- Grace that must not be presumed upon
- Mercy does not make sin safe
- Trembling at God’s Word
- Corporate guilt
- Holy seed and covenant identity
- God’s restrained judgment
- No defense before God
- Sin after restoration
- Sin
- Repentance and Confession
- Holiness
- Divine Righteousness
- Mercy
- Leadership
- Doctrine of Scripture
- Christology
Explore Further
Cross References
The children of the captivity, who had come out of exile, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve male goats for a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to Yahweh. They delivered the king’s commissions to the king’s local governors, and to the governors beyond the...
Immediate context
Now while Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting Himself down before God’s house, there was gathered together to Him out of Israel a very great assembly of men and women and children; for the people wept very bitterly. Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered Ezra, “We have trespassed against our God, and have married...
Forward context
Observe that which I command You today. Behold, I will drive out before You the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. Be careful, lest You make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where You are going, lest it be for a snare among You; but You shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars,...
Covenant warning
When Yahweh Your God brings You into the land where You go to possess it, and casts out many nations before You—the Hittite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite—seven nations greater and mightier than You; and when Yahweh Your God delivers them up before You, and You strike them, then You shall utterly...
Foundational command
Now king Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites; of the nations concerning which Yahweh said to the children of Israel, “You shall not go among them, neither shall they come among You; for surely they will turn away Your heart after their gods.” Solomon...
Historical warning
In those days I also saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab; and their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews’ language, but according to the language of each people. I contended with them, and cursed them, and struck certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God,...
Postexilic parallel
Don’t we all have one father? Hasn’t one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against His brother, profaning the covenant of our fathers? Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the holiness of Yahweh which He loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god....
Postexilic marriage faithfulness
I prayed to Yahweh my God, and made confession, and said, “Oh, Lord, the great and dreadful God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, and have dealt perversely, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even turning aside from Your precepts and from Your ordinances. We haven’t listened to...
Corporate confession parallel
And said, “I beg You, Yahweh, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with those who love Him and keep His commandments: Let Your ear now be attentive, and Your eyes open, that You may listen to the prayer of Your servant, which I pray before You at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel Your...
Intercessory confession parallel
If You, Yah, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, therefore You are feared.
Guilt before God
But now apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all those who believe. For there is no distinction, for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;
Gospel righteousness
Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, seeing that He lives forever to make intercession for them.
Christological intercession
My little children, I write these things to You so that You may not sin. If anyone sins, we have a Counselor with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. And He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.
Advocate and atoning sacrifice
Standing before God
Passages
Chapter opening: Ezra 9:1-4
Ezr 9:6 The train of thought in this prayer is as follows: I scarcely dare to lift up my fact to God, through shame for the greatness of our misdeeds (Ezr 9:6). From the days of our fathers, God has sorely punished us for our sins by delivering us into the power of our enemies; but has now again turned His pity towards us, and revived us in the place of His sanctuary, through the favour of the king of Persia (Ezr 9:7).
But we have again transgressed His commands, with the keeping of which God has connected our possession of the good land given unto us (Ezr 9:10). Should we then, after God has spared us more than we through our trespasses have deserved, bring His wrath upon us, till we are wholly consumed? God is just; He has preserved us; but we stand before Him with heavy guilt upon us, such guilt that we cannot endure God’s presence (Ezr 9:13).
Ezra does not pray for the pardon of their sin, for he desires only to bring the congregation to the knowledge of the greatness of their transgression, and so to invite them to do all that in them lies to atone for their guilt, and to appease God’s wrath. “I am ashamed, and am covered with shame, to lift up my face to Thee, my God. ” ונכלמתּי בּשׁתּי united, as in Jer 31:19, comp.
Isa 45:16, and other passages. נכלם, to be covered with shame, is stronger than בּושׁ. “For our iniquities are increased over our head,” i. e. , have grown above our head. ראשׁ למעלה, to or over the head. למעלה serves to enhance the meaning of רבוּ, like 1Ch 23:17. “And our guiltiness is great, (reaching) unto the heavens;” comp. 2Ch 28:9.
