Ezra 10:10

KJV

And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.

KJV (with Strong's)

And Ezra {H5830} the priest {H3548} stood up {H6965}, and said {H559} unto them, Ye have transgressed {H4603}, and have taken {H3427} strange {H5237} wives {H802}, to increase {H3254} the trespass {H819} of Israel {H3478}.

Complete Jewish Bible

'Ezra the cohen stood up and addressed them: "You have acted treacherously by marrying foreign women and have thus increased Isra'el's guilt.

Berean Standard Bible

Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful by marrying foreign women, adding to the guilt of Israel.

American Standard Version

And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have trespassed, and have married foreign women, to increase the guilt of Israel.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Ezra 10:10 marks a critical juncture in post-exilic Israel, where the priest and scribe Ezra boldly confronts the returned exiles concerning their widespread sin of intermarriage with foreign women. This verse encapsulates Ezra's unwavering commitment to God's covenant and highlights the profound spiritual danger of this transgression, which threatened to corrupt the purity of the Israelite community and exacerbate the nation's corporate guilt before God. It serves as a powerful testament to the necessity of confronting sin and upholding divine commands for the spiritual health of God's people.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is the climax of Ezra's deeply felt anguish and intercession, detailed in [Ezra 9](/ezra/9 "Ezra 9 - Ezra's Prayer of Confession"). Upon discovering the widespread intermarriage, Ezra tore his garments, pulled out his hair, and sat appalled, leading to a profound public confession of sin on behalf of the entire nation. The people, witnessing his grief and conviction, gathered around him, acknowledging their guilt. Ezra 10:10 immediately follows this period of mourning and prayer, representing the pivotal moment when Ezra transitions from lament to decisive action, directly addressing the assembled community and calling them to account for their covenant infidelity. It sets the stage for the subsequent repentance and reform detailed in the remainder of [Ezra 10](/ezra/10 "Ezra 10 - The People's Confession and Reform").
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The setting is Jerusalem, approximately 458 BC, during the post-exilic period. The Jewish people had returned from seventy years of Babylonian captivity, a period of exile that itself was a consequence of their previous covenant unfaithfulness and idolatry. Their return, sanctioned by Persian kings like Cyrus and Artaxerxes, was intended to be a spiritual renewal, a rebuilding not just of the temple and walls but of their identity as God's holy nation. The Mosaic Law, particularly injunctions found in [Exodus 34:15-16](/exodus/34-15 "Exodus 34:15-16 - Warning Against Covenants with Inhabitants of the Land") and [Deuteronomy 7:3-4](/deuteronomy/7-3 "Deuteronomy 7:3-4 - Prohibition of Intermarriage"), strictly forbade intermarriage with the surrounding pagan nations. This prohibition was not based on racial prejudice but on the imperative to maintain Israel's spiritual distinctiveness and prevent the adoption of idolatrous practices that would inevitably follow such alliances. The "strange wives" were women from these surrounding peoples whose religious customs were antithetical to the worship of Yahweh.
* **Key Themes:** The verse powerfully articulates several core themes central to the book of Ezra and the broader Old Testament narrative. Firstly, **Covenant Transgression** is paramount; Ezra's accusation of "transgressed" directly points to a breach of the covenant God made with Israel, specifically the commands regarding separation from idolatrous nations. This intermarriage was not merely a social error but a profound act of spiritual infidelity, jeopardizing the very purpose of Israel's existence as a holy people. Secondly, the theme of **Spiritual Purity and Separation** is highlighted. The prohibition against intermarriage was foundational to preserving Israel's unique identity and preventing spiritual assimilation, a lesson painfully learned through the exile. The purity of worship and the integrity of their faith were at stake. Thirdly, **Corporate Responsibility** is evident in the phrase "to increase the trespass of Israel." The sin of individuals was understood to have communal consequences, affecting the entire nation's standing before God and potentially inviting further divine judgment, as seen in the narratives of [Achan's sin in Joshua 7](/joshua/7 "Joshua 7 - Achan's Sin and Israel's Defeat"). Finally, Ezra's actions underscore the theme of **Courageous Leadership**. As a priest and scribe, Ezra embodies the ideal of a leader committed to God's Law, willing to confront popular sin and call the people to repentance, even at great personal cost.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

