Ezra 9:9

9 For we be servants; and our God forsook us not in our servage/in our thralldom; and he bowed down mercy upon us before the king(s) of Persia, that he should give life to us, and (so we could) enhance the house of our God, and that he should build (again) the wildernesses thereof, or the desolate things thereof, and give to us hope, or mercy, in Judah and in Jerusalem. (For we be slaves; but our God hath not left us in our servitude, or our slavery; but he bowed down mercy upon us from the kings of Persia, to give life to us, so that we could rebuild the House of our God, and repair its ruins, and so give us a wall of defence, or a safe place, here in Judah and in Jerusalem.)

Ezra 9:9 Meaning and Commentary

Ezra 9:9

For we were bondmen
To the Chaldeans when in Babylon, which was more than the Jews in the times of Christ would own, ( John 8:33 ) ,

yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage;
had not left them to continue in it always:

but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia;
moved them to have pity and compassion on them, and release them:

to give us a reviving;
while in captivity, they were as in their graves, and like the dry bones in Ezekiel's vision, but revived upon the proclamation of Cyrus, and the encouragement he gave them to return to their own land:

to set up the house of our God, and repair the desolations thereof;
both to rebuild the temple, and to restore the worship of it:

and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem;
not to set up the walls of Jerusalem, and of other cities, which as yet was not done; but rather the walls of their houses, which they had rebuilt; they had walled houses given them in Judah and Jerusalem; though the word signifies an hedge or fence, such as is about gardens and vineyards, and may denote the protection of the kings of Persia, which was a fence to them against the Samaritans and others; and especially the hedge of divine Providence about them, which guarded and defended them, see ( Job 1:10 ) .

Ezra 9:9 In-Context

7 from the days of our fathers hitherto; and also we ourselves have sinned grievously unto this day, and for our wickednesses we, and our kings, and our priests be betaken into the hands of kings of heathen lands, both into sword, and into captivity, into raven, and into shame of cheer, as also in this day. (from the days of our forefathers unto now; for we ourselves have grievously sinned, and because of our wickednesses we, and our kings, and our priests, have been delivered into the hands of the kings of heathen lands, yea, unto the sword, and into captivity, and unto robbing, or pillage, and unto the shame of our face, as it is this very day.)

8 And now as at a little time and at a moment our prayer is made with the Lord our God, that [the] relics, or remnants, should be left to us, and that a little stake, that is, some setting, and stableness, should be given in his holy place, and that our God should lighten our eyes, and give to us a little life in our servage. (But now, for a little moment, the Lord our God hath been gracious to us, and a remnant hath escaped, and he hath given us a little stake, that is, some place of settling, and of stability, in this his Holy Place, and our God hath enlightened our eyes, and he hath given us a little life in the midst of our servitude, or our slavery.)

9 For we be servants; and our God forsook us not in our servage/in our thralldom; and he bowed down mercy upon us before the king(s) of Persia, that he should give life to us, and (so we could) enhance the house of our God, and that he should build (again) the wildernesses thereof, or the desolate things thereof, and give to us hope, or mercy, in Judah and in Jerusalem. (For we be slaves; but our God hath not left us in our servitude, or our slavery; but he bowed down mercy upon us from the kings of Persia, to give life to us, so that we could rebuild the House of our God, and repair its ruins, and so give us a wall of defence, or a safe place, here in Judah and in Jerusalem.)

10 And now, Lord our God, what shall we say after these things? For we have forsaken thy commandments,

11 which thou commandedest in the hand of thy servants (the) prophets, and saidest, The land, to which ye shall enter, to hold it in possession, is an unclean land, by the uncleanness of peoples, and of other lands, in the abominations of them, that (have) filled it with their defouling, from the mouth till to the mouth. (which thou commandedest by thy servants the prophets, and saidest, The land, to which ye shall enter to have for a possession, is an unclean land, because of the uncleanness and the abominations of the people there, from other lands, who have filled it with their defiling, from one end to the other.)