Ezr 9:7 “Since the days of our fathers, have we, our kings, our priests, been delivered into the hands of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to shame of face. ” The words from בּחרב onwards serve to explain what is meant by being delivered into the hand of strange kings. On the expression פּנים בּשׁת, comp. Dan 9:7, etc. , 2Ch 32:21.
הזּה כּהיּום, as it is this day, as is to-day the case; see remarks on Dan 9:7. The thought is: We are still sorely suffering for our sins, by being yet under the yoke of foreign sovereigns.
Ezr 9:8-9 “And now for a little moment there has been mercy from the Lord our God, to leave us a rescued remnant, and to give us a nail in His holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. ” He calls the short interval between their release from captivity by Cyrus, and the time when he is speaking, רגע כּמעט, a little moment (comp.
Isa 26:20), in comparison with the long period of suffering from the times of the Assyrians (comp. Neh 9:32) till the reign of Cyrus. פּליטה, a rescued remnant, is the new community delivered from Babylon, and returned to the land of their fathers. In proportion to the numerous population of former days, it was but a remnant that escaped destruction; but a remnant which, according to the predictions of the prophets, was again to grow into a large nation.
A foundation for this hope was given by the fact that God had given them “a nail in the place of His sanctuary. ” The expression is figurative. יתד is a nail or peg struck into the wall, to hang any kind of domestic utensils upon; comp. Isa 22:23, etc. Such a nail was the place of God’s sanctuary, the temple, to the rescued community. This was to them a firm nail, by which they were borne and upheld; and this nail God had given them as a support to which they might cling, and gain new life and vigour.
The infinitive clauses following, להאיר and לתתּנוּ, are dependent upon the preceding infinitives להשׁאיר and ולתת, and state the purpose for which God has given a nail in His house to this remnant. That our God may enlighten our eyes, i. e. , may bestow upon us new vitality; comp. Psa 13:4. Suffering and misfortune make the eyes dim, and their light is quenched in death: the enlightened or beaming eye is an image of vital power; comp.
1Sa 14:27, 1Sa 14:29. מחיה לתתּנוּ is not to be translated, ut daret nobis vivificationem , the suffix to לתתּנוּ being not dative, but accusative. The literal rendering is: that He may make us a slight reviving. מחיה, the means of supporting life, restoration to life; see on 2Ch 14:13. Ezra adds מעט; for the life to which the community had attained was but feeble, in comparison with a vigorous social life.
Their deliverance from Babylon and return to the land of their fathers was, so to speak, a revival from death; compare the embodiment of this figure in Ezekiel’s vision, Eze 37:1-14 : they were, however, still in a state of vassalage, and had not yet regained their independence. This thought is further carried out in Ezr 9:9 : “For we are bondmen, yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy to us before the kings of Persia; so that they have given us a reviving to build up the house of our God, and to repair its ruins, and have given us a wall about us in Judah and Jerusalem.
” They who have returned to Jerusalem and Judah are still bondmen, for they are yet under the Persian yoke; but God has disposed the kings of Persia so to favour them as to give them a reviving, to enable them to rebuild the house of God. Cyrus and Darius had not merely permitted and commanded the building of the temple, but had also furnished them with considerable assistance towards the carrying out of this work; comp.
Ezr 1:3, etc. Ezr 6:7-9. The suffix in חרבתיו alludes to אלהים בּית. The words of the last sentence are figurative. גּדר means the wall of a vineyard, the wall or fence built for its protection (Isa 5:2, Isa 5:5). Hence the wall, or enclosure, is an image of protection from the incursions and attacks of enemies. Such a wall has been given them in Judah and Jerusalem by the kings of Persia.
“The meaning is not that they possess a place defended by walls (perhaps, therefore, the temple) in Jerusalem and Judah, but that the Persian kings have given to the new community a safe dwelling-place (or the means of existence), because the power of the Persian empire secures to the returned Israelites continued and undisturbed possession of the city and the land. ” (Bertheau.)
