1Ezra mourneth for the intermarriages of the people with strangers. 5He prayeth unto God with confession of sins.
1NOW when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the 1people 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.
1 Which persisted in the pagan abominations of idolatry, with whom God had expressly (Deut. 7:2, 3, etc., and elsewhere oft) forbidden His people to marry.
2For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the 2holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and 3rulers hath been 4chief in this trespass.
2 That is, the holy generation, which Israel was, in respect of the covenant, that God had made with Abraham and his seed. Compare Gen. 6:2; 1 Cor. 7:14.
3 Or, governors, magistrates, protectors.
4 Having thus given bad example unto others.
3And when I heard this thing, I 5rent my garment and my mantle, and 6plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down 7astonied.
5 See Gen. 37 on verse 29.
6 Not out of doubting or out of superstition (forbidden Lev. 19:27), but out of exceeding great grief and perplexity at this abomination.
7 Or, solitary.
4Then were assembled unto me every one 8that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those 9that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the 10evening sacrifice.
8 That is, those who feared the Lord and His Word from the heart. Compare Isa. 66:2, 5.
9 Hebr. of the carrying away, as above and elsewhere often.
10 See Exod. 29:39, 41; Num. 28 on verse 4.
5¶And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God,
6And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increaseda over our head, and our trespass is grown up 11unto the heavens.
a Psalm 38:4.
11 Compare 2 Chron. 28 on verse 9.
7Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.
8And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a 12remnant to escape, and to give us a 13nail in his 14holy place, that our God may lighten our 15eyes, and give us a little 16reviving in our bondage.
12 That is, some who have escaped; also verses 13, 14, 15.
13 That is, some stability of our state. Compare Isa. 22:23.
14 Hebr. in the place of his holiness.
15 That is, to refresh ourselves. Compare 1 Sam. 14:27, 29.
16 That is, recovery, refreshment, that we may (as it were) fetch our breath; a little rest.
9For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath 17extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the 18desolations thereof, and to give us a 19wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
17 As Ezra 7:28.
18 That is, to repair the decayed house of God and to restore the worship of God.
19 Or, fence, such as are wont to be cast up about vineyards of loose stones; intimating, that God had already in a manner begun to secure and safeguard them against their enemies round about.
10And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,
11Which thou hast commanded by thy 20servants the prophets, saying, Theb land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an 21unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it 22from one end to another with their uncleanness.
20 Hebr. hand.
b Lev. 18:25, 27; Deut. 7:3.
21 Hebr. a land of separation; a comparison taken from a woman, or some other person, who is separated from the society of men by reason of some uncleanness. See Lev. 12 on verse 2; Num. 19 on verse 9, etc.
22 Hebr. from mouth to mouth; that is, everywhere, from one end to another, or, thus that one uncleanness has continually followed and succeeded another. Compare 2 Kings 10:21; 21:16.
12Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their 23peace or their 24wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children 25for ever.
23 That is. their wellbeing.
24 Or, prosperity.
25 See Gen. 17 on verse 7.
13And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less 26than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this;
26 As Thou hast threatened us, Deut. 28:43. Other, thou hast kept back, thyself, or thy wrath, thy rod underneath our iniquity; that is, Thou hast punished us less than we have deserved by our sins.
14Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinityc with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?
c relationship by marriage
15O LORD God of Israel, thou art 27righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee 28because of this.
27 Who keeps His covenant promises for the Messiah’s sake, Who shall satisfy Thy justice for the people’s sins; the same appearing thereby that we are escaped, although burdened and laden with a large guilt, in respect whereof we were not able to stand before Thee, if Thou wouldest deal with us according to our deserts. Compare Neh. 9:8, etc.
28 Other, with such.