NOTE ON Chapter S 9 AND 10 The great severity which characterises Ezra's policy, as described in these two Chapter s, calls for special notice. The fact that he was so close a student of the law lends peculiar importance to his acts. His own words (Ezra 9:10-12) indicate his view. The Jews by contr... [ Continue Reading ]
Ezra 10:1-5. The People's Confession and Oath 1. _Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed_ R.V. NOW WHILE EZRA PRAYED AND MADE CONFESSION. The Hebrew shows that the people were assembling during Ezra's prayer. The report of Ezra's public grief would quickly spread, and he had maintained... [ Continue Reading ]
_And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel_, one _of the sons of Elam_ R.V. SHECANIAH. A Jehiel is mentioned in Ezra 10:26 as one -of the sons of Elam" that had married -strange women". It is hardly likely that Shecaniah would have taken action against his own father and mother (or stepmother); though, if he... [ Continue Reading ]
_let us make a covenant_&c. Compare other covenants undertaken by the people, e.g. 2 Chronicles 15:12; 2 Chronicles 29:10; 2 Chronicles 34:31-32; Nehemiah 10:29; Jeremiah 34:15. _to put away the wives_&c. Either legal divorce or the annulling of the marriages by public decree. The marriages had been... [ Continue Reading ]
The appeal to Ezra. _Arise_ Not a reference to Ezra's prostration but a summons to energetic action, Joshua 1:2; Judges 4:14; 1 Samuel 16:12 and often. _for_this _matter_belongeth _unto thee_:] R.V. FOR THE MATTER &c. Literally -for this matter is upon thee". Cf. Nehemiah 13:13, -And their business... [ Continue Reading ]
Ezra's prompt action: an oath administered to the princes. _the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel_ R.V. THE CHIEFS OF THE PRIESTS. Here as in Ezra 8:29 the A.V. by rendering -chief priests" gives an erroneous meaning. -The chiefs" here spoken of are the princes or leaders of the three group... [ Continue Reading ]
The Assembly and the Reform 6. _went into the chamber_ See on Ezra 8:29, and cf. Nehemiah 13:4. _Johanan the son of Eliashib_ R.V. JEHOHANAN THE SON OF ELIASHIB. The best-known Eliashib of this period is the High-priest who appears as a contemporary of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 3:1; Nehemiah 13:4; Nehemia... [ Continue Reading ]
_And they made proclamation_&c. The phrase for making a proclamation is peculiar; it occurs also in chap. Ezra 1:1, where see note. The authors of this proclamation are not mentioned. But we are evidently intended to understand the princes and the chiefs of the people (Ezra 10:5) who had taken the... [ Continue Reading ]
_and that whosoever would not come_ R.V. AND THAT WHOSOEVER CAME NOT, i.e. whosoever failed (not, whosoever refused) to appear. The causes for non-appearance are not hinted at. All defaulters were to be treated as contumacious. _within three days_ An expression which shows within what narrow limits... [ Continue Reading ]
_all the men of Judah and Benjamin_ All the male population capable of attending. -Men of Judah and Benjamin", cf. Ezra 1:5; Ezra 4:1. _It_was _the ninth month_ R.V. IT WAS THE NINTH MONTH not a fresh sentence. The -ninth month" was Chislev, corresponding nearly to our December. The Assyrian month K... [ Continue Reading ]
_Ezra the priest_ See note on Ezra 7:11. _Ye have transgressed_ R.V. YE HAVE TRESPASSED, as in Ezra 10:2; Ezra 10:6; Ezra 9:4 and Nehemiah 1:8; Nehemiah 13:27. It is best to keep -transgress" and -transgression" for the Hebrew words -pâsha" and -pesha", which only once occur in this book (Ezra 10:1... [ Continue Reading ]
Ezra's address to the people: (1) the offence stated; (2) the reform commanded, consisting of (_a_) public confession, (_b_) practical amendment.... [ Continue Reading ]
_make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers_ R.V. MAKE CONFESSION (marg. Or, _give thanks) unto the Lord, the God of your fathers_. -Make confession". Literally -give thanksgiving or praise". The substantive is connected with the verb which in its reflexive form means, as in Ezra 10:1, -made... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then all the congregation_, &c. The deliberations are not recorded. The substance of their decision is here paraphrased. The method of its expression was probably by unanimous acclamation. We can hardly suppose that there was free discussion. The princes debated and harangued the multitude: the mul... [ Continue Reading ]
The resolution of the general assembly epitomised. A general assent to Ezra's proposal. The time of the year and the magnitude of the task make it necessary to appoint a commission to carry it into execution.... [ Continue Reading ]