After this statement concerning the divine favour, Ezra next sets himself to describe the conduct of his countrymen with respect to the mercy extended to them.
Ezr 9:8-9 “And now for a little moment there has been mercy from the Lord our God, to leave us a rescued remnant, and to give us a nail in His holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. ” He calls the short interval between their release from captivity by Cyrus, and the time when he is speaking, רגע כּמעט, a little moment (comp.
Isa 26:20), in comparison with the long period of suffering from the times of the Assyrians (comp. Neh 9:32) till the reign of Cyrus. פּליטה, a rescued remnant, is the new community delivered from Babylon, and returned to the land of their fathers. In proportion to the numerous population of former days, it was but a remnant that escaped destruction; but a remnant which, according to the predictions of the prophets, was again to grow into a large nation.
A foundation for this hope was given by the fact that God had given them “a nail in the place of His sanctuary. ” The expression is figurative. יתד is a nail or peg struck into the wall, to hang any kind of domestic utensils upon; comp. Isa 22:23, etc. Such a nail was the place of God’s sanctuary, the temple, to the rescued community. This was to them a firm nail, by which they were borne and upheld; and this nail God had given them as a support to which they might cling, and gain new life and vigour.
The infinitive clauses following, להאיר and לתתּנוּ, are dependent upon the preceding infinitives להשׁאיר and ולתת, and state the purpose for which God has given a nail in His house to this remnant. That our God may enlighten our eyes, i. e. , may bestow upon us new vitality; comp. Psa 13:4. Suffering and misfortune make the eyes dim, and their light is quenched in death: the enlightened or beaming eye is an image of vital power; comp.
1Sa 14:27, 1Sa 14:29. מחיה לתתּנוּ is not to be translated, ut daret nobis vivificationem , the suffix to לתתּנוּ being not dative, but accusative. The literal rendering is: that He may make us a slight reviving. מחיה, the means of supporting life, restoration to life; see on 2Ch 14:13. Ezra adds מעט; for the life to which the community had attained was but feeble, in comparison with a vigorous social life.
Their deliverance from Babylon and return to the land of their fathers was, so to speak, a revival from death; compare the embodiment of this figure in Ezekiel’s vision, Eze 37:1-14 : they were, however, still in a state of vassalage, and had not yet regained their independence. This thought is further carried out in Ezr 9:9 : “For we are bondmen, yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy to us before the kings of Persia; so that they have given us a reviving to build up the house of our God, and to repair its ruins, and have given us a wall about us in Judah and Jerusalem.
” They who have returned to Jerusalem and Judah are still bondmen, for they are yet under the Persian yoke; but God has disposed the kings of Persia so to favour them as to give them a reviving, to enable them to rebuild the house of God. Cyrus and Darius had not merely permitted and commanded the building of the temple, but had also furnished them with considerable assistance towards the carrying out of this work; comp.
Ezr 1:3, etc. Ezr 6:7-9. The suffix in חרבתיו alludes to אלהים בּית. The words of the last sentence are figurative. גּדר means the wall of a vineyard, the wall or fence built for its protection (Isa 5:2, Isa 5:5). Hence the wall, or enclosure, is an image of protection from the incursions and attacks of enemies. Such a wall has been given them in Judah and Jerusalem by the kings of Persia.
“The meaning is not that they possess a place defended by walls (perhaps, therefore, the temple) in Jerusalem and Judah, but that the Persian kings have given to the new community a safe dwelling-place (or the means of existence), because the power of the Persian empire secures to the returned Israelites continued and undisturbed possession of the city and the land. ” (Bertheau.)
After this statement concerning the divine favour, Ezra next sets himself to describe the conduct of his countrymen with respect to the mercy extended to them.
Ezr 9:10 “And now, O our God, what can we say after this? That we have forsaken Thy commandments,” זאת, i.e., such proofs of the divine compassion as have just been mentioned. The answer which follows commences with כּי, before which נאמר is mentally repeated: “we can only say that we have forsaken Thy commandments, requited Thy kindness with sins.”
