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Commentary on Ezra 10 verses 15–44
The method of proceeding in this matter being concluded on, and the congregation dismissed, that each in his respective place might gain and give intelligence to facilitate the matter, we are here told, 1. Who were the persons that undertook to manage the matter and bring the causes regularly before the commissioners - Jonathan and Jahaziah, two active men, whether of the priests or of the people does not appear; probably they were the men that made that proposal (Ezr 10:13, Ezr 10:14) and were therefore the fittest to see it pursued; two honest Levites were joined with them, and helped them, Ezr 10:15. Dr. Lightfoot gives a contrary sense of this: only (or nevertheless) Jonathan and Jahaziah stood against this matter (which reading the original will very well bear), and these two Levites helped them in opposing it, either the thing itself or this method of proceeding. It was strange if a work of this kind was carried on and met with no opposition. 2. Who were the commissioners that sat upon this matter. Ezra was president, and with him certain chief men of the fathers who were qualified with wisdom and zeal above others for this service, Ezr 10:16. It was happy for them that they had such a man as Ezra to head them; they could not have done it well without his direction, yet he would not do it without their concurrence. 3. How long they were about it. They began the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter (Ezr 10:16), which was but ten days after this method was proposed (Ezr 10:9), and they finished in three months, Ezr 10:17. They sat closely and minded their business, otherwise they could not have despatched so many causes as they had before them in so little time; for we may suppose that all who were impeached were fairly asked what cause they could show why they should not be parted, and, if we may judge by other cases, provided the wife were proselyted to the Jewish religion she was not to be put away, the trial of which would require great care. 4. Who the persons were that were found guilty of this crime. Their names are here recorded to their perpetual reproach; many of the priests, nay, of the family of Jeshua, the high priest, were found guilty (Ezr 10:18), though the law had particularly provided, for the preserving of their honour in their marriages, that being holy themselves they should not marry such as were profane, Lev 21:7. Those that should have taught others the law broke it themselves and by their example emboldened others to do likewise. But, having lost their innocency in this matter, they did well to recant and give an example of repentance; for they promised under their hand to put away their strange wives (some think that they made oath to do so with their hands lifted up), and they took the appointed way of obtaining pardon, bringing the ram which was appointed by the law for a trespass offering (Lev 6:6), so owning their guilt and the desert of it, and humbly suing for forgiveness. About 113 in all are here named who had married strange wives, and some of them, it is said (Ezr 10:44), had children by them, which implies that not many of them had, God not crowning those marriages with the blessing of increase. Whether the children were turned off with the mothers, as Shechaniah proposed, does not appear; it should seem not: however it is probable that the wives which were put away were well provided for, according to their rank. One would think this grievance was now thoroughly redressed, yet we meet with it again (Neh 13:23 and Mal 2:11), for such corruptions are easily and insensibly brought in, but not without great difficulty purged out again. The best reformers can but do their endeavour, but, when the Redeemer himself shall come to Sion, he shall effectually turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
And they gave their hands, to cast out their wives, etc. First, they reject the illicit wives from themselves, and thus they offer a ram for themselves, so that, with the crime removed, they could approach the altar in purity. Indeed, it is difficult for the sacrifice of him to be accepted by God, who has not first endeavored to abandon the fault for which he offers, as Isaiah says: Cease to do evil, learn to do well (Is. 1). And because the sons or brothers of the high priest, who were the first to sin, rightly offer a ram from the flocks for the punishment of the crime, so that by such a sacrifice they might indicate that they were offering themselves, who appeared to be the teachers of the people and leaders like the leaders of following flocks, from their former life, to slaughter and purify themselves and offer worthy penance to God through a better life. It is noteworthy how skillfully the devil always battles against the faithful, never leaving them a secure time without combat. Behold, those who could not be overcome by adversities are overcome by blandishments; they overcame public enemies by building the temple of the Lord and dedicating it, but they were overcome by the love of foreign women, so they might not keep the temples of their hearts or bodies, dignified for the indwelling of God. Of which matter the figure was completely fulfilled in our times, since we see the minds of the faithful much more dangerously tempted inwardly now, drawn and