the sons Of Joshua. Who had come up with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:2 ). There were 973 priests of that house (Ezra 2:36 ). There were found guilty seventeen priests, ten Levites singers and sorters, and eighty-six lay people, making 118 in all. read more
THESE ARE THE NAMES OF THOSE WITH FOREIGN WIVES"And among the sons of the priests there were found that had married foreign women: namely, of the sons of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and his brethren, Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah. And they gave their hand that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their guilt. And of the sons of lmmer: Hanani and Zebadiah. And of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel,... read more
18. among the sons of the priests—From the names of so many men of rank appearing in the following list, some idea may be formed of the great and complicated difficulties attending the reformatory work. read more
The completion of the proceedings 10:16-44The people were able to complete the divorce proceedings in three months (Ezra 10:9; Ezra 10:17). A total of 113 Israelites had married and now divorced their foreign wives, only a small fraction of the total number of Jews then living in Judah. Of these, 16 were priests and 10 were Levites, about 25 percent of the total 113. Perhaps no Jewish women had married any Gentile men. A more likely possibility is that since women could not divorce their... read more
The Foreign Wives are Divorced3. According to the law] see Deuteronomy 24:1-2, which required a bill of divorcement. 5. The chief priests] RV ’the chiefs of the priests’: see 2 Chronicles 36:14.6. Johanan] If the Eliashib meant is the contemporary of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 13:4, Nehemiah 13:7) and Johanan was really his grandson (not his son, see Nehemiah 12:22), he must have lived a long while after Ezra, and consequently the description of the chamber, here alluded to, as the chamber of Johanan... read more
(18-44) List of the transgressors.(19) They gave their hands.—The four members of the high priest’s family were peculiarly dealt with. They gave their distinct pledge, and offered each a special trespass offering. It is one among a multitude of similar tokens of authenticity in the history; and inventor would have given some reason for the peculiarity.(22) Pashur.—Comparing Ezra 2:36-39, we find that all the priestly families that returned with Zerub-babel were implicated in the national... read more
THE HOME SACRIFICED TO THE CHURCHEzra 10:1-44EZRA’S narrative, written in the first person, ceases with his prayer, the conclusion of which brings us to the end of the ninth chapter of our Book of Ezra; at the tenth chapter the chronicler resumes his story, describing, however, the events which immediately follow. His writing is here as graphic as Ezra’s, and if it is not taken from notes left by the scribe, at all events it would seem to be drawn from the report of another eye-witness, for it... read more
CHAPTER 10 1. The effect of Ezra’s prayer on the people (Ezra 10:1-4 ) 2. Ezra summons an assembly (Ezra 10:5-8 ) 3. The gathering, confession and the evil judged (Ezra 10:9-17 ) 4. The register of those who had married strange women (Ezra 10:18-44 ) Ezra 10:1-4 . Ezra’s prayer, confession and humiliation were before the house of the LORD.” The people saw his great sorrow and his tears, they heard his words confessing the nation’s sins. It produced a wonderful effect among the people.... read more
ACTION FOLLOWING PRAYER (vv. 1-17) Ezra expected an answer to his prayer, and God provided the answer immediately in moving a very huge number of men, women and children to gather together before Him, weeping bitterly, for they realized that this was not a matter merely to pray about, but to be faced and settled before God. One man, Shechaniah, became a spokesman for all, confessing their guilt in having trespassed against God in taking pagan wives."Yet now," he said, "there is hope in... read more
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Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Ezra 10:1-44
The problem solved (10:1-44)People heard of Ezra’s grief and gathered with their families to meet him. They confessed their wrongdoing and promised on oath before Ezra that they would correct it (10:1-5). But the problem could not be solved in a day, for it was widespread and its consequences were far-reaching. Ezra therefore went away to a quiet room in a friend’s house where he could spend the night considering the matter before God. The result was that a meeting of all families was arranged... read more