Ezra 10:4

Let us covenant, not only that, if we have strange wives ourselves, we will put them away, but that, if we have not, we will do what we can in our places to oblige others to put away theirs." (4.) "Let Ezra himself preside in this matter, who is authorized by the king's commission to enquire whether the law of God be duly observed in Judah and Jerusalem (ch. vii. 14), and let us all resolve to stand by him in it (v. 4): Arise, be of good courage. Weeping, in this case, is good, but reforming is better." See what God said to Joshua in a like case, Josh. vii. 10, 11. III. What a good resolution they came to upon this good motion, v. 5. They not only agreed that it should be done, but bound themselves with an oath that they would do according to this word. Fast bind, fast find. 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.

10:1-5 Shechaniah owned the national guilt. The case is sad, but it is not desperate; the disease threatening, but not incurable. Now that the people begin to lament, a spirit of repentance seems to be poured out; now there is hope that God will forgive, and have mercy. The sin that rightly troubles us, shall not ruin us. In melancholy times we must observe what makes for us, as well as against us. And there may be good hopes through grace, even where there is the sense of great guilt before God. The case is plain; what has been done amiss, must be undone again as far as possible; nothing less than this is true repentance. Sin must be put away, with a resolution never to have any thing more to do with it. What has been unjustly got, must be restored. Arise, be of good courage. Weeping, in this case, is good, but reforming is better. As to being unequally yoked with unbelievers, such marriages, it is certain, are sinful, and ought not to be made; but now they are not null, as they were before the gospel did away the separation between Jews and Gentiles.

Arise,.... From the ground, where he lay prostrate: for this matter belongeth unto thee; as a priest and scribe of the law, well versed in it, and therefore could direct what was to be done according to it; and as a ruler under the king of Persia, and a commissioner of his, to inquire whether the law of God was observed by the Jews, Ezra 7:14 and so had authority to put the law in execution: we also will be with thee; to help and assist in the reformation of this evil: be of good courage, and do it; do not despair of going through it, though there may be some opposition to it; begin, and doubt not of succeeding.

Ezra 10:4-5 . Arise, for this matter belongeth unto thee — Who hast a perfect knowledge of the law, and full power from the king of Persia to see every thing done according to it; and who hast most skill to manage this matter. We also will be with thee: be of good courage — He promises him his assistance, and that of many other principal persons, which might give him confidence of success. Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, &c ., to swear — He admonished them of their duty in the name of God, and then persuaded them to take a solemn oath, which they did, to put away their strange wives.

Verse 4. - This matter belongeth unto thee. Ezra's commission was to "let judgment be executed on those who would not do the law of God" ( Ezra 7:26 ), and so to constrain them to obedience. It was therefore his place to inquire into the serious matter brought before him, and set it right. We will be with thee . We, the "very great congregation" which had gathered around Ezra, and of whom Shechaniah was the spokesman, undertake to be with thee, and support thee, in the steps which thou takest in this matter. Only be of good courage, and act. Ezra 10:4

Let it be done according to the law - i. e., let a formal "bill of divorcement" be given to each foreign wife, whereby she will be restored to the condition of an unmarried woman, and be free to marry another husband (see Deuteronomy 24:1-2 ). The facility of divorce among the Jews is well-known. According to many of the rabbis, a bill of divorcement might he given by the husband for the most trivial cause. Thus, no legal difficulty stood in the way of Shechaniah's proposition; and Ezra regarded it as necessary for the moral and religious welfare of the people.

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.

4 . The appeal to Ezra. Arise ] Not a reference to Ezra’s prostration but a summons to energetic action, Joshua 1:2 ; Jdg 4:14 ; 1 Samuel 16:12 and often. for this matter belongeth unto thee :] R.V. for the matter &c. Literally ‘for this matter is upon thee’. Cf. Nehemiah 13:13 , ‘And their business was (lit. and it was upon them) to distribute unto their brethren’. Isaiah 9:6 , ‘And the government shall be upon his shoulder’. Ezra was marked out for the duty, partly because he had so publicly testified to his condemnation of the people’s sin, partly because he had received the royal commission ‘to teach’ them that knew not the laws of his God ( Ezra 7:25 ). we also will be with thee ] R.V. and we are with thee. The R.V. gives the full meaning, by placing only a comma after ‘thee’. The lead in the work was Ezra’s, but Shechaniah and his friends were ready to cooperate at once in the reform. The present tense is therefore more appropriate than the future. be of good courage, and do it] Literally, ‘be strong, and do’. The responsibility of initiative required especial courage, when the policy would inevitably produce widespread discontent with no material compensation. David uses the same words to Solomon when entrusting to him the work of constructing the Temple. 1 Chronicles 28:10 , ‘Take heed now; for the Lord hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it’: cf. 2 Chronicles 19:11 , ‘Deal courageously’ (Heb.