Ezra · Chapter 10

V. 1. There assembled-The account of his grief, and publick expressions thereof in the court before the temple, being in an instant dispersed over all the city, brought a great company together. See what an happy influence the example of great ones may have upon their inferiors!

Verse 1. The people wept very sore.] They were deeply affected at the thought of God’s displeasure, which they justly feared was about to light upon them, because of their transgressions.

Verse 1. There assembled unto him a very great congregation — The account of his grief and public expressions thereof in the court before the temple, being in an instant dispersed over all the city, brought a great company together; of men, women, and children — Awakened by the words and examples of this holy priest and wise ruler. See what a happy influence the example of great ones may have on their inferiors!

PUTTING AWAY THE STRANGE WIVES, 1-17.

To us, with our Christian sentiments and feelings respecting the inviolability of the marriage relation, this procedure of Ezra in enforcing the separation of these Jews from their wives seems exceedingly harsh and severe. Nor is it to be reconciled, or reconcilable, with our Lord’s profound teaching that the marriage relation is closer and more inviolable than any other human relation, and never to be sundered except in the case of fornication. Matthew 5:32; 19:4-9. But Ezra’s action must be viewed and explained from the Mosaic standpoint. His mission was to reconstruct the Jewish state on the basis of the law of Moses, and that law, as we have seen, expressly prohibited marriages with the heathen. Exodus 34:12-16; Deuteronomy 7:3. It was also well known that marriages with the heathen, and the consequent adoption of heathen abominations, has been the main cause of all the woes of Israel. And now, in reconstructing the Jewish state, it would be fatal to the permanence of the same to allow the precedent of extensive intermarriages of this kind to stand unrebuked. Ezra could not but see that such a precedent, if established, would govern the life and conduct of his people for the generations that were to follow, and it was plainly irreconcilable with Mosaic law. It was better, therefore, to check the evil then, though it cost great sorrow and trouble, than to let it alone to ruin all the holy seed.

1. There assembled… a very great congregation — It seems that Ezra’s prayer and his agonizing attitude had brought the most of them together. His position before the house of God, in the fore-court of the temple, at the time when many would naturally be resorting there for the worship of the evening sacrifice, (Ezra 9:4, 5,) and his attitude of kneeling down and spreading out his bands towards heaven, would soon attract a multitude around him, and his touching prayer would naturally make them weep. For the people wept very sore — Or, as the margin, wept a great weeping. And this helped further to call a large assembly to the spot.

V. 2. We-He saith, we, in the name of the people, and their several families, and his own amongst the rest. For this man’s name is not in the following catalogue, but there we have his father, Jehiel, and his father’s brethren, five other sons of his grandfather, Elam, ver. 26. It was therefore an evidence of his great courage, and good conscience, that he durst so freely discharge his duty, whereby he shewed, that he honoured God more than his nearest and dearest relations. Hope-In case of our repentance, and reformation.

Verse 2. Shechaniah the son of Jehiel] He speaks here in the name of the people, not acknowledging himself culpable, for he is not in the following list. It is in the same form of speech with that in James, James 3:9. With the tongue curse we men. He seems to have been a chief man among the people; and Ezra, at present, stood in need of his influence and support. Yet now there is hope in Israel] hwqm mikveh, expectation, of pardon; for the people were convinced of the evil, and were deeply penitent: hence it is said, Ezra 10:1, that they wept sore.

Verse 2. We have trespassed against our God — He says we, in the name of the people, and their several families, and his own among the rest. For this man’s name is not in the following catalogue, but there we have his father Jehiel, and his father’s brethren, five other sons of his grandfather Elam, verse 26. It was therefore an evidence of his great courage and disinterested faithfulness, that he durst so freely discharge his duty, whereby he showed that he honoured God more than his nearest and dearest relations, and set an admirable example of zealous integrity. And have taken strange wives — Into conjugal society with ourselves. Yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing — The case is sad, but not desperate: the disease threatening, but not incurable. Our ruin may yet be prevented by repentance and reformation. And there is hope that the people may be reformed, the guilty reclaimed, a stop put to the spreading of the contagion, and so the judgments which the sin deserves may be prevented. Therefore, let us not sorrow like persons without hope, or sit down in despair, but let us fall upon action, and amend our errors, and then trust to God’s mercy.