Ezr 9:11-12 Namely, the commandments “which Thou hast commanded by Thy servants the prophets, saying, The land unto which ye go to possess it is an unclean land through the uncleanness of the people of the lands, through their abominations, wherewith they have filled it from one end to another through their impurity. And now give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons (for wives), nor seek their peace nor their wealth for ever; that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.
” The words of the prophets introduced by לאמר are found in these terms neither in the prophetical books nor the Pentateuch. They are not, therefore, to be regarded as a verbal quotation, but only as a declaration that the prohibition of intermarriage with the heathen had been inculcated by the prophets. The introduction of this prohibition by the words: the land unto which ye go to possess it, refers to the Mosaic age, and in using it Ezra had chiefly in view Deu 7:1-3.
He interweaves, however, with this passage other sayings from the Pentateuch, e. g. , Deu 23:7, and from the prophetic writings, without designing to make a verbal quotation. He says quite generally, by His servants the prophets, as the author of the books of Kings does in similar cases, e. g. , 2Ki 17:23; 2Ki 21:10; 2Ki 24:2, where the leading idea is, not to give the saying of some one prophet, but to represent the truth in question as one frequently reiterated.
The sayings of Moses in Deuteronomy also bear a prophetical character; for in this book he, after the manner of the prophets, seeks to make the people lay to heart the duty of obeying the law. It is true that we do not meet in the other books of Scripture a special prohibition of marriages with Canaanites, though in the prophetical remarks, Jdg 3:6, such marriages are reproved as occasions of seducing the Israelites to idolatry, and in the prophetic descriptions of the whoredoms of Israel with Baalim, and the general animadversions upon apostasy from the Lord, the transgression of this prohibition is implicitly included; thus justifying the general expression, that God had forbidden the Israelites to contract such marriages, by His servants the prophets.
Besides, we must here take into consideration the threatening of the prophets, that the Lord would thrust Israel out of the land for their sins, among which intermarriage with the Canaanites was by no means the least. Ezra, moreover, makes use of the general expression, “by the prophets,” because he desired to say that God had not merely forbidden these marriages one or twice in the law, but had also repeatedly inculcated this prohibition by the prophets.
The law was preached by the prophets when they reiterated what was the will of God as revealed in the law of Moses. In this respect Ezra might well designate the prohibition of the law as the saying of the prophets, and cite it as pronounced according to the circumstances of the Mosaic period. The words: the land into which ye go, etc. , recall the introduction of the law in Deu 7:1, etc.
; but the description of the land as a land of uncleanness through the uncleanness of the people, etc. , does not read thus either in the Pentateuch or in the prophets. נדּה, the uncleanness of women, is first applied to moral impurity by the prophets: comp. Lam 1:17; Eze 7:20; Eze 36:17, comp. Isa 64:5. The expression מפּה אל־פּה, from edge to edge, i. e. , from one end to the other, like לפה פּה, 2Ki 10:21; 2Ki 21:16, is taken from vessels filled to their upper rim.
ועתּה introduces the consequence: and now, this being the case. The prohibition וגו תּתּנוּ אל is worded after Deu 7:3. The addition: nor seek their peace, etc. , is taken almost verbally from Deu 23:7, where this is said in respect of the Ammonites and Moabites. תּחזקוּ למאן recalls Deu 11:8, and the promise: that ye may eat the good of the land for ever, Isa 1:19.
לבניכם והורשׁתּם, and leave it for an inheritance to your children, does not occur in this form in the Pentateuch, but only the promise: that they and their children should possess the land for ever. On הורישׁ in this sense comp. Jdg 11:24; 2Ch 20:11.
Ezr 9:11-12 Namely, the commandments “which Thou hast commanded by Thy servants the prophets, saying, The land unto which ye go to possess it is an unclean land through the uncleanness of the people of the lands, through their abominations, wherewith they have filled it from one end to another through their impurity. And now give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons (for wives), nor seek their peace nor their wealth for ever; that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.
