Ezra 10:20-44

5. A list is made of those who complied.

TEXT, Ezra 10:20-44

20.

And of the sons of Immer there were Hanani and Zebadiah;

21.

and of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah;

22.

and of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

23.

And of the Levites there were Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

24.

And of the singers there was Eliashib; and of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

25.

And of Israel, of the sons of Parosh there were Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah;

26.

and of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah;

27.

and of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza;

28

and of the sons of Bebai: Johohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai;

29

and of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth;

30

and of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh;

31

and of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,

32

Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah;

33

of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei;

34

of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel,

35

Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi,

36

Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,

37

Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu,

38

Bani, Binnui, Shimei,

39

Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,

40

Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

41

Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,

42

Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.

43

Of the sons of Nebo there were Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.

44

All these had married foreign wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.

COMMENT

It is obvious that this is only a partial list, perhaps of the most influential of the people involved.

Ezra 10:20-22 continue the list of names from the priesthood; Ezra 10:23-24 give names of Levites and their associates; Ezra 10:25-43, of Israel.

No mention is made in Ezra 10:44 of what was done for the continued support of the women and children, whether they received some form of alimony or whether they married the men who had been divorced by their Israelite wives. Such problems could only be dealt with on an individual basis, and this would reach beyond the scope of Ezra's book.

WORD STUDIES

COVENANT (Ezra 10:3, Berith): comes from the verb, eat. To make (literally, cut) a covenant, persons butchered and cut up a domestic vegetarian (peaceful) animal (see Genesis 15) and arrived at their agreements around a table of good fellowship. Peace treaties, religious obligations, personal contracts were all sealed in this way. God's covenant with man always had this connotation of fellowship, or sharing, including His obligation to bless if the covenant was kept.

TAKE OATH (Ezra 10:8, Shaba): swear, to seven oneself. Seven, a sacred number, calls attention also to offerings that would be made to seal an oath (Genesis 21:28 ff).

SUMMARY

As Ezra prayed a crowd gathered and entered into his feelings of guilt and sorrow and reverence. One of them, Shecaniah, spoke for all to encourage Ezra to lead in covenanting with God to correct the sin of marriage to heathen mates, believing that there was still hope. Leaders of the priests, Levites, and citizens took an oath to support Ezra in this reform. An assembly of all the males throughout the area of Judah and Benjamin was called, under penalty of forfeiting all their property. In a matter of days these assembled in spite of a heavy rain, and became convinced of the necessity of confessing their wrong and amending it. Ezra appointed leaders for each community to investigate each offending household. On the first day of the new year, about three and a half months after Ezra had prayed, the investigations were completed and the community of Israel had separated itself from entanglements with foreign spouses. The decision was completed with pledges and offerings to God; the list of those whose names were affixed to the agreement began with priests, contained Levites, and concluded with many of the prominent people throughout Israel.