2. Of the sons of Elam — Two individuals of this name are mentioned in the list of those who returned with Zerubbabel, (Ezra 2:7, 31,) but there is nothing to decide which one of them is here intended. Compare verse 26. Now there is hope — From the fact that the people weep. There is always hope for sinners that are penitent enough to weep.

V. 3. Such as are born-These children were only cast out of the common-wealth of Israel, but were not utterly forsaken; probably care was taken by authority, that they should have provision made for them.

Verse 3. Let us make a covenant] tyrb trkn nichrath berith, let us cut or divide the covenant sacrifice. See Clarke’s notes on “Genesis 15:10”.

Verse 3. To put away all the wives, and such as are born of them — If this seem to any to have been an act of great severity, if not injustice, “let it be observed that the law (Deuteronomy 7:1, &c.) was express, and enforced with weighty reasons against these pagan marriages; and, therefore, since whatever is done contrary to law is, ipso facto, null and void, these marriages with idolatrous women, which were strictly forbidden by God, were, properly speaking, no marriages at all; and the children which proceeded from them were in no better condition than those whom we call bastards. No interposition of civil authority was therefore needful to dissolve these marriages; the infidelity and idolatry of the party espoused were as much an interdiction as any the most proximate degree of consanguinity, which, by the laws of all civilized nations, is known to vacate the marriage. But even suppose the civil authority thought proper to interpose in this matter, yet wherein had the Jews any reason to complain, if, in just punishment of their wilful breach of a known and positive law, they were excluded from cohabiting with these illegal wives; those Jews, who, for every light and trivial cause, made no scruple to give even their lawful wives a bill of divorcement, and might, therefore, with much less difficulty, be supposed willing to repudiate those whom the laws of their God, for fear of their catching the infection of idolatry, had forbidden them to live with?” — Dodd. See Selden, Uxor. Hebrews, 50:3, c. 18. It may be observed further here, that these wives and children were only cast out of the commonwealth of Israel, but were not utterly forsaken: probably care was taken by authority that they should have some provision made for them. For all was to be done according to the counsel of Ezra, and other good men, who feared God, and would not enjoin or advise any thing that was unjust or unmerciful. They would also probably take care that the children should be educated in the Jewish religion.

3. Make a covenant — Enter into a solemn agreement, and swear to put away all the wives. Comp. verses 5, 12, 19. And such as are born of them — This was Shechaniah’s proposition; but how far the children with their mothers were put away does not appear, for in verses 11 and 19 there is no mention of children. Doubtless all infant children went with their mothers, and this would be likely to be the rule with all children, unless some, old enough to express a choice, preferred to be adopted into the Jewish community. Such might have been retained as proselytes. See note on verse 44. The counsel of my lord — The advice and arrangements which Ezra might propose. Thus Shechaniah courteously addresses Ezra. Those that tremble — Those who, like Ezra, had a keen sense of the dangers of the hour, and the people’s exposure to the curse of God. See note on Ezra 9:4. According to the law — The whole reform should proceed in strict accordance with the law of Moses.

Verse 4. Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee] By the decree of Artaxerxes, he was authorized to do everything that the law of God required: see Ezra 7:23-28. And all officers were commanded to be aiding and assisting; hence Shechaniah says, We are with you.

Verses 4, 5. Arise, for this matter belongeth unto thee — Who hast a perfect knowledge of the law, and full power from the king of Persia to see every thing done according to it; and who hast most skill to manage this matter. We also will be with thee: be of good courage — He promises him his assistance, and that of many other principal persons, which might give him confidence of success. Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, &c., to swear — He admonished them of their duty in the name of God, and then persuaded them to take a solemn oath, which they did, to put away their strange wives.

4. Arise — Ezra was probably still bowed down before the temple. Verse 1, note. Unto thee — Ezra possessed the proper authority from the king, (Ezra 7:25,) and the wisdom to institute the needed reformation.

Verse 5. And they sware.] The thing was evidently contrary to the law of God; and now he bound them by an oath to rectify the abuse.

