TRV
Translation
King James Version
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,
KJV (with Strong's)
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,
World English Bible Messianic
The children of Israel who had come again out of the captivity, and all such as had separated themselves to them from the filthiness of the nations of the land, to seek the LORD, the God of Israel, ate,
Geneva Bible (1599)
So the children of Israel which were come againe out of captiuitie, and all such as had separated themselues vnto them, from the filthines of the Heathen of the land, to seeke the Lord God of Israel, did eate,
Young's Literal Translation
And the sons of Israel, those returning from the captivity, and every one who is separated from the uncleanness of the nations of the land unto them, to seek to Jehovah, God of Israel, do eat,
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In the KJVVerse 12,173 of 31,102
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Commentary on Ezra 6 verses 13–22
13 ¶ Then Tatnai, governor on this side the river, Shetharboznai, and their companions, according to that which Darius the king had sent, so they did speedily.
14 And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.
15 And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.
16 And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy,
17 And offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
18 And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses.
19 And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month.
20 For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure, and killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
21 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,
22 And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the LORD had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
Here we have, I. The Jews' enemies made their friends. When they received this order from the king they came with as much haste to encourage and assist the work as their predecessors had done to put a stop to it, Ezr 4:23. What the king ordered they did, and, because they would not be thought to do it with reluctance, they did it speedily, Ezr 6:13. The king's moderation made them, contrary to their own inclination, moderate too.
II. The building of the temple carried on, and finished in a little time, Ezr 6:14, Ezr 6:15. Now the elders of the Jews built with cheerfulness. For aught I know, the elders themselves laboured at it with their own hands; and, if they did, it was no disparagement to their eldership, but an encouragement to the other workmen. 1. They found themselves bound to it by the commandment of the God of Israel, who had given them power that they might use it in his service. 2. They found themselves shamed into it by the commandment of the heathen kings, Cyrus formerly, Darius now, and Artaxerxes some time after. Can the elders of the Jews be remiss in this good work when these foreign princes appear so warm in it? Shall native Israelites grudge their pains and care about this building when strangers grudge not to be at the expense of it? 3. They found themselves encouraged in it by the prophesying of Haggai and Zechariah, who, it is likely, represented to them (as bishop Patrick suggests) the wonderful goodness of God in inclining the heart of the king of Persia to favour them thus. And now the work went on so prosperously that, in four hears' time, it was brought to perfection. As for God, his work is perfect. The gospel church, that spiritual temple, is long in the building, but it will be finished at last, when the mystical body is completed. Every believer is a living temple, building up himself in his most holy faith. Much opposition is given to this work by Satan and our own corruptions. We trifle, and proceed in it with many stops and pauses; but he that has begun the good work will see it performed, and will bring forth judgment unto victory. Spirits of just men will be made perfect.
III. The dedication of the temple. When it was built, being designed only for sacred uses, they showed by an example how it should be used, which (says bishop Patrick) is the proper sense of the word dedicate. They entered upon it with solemnity and probably with a public declaration of the separating of it from common uses and the surrender of it to the honour of God, to be employed in his worship. 1. The persons employed in this service were not only the priests and Levites who officiated, but the children of Israel, some of each of the twelve tribes, though Judah and Benjamin were the chief, and the rest of the children of the captivity or transportation, which intimates that there were many besides the children of Israel, of other nations, who transported themselves with them, and became proselytes to their religion, unless we read it, even the remnant of the children of the captivity, and then, we may suppose, notice is hereby taken of their mean and afflicted condition, because the consideration of that helped to make them devout and serious in this and other religious exercises. A sad change! The children of Israel have become children of the captivity, and there appears but a remnant of them, according to that prediction (Isa 7:3), Shear-jashub - The remnant shall return. 2. The sacrifices that were offered upon this occasion were bullocks, rams, and lambs (Ezr 6:17), for burnt-offerings and peace-offerings; not to be compared, in number, with what had been offered at the dedication of Solomon's temple, but, being according to their present ability, they were accepted, for, after a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy, and their deep poverty, abounded to the riches of their liberality, Co2 8:2. These hundreds were more to them than Solomon's thousands were to him. But, besides these, they offered twelve he-goats for sin-offerings, one for every tribe, to make atonement for their sins, which they looked upon as necessary in order to the acceptance of their services. Thus, by getting iniquity taken away, they would free themselves from that which had been the sting of their late troubles, and which, if not removed, would be a worm at the root of their present comforts. 3. This service was performed with joy. They were all glad to see the temple built and the concerns of it in so good a posture. Let us learn to welcome holy ordinances with joy and attend on them with pleasure. Let us serve the Lord with gladness. Whatever we dedicate to God, let it be done with joy that he will please to accept of it. 4. When they dedicated the house they settled the household. Small comfort could they have in the temple without the temple service, and therefore they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their courses, Ezr 6:18. Having set up the worship of God in this dedication, they took care to keep it up, and made the book of Moses their rule, to which they had an eye in this establishment. Though the temple service could not now be performed with so much pomp and plenty as formerly, because of their poverty, yet perhaps it was performed with as much purity and close adherence to the divine institution as ever, which was the true glory of it. No beauty like the beauty of holiness.
