Ezra 9:1-9

Ezra Prays About Intermarriage

1 After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the ¹Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands ²with their abominations, from the ³Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.

2 ⁴For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the ⁵holy race^[a] has ⁶mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost. ”

3 As soon as I heard this, I ⁷tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and ⁸sat appalled.

4 Then all who ⁹trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles, gathered around me while I sat ¹⁰appalled until the evening sacrifice.

5 And at the ¹¹evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment ¹²and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees ¹³and spread out my hands to the Lord my God,

6 saying: “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities ¹⁴have risen higher than our heads, and our ¹⁵guilt has ¹⁶mounted up to the heavens.

7 ¹⁷From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great ¹⁸guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, ¹⁹and to utter shame, as it is today.

8 But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the Lord our God, to leave us a ²⁰remnant and to give us a ²¹secure hold^[b] within his holy place, that our God may ²²brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery.

9 ²³For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, ²⁴but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection^[c] in Judea and Jerusalem.

Ezra 9:1-9 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZRA 9

Ezra being informed, by some of the princes who complained unto him, of the marriages of many of the Israelites with the people of the land, the Canaanites and others, was greatly grieved and distressed, Ezr 9:1-5, upon which he made a confession of their sins to God, with great shame, sorrow, and contrition, and deprecated the evils which they deserved, Ezr 9:6-15.

Cross References

• 1. 9:1 [ch. 6:21; Neh. 9:2]
• 2. 9:1 Deut. 12:30, 31
• 3. 9:1 See Ex. 13:5
• 4. 9:2 ch. 10:2; Neh. 13:23, 27; [Ex. 34:16; Deut. 7:3; Neh. 10:30]
• 5. 9:2 See Deut. 7:6
• 6. 9:2 Ps. 106:35; [2 Cor. 6:14]
• 7. 9:3 See Josh. 7:6
• 8. 9:3 [Neh. 1:4]
• 9. 9:4 ch. 10:3; Isa. 66:2, 5
• 10. 9:4 Ex. 29:39, 41
• 11. 9:5 [See ver. 4 above]
• 12. 9:5 [See ver. 3 above]
• 13. 9:5 1 Kgs. 8:22
• 14. 9:6 [Ps. 38:4]
• 15. 9:6 ver. 7, 13, 15; ch. 10:10, 19; 2 Chr. 24:18
• 16. 9:6 [2 Chr. 28:9; Rev. 18:5]
• 17. 9:7 Ps. 106:6; Dan. 9:5, 6
• 18. 9:7 [See ver. 6 above]
• 19. 9:7 Dan. 9:7, 8
• 20. 9:8 ver. 13, 14, 15
• 21. 9:8 Isa. 22:23
• 22. 9:8 Ps. 13:3
• 23. 9:9 [Neh. 9:36]
• 24. 9:9 ch. 7:28

Footnotes

• [a] 9:2 Hebrew 'offspring'
• [b] 9:8 Hebrew 'nail', or 'tent-pin'
• [c] 9:9 Hebrew 'a wall'