Ezra 10 10

Ezra 10:10 kjv

And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.

Ezra 10:10 nkjv

Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have transgressed and have taken pagan wives, adding to the guilt of Israel.

Ezra 10:10 niv

Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, adding to Israel's guilt.

Ezra 10:10 esv

And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have broken faith and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel.

Ezra 10:10 nlt

Then Ezra the priest stood and said to them: "You have committed a terrible sin. By marrying pagan women, you have increased Israel's guilt.

Ezra 10 verses

Ezra 10 10 Meaning

Ezra the priest authoritatively addressed the gathered assembly, declaring that they had committed a grave breach of covenant, specifically by marrying women from foreign nations. He sternly stated that this act of disloyalty had compounded their existing spiritual fault, thereby bringing collective guilt and spiritual impurity upon the entire community of Israel.

Ezra 10 10 Context

Ezra chapter 10 documents the drastic measures taken by the returned exiles to rectify the egregious sin of intermarriage with foreign women. Following Ezra's intense and heartfelt prayer of confession and mourning in chapter 9, a large congregation, moved to tears, assembled. Shecaniah ben Jehiel then steps forward to propose a solemn covenant to put away these foreign wives and their children, acknowledging their trespass against God. Ezra, a revered priest and scribe learned in God's law, seized this moment of conviction. Verse 10 records his direct, authoritative pronouncement, clearly articulating the severity of their actions. This formal accusation marks the crucial turning point, leading directly to the widespread repentance, investigation, and decisive separation from these foreign ties, effectively cleansing the covenant community. Historically, the post-exilic period was vital for Israel's identity and spiritual reformation. The exiles had returned to rebuild Jerusalem and its spiritual foundations after enduring divine judgment for their past idolatry. Intermarriage with pagan neighbors was a constant threat throughout their history, repeatedly leading them into syncretism and abandoning Yahweh. Ezra's resolute stance aimed to prevent a recurrence of these covenant violations that had historically provoked God's wrath and resulted in their dispersion.

Ezra 10 10 Word analysis

• Ezra (עֶזְרָא - `Ezra’): Meaning "help." He is a central figure in the post-exilic period, holding authority as a priest and scribe skilled in the Law of Moses (Ezra 7:6), making his declaration impactful and legitimate.
• the priest (הַכֹּהֵן - hakkohen): Designates his official capacity and spiritual authority derived from the Mosaic lineage and law, giving weight to his pronouncements on matters of holiness and covenant.
• stood up (וַיָּ֧קָם - vayyāqām): Implies a firm and authoritative stance, signifying that Ezra was taking decisive action and was about to make a formal, binding statement or judgment.
• said (וַיֹּ֥אמֶר - vayyō’mer): Denotes a direct address, confronting the people with their sin rather than simply musing on it.
• to them (אֲלֵהֶֽם - ’ălēhem): Refers to the collective assembly of the sons of Israel, emphasizing the corporate nature of the sin and its addressing.
• You (אַתֶּם - ’attem): A direct, emphatic second-person plural pronoun, holding the assembled community personally and corporately accountable.
• have transgressed (מְעַלְתֶּם - me’altem): Derived from the root ma’al (מָעַל), which denotes "to act treacherously," "to commit a trespass," or "to be unfaithful." It carries strong theological weight, implying a betrayal or sacrilege against God or a sacred trust, particularly used in contexts of violating the covenant or temple holiness. It signifies a profound spiritual disloyalty.
• and married (הֹושַׁבְתֶּם - hōshavtem): Literally "you have caused to dwell" or "you have settled." This highlights their active role in bringing these women into their homes and communities as wives, establishing permanent ties rather than casual interaction.
• foreign women (נָשִׁים נָכְרִיּוֹת - nashim nokhriyyōth): Nokhriyôt means "foreign" or "alien." This is not primarily an ethnic descriptor but refers to women outside the covenant community, implying their adherence to foreign deities and customs, which were explicitly forbidden for intermarriage due to their idolatrous influence on Israel.
• bringing guilt upon (לְהוֹסִיף עַל־אֲשַׁמְתָּ֥ם - lehôsīph ‘al-’ashamtām): Literally, "to add upon their guilt" or "to increase their guilt/trespass."
  • guilt (אֲשַׁמְתָּם - ’ashamtām): From the root asham (אָשָׁם), meaning "guilt," "trespass," or the "trespass offering" required for atonement. This signifies a state of culpability before God, carrying liability and requiring recompense or atonement. The action has exacerbated an existing state of spiritual liability within the nation, compounding their communal sin.
• Israel (יִשְׂרָאֵל - yisra’el): The covenant nation, the people chosen by God. The sin is not merely individual but affects the entire body of believers, highlighting the corporate solidarity of the covenant community and the collective impact of disobedience.

• Ezra the priest stood up and said to them: This phrase underscores the legitimate spiritual authority of Ezra and the direct, confrontational nature of his message, necessary for a profound national repentance.
• You have transgressed and married foreign women: This clearly links their specific action of intermarriage with the theological concept of ma'al (treacherous transgression), emphasizing the gravity of their disobedience against God's direct command and covenant.
• bringing guilt upon Israel: This stresses the communal consequence of their individual actions, signifying that their sin added to the nation's spiritual debt and liability before God, jeopardizing their standing as His holy people.

Ezra 10 10 Bonus section

• The prohibition against intermarriage (Deut 7:3-4, Exod 34:15-16) was not rooted in ethnic or racial prejudice but in theological and covenantal concerns. The fear was that foreign spouses would lead the Israelites away from the worship of Yahweh to pagan gods, thereby defiling the pure worship of God and ultimately endangering the nation's special relationship with Him. The problem was spiritual loyalty, not lineage alone; exemplified by Ruth, a Moabitess, who was accepted into Israel because she committed herself to Israel's God (Ruth 1:16-17).
• The strong term ma'al ("transgressed" or "acted treacherously") used here highlights that this was a fundamental betrayal of God's trust and the covenant established at Sinai. It wasn't an oversight but a deep breach of the sacred relationship Israel had with Yahweh, reflecting a dangerous complacency that threatened their hard-won return from exile.
• Ezra's public and firm pronouncement set a precedent for leadership responsibility in spiritual matters. Leaders within the covenant community are called to confront sin directly and unequivocally for the sake of the spiritual health and purity of the entire body.

Ezra 10 10 Commentary

Ezra 10:10 serves as a pivotal moment of direct confrontation and a concise summation of Israel's grievous sin in the post-exilic era. Ezra, as the spiritual head, boldly pronounces the specific charge against the people: "You have transgressed and married foreign women." This declaration identifies the heart of their unfaithfulness. The term "transgressed" (Hebrew: ma’al) is far stronger than merely making a mistake; it implies a profound act of treachery or sacrilege against God's covenant, indicating a deliberate and severe disloyalty. This action of intermarriage was a direct violation of long-standing Mosaic commands, designed to protect Israel's monotheistic purity and prevent syncretism with pagan idolatry. The gravity of the sin is further emphasized by Ezra's concluding statement: it was "bringing guilt upon Israel." This "guilt" (Hebrew: asham) speaks of communal culpability, signifying that their actions did not just impact individuals but imposed a collective spiritual defilement and liability on the entire nation before God, akin to corporate judgment experienced during earlier times for similar sins. Ezra's unreserved diagnosis of their sin was a crucial first step, paving the way for the profound repentance and rigorous spiritual reformation that followed. It underscores that true healing begins with a clear, unvarnished identification of sin and its comprehensive consequences.