NOTES for Ezr 10:1-15
1 Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore. |
2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. |
3 Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. |
4 Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it. |
5 Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware. |
6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away. |
7 And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem; |
8 And that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away. |
9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain. |
10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. |
11 Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives. |
12 Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do. |
13 But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed in this thing. |
14 Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us. |
15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them. |
Hide
If the actions of Ezra and his assistants had amounted to organizing a mass divorce, we would hardly consider them worthy of imitation. But for Ezra, divorce and the family tragedies associated with it were not an end in themselves. The mass divorce becomes part of a renewed covenant with the Lord, by which the people once again undertake to remain united with Him and faithfully follow His commandments.
Let us note that no one forbids husbands who do not wish to part with their pagan wives from accompanying them into exile. Nor do we hear a single voice protesting against Ezra. Such a response gives rise to doubts about how strong those severed family bonds had been in the first place. Moreover, for some reason no mention is made of whether any of the foreign women had accepted faith in the God of Israel. Could it be that their husbands had not taken care to unite them with their own people and reveal to them the meaning of that people’s hope in the Lord?
But in any event, the breaking of close relationships, especially on such a massive scale, brought pain and the reality of human tragedies. Whatever arguments may be used to justify what happened, there is no escaping this...
After registering, you can subscribe to any Bible reading plan. Personalized settings and other services for registered users are planned, so we recommend registering now. Registration is free. | ||