Verses 4, 5. Arise, for this matter belongeth unto thee — Who hast a perfect knowledge of the law, and full power from the king of Persia to see every thing done according to it; and who hast most skill to manage this matter. We also will be with thee: be of good courage — He promises him his assistance, and that of many other principal persons, which might give him confidence of success. Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, &c., to swear — He admonished them of their duty in the name of God, and then persuaded them to take a solemn oath, which they did, to put away their strange wives.

5. Made… all Israel to swear — That is, all Israel that were present and represented on that occasion.

V. 6. Went-That with the princes and elders, he might consult about the execution of their resolution. Thither-‘Till he saw something done.

Verse 6. Johanan the son of Eliashib] Eliashib was high priest, and was succeeded in that office by his son Joiada, Nehemiah 12:10. Probably Johanan here is the same as Jonathan in Nehemiah, who was the son of Joiada, and grandson of Eliashib. Some suppose that Johanan and Joiada were two names for the same person.

Verse 6. Then rose up Ezra from before the house — This seems to imply that he made them swear before he would rise up; and went into the chamber of Johanan — That, with the princes and elders, he might consult about the execution of their resolution. And when he came thither — The word when is not in the Hebrew: the clause, therefore, had better be translated, Till he came thither; that is, till he saw something done, he ate nothing.

Verse 6. When he came. It should read, till he came thither, as appears from chap. 9:4, and at a late hour after the evening devotion.

6. Chamber of Johanan — One of the chambers or cells of the temple where this son of Eliashib abode. Compare Nehemiah 13:4, 5. Johanan, or Jehohanan, was probably the same as Jonathan in Nehemiah 12:11. In that case we must understand the word son here as grandson. Davidson asserts (Kitto’s Cyc.) that Eliashib lived after Nehemiah, but this does not show but that he lived at the time of Nehemiah and of Ezra also, and long before his death his grandson might have occupied a chamber of the temple, and exercised the priestly functions. Did eat no bread, nor drink water — Like Moses when he mourned for the transgression of Israel, Deuteronomy 9:18.

7. They made proclamation — Namely, the princes and elders. See next verse. Literally, They made a voice pass in Judah, etc. See note on Ezra 1:1.

Verse 8. All his substance should be forfeited] To the use of the temple. So the Septuagint understood the place: Anaqematisqhsetai pasa h uparxiv autou, “All his substance shall be devoted to a holy use.” Himself separated] Excommunicated from the Church of God, and exiled from Israel.

Verse 8. That whosoever would not come, &c., all his substance should be forfeited — In the Hebrew it is devoted, which signifies that his goods were to be so forfeited as to become sacred to God, and so rendered incapable of being restored to the former owner, being put into the treasury of God’s house. And himself separated from the congregation, &c. — No longer counted a Hebrew, but looked upon as a Gentile, and excluded all communication with the Israelites: shut out from the church, and people, and house, and public worship of God: “excommunicated,” says Mr. Locke, “by which he was excluded from all society; was not permitted to come within four cubits of the altar till absolved upon repentance. After sixty days contumacy, the anathema or execration followed, which, however, was rescinded upon repentance: nevertheless, it was not allowable for any one to kill the person under such an anathema, but he might be supported in a tent or cottage entirely separated from all society.” See Dodd.

8. Forfeited — Placed under ban, and thereby devoted to Jehovah. See note on Joshua 6:17.

V. 9. Of Judah-Not only of these two tribes, as appears from the following catalogue, where there are priests and Levites; but all the Israelites, ver. 25, who are thus described, because the greatest part of them were of these tribes, though others were mixed with them: and because they all now dwelt in that land, which formerly was appropriated to those tribes. The street-In that street of the city, which was next the temple, and within the view of it, that so they might be as in God’s presence, whereby they might be awed to a more faithful and vigorous prosecution of their work. And this place they might chuse rather than the court of the people, because they thought it might be polluted by the delinquents, who were all to come thither. Great rain-Which they took for a token of God’s displeasure against them.

Verse 9. Ninth month] Answering to a part of our December. Trembling because of-the great rain.] Apo tou ceimwnov, Because of the winter, Septuagint; it was now December, the coldest and most rainy part of the year in Palestine.