” The words of the prophets introduced by לאמר are found in these terms neither in the prophetical books nor the Pentateuch. They are not, therefore, to be regarded as a verbal quotation, but only as a declaration that the prohibition of intermarriage with the heathen had been inculcated by the prophets. The introduction of this prohibition by the words: the land unto which ye go to possess it, refers to the Mosaic age, and in using it Ezra had chiefly in view Deu 7:1-3.
He interweaves, however, with this passage other sayings from the Pentateuch, e. g. , Deu 23:7, and from the prophetic writings, without designing to make a verbal quotation. He says quite generally, by His servants the prophets, as the author of the books of Kings does in similar cases, e. g. , 2Ki 17:23; 2Ki 21:10; 2Ki 24:2, where the leading idea is, not to give the saying of some one prophet, but to represent the truth in question as one frequently reiterated.
The sayings of Moses in Deuteronomy also bear a prophetical character; for in this book he, after the manner of the prophets, seeks to make the people lay to heart the duty of obeying the law. It is true that we do not meet in the other books of Scripture a special prohibition of marriages with Canaanites, though in the prophetical remarks, Jdg 3:6, such marriages are reproved as occasions of seducing the Israelites to idolatry, and in the prophetic descriptions of the whoredoms of Israel with Baalim, and the general animadversions upon apostasy from the Lord, the transgression of this prohibition is implicitly included; thus justifying the general expression, that God had forbidden the Israelites to contract such marriages, by His servants the prophets.
Besides, we must here take into consideration the threatening of the prophets, that the Lord would thrust Israel out of the land for their sins, among which intermarriage with the Canaanites was by no means the least. Ezra, moreover, makes use of the general expression, “by the prophets,” because he desired to say that God had not merely forbidden these marriages one or twice in the law, but had also repeatedly inculcated this prohibition by the prophets.
The law was preached by the prophets when they reiterated what was the will of God as revealed in the law of Moses. In this respect Ezra might well designate the prohibition of the law as the saying of the prophets, and cite it as pronounced according to the circumstances of the Mosaic period. The words: the land into which ye go, etc. , recall the introduction of the law in Deu 7:1, etc.
; but the description of the land as a land of uncleanness through the uncleanness of the people, etc. , does not read thus either in the Pentateuch or in the prophets. נדּה, the uncleanness of women, is first applied to moral impurity by the prophets: comp. Lam 1:17; Eze 7:20; Eze 36:17, comp. Isa 64:5. The expression מפּה אל־פּה, from edge to edge, i. e. , from one end to the other, like לפה פּה, 2Ki 10:21; 2Ki 21:16, is taken from vessels filled to their upper rim.
ועתּה introduces the consequence: and now, this being the case. The prohibition וגו תּתּנוּ אל is worded after Deu 7:3. The addition: nor seek their peace, etc. , is taken almost verbally from Deu 23:7, where this is said in respect of the Ammonites and Moabites. תּחזקוּ למאן recalls Deu 11:8, and the promise: that ye may eat the good of the land for ever, Isa 1:19.
לבניכם והורשׁתּם, and leave it for an inheritance to your children, does not occur in this form in the Pentateuch, but only the promise: that they and their children should possess the land for ever. On הורישׁ in this sense comp. Jdg 11:24; 2Ch 20:11.
Ezr 9:13-14 And after all, continues Ezra, taking up again the אחרי־זאת of Ezr 9:10, - “after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass - yea, Thou our God has spared us more than our iniquity deserved, and hast given us this escaped remnant - can we again break Thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? Wilt Thou not be angry with us even to extirpation, so that no residue and no escaped remnant should be left?
” The premiss in Ezr 9:13 is followed in Ezr 9:14 by the conclusion in the form of a question, while the second clause of Ezr 9:13 is an explanatory parenthesis. Bertheau construes the passage otherwise. He finds the continuation of the sentence: and after all this ... in the words וגו אתּה כּי, which, calmly spoken, would read: Thou, O God, hast not wholly destroyed us, but hast preserved to us an escaped remnant; while instead of such a continuation we have an exclamation of grateful wonder, emphatically introduced by כּי in the sense of כּי אמנם.
