Ezra 10:5-15

5 Then Ezra rose and ¹made the leading priests, the Levites and all Israel, take oath that they would do according to this proposal; so they took the oath.

6 Then Ezra ²rose from before * the house of God and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib. Although he went there, ³he did not eat bread nor drink water, for he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.

7 They made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the exiles *, that they should assemble at Jerusalem,

8 and that whoever * would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the leaders and the elders, all his possessions should be forfeited and he himself excluded from the assembly of the exiles.

9 So all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month on the twentieth of the month, and all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, ⁴trembling because of this matter and the heavy rain.

10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have been unfaithful and have married foreign wives adding to the guilt of Israel.

11 "Now therefore, ⁵make confession to the LORD God of your fathers and ⁶do His will; and ⁷separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives."

12 Then all the assembly replied with a loud voice, "That's right! As you have said, so it is our duty to do.

13 "But there are many people; it is the rainy season and we are not able to stand in the open. Nor can the task be done in one or two days, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter.

14 "Let our leaders represent the whole assembly and let all those in our cities who have married foreign wives come at appointed times, together with the elders and judges of each city, until the ⁸fierce anger of our God on account of this matter is turned away from us."

15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah opposed this, with Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supporting them.

Ezra 10:5-15 Meaning and Commentary

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, Ezr 10:1-5, and proclamation was made throughout the land for all to meet at Jerusalem in three days' time, and accordingly they did, Ezr 10:6-9 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, Ezr 10:10-17 and a list of the names of those is given who had married such wives, and now put them away; of the priests, Ezr 10:18-22, of the Levites, Ezr 10:23,24, of the other Israelites, Ezr 10:24-44.

Cross References

• 1. Nehemiah 5:12; Nehemiah 13:25
• 2. Ezra 10:1
• 3. Deuteronomy 9:18
• 4. 1 Samuel 12:18; Ezra 9:4; Ezra 10:3
• 5. Leviticus 26:40; Proverbs 28:13
• 6. Romans 12:2
• 7. Ezra 10:3
• 8. 2 Kings 23:26; 2 Chronicles 28:11-13; 2 Chronicles 29:10; 2 Chronicles 30:8

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "word, thing"
• [b]. Lit "upon us"
• [c]. Lit "stand for"
• [d]. Lit "stood against"