IV. The celebration of the passover in the newly-erected temple. Now that they were newly delivered out of their bondage in Babylon it was seasonable to commemorate their deliverance out of their bondage in Egypt. Fresh mercies should put us in mind of former mercies. We may suppose that they had kept the passover, after a sort, every year since their return, for they had an altar and a tabernacle. But they were liable to frequent disturbances from their enemies, were straitened for room, and had not conveniences about them, so that they could not do it with due solemnity till the temple was built; and now they made a joyful festival of it, it falling out in the next month after the temple was finished and dedicated, Ezr 6:19. Notice is here taken, 1. Of the purity of the priests and Levites that killed the passover, Ezr 6:20. In Hezekiah's time the priests were many of them under blame for not purifying themselves. But now it is observed, to their praise, that they were purified together, as one man (so the word is); they were unanimous both in their resolutions and in their endeavours to make and keep themselves ceremonially clean for this solemnity; they joined together in their preparations, that they might help one another, so that all of them were pure, to a man. The purity of ministers adds much to the beauty of their ministrations; so does their unity. 2. Of the proselytes that communicated with them in this ordinance: All such as had separated themselves unto them, had left their country and the superstitions of it and cast in their lot with the Israel of God, and had turned from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, both their idolatries and immoralities, to seek the Lord God of Israel as their God, did eat the passover. See how the proselytes, the converts, are described. They separated themselves from the filthiness of sin and fellowship with sinners, joined themselves with the Israel of God in conformity and communion, and set themselves to seek the God of Israel; and those that do so in sincerity, though strangers and foreigners, are welcome to eat of the gospel feast, as fellow-citizens with the saints and of the household of God. 3. Of the great pleasure and satisfaction wherewith they kept the feast of unleavened bread, Ezr 6:22. The Lord had made them joyful, had given them both cause to rejoice and hearts to rejoice. It was now about twenty years since the foundation of this temple was laid, and we may suppose the old men that then wept at the remembrance of the first temple were most of them dead by this time, so that now there were no tears mingled with their joys. Those that are, upon good grounds, joyful, have therefore reason to be thankful, because it is God that makes them to rejoice. He is the fountain whence all the streams of our joy flow. God has promised to all those who take hold of his covenant that he will make them joyful in his house of prayer. The particular occasion they had for joy at this time was that God had turned the heart of the emperor to them, to strengthen their hands. If those that have been, or who we feared would have been, against us, prove to be for us, we may rejoice in it as a token for good, that our ways please the Lord (Pro 16:7), and he must have the glory of it.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 13–22. Public domain.
