Ezra 6:21

21 The Israelites who had returned from exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the peoples ^[a] of the land to seek the LORD, the God of Israel.

Ezra 6:21 Meaning and Commentary

Ezra 6:21

And the children of Israel, which were come again out of
captivity
The tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with some of the ten tribes mixed with them:

and all such as had separated themselves unto them, from the filthiness
of the Heathen of the land, to seek the Lord God of Israel, did eat;
such of the Gentiles in the dominions of Babylon, and came with the Jews from thence, who were enlightened into the knowledge and worship of the true God, and not only renounced their idolatry, here called filthiness, but were circumcised, and embraced the religion of the Jews, and so were proselytes of righteousness, as they call them; or otherwise they would not have been allowed to eat of the passover, as they did, ( Exodus 12:48 ) .

Ezra 6:21 In-Context

19 On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles kept the Passover.

20 All the priests and Levites had purified themselves and were ceremonially clean. And the Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their priestly brothers, and for themselves.

21 The Israelites who had returned from exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to seek the LORD, the God of Israel.

22 For seven days they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread with joy, because the LORD had made them joyful and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to strengthen their hands in the work on the house of the God of Israel.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or nations