Ezra 10

Ezr 10:1-17.

EZRA

REFORMS THE

STRANGE

MARRIAGES.

1. Now when Ezra had prayed--As this prayer was uttered in public,

while there was a general concourse of the people at the time of the

evening sacrifice and as it was accompanied with all the demonstrations

of poignant sorrow and anguish, it is not surprising that the spectacle

of a man so respected, a priest so holy, a governor so dignified as

Ezra, appearing distressed and filled with fear at the sad state of

things, should produce a deep sensation; and the report of his

passionate grief and expressions in the court of the temple having

rapidly spread through the city, a great multitude flocked to the spot.

2-4. Shechaniah . . . answered and said unto Ezra, We have

trespassed--This was one of the leading men, who was not himself a

delinquent in the matter, for his name does not occur in the following

list. He spoke in the general name of the people, and his conduct

evinced a tender conscience, as well as no small fortitude in making

such a proposal; for as his father and five paternal uncles

(Ezr 10:26)

were involved in the guilt of unlawful marriages, he showed, by the

measure he recommended, that he deemed it better to obey God than to

please his nearest relatives.

yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing--This hope,

however, depended on timely measures of reformation, and therefore,

instead of surrendering themselves to despair or despondency, he

counselled them to amend their error without delay, relying on God's

mercy for the past. Though the proposal may seem harsh and cruel, yet

in the peculiar circumstances of the Jews it was just as well as

necessary; and he urged the duty of seeing it executed on Ezra, as the

only person competent to carry it into effect, being possessed of skill

and address for so delicate and difficult a work, and invested by God,

and under Him by the Persian king

(Ezr 7:23-28),

with the requisite authority to enforce it.

5-8. Then Ezra . . . went into the chamber of Johanan--At a private

council of the princes and elders held there, under the presidency of

Ezra, it was resolved to enter into a general covenant to put away

their foreign wives and children; that a proclamation should be made

for all who had returned from Babylon to repair within three days to

Jerusalem, under pain of excommunication and confiscation of their

property.

9-11. Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin--The returned captives

belonged chiefly to these tribes; but other Israelites are also

included under these names, as they all were then occupying the

territory formerly assigned to those two tribes.

It was the ninth month--that is, between the end of December and the

beginning of January, which is the coldest and most rainy season of the

year in Palestine.

all the people sat in the street--that is, the court.

10-17. Ezra the priest stood up, and said--Having fully represented

the enormity of their sin and urged them to dissolve their unlawful

connections, he was gratified by receiving a prompt acknowledgment of

the justice of his reproof and a promise of compliance with his

recommendation. But as the weather was ungenial and the defaulters were

too numerous to be passed in review at one time, it was resolved that a

commission should be appointed to examine into the whole matter. These

commissioners, assisted by the judges and elders of the respective

cities, made a minute investigation into every case, and after three

months' labor completely removed all traces of the abuse. Doubtless, an

adequate provision was made for the repudiated wives and children,

according to the means and circumstances of the husbands.

Ezr 10:18-44.

THOSE

THAT

HAD

TAKEN

STRANGE

WIVES.

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.

19. they gave their hands--that is, came under a solemn engagement,

which was usually ratified by pledging the right hand

(Pr 6:1;

Eze 17:18).

The delinquents of the priestly order bound themselves to do like the

common Israelites

(Ezr 10:25),

and sought to expiate their sin by sacrificing a ram as a trespass

offering.

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