Verse 9. Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin, &c. — Not only of these two tribes, as appears from the following catalogue, in which there are priests and Levites; but all the Israelites, (verse 25,) who are thus described, because the greatest part of them were of these tribes, though others were mixed with them: and because they all now dwelt in that land, which formerly was appropriated to those tribes. All the people sat in the street — Hebrew, bwjrb, birchob, LXX., en plateia, in a broad, open place, of the house of God. Houbigant renders it, the court, namely, that in which the people stood when they worshipped. This, lying open, and not being yet enclosed by a wall, as may be conjectured from Nehemiah 2:8, is called in the original an open place, or street, and not rxj, chatser, the name usually given to the court. Here the people were not only within view of the temple, but in a place adjoining to it, that so they might be as in God’s presence, and be thereby awed to a more faithful and vigorous prosecution of their work. Trembling because of this matter — The offence they had committed against God, and the consequences thereof; and for the great rain — Hebrew, µiymvgh, haggeshamim, the rains, or showers. It was now the depth of winter, when the rains in Judea are extremely cold; and the people seem to have taken the heavy rains on this occasion as a token of God’s displeasure.

Ver. 9. It was the ninth month, the depth of winter. The offenders sat in the streets, trembling because of sin, and shivering because of the rain. Learn then, ye magistrates, to suppress vice in time, and let not the force of wicked practices become too strong for reformation.

9. The ninth month — Chisleu, corresponding with December, the rainy season of Palestine, and hence the great rain mentioned in this verse. In the street of the house of God — In the open broad place before the temple; in the court.

PUTTING AWAY THE STRANGE WIVES, 1-17.

To us, with our Christian sentiments and feelings respecting the inviolability of the marriage relation, this procedure of Ezra in enforcing the separation of these Jews from their wives seems exceedingly harsh and severe. Nor is it to be reconciled, or reconcilable, with our Lord’s profound teaching that the marriage relation is closer and more inviolable than any other human relation, and never to be sundered except in the case of fornication. Matthew 5:32; 19:4-9. But Ezra’s action must be viewed and explained from the Mosaic standpoint. His mission was to reconstruct the Jewish state on the basis of the law of Moses, and that law, as we have seen, expressly prohibited marriages with the heathen. Exodus 34:12-16; Deuteronomy 7:3. It was also well known that marriages with the heathen, and the consequent adoption of heathen abominations, has been the main cause of all the woes of Israel. And now, in reconstructing the Jewish state, it would be fatal to the permanence of the same to allow the precedent of extensive intermarriages of this kind to stand unrebuked. Ezra could not but see that such a precedent, if established, would govern the life and conduct of his people for the generations that were to follow, and it was plainly irreconcilable with Mosaic law. It was better, therefore, to check the evil then, though it cost great sorrow and trouble, than to let it alone to ruin all the holy seed.

1. There assembled… a very great congregation — It seems that Ezra’s prayer and his agonizing attitude had brought the most of them together. His position before the house of God, in the fore-court of the temple, at the time when many would naturally be resorting there for the worship of the evening sacrifice, (Ezra 9:4, 5,) and his attitude of kneeling down and spreading out his bands towards heaven, would soon attract a multitude around him, and his touching prayer would naturally make them weep. For the people wept very sore — Or, as the margin, wept a great weeping. And this helped further to call a large assembly to the spot.

Verse 11. Make confession] Acknowledge your sins before God, with deep compunction of heart, and the fullest resolution to forsake them.

Verses 11, 12. Make confession unto the Lord; and do his pleasure — You have sinfully pleased yourselves, now please God, by your obedience to his command. And separate yourselves from your strange wives — There being no mention made here of putting away their children, but only their wives, it has been thought by some that they kept their children, and, by circumcision, dedicated them to God. For, though Shechaniah proposed the putting them away, yet it may seem not improbable that Ezra, to whom the matter was referred, when he came to order what should be actually done, mitigated the severity of the proposal. As thou hast said, so must we do — They saw no other remedy, and so submitted to what he required.

PUTTING AWAY THE STRANGE WIVES, 1-17.

