Ezra 9:3

3 And when I had heard this word, I rent my mantle and my coat, and I pulled away the hairs of mine head and of my beard, and I sat mourning. (And when I had heard this, I tore my cloak and my coat, and I pulled away the hairs of my head and of my beard, and I sat down mourning.)

Ezra 9:3 Meaning and Commentary

Ezra 9:3

And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle,
&c.] Both inward and outward garments, that which was close to his body, and that which was thrown loose over it; and this he did in token of sorrow and mourning, as if something very dreadful and distressing, see ( Job 1:20 )

and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard;
did not shave them, and so transgressed not the law in ( Leviticus 19:27 ) but plucked off the hair of them, to show his extreme sorrow for what was told him: which has frequently been done by mourners on sorrowful occasions in various nations, see ( Isaiah 15:2 ) . So in the apocryphal "addition" to Esther,

``And laid away her glorious apparel, and put on the garments of anguish and mourning: and instead of precious ointments, she covered her head with ashes and dung, and she humbled her body greatly, and all the places of her joy she filled with her torn hair.'' (Esther 14:2)

she is said to fill every place of joy with the tearing of her hair; and Lavinia in Virgil ^F11; several passages from Homer ^F12, and other writers, both Greek and Latin, are mentioned by Bochart ^F13 as instances of it:

and sat down astonished;
quite amazed at the ingratitude of the people, that after such favours shown them, in returning them from captivity unto their own land, and settling them there, they should give into practices so contrary to the will of God.

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 Aeneid. 12. prope finem. Vid. Ciceron. Tusc. Quaest. l. 3.
F12 Vid. Iliad. 10. ver. 15. & Iliad. 22. ver. 77, 78, 406. & Iliad. 24. ver. 711.
F13 Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 45. col. 481.

Ezra 9:3 In-Context

1 And after that these things were fulfilled, the princes nighed to me, that is, to Ezra, and said, The people of Israel, and the priests, and deacons, be not separated from the peoples of (the) lands, and from [the] abominations of them, that is, of Canaanites, of Hittites, and of Perizzites, and of Jebusites, and of Ammonites, and of Moabites, and of Egyptians, and of Amorites. (And after that these things were finished, the leaders came to me, Ezra, and said, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not set themselves apart from the peoples of these lands, that is, from the Canaanites, and Hittites, and Perizzites, and Jebusites, and Ammonites, and Moabites, and Egyptians, and Amorites, and from all their abominations.)

2 For they have taken of their daughters wives to themselves, and to their sons, and they have meddled holy seed with the peoples of (the) lands; also the hand of (the) princes and of (the) magistrates was the first in this trespassing. (For they have taken their daughters as wives for themselves, and for their sons as well, and they have mixed, or mingled, holy seed with the peoples of these lands; yea, the hands of the leaders and of the magistrates were the first in this trespass.)

3 And when I had heard this word, I rent my mantle and my coat, and I pulled away the hairs of mine head and of my beard, and I sat mourning. (And when I had heard this, I tore my cloak and my coat, and I pulled away the hairs of my head and of my beard, and I sat down mourning.)

4 Forsooth all that dreaded the word of (the) God of Israel came together to me, for the trespassing of them that were come from [the] captivity; and I sat sorry till to the sacrifice of eventide (And all who feared the word/who revered the word of the God of Israel came together to me, because of the trespassing of those who were come from the captivity; and I sat in despair until the evening sacrifice.)

5 And in the sacrifice of eventide I rose up from mine affliction, and after that I had rent my mantle and my coat (And at the evening sacrifice I rose up from my affliction, and after that I had torn my cloak and my coat), I bowed my knees, and I spreaded abroad mine hands to the Lord my God,