Ezra 6:21

King James Version:

(The Lord speaking is red text)

And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, 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,

Complete Jewish Bible:

The people of Isra'el who had returned from the exile and all those who had renounced the filthy practices of the nations living in the land in order to seek ADONAI the God of Isra'el, ate [the Pesach lamb]

Berean Standard Bible:

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.

American Standard Version:

And the children of Israel that were come again out of the captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the nations of the land, to seek Jehovah, the God of Israel, did eat,

KJV with Strong’s Numbers:

And the children^{H1121} of Israel^{H3478}, which were come again^{H7725} out of captivity^{H1473}, and all such as had separated^{H914} themselves unto them from the filthiness^{H2932} of the heathen^{H1471} of the land^{H776}, to seek^{H1875} the LORD^{H3068} God^{H430} of Israel^{H3478}, did eat^{H398},

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Commentary for Ezra 6:21

Ezra 6:21 is a verse that captures a significant moment in the history of the Jewish people during the Persian period. The historical context of this verse is the return of the Jewish exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem, following the decree of King Cyrus of Persia, which allowed them to rebuild the Temple that had been destroyed during the Babylonian conquest.

The verse specifically addresses two groups: the children of Israel who had returned from captivity in Babylon, and those who had joined them, having separated themselves from the surrounding nations ("the heathen of the land"). These individuals were motivated by a desire to seek the Lord God of Israel, indicating a religious and cultural reformation where the returnees and their allies were determined to practice their faith in its purity, free from the influences of the pagan practices around them.

The act of eating together, as mentioned at the end of the verse, is symbolic of the unity and communal identity of those committed to the worship of Yahweh. It reflects the theme of covenant community, where shared meals often signified fellowship and commitment to God's laws and to one another. This unity in faith and practice was essential for the preservation of the Jewish identity and religion in the post-exilic period.

In summary, Ezra 6:21 highlights the themes of religious purity, communal unity, and the restoration of the Jewish people in their homeland after a period of exile. It underscores the importance of separating from pagan influences to seek the Lord God of Israel, and the significance of shared meals in reinforcing the bonds of a covenant community reestablishing itself in the land of their ancestors.

*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model

Strong's Numbers and Definitions:

Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)

1. Strong's Number: H1121
   There are 3654 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: בֵּן
   Transliteration: bên
   Pronunciation: bane
   Description: from בָּנָה; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.); [phrase] afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, ([phrase]) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, [phrase] (young) bullock, [phrase] (young) calf, [idiom] came up in, child, colt, [idiom] common, [idiom] corn, daughter, [idiom] of first, [phrase] firstborn, foal, [phrase] very fruitful, [phrase] postage, [idiom] in, [phrase] kid, [phrase] lamb, ([phrase]) man, meet, [phrase] mighty, [phrase] nephew, old, ([phrase]) people, [phrase] rebel, [phrase] robber, [idiom] servant born, [idiom] soldier, son, [phrase] spark, [phrase] steward, [phrase] stranger, [idiom] surely, them of, [phrase] tumultuous one, [phrase] valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.
   
2. Strong's Number: H3478
   There are 2229 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: יִשְׂרָאֵל
   Transliteration: Yisrâʼêl
   Pronunciation: yis-raw-ale'
   Description: from שָׂרָה and אֵל; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity; Israel.
   
3. Strong's Number: H7725
   There are 952 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: שׁוּב
   Transliteration: shûwb
   Pronunciation: shoob
   Description: a primitive root; to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally to retreat; often adverbial, again; ((break, build, circumcise, dig, do anything, do evil, feed, lay down, lie down, lodge, make, rejoice, send, take, weep)) [idiom] again, (cause to) answer ([phrase] again), [idiom] in any case (wise), [idiom] at all, averse, bring (again, back, home again), call (to mind), carry again (back), cease, [idiom] certainly, come again (back), [idiom] consider, [phrase] continually, convert, deliver (again), [phrase] deny, draw back, fetch home again, [idiom] fro, get (oneself) (back) again, [idiom] give (again), go again (back, home), (go) out, hinder, let, (see) more, [idiom] needs, be past, [idiom] pay, pervert, pull in again, put (again, up again), recall, recompense, recover, refresh, relieve, render (again), requite, rescue, restore, retrieve, (cause to, make to) return, reverse, reward, [phrase] say nay, send back, set again, slide back, still, [idiom] surely, take back (off), (cause to, make to) turn (again, self again, away, back, back again, backward, from, off), withdraw.
   
4. Strong's Number: H1473
   There are 41 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: גּוֹלָה
   Transliteration: gôwlâh
   Pronunciation: go-law'
   Description: or (shortened) גֹּלָה; active participle feminine of גָּלָה; exile; concretely and collectively exiles; (carried away), captive(-ity), removing.
   
5. Strong's Number: H914
   There are 40 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: בָּדַל
   Transliteration: bâdal
   Pronunciation: baw-dal'
   Description: a primitive root; to divide (in variation senses literally or figuratively, separate, distinguish, differ, select, etc.); (make, put) difference, divide (asunder), (make) separate (self, -ation), sever (out), [idiom] utterly.
   
6. Strong's Number: H2932
   There are 31 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: טֻמְאָה
   Transliteration: ṭumʼâh
   Pronunciation: toom-aw'
   Description: from טָמֵא; religious impurity; filthiness, unclean(-ness).
   
7. Strong's Number: H1471
   There are 511 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: גּוֹי
   Transliteration: gôwy
   Pronunciation: go'-ee
   Description: rarely (shortened) גֹּי; apparently from the same root as גֵּוָה (in the sense of massing); a foreign nation; hence, a Gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts; Gentile, heathen, nation, people.
   
8. Strong's Number: H776
   There are 2739 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: אֶרֶץ
   Transliteration: ʼerets
   Pronunciation: eh'-rets
   Description: from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land); [idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world.
   
9. Strong's Number: H1875
   There are 152 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: דָּרַשׁ
   Transliteration: dârash
   Pronunciation: daw-rash'
   Description: a primitive root; properly, to tread or frequent; usually to follow (for pursuit or search); by implication, to seek or ask; specifically to worship; ask, [idiom] at all, care for, [idiom] diligently, inquire, make inquisition, (necro-) mancer, question, require, search, seek (for, out), [idiom] surely.
   
10. Strong's Number: H3068
    There are 5521 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: יְהֹוָה
    Transliteration: Yᵉhôvâh
    Pronunciation: yeh-ho-vaw'
    Description: from הָיָה; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God; Jehovah, the Lord. Compare יָהּ, יְהֹוִה.
    
11. Strong's Number: H430
    There are 2334 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: אֱלֹהִים
    Transliteration: ʼĕlôhîym
    Pronunciation: el-o-heem'
    Description: plural of אֱלוֹהַּ; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative; angels, [idiom] exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), [idiom] (very) great, judges, [idiom] mighty.
    
12. Strong's Number: H398
    There are 825 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: אָכַל
    Transliteration: ʼâkal
    Pronunciation: aw-kal'
    Description: a primitive root; to eat (literally or figuratively); [idiom] at all, burn up, consume, devour(-er, up), dine, eat(-er, up), feed (with), food, [idiom] freely, [idiom] in...wise(-deed, plenty), (lay) meat, [idiom] quite.