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BedeAD 735
Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah
And the children of Israel ate, etc. Therefore, the Passover was sacrificed for all the children of the exile, all the children of Israel ate, not only those who had returned from captivity, but also all who had previously been situated elsewhere, who had at that time purified themselves from the defilements of the people of the land to come to them. This can also be rightly understood of the proselytes, who, though naturally Gentile, were converted to the people of God, having received circumcision and being purified by legal sacrifices, so that they too were worthy of participating in the saving sacrifice. And it is to be noted that he calls the people of the land those who serve the defilers; so that by contrast, he might teach that the people of heaven are those who, being separated from them, serve the Lord in unity and chastity, and celebrate his solemnities with a sincere heart. Nowhere else, unless I am mistaken, is the same people of Israel found to have existed with such devotion with the priests and Levites, their teachers that is, since they came out of Egypt through Moses; but this devotion was made by divine chastisement, for when they were delivered to be afflicted by their enemies for their sins, afflicted by adversities, they were turned away from sins by repentance; by the merit of repentance and conversion, they were freed from their enemies: and being destined to serve God better, they were called back to their own homeland. But up to this point, we often see even those who have frequently defiled the temple of their body by sinning, and thereby have been taken captive by the devil, returning to the Lord through repentance. And rightly so, with greater diligence than they were accustomed to before, they have striven in good works to prepare again in themselves a dwelling place for their Creator. It is to be noted indeed that Solomon first completed the temple in the greatest peace of his kingdom, in a very short time, with no one contradicting in any way; but now, having been destroyed on account of sins, the children of the exile, with great contrition of heart, labored in a long work, often delayed by the enemies, and finally, divinely aided, restored it. For it is easy indeed for anyone converted to faith and recognition of the truth, to renounce the devil and confess the living and true God, to receive the sacraments of Christ; and being initiated by these, to become His temple in remission of all sins, and to keep the received innocence of life with accompanying grace. But it is of great labor for anyone who, having received the sacraments of faith, contemptuously sins, to recover their former dignity; for to such a one, cleansing cannot easily be given again through the water of baptism, but the sin tainted must be washed out with the long labor of repentance, with copious flows of tears, with the more stringent efforts of continence, by whose cleansing the very habits of vices also resist like an enemy crowd of Samaritans; the more difficult to overcome, the longer they have possessed the land of the heart devoid of virtue. It can also be said that therefore, particularly with the house of God rebuilt and dedicated, remembrance is made of the Passover, since none would doubt that people of such religion would want to celebrate the Passover in its due time; so that it might mystically be insinuated that this is the sum of all perfection, when, having transcended all the desires and allurements of the world, we always with entire intention of mind ponder the entrance into another life. For Passover is interpreted as passing, having its name from this, that either the children of Israel in it, through the sacrifice of the lamb, passed from Egyptian slavery to the joys of freedom, or the spotless Lamb Himself, that is, the Lord Christ, sacrificed for our redemption, passed from this world to the Father. Which we also imitate, when we pass from base pleasures to seek heavenly things. Indeed, we perfectly perform this when, released from the prison of the flesh, we enter the heavenly kingdom. To which sense apt is what follows:
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Ezra 6:21 vividly portrays a moment of profound spiritual renewal and communal worship in post-exilic Judah, detailing the diverse participants in the Passover celebration following the dedication of the rebuilt Temple. It specifically highlights the returning Jewish exiles and a distinct group of Gentiles who had genuinely separated themselves from pagan defilement to align with the God of Israel, all united in their earnest desire to seek the Lord and partake in His sacred feast.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ezra 6:21 masterfully employs several literary devices to convey its profound message. Juxtaposition is prominent in the contrast between "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." This highlights both the restoration of the covenant people and the surprising, yet significant, inclusion of repentant Gentiles, thereby broadening the scope of God's community. The phrase "filthiness of the heathen" functions as a powerful Metonymy or Synecdoche, where "filthiness" represents the entire system of idolatrous, morally corrupt, and ritually impure pagan worship from which the converts had to physically and spiritually distance themselves. The act of "eating" the Passover itself is laden with Symbolism, representing not merely a communal meal but a profound act of covenant renewal, remembrance of divine deliverance, and a shared identity in God's redemptive plan. The entire verse serves as a potent illustration of Thematic Contrast between defilement and purity, exile and restoration, and alienation and inclusion, all converging in a unified act of worship "to seek the LORD God of Israel."