enticed by their own desires, than they were once outwardly, when the fierce adversary raged against their steadfastness with iron and fire. But the piety of the Lord will assist, which, just as it then granted them the virtue of patience against the open battles of the raging ones, so it may also grant us the caution to guard against the snares of creeping flattery. Finally, through the diligent action of the industrious pontiff and all those who feared the Lord, those who had sinned were pricked in their hearts and cast away foreign wives; and thus, with the foulness of lust expelled, the honor of chastity returned, and in the city of the Lord, with the rubbish of vices cast out, the flowers and aromas of virtues were scattered. Up to this point are the words of Ezra, by which he described the deeds of Zorobabel and Jesus, and afterwards his own. And he himself also clearly held the type of the Lord Savior, in that he renewed the holy Scripture, recalled the people from captivity to Jerusalem, elevated the house of the Lord with greater gifts, appointed leaders beyond the river Euphrates, and corrected the sons of the captivity from foreign wives. For the Lord restored the sacred Scripture, which the Scribes and Pharisees had either defiled with their traditions or taught was to be understood only according to the letter, showing it as full of spiritual sense, as it was written by Moses or the prophets. And He also had the New Testament described by the apostles or apostolic men, sending the Holy Spirit from above. He led the people out of Babylonian captivity and brought them to Jerusalem and the promised land liberated, because He, having suffered once on the cross, redeemed the world with His blood, and descending to the underworld, led out those He found there as true Israelites, that is, the elect, bringing them to the walls of the heavenly city, and granted them the joys of the promised inheritance of old. And daily, gathering the faithful from the turmoil of this world, He calls them to the fellowship of the holy Church and the everlasting kingdom. He adorned the temple with gold and silver and precious vessels, which either the people of Israel or the Persian princes had sent there through him, because He never stops adorning and glorifying the Church with the faith and works of those who believe from both peoples, namely, Jew and gentile. He appointed leaders and overseers for all the people beyond the river, who knew and taught the law of God, because in the holy Church, which is also washed with the river of sacred baptism, and transcends the river of Babylon, that is, the turmoil of the fluctuating world by the sincerity of faith, He placed apostles, evangelists, pastors, and leaders. He corrected the sons of the captivity from foreign wives, because He forbade those who had renounced the world by profession of faith to serve again the enticements of the world. He also cast out the sons of such foreign mothers from the congregation of the captivity, lest, when they grew up, they might follow the faithlessness of their mothers rather than the faith of their fathers, because our works, even those that seem good to men, if they are mixed with carnal delights, or have taken their origin from the contagion of human favor, He taught to reject, nor to deem them worthy of the fellowship of those who, perfectly renouncing the world, with full mind progress to heavenly things; who do not allow themselves to be enfeebled by temporal blandishments, but rather are exercised by adversities, and prepared for eternal rest with joy. But if anyone wishes to object, saying that it is not written that the sons of the adulteresses were cast out, but only the women themselves, it is though Shecaniah, suggesting and saying: Let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and those born of them, was followed by the prompt, And Ezra rose and adjured the chiefs of the priests, Levites, and all Israel, to do according to this word, and they swore, he should understand that if they did not cast out those children born to them by foreign women, it was because they taught them to renounce maternal infidelity, and consecrated to the Lord through circumcision and a saving sacrifice, making them companions of their faith and chastity. It is clear indeed that the mystery of this matter is evident, because good works, which we do for the sake of temporal advantage, or favor, or delight, either are to be counted as among evil works, or must be distinguished by the lowest intention and done solely for heavenly recompense. For he who, for example, fasts, prays, gives alms with the intention that he may be seen and praised by men, such a one indeed, the offspring of a good deed, is as it were born of an unclean mother of a filthy conscience; hence it cannot have a part with the congregation of those who ascended from Babylon to Jerusalem, because a justice, or rather a simulation of justice, which has received its reward in the present, will lack future recompense in heaven. But if such a worker of a deed, converting his mind to better things, begins to do for heavenly reward what he did for the desire for empty praise, consecrating his offspring, even if unworthily born, to the Lord, he makes it a citizen of Jerusalem, because he corrects a work badly begun from the time, making it worthy of eternal reward in heaven.