Such an enquiry must be of a lengthy nature. The matter cannot be summarily disposed of. The people who have come in from a distance cannot in the rainy weather protract their stay in the city by living and sleeping in the open air, as they would have done had it been summer. _for we are many that h... [ Continue Reading ]
A commission recommended. _Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand_ R.V. LET NOW OUR PRINCES BE APPOINTED (marg. Heb. _stand_) FOR ALL THE CONGREGATION. The A.V. fails to give the idea of the original, where a difficulty is occasioned by the preposition -for". There are practically two way... [ Continue Reading ]
Slight opposition. _Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this_matter] R.V. STOOD UP AGAINST (Marg. Or, _were appointed over_) THIS matter. The word -only", the English reader should take notice, is not used in the sense of -alone", but as an adversativ... [ Continue Reading ]
The Commission at work 16. _the children of the captivity did so_ For this expression cf. Ezra 10:7. The proposal was no sooner made than it was carried into execution. The personal influence of Ezra must account for the ready acquiescence of the people generally. _And Ezra the priest_ Ezra is her... [ Continue Reading ]
_And they made an end with all the men_, &c. The Hebrew runs -And they made an end with the whole (business), i.e. the men that had, &c." The English rendering expresses the meaning. But the wording of the present Hebrew text can hardly be correct, and there is some ground for the conjecture that th... [ Continue Reading ]
Priests 18. _that had taken strange wives_ R.V. THAT HAD MARRIED STRANGE WOMEN: the R.V. puts a colon after -women", and a comma after -brethren". The -Jeshua the son of Jozadak" here mentioned is clearly the High-priest, the contemporary of Zerubbabel. In chap. Ezra 2:36 we have mention of -the ch... [ Continue Reading ]
The List of those who -had married strange women" The record of the names was probably one of the documents officially preserved. The publicity of such a list was in itself a punishment to the offenders and a warning to others. As in chap. 2, the list falls into the three groups of Priests, Levite... [ Continue Reading ]
_they gave their hands_ R.V. THEIR HAND. The Hebrew has the singular. On this symbol of a promise or pledge compare 2 Kings 10:15 -If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand". Ezekiel 17:18 -And behold, he had given his hand, and yet hath done all these things". Lamentations 5:6 -We have... [ Continue Reading ]
Levites, singers, and porters The Levites 23. _Kelaiah_(_the same is Kelita_)] See Nehemiah 8:7; Nehemiah 10:10, Kelita. Jozabad, Nehemiah 8:7.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Of the singers also_ R.V. AND OF THE SINGERS. There is no variety in the copula, such as the A.V. would imply. Only one -singer" is recorded in the list of offenders. On the prominence given in these books to the -singers," see _Introd_.... [ Continue Reading ]
Israel, or the laity as distinguished from priests and Levites. Cf. Ezra 2:2 -the men of the people of Israel". Ezra 9:1 -the people of Israel, and the priests and the Levites". _Moreover of Israel_ R.V. AND OF ISRAEL. There is no variety to break the simplicity of the list. The names of the house... [ Continue Reading ]
_Jehiel_ -of the sons of Elam", see note on Ezra 10:2.... [ Continue Reading ]
_and Ramoth_ R.V. JEREMOTH. Marg. -Another reading is, _and Ramoth_". The reading of the C'thib is -Jeremoth"; of the K'ri, of the LXX. and Vulg. -and Ramoth" (LXX. καὶ Ῥημώθ, et Ramoth). The reading of C'thib -Jeremoth" is nevertheless preferable. It has support in 3 Esdras 9:30 -and Jeremoth" (καὶ... [ Continue Reading ]
_Chelluh_ R.V. Cheluhi. Marg. -Another reading is, _Cheluhu_".... [ Continue Reading ]
_and Jaasau_ R.V. AND JAASU. Marg. -Another reading is, _Jaasai_". The LXX. clearly had -Jaasu", which they mistook for a verb and rendered -and they did or made" (καὶ ἐποίησαν) regardless of the lack of meaning. The C'thib has -Jaasu": the K'ri -Jaasai".... [ Continue Reading ]
_Jadau_ R.V. IDDO. Marg. -Another reading is, _Jaddai_". Here the LXX. has Jadai (Ἰαδαὶ) and 1Es 9:35 Edais (Ἠδαῒς), which agree with the reading of the K'ri. The reading of the C'thib is -Iddo", and is preferred by the R.V. as in the three preceding instances (Ezra 10:29; Ezra 10:35; Ezra 10:37).... [ Continue Reading ]
_All these had taken strange wives_ So also the R.V., a different phrase in the original from that rendered -had married strange women". See on Ezra 9:2. _and some of them had wives by_whom _they had children_ So R.V. Marg. Or, _some of the wives had borne children_. The clause in the original is be... [ Continue Reading ]