With this construction of the clauses, however, no advance is made, and Ezra, in this prayer, does but repeat what he had already said, Ezr 9:8 and Ezr 9:9; although the introductory אהרי leads us to expect a new thought to close the confession. Then, too, the logical connection between the question Ezr 9:14 and what precedes it would be wanting, i. e. , a foundation of fact for the question Ezr 9:14.
Bertheau remarks on Ezr 9:14, that the question: should we return to break (i. e. , break again) the commands of God? is an antithesis to the exclamation. But neither does this question, to judge by its matter, stand in contrast to the exclamation, nor is any such contrast indicated by its form. The discourse advances in regular progression only when Ezr 9:14 forms the conclusion arrived at from Ezr 9:13 , and the thought in the premiss (13 a ) is limited by the thoughts introduced with כּי.
What had come upon Israel for their sins was, according to Ezr 9:7, deliverance into the hand of heathen kings, to the sword, to captivity, etc. God had not, however, merely chastened and punished His people for their sins, He had also extended mercy to them, Ezr 9:8, etc. This, therefore, is also mentioned by Ezra in Ezr 9:13 , to justify, or rather to limit, the כּל in כּל־הבּא.
The כּי is properly confirmatory: for Thou, our God, hast indeed punished us, but not in such measure as our sins had deserved; and receives through the tenor of the clause the adversative meaning of imo , yea (comp. Ewald, §330, b ). למטּה מ חשׂכתּ, Thou hast checked, hast stopped, beneath our iniquities. חשׂך is not used intransitively, but actively; the missing object must be supplied from the context: Thou hast withheld that, all of which should have come upon us, i.
e. , the punishment we deserved, or, as older expositors completed the sense, iram tuam . מעוננוּ למטּה, infra delicta nostra , i. e. , Thou hast punished us less than our iniquities deserved. For their iniquities they had merited extirpation; but God had given them a rescued remnant. כּזאת, as this, viz. , this which exists in the community now returned from Babylon to Judaea.
This is the circumstance which justifies the question: should we, or can we, again (נשׁוּב is used adverbially) break Thy commandments, and become related by marriage? (חתחתּן like Deu 7:3.) התּעבות עמּי, people who live in abominations. The answer to this question is found in the subsequent question: will He not - if, after the sparing mercy we have experienced, we again transgress the commands of God - by angry with us till He have consumed us?
כּלּה עד (comp. 2Ki 13:17, 2Ki 13:19) is strengthened by the addition: so that there will be no remnant and no escaping. The question introduced by הלוא is an expression of certain assurance: He will most certainly consume us.
Ezr 9:13-14 And after all, continues Ezra, taking up again the אחרי־זאת of Ezr 9:10, - “after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass - yea, Thou our God has spared us more than our iniquity deserved, and hast given us this escaped remnant - can we again break Thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? Wilt Thou not be angry with us even to extirpation, so that no residue and no escaped remnant should be left?
” The premiss in Ezr 9:13 is followed in Ezr 9:14 by the conclusion in the form of a question, while the second clause of Ezr 9:13 is an explanatory parenthesis. Bertheau construes the passage otherwise. He finds the continuation of the sentence: and after all this ... in the words וגו אתּה כּי, which, calmly spoken, would read: Thou, O God, hast not wholly destroyed us, but hast preserved to us an escaped remnant; while instead of such a continuation we have an exclamation of grateful wonder, emphatically introduced by כּי in the sense of כּי אמנם.
With this construction of the clauses, however, no advance is made, and Ezra, in this prayer, does but repeat what he had already said, Ezr 9:8 and Ezr 9:9; although the introductory אהרי leads us to expect a new thought to close the confession. Then, too, the logical connection between the question Ezr 9:14 and what precedes it would be wanting, i. e. , a foundation of fact for the question Ezr 9:14.
Bertheau remarks on Ezr 9:14, that the question: should we return to break (i. e. , break again) the commands of God? is an antithesis to the exclamation. But neither does this question, to judge by its matter, stand in contrast to the exclamation, nor is any such contrast indicated by its form. The discourse advances in regular progression only when Ezr 9:14 forms the conclusion arrived at from Ezr 9:13 , and the thought in the premiss (13 a ) is limited by the thoughts introduced with כּי.