To us, with our Christian sentiments and feelings respecting the inviolability of the marriage relation, this procedure of Ezra in enforcing the separation of these Jews from their wives seems exceedingly harsh and severe. Nor is it to be reconciled, or reconcilable, with our Lord’s profound teaching that the marriage relation is closer and more inviolable than any other human relation, and never to be sundered except in the case of fornication. Matthew 5:32; 19:4-9. But Ezra’s action must be viewed and explained from the Mosaic standpoint. His mission was to reconstruct the Jewish state on the basis of the law of Moses, and that law, as we have seen, expressly prohibited marriages with the heathen. Exodus 34:12-16; Deuteronomy 7:3. It was also well known that marriages with the heathen, and the consequent adoption of heathen abominations, has been the main cause of all the woes of Israel. And now, in reconstructing the Jewish state, it would be fatal to the permanence of the same to allow the precedent of extensive intermarriages of this kind to stand unrebuked. Ezra could not but see that such a precedent, if established, would govern the life and conduct of his people for the generations that were to follow, and it was plainly irreconcilable with Mosaic law. It was better, therefore, to check the evil then, though it cost great sorrow and trouble, than to let it alone to ruin all the holy seed.

1. There assembled… a very great congregation — It seems that Ezra’s prayer and his agonizing attitude had brought the most of them together. His position before the house of God, in the fore-court of the temple, at the time when many would naturally be resorting there for the worship of the evening sacrifice, (Ezra 9:4, 5,) and his attitude of kneeling down and spreading out his bands towards heaven, would soon attract a multitude around him, and his touching prayer would naturally make them weep. For the people wept very sore — Or, as the margin, wept a great weeping. And this helped further to call a large assembly to the spot.

Verse 12. As thou hast said, so must we do.] They all resolved to do what Ezra then commanded, they did put away their wives, even those by whom they had children; Ezra 10:44: this was a great hardship on the women and children. Though by the Jewish laws such marriages were null and void, yet as the women they had taken did not know these laws, their case was deplorable. However, we may take it for granted that each of them received a portion according to the circumstances of their husbands, and that they and their children were not turned away desolate, but had such a provision as their necessities required. Humanity must have dictated this, and no law of God is contrary to humanity. After all, there is some room to doubt whether they did put them finally away, for several years after Nehemiah found Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab; Nehemiah 13:23. And if these were not the same women, we find that the same offense was continued.

Verses 11, 12. Make confession unto the Lord; and do his pleasure — You have sinfully pleased yourselves, now please God, by your obedience to his command. And separate yourselves from your strange wives — There being no mention made here of putting away their children, but only their wives, it has been thought by some that they kept their children, and, by circumcision, dedicated them to God. For, though Shechaniah proposed the putting them away, yet it may seem not improbable that Ezra, to whom the matter was referred, when he came to order what should be actually done, mitigated the severity of the proposal. As thou hast said, so must we do — They saw no other remedy, and so submitted to what he required.

12. All… answered — It was the loud uttered vow and pledge of a vast assembly to conform to the Divine requirement. Compare Joshua 1:16-18, notes.

13. Not able to stand without — It was impracticable then and there to rectify the whole matter, and attend to each individual case. Hence the adoption of the plan of procedure described below. Verses 14-17.

V. 14. Our rulers-Let the great council, called the Sanhedrim, be settled, and meet to determine of all particular causes. Judges-Who are best able to inform the great council of the quality of the persons, and all matters of fact and circumstances. Until-Until the thing be done, and God’s wrath thereby removed.

Verse 14. Let now our rulers stand — They propose that the rulers in Jerusalem should meet, to take cognizance of this matter, and to judge and determine in all particular cases: and that, at appointed times, the offenders in every city should be brought before them by the elders and judges of those cities, who should either testify against them for offending, or witness that they had seen the divorces made, and their strange wives put away. For these elders and judges of the several cities were best able to inform the great council at Jerusalem, concerning the quality of the persons accused, and all matters of fact, and circumstances. And this proceeding, they proposed, should continue as long as there remained any thing to be done in this business, that the wrath of God might be turned away from them.

