Ezra 10:16

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 here mentioned first, and it is probable that he presided over the court of enquiry. On his title -the priest", cf. Ezra 7:11.

with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers R.V. with certain heads of fathers" houses, after their fathers" houses. The word -with" does not appear in the Hebrew, but, if the existing text be correct, we clearly need some such copula, which is supplied in the LXX. and Vulg. The phrase -certain heads of fathers" houses, after their fathers" houses" seems to mean that each -father's house" (cf. Ezra 2:3, &c.) was represented on the commission by its chief or head. Literally rendered, the Hebrew runs, -Ezra the priest, men, heads of fathers" houses, &c."

all of them by their names A full list of the households being furnished, the representative chiefs of certain -houses" were required by name to attend. Cf. -were expressed by name", Ezra 8:20.

were separated i.e. were set apart for the work. The use of this word -separated" shows that a certain number and not all of the chiefs were employed on this occasion. The text is not quite free from suspicion. The absence of the copula before -men (or, certain) heads" taken in conjunction with the reading of the Syriac Peshitto favours another rendering -And Ezra the priest separated (or set apart for the work) certain men (that were) heads &c." In other words Ezra made the necessary selection. Not all the heads of the great houses were summoned to sit on the commission. We read of ninety-eight in, Ezra 2:3-61, and this number would have been far too unwieldy for the purpose. Certain of them were therefore to be set apart from the whole number. And Ezra was the natural person to make the selection. Having recently arrived from Babylon, he would be impartial, while the fact of his having originated the whole movement marked him out to be head of the enquiry.

, and sat down R.V.; and they sat down. The R.V. separates the clause more-definitely from the preceding one. The Hebrew phrase is the same as the English -and the commission held its first sitting".

in the first day of the tenth month The first of Tebeth (see Esther 2:16), the Assyrian Tibi-tuv, about the same as our January.

to examine the matter The Hebrew word -to examine" is of very strange form, and looks as if the name of -Darius" had been carelessly introduced by a copyist in the place of the similar word -to examine". He was perhaps reminded, by the look of the letters, of the word similarly formed composing the familiar name of the king.