What had come upon Israel for their sins was, according to Ezr 9:7, deliverance into the hand of heathen kings, to the sword, to captivity, etc. God had not, however, merely chastened and punished His people for their sins, He had also extended mercy to them, Ezr 9:8, etc. This, therefore, is also mentioned by Ezra in Ezr 9:13 , to justify, or rather to limit, the כּל in כּל־הבּא.
The כּי is properly confirmatory: for Thou, our God, hast indeed punished us, but not in such measure as our sins had deserved; and receives through the tenor of the clause the adversative meaning of imo , yea (comp. Ewald, §330, b ). למטּה מ חשׂכתּ, Thou hast checked, hast stopped, beneath our iniquities. חשׂך is not used intransitively, but actively; the missing object must be supplied from the context: Thou hast withheld that, all of which should have come upon us, i.
e. , the punishment we deserved, or, as older expositors completed the sense, iram tuam . מעוננוּ למטּה, infra delicta nostra , i. e. , Thou hast punished us less than our iniquities deserved. For their iniquities they had merited extirpation; but God had given them a rescued remnant. כּזאת, as this, viz. , this which exists in the community now returned from Babylon to Judaea.
This is the circumstance which justifies the question: should we, or can we, again (נשׁוּב is used adverbially) break Thy commandments, and become related by marriage? (חתחתּן like Deu 7:3.) התּעבות עמּי, people who live in abominations. The answer to this question is found in the subsequent question: will He not - if, after the sparing mercy we have experienced, we again transgress the commands of God - by angry with us till He have consumed us?
כּלּה עד (comp. 2Ki 13:17, 2Ki 13:19) is strengthened by the addition: so that there will be no remnant and no escaping. The question introduced by הלוא is an expression of certain assurance: He will most certainly consume us.
Ezr 9:15 “Jahve, God of Israel, Thou art righteous; for we remain an escaped remnant, as (it is) this day. Behold, we are before Thee in our trespass; for no one can stand before Thy face, because of this. ” Ezra appeals to the righteousness of God, not to supplicate pardon, as Neh 9:33, for the righteousness of God would impel Him to extirpate the sinful nation, but to rouse the conscience of the community, to point out to them what, after this relapse into their old abominations, they had to expect from the justice of God.
נשׁארנוּ כּי is confirmatory. God has shown Himself to be just by so sorely punishing this once numerous nation, that only a small remnant which has escaped destruction now exists. And this remnant has again most grievously offended: we lie before Thee in our trespass; what can we expect from Thy justice? Nothing but destruction; for there is no standing before Thee, i.
e. , no one can stand before Thee, על־זאת, because of this (comp. Ezr 8:23; Ezr 10:2), i. e. , because of the fresh guilt which we have incurred.
Ezr 10:1 The separation of the strange wives from the congregation. - Ezr 10:1-5. While Ezra was making this confession before God, a numerous assemblage gathered around him, and wept aloud. From this point onwards Ezra relates the further course of events in such wise as to cast his own person in the background, and speaks of himself in the third person. The matter of his prayer is more definitely declared by וּכהתודּתו, and his posture in prayer by וּמתנפּל בּכה, weeping and casting himself down (lying on his knees, Ezr 9:5).
“Before the house of God,” i. e. , in the court of the temple. The confirmatory clause: for the people wept much (בכה הרבּה, a weeping in mass), furnishes the motive of so great a number of men, women, and children gathering around Ezra. Very many were as distressed as he was at the marriages with strange wives, and regarded them as a grievous trespass; hence they assembled weeping around him.
Ezr 10:2-3 Then one of the sons of Elam, Shecaniah, the son of Jehiel, stood forth from amidst the assembly, and uttered the confession: “We have been unfaithful towards our God by marrying strange wives, but there is yet hope for Israel concerning this thing. We will now make a covenant with God to put away all the strange wives and their children from the congregation, according to the counsel of the Lord, and of those who fear the commandment of our God, that it may be done according to the law.
