Ezra 9:1

EZRA'S PRAYERFUL RESPONSE TO THE MIXED MARRIAGES OF ISRAEL WITH PAGANS

Actually, both of these final chapters of Ezra are devoted to the solution of the problem presented by Israel's intermarriage with foreigners. It is easy for us to see how this problem developed. In the first place there might have been a shortage of women in that company of returnees which came with Zerubbabel; and again, the great men of Israel's history had repeatedly taken foreign wives. Both Abraham and Joseph had married Egyptians; Judah also married a Gentile; Moses married a Cushite; one of David's wives was a foreigner (2 Samuel 3:3); and Solomon's harem was apparently dominated by pagan wives. Under the circumstances, therefore, it is easy to see how this problem developed.

Nevertheless, in spite of what some view as the violation of human rights, and the incredible grief, sufferings, and emotional distress that resulted from Ezra's drastic solution of this crisis, it needed to be corrected; and there can be no doubt whatever that God's will was accomplished in the epic severance of Israel from their idolatrous wives. "There is no doubt that if the practice of intermarriage had continued and extended, then the Jews would have lost their national identity; and it is of the greatest significance that the New Testament warns against marriages with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14)."[1]

In this connection, we must reject the liberal view that, "The Israelites did not originally condemn intermarriage."[2]; Deuteronomy 7:3 specifically forbade intermarriage with non-Israelites; and it is a gross mistake to identify that restriction with some alleged "Deuteronomist." The prohibition against Israel's mingling with non-Israelites in marriage was an integral part of the entire Mosaic covenant, as taught in Exodus 23:32, where God forbade making "any covenant" with the pagan populations, a restriction which absolutely included the marriage covenant as well as all other covenants. Again, "Is it not that we are separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth" (Exodus 33:16)? The wholesale violation of God's law in this matter by many of Israel's famous leaders in no way invalidated God's specific orders.

Before proceeding to examine the text of this chapter, we notice another liberal viewpoint which we must reject. It seems to be a presumptive privilege falsely arrogated to themselves which prompts many critical scholars to proceed with rearranging the Biblical text to conform to their imaginative theories and prejudices, apparently overlooking the fact that they are absolutely without any divine mandate to do any such rearranging of the Biblical text.

We thank God that the custodianship of the Sacred Scriptures was not entrusted to the radical critical enemies of the Bible whose writings have proliferated during the current century. The inspired writings of the apostle Paul tell us exactly who received that commission of custodianship. Here it is:

"WHAT ADVANTAGE THEN HATH THE JEW? ... MUCH EVERY WAY; FIRST OF ALL BECAUSE THEY WERE ENTRUSTED WITH THE ORACLES OF GOD" (Romans 3:1,2).

Well, there we have it! The Jews were entrusted with keeping the Sacred Scriptures of the O.T.; and because of that, we cannot receive the proposition that, "The story of the reading of the law and its aftermath (Nehemiah 7:73b-9:37) originally stood between the Ezra 8 and Ezra 9."[3] There are excellent explanations of the gap of several months between Ezra's arrival in Jerusalem and his getting down to the problem of the mixed marriages; and we shall note these below.

This is a remarkably interesting and important chapter. There are ten divisions in these final two chapters, three of which appear in this chapter. These are: (1) "The complaint of the princes regarding the mixed marriages (Ezra 9:1-2); (2) Ezra's astonishment and horror (Ezra 9:3-4); and (3) Ezra's confession and prayer to God (Ezra 9:5-15)."[4]

EZRA GETS THE BAD NEWS ABOUT THE MIXED MARRIAGES

"Now when these things were done, the princes drew near unto me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians and the Amorites. For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the peoples of the lands: yea the hands of the princes and the rulers have been chief in this trespass."

"Now when these things were done" (Ezra 9:1). Hamrick wrote that, "These words seem to imply that the controversy over mixed marriages occurred immediately upon Ezra's arrival in Jerusalem."[5] A number of current scholars take the same view; and then, because Ezra's action to correct the situation did not take place until the twentieth day of the ninth month (Ezra 10:9), the critical scholars at once account for this "gap," as they call it, by supposing that, "The story of the reading of the law and its aftermath (Nehemiah 7:73b-9:37) should be inserted into the Book of Ezra, between Ezra 8 and Ezra 9."[6]

As noted above, we believe in the integrity and authenticity of both Ezra and Nehemiah; and we do not accept the assumed authority of 20th century scholars to revise the Holy Bible and to do any kind of a scissors and paste job on it that pleases them.

Their error here is in the failure to see that "after these things" in the text says nothing about Ezra's actions being "immediately after his arrival in Jerusalem." It simply means that Ezra received the word about the mixed marriages after he had completed his assignment from the king. And how long was that?

Keil explained that several months elapsed before the word about the mixed marriages came to Ezra. "The delivery of the king's commands to the satraps and governors ... occupied weeks, or months; because the king's command was not merely to transmit the royal decree, but to come to such an understanding with them as would secure their goodwill and support in furthering the people and the house of God."[7] In view of the vast distances involved in Ezra's delivery of the king's decree to all the satraps and governors beyond the River, it is surprising that he confronted the mixed marriage situation as early as he did.

"The Canaanites, the Hittites, Perizzites, ..." (Ezra 9:1). There were seven of the Canaanite nations (Exodus 3:8; 23:23; Deuteronomy 7), five of whom are mentioned here. The Ammonites, Moabites and Egyptians are here mentioned in addition to five of the seven Canaanite races. "If any effectual check was to be put upon Israel's relapse into heathenism, the prohibition against marriages with all of these groups, under existing circumstances, was absolutely necessary."[8]

The problem was aggravated and intensified by the violations of many of the princes and rulers of the Israelites by such marriages.