14. Come at appointed times — They probably arranged for them to come according to families, or, perhaps, according to cities, and the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, came along with them to be witnesses and judges of cases known to them.

V. 15. Employed-To take care that the business should be executed in the manner proposed, that the officers and delinquents of every city should come successively in convenient time and order, as these should appoint, to keep an exact account of the whole transaction, and of the names of the cities and persons whose causes were dispatched, to give notice to others to come in their turns, and to prepare the business for the hearing of the judges. These two were priests, as their helpers were Levites; that so they might inform the persons concerned, in any matter of doubt.

Verse 15. Only Jonathan and Jahaziah were employed — To take care that the business should be executed in the manner proposed, that the officers and delinquents of every city should come successively, in convenient time and order, as these should appoint, to keep an exact account of the whole transaction, and of the names of the cities and persons whose causes were despatched; to give notice to others to come in their turns; and to prepare the business for the hearing of the judges. These two were priests, as their helpers were Levites, that so they might inform the persons concerned, in any matter of doubt.

Ver. 15. Were employed about this matter. Dr. Lightfoot reads, “opposed the matter.” This reading quite relieves the text, for surely, not four, but forty or more were employed in this great work. These two refractory men stood up against Ezra, and were supported by the two levites. Times are awful indeed when the ministers of religion are the advocates of sin.

15. Only Jonathan — So simplified and complete was the method here adopted of disposing of each case, that only the four persons named in this verse were required to attend to the chief burden of it, such as recording the names and evidence in each case. These acted under the general oversight and direction of Ezra and the persons mentioned in the next verse.

V. 16. Separated-Sequestered themselves from all other business, and gave themselves wholly to this.

Verses 16, 17. Ezra the priest, &c., were separated, and sat down — Sequestered themselves from all other business, and gave themselves wholly to this. They made an end, by the first day of the first month — Three months, therefore, were spent in this disquisition, which shows that it was very exact.

16. Children of the captivity did so — That is, the persons implicated, and the whole people, adopted the plan arranged by Ezra. After the house of their fathers — So that every father’s house was represented. All of them by their names — The name of each of the more distinguished fathers was probably called, and from each family thus represented a person was chosen, and all these, with Ezra himself, were separated, that is, chosen and set apart, to examine the matter. They had the responsibility and control of the investigation and decision of each case, while the four persons named it the previous verse were probably required to act as secretaries for them.

Verse 17. The first day of the first month] So they were three whole months in examining into this affair, and making those separations which the law required.

Verses 16, 17. Ezra the priest, &c., were separated, and sat down — Sequestered themselves from all other business, and gave themselves wholly to this. They made an end, by the first day of the first month — Three months, therefore, were spent in this disquisition, which shows that it was very exact.

17. End… first month — So that they were employed three months in the matter.

LIST OF THOSE WHO HAD TAKEN STRANGE WIVES, 18-44.

So important to the new community was the whole procedure, that the names of the implicated ones were chronicled, and immortalized in connexion with this sad affair. Ezra embodied the list in his own book as a testimony of his care for Israel, and here it still stands, a monument of his fidelity to the people of his God.

The list gives, 1) the names of the sons of the priests who had taken strange wives, verses 18-22; 2) the names of the Levites, verse 23; 3) the names of the singers, verse 24; 4) the names of non-official or ordinary Israelites, verses 25-43.

Verses 18, 19. Among the sons of the priests there were found, &c. — No wonder the people broke the law, when so many of those who were supposed to understand it best, namely, the priests, yea, some of the sons of the high-priest, set them such a foul example of lust and levity. And they gave their hands — They covenanted or swore by giving their hands, which was the usual ceremony in such cases, to put away their strange wives, and avoid such offences in future. Offered a ram of the flock for their trespass — Hereby confessing their guilt, and the desert of it, humbly suing for pardon, and taking the prescribed way of obtaining it, by bringing the trespass-offering appointed in the law, Leviticus 6:6. All those named to the end of verse 22, were priests, who, being deep in this guilt, and public persons, imboldened others to go fearlessly into the same sin.

Verse 19. They gave their hands] They bound themselves in the most solemn manner to do as the rest of the delinquents had done; and they made all acknowledgment of their iniquity to God by offering each a ram for a trespass-offering.

