Ezra 9 Footnotes

9:3 Ezra’s reaction to the intermarriages was not driven by racism. His concern was a spiritual one. These “surrounding peoples” (v. 2) adhered to other faiths. Ezra was deeply saddened that the people, especially the leaders, had jeopardized the spiritual purity of the community by allying themselves with people of other faiths. God had instructed his people not to adopt other beliefs (Dt 11:13-32).

9:11-12 Ezra’s recitation of scriptural injunctions is not a verbatim quote of a specific passage. But this should not be construed to mean that he didn’t know the precise language of the passages to which he referred. Nor should his loose wording be construed to mean that he didn’t believe in the verbal inspiration of Scripture. The text gives no indication that Ezra thought he was quoting a specific passage or that he was trying to. Ezra was expressing what he understood to be the meaning of God’s instructions regarding intermarriage. At times, he quoted God’s instructions verbatim. At other times he paraphrased them.