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SUMMARY
Ezra 10:19 vividly portrays a pivotal moment of corporate repentance and covenant renewal for the post-exilic Jewish community. Confronted with the grave sin of intermarriage with foreign women, a direct violation of God's covenant law, the leaders and people made a solemn, public pledge to "put away their wives." Acknowledging their profound guilt, they further demonstrated their earnest desire for reconciliation by offering "a ram of the flock for their trespass," fulfilling the prescribed means of atonement under the Mosaic Law. This verse encapsulates a costly act of obedience, highlighting the community's deep conviction of sin and their resolute commitment to re-establish their spiritual purity and fidelity to Yahweh.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ezra 10:19 employs several potent literary devices to convey its profound message of repentance and restoration. Symbolism is prominent throughout the verse: the "hands" symbolize a binding agreement, a public oath, and the tangible commitment to a solemn vow. The "ram of the flock" symbolizes the prescribed means of atonement for sin under the Mosaic Law, representing the substitutionary sacrifice required to appease divine justice. The act of "giving their hands" can also be understood as a form of Metonymy, where the physical action (giving hands) stands for the abstract concept of making a solemn, unbreakable pledge. Furthermore, the entire act of offering a sacrifice for trespass serves as Foreshadowing, pointing forward to the ultimate and perfect sacrifice of Christ, who would become the true Lamb of God, taking away the sin of the world. The stark contrast between their past disobedience and their current costly obedience highlights the Dramatic Irony of their situation, where the very actions intended to build and expand their community (marriage) had become its greatest spiritual threat, necessitating drastic measures for its preservation.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ezra 10:19 stands as a powerful testament to the seriousness of sin, the necessity of genuine repentance, and God's gracious provision for atonement within the Old Covenant. The people's willingness to undertake such a painful and disruptive act underscores the absolute priority of covenant fidelity and spiritual purity in the eyes of God. Their actions demonstrate that true repentance is not merely sorrow for consequences, but a decisive turning away from sin, involving concrete, sometimes costly, steps to make amends and realign one's life with God's revealed will. This costly obedience, coupled with the prescribed sacrifice, illustrates the biblical principle that sin demands a payment and that God, in His mercy, provided a way for His people to be reconciled to Him, even when their transgressions were severe. It reminds us that God's holiness requires a response to sin, and His justice is always tempered by His provision for grace, even through the demanding rituals of the Law.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ezra 10:19 presents a challenging yet deeply instructive narrative for believers today, compelling us to examine the areas in our own lives where we might be compromising God's clear commands, even if those compromises feel comfortable, socially acceptable, or personally beneficial. The people's radical act of putting away their foreign wives, though culturally jarring to modern sensibilities, serves as a stark reminder that genuine repentance often involves significant personal sacrifice and a willingness to sever ties with anything that hinders our spiritual purity and fidelity to God. It calls us to prioritize God's will above all else, understanding that true alignment with Him may require painful choices that go against our natural inclinations or societal norms. Furthermore, the offering of the ram reminds us of the profound truth that our sins require atonement, and while we no longer offer animal sacrifices, this points us to the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Our response to His sacrifice should be a life of costly, joyful obedience, continually turning away from sin and embracing His transforming grace, allowing His Spirit to empower us to live lives that honor His covenant.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Was it fair or just for the men to put away their wives, especially if children were involved?
Answer: This is one of the most challenging aspects of the Ezra narrative for modern readers, and it elicits significant ethical questions. From a contemporary perspective, the command to "put away their wives" (and implicitly, their children, as indicated by subsequent verses in Ezra 10) seems harsh and unjust, particularly to the innocent parties involved. However, to understand this action, it is crucial to view it through the lens of the specific covenant context of ancient Israel. The intermarriages were not merely social transgressions but direct violations of God's explicit commands (e.g., Deuteronomy 7:3-4). These commands were given to preserve Israel's spiritual identity, prevent idolatry, and maintain their distinctiveness as God's holy nation. The fear was that these unions would lead the entire community back into the idolatry and spiritual compromise that had previously led to their exile. The drastic measure was seen as a necessary, albeit painful, act of corporate repentance and purification to restore the nation's covenant relationship with God and ensure its future spiritual survival. It was a severe consequence of severe disobedience, highlighting the gravity of sin against a holy God and the priority of the covenant over individual relationships that threatened the entire community's spiritual integrity. While tragic for those involved, it was considered a redemptive act for the nation as a whole, preventing further spiritual decay.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ezra 10:19, with its depiction of costly repentance and a prescribed trespass offering, powerfully foreshadows the ultimate and perfect work of Jesus Christ. The ram offered for "trespass" under the Old Covenant pointed to the future, perfect sacrifice that would truly atone for the sins of humanity. Just as the Israelites were "guilty" and required a specific offering to make propitiation for their covenant violations, all humanity stands guilty before a holy God, utterly unable to atone for their own "trespasses" or earn their own righteousness. The Law, with its demanding requirements and animal sacrifices, revealed the depth of human sin and the impossibility of achieving perfect obedience, thereby serving as a "guardian until Christ came" (Galatians 3:24). Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, became the perfect and final "trespass offering" for all who believe (Romans 3:25). His sacrifice on the cross was a once-for-all act of propitiation, satisfying God's righteous demands and providing complete forgiveness and reconciliation, far surpassing the temporary efficacy of animal sacrifices (Hebrews 10:10-14). Through Christ, we are not merely given a way to atone for specific trespasses, but we are brought into a new covenant of grace, where our hearts are transformed by the Holy Spirit, enabling true and lasting obedience, not out of fear of condemnation, but out of love for the One who gave Himself for us.