Verses 18, 19. Among the sons of the priests there were found, &c. — No wonder the people broke the law, when so many of those who were supposed to understand it best, namely, the priests, yea, some of the sons of the high-priest, set them such a foul example of lust and levity. And they gave their hands — They covenanted or swore by giving their hands, which was the usual ceremony in such cases, to put away their strange wives, and avoid such offences in future. Offered a ram of the flock for their trespass — Hereby confessing their guilt, and the desert of it, humbly suing for pardon, and taking the prescribed way of obtaining it, by bringing the trespass-offering appointed in the law, Leviticus 6:6. All those named to the end of verse 22, were priests, who, being deep in this guilt, and public persons, imboldened others to go fearlessly into the same sin.

19. Gave their hands — As a solemn form of indicating their acceptance of the covenant, (verse 3,) and of binding themselves to put away their wives. Handshaking is a natural ceremony of ratifying a solemn agreement between parties. Comp. 2 Kings 10:15. A ram… for their trespass — According to the law of Leviticus 6:1-6.

V. 25. Of Israel-Of the people of Israel, distinguished from the priests and Levites hitherto named.

Verse 25. Moreover of Israel] That is, as Calmet observes, simple Israelites, to distinguish them from the priests, Levites, and singers, mentioned in Ezra 10:18, 23, 24.

Verse 25. Moreover of Israel — Of the people of Israel, distinguished from the priests and Levites hitherto named, who before, verse 9, were called Judah and Benjamin.

25. Moreover of Israel — That is, of non-official or simple Israelites, as distinguished from the priests, Levites, and singers just mentioned. The names of the chief fathers of this list are all found in the list of those who returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel, chap. 2. The Bani of verse 34 is not to be identified with the Bani of verse 29. The latter is probably the Bani of Ezra 2:10, while the other is, perhaps, a corruption of Bezai, (of Ezra 2:17,) or possibly the name of some person not mentioned at all in the list of chapter 2.

V. 44. Had children-This implies that most of their wives were barren. Which came to pass by God’s special providence, to manifest his displeasure against such matches, and that the putting them away might not be encumbered with too many difficulties. One would think this grievance altogether removed. Yet we meet with it again, Nehemiah 13:22. Such corruptions are easily and insensibly brought in, tho’ not easily purged out. The best reformers can but do their endeavour. It is only the Redeemer himself, who when he cometh to Sion, will effectually turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

Verse 44. Some of them had wives by whom they had children.] This observation was probably intended to show that only a few of them had children; but it shows also how rigorously the law was put in execution. According to a passage in Justin Martyr’s dialogue with Trypho, a Jew, Ezra offered a paschal lamb on this occasion, and addressed the people thus: “And Ezra said to the people, This passover is our Saviour and our Refuge; and if ye will be persuaded of it, and let it enter into your hearts, that we are to humble ourselves to him in a sign, and afterwards shall believe in him, this place shall not be destroyed for ever, saith the Lord of Hosts: but if ye will not believe in him, nor hearken to his preaching, ye shall be a laughing-stock to the Gentiles.”-Dial. cum Tryphone, sec. 72. This passage, Justin says, the Jews, through their enmity to Christ, blotted out of the book of Ezra. He charges them with cancelling several other places through the same spirit of enmity and opposition. IN the Hebrew text this and the following book make but one, though sometimes Nehemiah is distinguished as the second book of Esdras. In the Masoretic enumeration of sections, &c., both books are conjoined. This may be seen at the end of Nehemiah. I can add nothing of importance to the character of Ezra, which has already been given so much in detail in the introduction to this book.

Corrected, March, 1828.-A. CLARKE.

