Ezra 10:6

The People’s Confession of Sin

6 Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and walked to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. And while he stayed ^[a] there, he ate no food and drank no water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.

Ezra 10:6 Meaning and Commentary

Ezra 10:6

Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God
Departed from thence:

and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib;
who was of the family of the high priest. Eliashib was grandson of Joshua the high priest, and succeeded his father Joiakim as such; but though Johanan was never high priest, being a younger son, however he was a person of note, and had a chamber in the temple, whither Ezra went, either to advise with the princes and elders in it, ( Ezra 10:8 ) or to refresh himself with food:

and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water;
or rather "not yet had he ate bread" ^F15, as some render it; that is, not till he came thither, from the time he first heard of the evil the people had committed; which very probably was early in the morning, and it was now evening:

for he mourned for the transgression of them that had been carried
away;
into captivity, but were now returned from it, and it grieved him the more, that, after such kindness shown them, they should be guilty of such an evil.

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FOOTNOTES:

F15 (lka al) "nondum comederat", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.

Ezra 10:6 In-Context

4 Get up, for this matter is your responsibility, and we will support you. Be strong and take action!”

5 So Ezra got up and made the leading priests, Levites, and all Israel take an oath to do what had been said. And they took the oath.

6 Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and walked to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. And while he stayed there, he ate no food and drank no water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.

7 And a proclamation was issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem that all the exiles should gather at Jerusalem.

8 Whoever failed to appear within three days would forfeit all his property, according to the counsel of the leaders and elders, and would himself be expelled from the assembly of the exiles.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or went