#### Key Word Analysis
* **Transgressed (Hebrew, _ma'al'_):** This verb (מעל) signifies an act of unfaithfulness, betrayal, or sacrilege, particularly against God or sacred things. It implies a breach of trust or a violation of a sacred obligation, often involving a trespass against what is holy or set apart. In the context of Ezra 10:10, it denotes a profound act of disloyalty to the covenant with Yahweh, far more serious than a mere mistake or oversight. It carries the weight of a deliberate and serious offense against divine law.
* **Strange wives (Hebrew, _nashim nokhriyot'_):** The phrase (נָשִׁים נָכְרִיּוֹת) literally means "foreign women." The term _nokhriyot_ (נָכְרִיּוֹת) emphasizes their non-Israelite origin and, by extension, their non-Yahwistic religious and cultural practices. The concern was not with ethnicity per se, but with the spiritual and religious implications of marrying women who would introduce idolatry and compromise the distinct covenant identity of Israel, as explicitly warned in [Deuteronomy 7:3-4](/deuteronomy/7-3 "Deuteronomy 7:3-4 - The Danger of Intermarriage").
* **Trespass (Hebrew, _ashmah'_):** This noun (אַשְׁמָה) refers to guilt, culpability, or an offense that requires expiation or punishment. It denotes the state of being guilty and often implies the need for a sin offering or some form of atonement to rectify the wrong. Ezra's use of "increase the trespass" indicates that the intermarriage was not an isolated sin but one that compounded the existing corporate guilt of Israel, potentially bringing further divine judgment upon the nation.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them,"**: This opening clause highlights Ezra's authoritative stance and the public nature of his confrontation. "Stood up" signifies a posture of authority and readiness for action, indicating a shift from his previous posture of mourning and prayer (cf. [Ezra 9:5](/ezra/9-5 "Ezra 9:5 - Ezra's Prayer")). As "the priest," he speaks with the spiritual authority vested in his office, representing God's law to the people. His direct address ("said unto them") underscores the urgency and seriousness of the moment, a direct challenge to the assembled community.
* **"Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives,"**: This is the core accusation. Ezra directly imputes guilt to the people, using the strong verb "transgressed" (_ma'al_) to emphasize their covenant infidelity. The specific nature of their transgression is then identified: "taken strange wives." This act was a clear, unambiguous violation of God's explicit commands designed to preserve Israel's spiritual purity and prevent them from falling into idolatry, a sin that had led to their exile. This clause lays bare the root cause of the nation's spiritual compromise.
* **"to increase the trespass of Israel."**: This final clause articulates the dire consequence of their actions. The individual sins of intermarriage are not isolated but contribute to and magnify the collective "trespass" (_ashmah_) or guilt of the entire nation. This highlights the principle of corporate responsibility, where the unfaithfulness of some members jeopardizes the spiritual well-being and standing of the whole community before God. It suggests that this sin was not merely a personal failing but a national crisis, adding to the cumulative record of Israel's disobedience and potentially inviting further divine judgment.

#### Literary Devices
Ezra 10:10 employs several potent literary devices to convey its message. The primary device is **Direct Address**, as Ezra stands and speaks directly to the assembled community, lending immediate gravitas and urgency to his words. This is coupled with **Reproach**, as Ezra's statement is a direct accusation of sin and covenant breaking. The language is unsparing, designed to convict and provoke repentance. There is also an element of **Hyperbole** in the phrase "to increase the trespass of Israel." While the sin was indeed serious, the language emphasizes the *magnitude* of the offense and its compounding effect on the nation's spiritual debt, underscoring the severity of the situation. Finally, the "strange wives" themselves function as **Symbolism**, representing not merely marital unions but the deeper spiritual compromise and assimilation with pagan cultures that threatened to undermine Israel's identity as God's holy people.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ezra 10:10 powerfully underscores the enduring theological principles of covenant faithfulness, the sanctity of God's people, and the corporate nature of sin. The prohibition against intermarriage was not arbitrary but foundational to Israel's identity as a holy nation, set apart for Yahweh. Their failure to maintain this separation was a direct affront to God's holiness and a betrayal of the covenant, mirroring earlier patterns of disobedience that led to the exile. This verse reminds us that God's people are called to a distinct way of life, one that prioritizes spiritual purity and avoids compromising alliances that could lead to idolatry or spiritual decay. It highlights that individual choices have communal ramifications, and the sin of a few can indeed "increase the trespass" of the whole, necessitating corporate repentance and reform.

