Ezra 10 1

Ezra 10:1 kjv

Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.

Ezra 10:1 nkjv

Now while Ezra was praying, and while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down before the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept very bitterly.

Ezra 10:1 niv

While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites?men, women and children?gathered around him. They too wept bitterly.

Ezra 10:1 esv

While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly.

Ezra 10:1 nlt

While Ezra prayed and made this confession, weeping and lying face down on the ground in front of the Temple of God, a very large crowd of people from Israel ? men, women, and children ? gathered and wept bitterly with him.

Ezra 10 verses

Ezra 10 1 Meaning

Ezra chapter 10 verse 1 depicts Ezra's intense personal devotion in prayer and confession before God at the Temple. His deep emotional anguish, manifested in weeping and prostration, over the sins of the returning exiles—especially their forbidden intermarriages—resonated so powerfully that it sparked a spontaneous and immense gathering of men, women, and children from all over Israel. This assembly, deeply moved by Ezra's profound grief and conviction, responded with an overwhelming display of their own bitter weeping, indicating a shared, heartfelt sorrow and corporate repentance for their transgressions.

Ezra 10 1 Context

Ezra 10:1 follows immediately after Ezra's profound prayer of confession in chapter 9. This prayer was prompted by his discovery that the Israelites, who had returned from Babylonian exile and were rebuilding their community and the Temple in Jerusalem, had engaged in extensive intermarriage with the idolatrous peoples of the surrounding lands. This was a grave violation of God's covenant commands (e.g., Exod 34:16, Deut 7:3-4), which explicitly warned against such unions due to their corrupting influence on Israel's spiritual purity and their fidelity to Yahweh. Ezra, overcome with shame, anguish, and a deep sense of identification with his people's sin, had rent his garment, pulled out hair, and remained in mourning until the evening offering. His agonizing public prayer, expressing corporate guilt and fear of God's wrath, serves as the direct catalyst for the communal outpouring of repentance described in this verse. The historical context is crucial: Israel had recently been disciplined through exile for disobedience, and this sin of intermarriage threatened to lead them down the same destructive path once again, jeopardizing their newly re-established identity and relationship with God in the restored land.

Ezra 10 1 Word analysis

• While Ezra prayed: Ezra (עֶזְרָא - ʿEzrāʾ), meaning "help," "the Lord helps." He was a priest and scribe skilled in the Law of Moses. His prayer was הִתְפַּלֵּל (hitpallēl), an intensive verb implying fervent, persistent, and deeply personal supplication, a self-reflexive act directed towards God.
• and made confession: From וְהִתְוַדּוֹתוֹ (ve-hitvaddûto), derived from יָדָה (yādāh) meaning "to confess," "to acknowledge," often involving an open declaration of sin and guilt. This was a public acknowledgment of the people's collective transgression, demonstrating ownership of the sin.
• weeping: בֹּכֶה (bōkheh) describes loud, demonstrative crying, signifying profound sorrow, anguish, and distress. It reflects not mere sadness, but deep, internal brokenness.
• and casting himself down: וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה (ū-mishtachaveh) indicates prostration, falling face down, a posture of extreme humility, submission, and adoration before God. It signifies deep reverence, total surrender, and desperate appeal.
• before the house of God: לִפְנֵי בֵית הָאֱלֹהִים (lifney beit ha'Elohim). This refers to the Temple in Jerusalem, the physical symbol of God's presence, the place of worship, covenant, and atonement. Performing this act of repentance publicly at such a sacred site emphasized the spiritual nature and severity of the transgression against God.
• a very great assembly: קָהָל רַב מְאֹד (qāhāl rav mᵉʾōd). Qāhāl denotes a congregation or assembly, often one summoned for a specific purpose (religious or civil). Rav mᵉʾōd (very great) stresses the immense size and widespread nature of the gathering. It indicates a powerful, spontaneous drawing together of the community, likely supernaturally inspired.
• of men, women, and children: אִישׁ אִשָּׁה וָטָף (ʾîš ʾiššāh wāṭāf). This tripartite grouping emphasizes the total inclusion of the community, young and old, male and female. The inclusion of ṭāf (children) highlights the widespread impact of the sin, the corporate nature of repentance, and the concern for future generations.
• gathered to him from Israel: מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל נִקְבְּצוּ אֵלָיו (mîśrāʾēl niqbbᵉṣū ʾēlāyw). This indicates a voluntary, unified convergence of people from across the returned exile community towards Ezra, acknowledging his spiritual authority and identifying with his anguish.
• for the people wept bitterly: כִּי בָכוּ הָעָם בְּכִי גָדוֹל (kî vākû hāʿām bᵉkhî gādôl). Bechi gadol means "great weeping," indicating intense, overwhelming sorrow. It signals genuine remorse and conviction among the people, a responsive heart-brokenness aligning with Ezra's own.

Words-group analysis:

• "While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down": This phrase details Ezra's profound posture of brokenness, humility, and earnest seeking of God. It highlights a multi-faceted expression of lament and supplication, involving words, tears, and a physical attitude of complete surrender. This was an example of sacrificial, empathetic intercession.
• "before the house of God": The Temple setting provides the spiritual anchor for this moment. It was not a private act, but a public, national confession occurring in the holy place where the covenant was renewed and where divine judgment and mercy converged. This location added immense solemnity and weight to the proceedings.
• "a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him from Israel, for the people wept bitterly": This comprehensive description of the gathered community and their shared response signifies a corporate move of God's Spirit. Ezra's personal anguish was divinely used to ignite a communal realization and confession of sin, involving every demographic, united in profound sorrow and genuine remorse before God.

Ezra 10 1 Bonus section

The remarkable element of this verse is the spontaneous nature of the assembly. There was no formal call or official decree issued. It was Ezra's raw, authentic lament that drew the people. This demonstrates the spiritual principle that true leadership in repentance, when rooted in deep brokenness before God, has a powerful, contagious effect, stirring the hearts of the multitude. The Temple, "the house of God," further accentuates the sanctity and seriousness of the event, reminding the people of the sacred covenant they had violated. The presence of women and children, often less prominent in ancient societal assemblies, highlights that the sin of intermarriage directly affected familial structures and future generations, and thus, the communal cleansing had to include them all, ensuring a complete break with past idolatry and foreign influences.

Ezra 10 1 Commentary

Ezra 10:1 presents a powerful display of genuine spiritual leadership and a profound corporate response to sin. Ezra's personal, agonizing confession, offered with physical prostration and deep emotion at the Temple, served as the catalyst for a sweeping communal conviction. His identification with the people's transgressions—the very act he decried in chapter 9—transformed individual prayer into a public catalyst for repentance. The gathering of "men, women, and children" underscores that sin impacts the entire community and requires a unified, collective response for healing and restoration. The "bitter weeping" signals not just emotional sadness, but a "godly sorrow" (2 Cor 7:10) that leads to genuine repentance and a willingness for costly change. This verse emphasizes the contagion of authentic brokenness and the spiritual sensitivity necessary for a community to respond collectively to the call for purity and renewed covenant faithfulness. It illustrates how one person's deep intercession can ignite widespread spiritual awakening and prompt a turning back to God.