Verse 44. All these had taken strange wives — “The number is not very great,” says Dr. Dodd, “if compared with all who came out of captivity; but they seem to have been eminent persons, and their examples would, doubtless, have spread the contagion, if a speedy stop had not been put to the evil.” Some of them had wives by whom they had children — This implies, that most of their wives were barren; which came to pass by God’s special providence, to manifest his displeasure against such matches, and that the putting them away might not be encumbered with too many difficulties. One would think this grievance altogether removed; yet we meet with it again, Nehemiah 13:22. Such corruptions are easily and insensibly brought in, though not easily purged out. The best reformers can but do their endeavour. It is only the Redeemer himself, who, when he cometh to Sion, will effectually turn away ungodliness from Jacob. It may not be amiss to add here a remark of Mr. Locke: “Justin Martyr, in his dialogue with Trypho, says that the following speech of Ezra was in the ancient Hebrew copies of the Bible, but was expunged by the Jews, namely: ‘And Ezra said to the people, This passover is our Saviour, and our Refuge,’ (namely, a type of him,) ‘and if you will be persuaded of it, and will let it enter into your hearts, that we are to humble him in a sign, and afterward shall believe in him, this place shall not be destroyed for ever, saith the God of hosts; but if you believe not in him, neither hearken to his preaching, ye shall be a laughingstock to the Gentiles.’”

44. Wives by whom they had children — The Hebrew reads literally, And there were of them (µh, them, is here masculine, and seems to refer to all these at the beginning of the verse,) wives, and they set (or placed, wmycy, the masculine form of the verb) children. The brevity and obscurity of the text are such as to make the exact meaning very doubtful. The naked statement of our common version, which follows in sense the Septuagint and Vulgate, that some of these wives had children, seems bootless. The masculine form of the verb, as well as its peculiar meaning of setting, appointing, etc., inclines one to think that the writer here speaks of some disposition which some of these husbands, who put away their wives, made also of their children. Bertheau conjectures that wmycyw may be a corruption of µycrg, (thrust out, used of divorce in Leviticus 21:7,) and has been transposed from its proper place before wives, so that originally the text read: And some of them thrust out wives and children. While not prepared to accept this emendation of the text, we think it brings out substantially the meaning which the Hebrew writer meant to convey. For verse 3 implies that children as well as wives were put away. The Book of Ezra ends abruptly here, but this reformation was not the end of his ministry for Israel. How long he continued at Jerusalem after the events of this chapter we have no means of knowing, but it is very supposable that he continued there at least some days, in order to instruct the people further in the knowledge of the law. Many have thought that he remained at Jerusalem as governor until the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, when Nehemiah was appointed to that office by the king. But if Ezra had been superseded by Nehemiah we should, doubtless, have had some notice of it in the history of the latter. The abrupt termination of this book, and the subsequent relapse of the Jews at Jerusalem, and their deplorable state when Nehemiah came, leads us rather to the opinion that Ezra soon returned again to Babylon. This view is favoured by the fact that his commission was only to bear the gifts of the king and his counsellors, and “to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem.” Ezra 7:14. Several years later Ezra appears at Jerusalem again, in connexion with Nehemiah and many Levites, reading and expounding the law to a great assembly of the people. Nehemiah 8. The agreement of the ancient traditions in associating Ezra with the Great Synagogue, and the formation of the Old Testament Canon, may authorize us to believe at least this much, that in concert with Nehemiah and the leading Jews of his time he did collect and arrange the books of the Old Testament Canon in substantially the form in which we now possess them. He lived at a time when such a work could best be done, and he had facilities for doing it which no later age possessed. And it may be added, he alone of all the Jews of his age was most competent to perform a work of such responsibility and care. How long he lived after this is uncertain. Josephus says he died at an advanced age, and was buried with distinguished honours at Jerusalem; but other traditions have it that he died on his way back to Persia, and his reputed tomb is still shown on the banks of the Tigris, about twenty miles above its junction with the Euphrates.

Ezra was unquestionably one of the greatest men of his age, and his mighty influence upon his people is attested by the almost innumerable traditions of his character and works, which afterwards sprung up among the Jews, and still linger about his name. He is said to have introduced the square character into Hebrew writing, and also to have established the office of dragoman, or interpreter, whose duty it was to translate and explain the words of the Scriptures as they were read in the synagogue. He is said to have been the founder and first president of the Great Synagogue, and, in fact, of the entire system of synagogue worship as it afterwards prevailed among the Jews of all lands. To him has been attributed the authorship of several books of the Old Testament, [Chronicles, Nehemiah, Esther,] besides this one which bears his name.