Ezra 10:13-23

13 But the people are many, and it is a time of heavy rain; we cannot stand in the open. Nor is this a task for one day or for two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter.

14 Let our officials stand for the whole assembly. Let all in our cities who have taken foreign wives come ¹at appointed times, and with them the elders and judges of every city, ²until the fierce wrath of our God over this matter is turned away from us. ”

15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and ³Meshullam and ⁴Shabbethai the Levite supported them.

16 Then the returned exiles did so. Ezra the priest selected men, ^[a] heads of fathers’ houses, according to their fathers’ houses, each of them designated by name. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to examine the matter;

17 and by the first day of the first month they had come to the end of all the men who had married foreign women.

Those Guilty of Intermarriage

18 Now there were found some of the sons of the priests who had married foreign women: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah, some of the sons of ⁵Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers.

19 They ⁶pledged themselves to put away their wives, and their guilt offering was ⁷a ram of the flock for their guilt. ^[b]

20 ⁸Of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.

21 ⁹Of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.

22 Of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

23 Of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

Ezra 10:13-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZRA 10

Upon Ezra's prayer and confession, it was proposed by Shechaniah, that those who had married strange wives should put them away with their children, which they swore to do, Ezr 10:1-5, and proclamation was made throughout the land for all to meet at Jerusalem in three days' time, and accordingly they did, Ezr 10:6-9 when, at the exhortation of Ezra, all agreed to it, and persons were appointed to see it done, and the work was finished in the space of three months, Ezr 10:10-17 and a list of the names of those is given who had married such wives, and now put them away; of the priests, Ezr 10:18-22, of the Levites, Ezr 10:23,24, of the other Israelites, Ezr 10:24-44.

Cross References

• 1. 10:14 Neh. 13:31
• 2. 10:14 2 Chr. 29:10; 30:8; [Num. 25:4]
• 3. 10:15 ch. 8:16
• 4. 10:15 Neh. 11:16
• 5. 10:18 ch. 3:2
• 6. 10:19 See 2 Kgs. 10:15
• 7. 10:19 Lev. 6:6
• 8. 10:20 For ver. 20-43, see ch. 2:3-42
• 9. 10:21 [ver. 31]

Footnotes

• [a] 10:16 Syriac; Hebrew 'And there were selected Ezra . . .'
• [b] 10:19 Or 'as their reparation'