* [Deuteronomy 7:3-4](/deuteronomy/7-3 "Deuteronomy 7:3-4 - Prohibition of Intermarriage")
* [2 Corinthians 6:14](/2_corinthians/6-14 "2 Corinthians 6:14 - Do Not Be Unequally Yoked")
* [Joshua 7:1-5](/joshua/7-1 "Joshua 7:1-5 - Achan's Sin Affects All Israel")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ezra 10:10 offers profound lessons for believers today. While the specific context of intermarriage with foreign nations under the Old Covenant has unique historical and theological dimensions, the underlying principles of spiritual purity, covenant faithfulness, and the dangers of compromise remain eternally relevant. We are called to be a people set apart for God, guarding our hearts and lives against influences that would draw us away from Him. This means carefully considering our associations, entertainment, and cultural engagements, ensuring they do not "increase the trespass" of our own lives or the community of faith. Furthermore, this passage challenges us to confront sin with courage and compassion, both in our personal lives and within the church. Just as Ezra modeled bold leadership, we are called to uphold God's truth, even when it is unpopular, always aiming for repentance, restoration, and the spiritual health of the body of Christ.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what areas of my life might I be "unequally yoked" or compromising my spiritual purity, even subtly?**
* **How do my individual choices and actions contribute to the spiritual health or compromise of my local church or Christian community?**
* **What does it look like to exercise courageous, Ezra-like leadership in confronting sin within my sphere of influence today, while still acting in love?**
* **How does understanding the corporate nature of sin in Ezra's day inform my understanding of the Church's responsibility in the world?**

### FAQ

**Why was intermarriage such a severe sin in Ezra's time? Was it about race?**

Answer: Intermarriage was considered a severe sin primarily because it represented a direct violation of God's covenant commands, not because of racial prejudice. The Mosaic Law, particularly in [Deuteronomy 7:3-4](/deuteronomy/7-3 "Deuteronomy 7:3-4 - Prohibition of Intermarriage"), explicitly forbade marriage with people from the surrounding nations. The core concern was spiritual purity and the prevention of idolatry. These foreign nations worshipped other gods, and intermarriage inevitably led to the adoption of their religious practices, thereby corrupting Israel's exclusive worship of Yahweh. The exile itself was a consequence of Israel's previous spiritual compromise and idolatry, so after their return, maintaining spiritual distinctiveness was paramount to their identity as God's holy people. Ezra saw this intermarriage as a direct threat to the spiritual integrity and future of the nation, potentially leading them back into the very sins that caused their captivity.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ezra 10:10, with its stark portrayal of Israel's covenant unfaithfulness and the dire consequences of spiritual compromise, powerfully points to the ultimate need for a perfect High Priest and a new covenant. The Law, though holy and just, could not ultimately purify the people or enable them to maintain their separation from sin. The repeated cycle of transgression and repentance in the Old Testament, exemplified by Ezra's anguish over their "trespass," highlights humanity's inherent inability to perfectly fulfill God's righteous demands. This deep-seated need for cleansing and a new heart finds its complete fulfillment in Jesus Christ. He is the true [Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world](/john/1-29 "John 1:29 - Jesus, the Lamb of God"), offering a perfect and once-for-all sacrifice that atones for our "trespass" ([Hebrews 9:14](/hebrews/9-14 "Hebrews 9:14 - Christ's Cleansing Blood")). Through His blood, we are truly purified and made holy, becoming part of a new spiritual Israel, the Church, which is called to be the [spotless bride of Christ](/ephesians/5-25 "Ephesians 5:25 - Christ's Love for the Church"). In Christ, we receive not just forgiveness for our past transgressions but also the indwelling Holy Spirit, empowering us to live lives of genuine spiritual separation and faithfulness, no longer bound by the power of sin that plagued ancient Israel ([Romans 8:3-4](/romans/8-3 "Romans 8:3-4 - The Law Fulfilled in Christ")).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Ezra 9:6

And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over [our] head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.

Matthew 23:32

Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

Numbers 32:14

And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers' stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the LORD toward Israel.

2 Chronicles 28:13

And said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither: for whereas we have offended against the LORD [already], ye intend to add [more] to our sins and to our trespass: for our trespass is great, and [there is] fierce wrath against Israel.

Joshua 22:17

[Is] the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD,

Joshua 22:18

But that ye must turn away this day from following the LORD? and it will be, [seeing] ye rebel to day against the LORD, that to morrow he will be wroth with the whole congregation of Israel.