Ezra 10:23

Ezra 10:1 INTRODUCTION TO EZRA 10 Upon Ezra's prayer and confession, it was proposed by Shechaniah, that those who had married strange wives should put them away with their children, which they swore to do, Ezra 10:1, and proclamation was made throughout the land for all to meet at Jerusalem in three days' time, and accordingly they did, Ezra 10:6 when, at the exhortation of Ezra, all agreed to it, and persons were appointed to see it done, and the work was finished in the space of three months, Ezra 10:10 and a list of the names of those is given who had married such wives, and now put them away; of the priests, Ezra 10:18, of the Levites, Ezra 10:23, of the other Israelites, Ezra 10:24. Ver. 1. Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping,....

10:15-44 The best reformers can but do their endeavour; when the Redeemer himself shall come to Zion, he shall effectually turn away ungodliness from Jacob. And when sin is repented of and forsaken, God will forgive it; but the blood of Christ, our Sin-offering, is the only atonement which takes away our guilt. No seeming repentance or amendment will benefit those who reject Him, for self-dependence proves them still unhumbled. All the names written in the book of life, are those of penitent sinners, not of self-righteous persons, who think they have no need of repentance.

And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives,.... They proposed to do it, and actually did it: and being guilty; of which they were fully convinced: they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass; to make atonement for it, and thereby set an example to others to do the like. Aben Ezra observes, that we do not find that the trespass offering was a mulct to such who married strange wives, and conjectures, that it was the advice of the chief men to do it. From hence, to the end of Ezra 10:43, is a list of the men that had married strange wives, and put them away; those in Ezra 10:20, were priests; in Ezra 10:23, Levites, and those of them who were singers or porters; the rest were Israelites: and it is a very common distinction, in rabbinical writers, to distinguish the Jews into priests, Levites, and Israelites; of these we know no more than their names; some of the heads of the families may be observed in Ezra 2:1.

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.

2 . And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel , one of the sons of Elam ] R.V. Shecaniah. A Jehiel is mentioned in Ezra 10:26 as one ‘of the sons of Elam’ that had married ‘strange women’. It is hardly likely that Shecaniah would have taken action against his own father and mother (or stepmother); though, if he did, it would strikingly illustrate the intensity of the feeling aroused. ‘The children of Elam’ are mentioned in Ezra 2:7 , Ezra 8:7 . We have trespassed ] See on Ezra 9:2 . have taken strange wives ] R.V. have married strange women. ‘Have married’ a word meaning literally ‘caused to dwell’ used in this technical sense here and Ezra 10:10 ; Ezra 10:14 ; Ezra 10:17-18 ; Nehemiah 13:23 ; Nehemiah 13:27 . of the people of the land ] R.V. of the peoples of the land. ‘of the land’, not as in Ezra 9:1-2 ; Ezra 9:11 ‘of the lands’. Shecaniah refers especially to the heathen living amongst the people of Israel. yet now there is hope in Israel ] ‘Hope’. This word in the Hebrew is used for the object of hope in Jeremiah 14:8 ; Jeremiah 17:13 ; Jeremiah 50:7 . In 1 Chronicles 29:15 ‘our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no abiding (Heb. ‘hope’)’, and in this passage, the source or means of ‘hope’ is denoted. Shecaniah relied upon the promise attached to repentance (e.g. Deuteronomy 30:1-10 ). ‘Even now’ corresponds to the ‘and now’ in Ezra 9:10 . concerning this thing] The same words in the Hebrew as ‘because of this’ ( Ezra 9:15 ).

Of Levites, only six names are given, and that without stated the houses to which they belonged. From Ezra 2:40 , however, it appears that they were of the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel there mentioned. "Kelaiah, the same is Kelita;" the latter is the usual name of the person in question, and that which he bears in Nehemiah 8:7 and Nehemiah 10:11 . Jozabad also reappears in Nehemiah 8:7 .

Then one of the sons of Elam, Shecaniah, the son of Jehiel, stood forth from amidst the assembly, and uttered the confession: "We have been unfaithful towards our God by marrying strange wives, but there is yet hope for Israel concerning this thing. We will now make a covenant with God to put away all the strange wives and their children from the congregation, according to the counsel of the Lord, and of those who fear the commandment of our God, that it may be done according to the law." Shecaniah, of the sons of Elam (comp. Ezra 2:7 ; Ezra 8:7 ), is a different person from the descendant of Zattu, mentioned Ezra 8:5 ; nor is Jehiel identical with the individual whose name occurs in Ezra 10:26 . ונּשׁב, and have brought home strange wives. הושׁיב, to cause to dwell (in one's house), said in Ezra 10:10 , Ezra 10:14 , Ezra 10:17 , Ezra 10:18 , and Nehemiah 13:23 , Nehemiah 13:27 , of bringing a wife home. Shecaniah founds his hope for Israel in this trespass upon the circumstance, that they bind themselves by a solemn covenant before God to put away this scandal from the congregation, and to act in conformity with the law. To make a covenant with our God, i.e., to bind themselves by an oath with respect to God, comp. 2 Chronicles 29:10 . הוציא, to put away - the opposite of הושׁיב. All the wives are, according to the context, all the strange women ( Ezra 10:2 ), and that which is born of them, their children.