” Shecaniah, of the sons of Elam (comp. Ezr 2:7; Ezr 8:7), is a different person from the descendant of Zattu, mentioned Ezr 8:5; nor is Jehiel identical with the individual whose name occurs in Ezr 10:26. ונּשׁב, and have brought home strange wives. הושׁיב, to cause to dwell (in one’s house), said in Ezr 10:10, Ezr 10:14, Ezr 10:17, Ezr 10:18, and Neh 13:23, Neh 13:27, of bringing a wife home.
Shecaniah founds his hope for Israel in this trespass upon the circumstance, that they bind themselves by a solemn covenant before God to put away this scandal from the congregation, and to act in conformity with the law. To make a covenant with our God, i. e. , to bind themselves by an oath with respect to God, comp. 2Ch 29:10. הוציא, to put away - the opposite of הושׁיב.
All the wives are, according to the context, all the strange women (Ezr 10:2), and that which is born of them, their children. Instead of אדני בּעצת, according to the counsel of the Lord, De Wette, Bertheau, and others, following the paraphrase in the lxx and 1 Esdras, read אדני, according to the counsel of my lord, i. e. , of Ezra. But this paraphrase being of no critical authority, there is no sufficient reason for the alteration.
For Shecaniah to call Ezra my lord sounds strange, since usually this title was only given by servants to their master, or subjects to their sovereign, and Shecaniah afterwards addresses him simply as thou . Besides, Ezra had given no advice at all in this matter, and still less had he come to any resolution about it with the God-fearing members of the community.
יעשׂה after the preceding נכרת־בּרית, we will make a covenant, must be taken as hortative: and let it be done according to the law. בּ חרד, caring for with trembling.
Ezr 10:2-3 Then one of the sons of Elam, Shecaniah, the son of Jehiel, stood forth from amidst the assembly, and uttered the confession: “We have been unfaithful towards our God by marrying strange wives, but there is yet hope for Israel concerning this thing. We will now make a covenant with God to put away all the strange wives and their children from the congregation, according to the counsel of the Lord, and of those who fear the commandment of our God, that it may be done according to the law.
” Shecaniah, of the sons of Elam (comp. Ezr 2:7; Ezr 8:7), is a different person from the descendant of Zattu, mentioned Ezr 8:5; nor is Jehiel identical with the individual whose name occurs in Ezr 10:26. ונּשׁב, and have brought home strange wives. הושׁיב, to cause to dwell (in one’s house), said in Ezr 10:10, Ezr 10:14, Ezr 10:17, Ezr 10:18, and Neh 13:23, Neh 13:27, of bringing a wife home.
Shecaniah founds his hope for Israel in this trespass upon the circumstance, that they bind themselves by a solemn covenant before God to put away this scandal from the congregation, and to act in conformity with the law. To make a covenant with our God, i. e. , to bind themselves by an oath with respect to God, comp. 2Ch 29:10. הוציא, to put away - the opposite of הושׁיב.
All the wives are, according to the context, all the strange women (Ezr 10:2), and that which is born of them, their children. Instead of אדני בּעצת, according to the counsel of the Lord, De Wette, Bertheau, and others, following the paraphrase in the lxx and 1 Esdras, read אדני, according to the counsel of my lord, i. e. , of Ezra. But this paraphrase being of no critical authority, there is no sufficient reason for the alteration.
For Shecaniah to call Ezra my lord sounds strange, since usually this title was only given by servants to their master, or subjects to their sovereign, and Shecaniah afterwards addresses him simply as thou . Besides, Ezra had given no advice at all in this matter, and still less had he come to any resolution about it with the God-fearing members of the community.
יעשׂה after the preceding נכרת־בּרית, we will make a covenant, must be taken as hortative: and let it be done according to the law. בּ חרד, caring for with trembling.
Ezr 10:4 “Up! for this matter concerns thee (thou art called to carry it out), and we are with thee (will assist thee therein); be strong (courageous) and do it.”