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This verse profoundly illustrates God's unwavering faithfulness in restoring His people and His expansive grace in welcoming those from outside the covenant who genuinely turn to Him. The emphasis on separation from "filthiness" underscores the enduring biblical principle that true worship requires purity and holiness, a theme woven throughout the Old Testament's sacrificial system and prophetic calls for repentance. The inclusion of Gentiles who "separated themselves" foreshadows the New Testament's revelation of a universal church, where ethnic barriers are broken down for those who believe. The act of seeking the Lord, culminating in communal eating, signifies a renewed covenant relationship, where God's people are united in their devotion and participation in His redemptive work. It highlights that God's community is defined not merely by lineage but by a sincere heart turned towards Him.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ezra 6:21 serves as a powerful reminder for contemporary believers about the nature of true worship and the inclusivity of God's community. Just as the post-exilic community sought to purify itself from pagan influences and practices, so too are Christians called to live distinctly from the world's values, ideologies, and practices that contradict God's Word. This "separation" is not isolation but a commitment to holiness and moral integrity that enables genuine communion with God and His people. The radical inclusion of those who were once "heathen" but chose to seek the Lord challenges any exclusivist tendencies within the Church, reminding us that God's family is open to all who genuinely repent and turn to Him, regardless of their background, ethnicity, or past. Our participation in corporate worship, like the Passover, should be marked by a similar earnest desire to "seek the LORD God," reflecting a purified heart and a unified purpose to honor Him. This verse encourages us to examine our own lives: are we truly separated from the "filthiness" of our contemporary culture, and are we actively, diligently, and wholeheartedly seeking the Lord God of Israel in our individual walk and communal gatherings?
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Who are "the heathen of the land" mentioned in Ezra 6:21?
Answer: "The heathen of the land" refers to the non-Israelite peoples residing in the surrounding regions of Judah during the post-exilic period. These were various ethnic groups who practiced idolatry, polytheism, and associated immoral behaviors, which were considered ritually and morally impure by the standards of the Mosaic Law. Their "filthiness" (Hebrew: ṭumʼâh) denotes their spiritual defilement and corrupt practices, which stood in stark contrast to the pure worship of the one true God of Israel. The returning exiles and the Gentile converts sought to distance themselves from these influences to maintain their spiritual purity and covenant fidelity.
Does this verse imply that Gentiles were allowed to participate fully in Israelite worship?
Answer: Yes, Ezra 6:21 is a significant indicator of the inclusion of Gentiles who genuinely converted to the worship of the God of Israel. The phrase "all such as had separated themselves unto them" indicates that these individuals, though not ethnically Israelite, had undergone a profound process of renouncing their former pagan ways and aligning themselves with the Jewish community and its God. Their participation in the Passover, a central covenant meal and act of worship, demonstrates that spiritual commitment and purity, rather than mere lineage, were paramount for inclusion in the worshipping community. This foreshadows the broader inclusivity seen in the New Testament, where faith in Christ unites people from all nations and backgrounds (Ephesians 2:11-22).
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ezra 6:21, though rooted in the Old Covenant, powerfully foreshadows the expansive and inclusive nature of God's redemptive work culminating in Jesus Christ. The "children of Israel" returning from captivity find their ultimate spiritual restoration and liberation from the bondage of sin and death through Christ's atoning work (Romans 6:23). More profoundly, the "heathen of the land" who "separated themselves" to seek the LORD prefigure the vast multitude of Gentiles who, through faith in Jesus, are grafted into the covenant people of God, becoming fellow heirs and members of His body (Romans 11:17-24 and Ephesians 3:6). Jesus Christ is the true Passover Lamb, whose perfect sacrifice cleanses us from all "filthiness" and defilement, enabling us to partake in the new covenant meal, the Lord's Supper, which symbolizes our unity and communion with Him and with one another (1 Corinthians 5:7 and Luke 22:19-20). In Him, both Jew and Gentile are made one new humanity, brought near by His blood, united in seeking and worshipping the Father through the Spirit (Ephesians 2:14-18). Thus, Ezra 6:21 is a beautiful glimpse into God's eternal plan to gather a people for Himself from every tribe and nation, all united in Christ, the ultimate object of their seeking and the source of their purity and spiritual sustenance.