Ezra 10:25 kjv
Moreover of Israel: of the sons of Parosh; Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah.
Ezra 10:25 nkjv
And others of Israel: of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Jeziah, Malchiah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah;
Ezra 10:25 niv
And among the other Israelites: From the descendants of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malkijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malkijah and Benaiah.
Ezra 10:25 esv
And of Israel: of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Hashabiah, and Benaiah.
Ezra 10:25 nlt
These are the other people of Israel who were guilty: From the family of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malkijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Hashabiah, and Benaiah.
Ezra 10 25 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 34:15-16 | ...you take some of their daughters for your sons...their daughters prostitute themselves...cause your sons to do likewise. | Direct prohibition against intermarriage to prevent idolatry. |
| Dt 7:3-4 | You shall not intermarry with them...they will turn your sons away from following Me. | Explicit command against mixed marriages due to idolatry. |
| Josh 23:12-13 | If you intermarry with them...they will be a snare and a trap to you. | Warning about negative consequences of breaking separation. |
| Jdg 3:5-6 | So the Israelites lived among the Canaanites...and took their daughters for wives...and served their gods. | Example of Israel falling into sin through intermarriage. |
| Num 25:1-3 | While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab...served their gods. | Consequences of spiritual infidelity through foreign women. |
| 1 Ki 11:1-8 | King Solomon loved many foreign women...his wives turned his heart away after other gods. | Illustration of how foreign wives led even kings astray. |
| Neh 13:23-27 | ...Jewish men had married women of Ashdod...Why commit this great evil against our God by marrying foreign women? | Parallel condemnation of intermarriage during Nehemiah's time. |
| Ezra 9:1-2 | The people of Israel...have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands...taken some of their daughters. | The broader context of the sin that prompted Ezra's actions. |
| Ezra 10:1-3 | ...Ezra prostrated himself...We have been unfaithful to our God, by marrying foreign women...let us make a covenant...put away all the wives. | The decision to put away foreign wives due to the covenant. |
| Lev 19:2 | Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.’ | General principle of holiness foundational to separation. |
| Deut 10:15-17 | The LORD has set His affection on your fathers...You shall circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. | Calls for internal spiritual separation, reflected externally. |
| 2 Cor 6:14-17 | Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? | New Testament principle of spiritual separation from unbelievers. |
| 1 Pet 1:15-16 | Just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” | New Testament exhortation to holy living mirroring God's character. |
| Eph 4:22 | You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self... | Principle of "putting off" sinful practices. |
| Col 3:8-9 | You must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander... | Calls to rid oneself of behavior inconsistent with faith. |
| Dan 9:3-5 | I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplication...we have sinned, been disobedient. | Corporate confession and repentance similar to Ezra's. |
| 1 Jn 1:9 | If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins. | Promise of forgiveness for sincere confession of sin. |
| Rom 2:13 | For it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. | Emphasis on obedience and actively keeping God's commands. |
| Mal 2:10-11 | Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously...profaning the covenant by marrying foreign women? | Post-exilic prophet reiterating the sin of intermarriage. |
| Isa 59:1-2 | Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you. | Sin causes separation from God; the restoration effort was to bridge this. |
| Hag 2:13-14 | ...if a person defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these things, does it become defiled? And they answered, "It does become defiled." So it is with this nation... | Principle of spiritual contamination spreading; intermarriage defiled. |
| Gen 12:1-3 | I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. | Calls Israel to be a distinct, holy nation to fulfill a global purpose. |
Ezra 10 verses
Ezra 10 25 Meaning
Ezra 10:25 lists specific men from the descendants of Parosh who had married foreign women, thus violating the Mosaic Covenant and defiling the "holy seed" of Israel. These individuals, along with others mentioned in the chapter, were formally identified as those who needed to confess their sin and put away their non-Israelite wives and any children born from these unions. The verse contributes to the detailed record of those who participated in this act of repentance and restoration for the community.
Ezra 10 25 Context
Ezra 10:25 falls within a crucial narrative concerning the spiritual restoration of the Jewish community that returned from Babylonian exile. After rebuilding the Temple, Ezra discovers a profound moral and spiritual failure: many had intermarried with people from the surrounding idolatrous nations, explicitly forbidden by God's Law. This sin, termed a "great guilt," deeply distressed Ezra, who saw it as a repetition of the transgressions that had led to the exile. Following a period of national mourning and confession (Ezra 9:1-15), a solemn covenant was made under Shecaniah's proposal to send away the foreign wives and their children, to purify the "holy seed" and ensure the nation's spiritual survival and covenant faithfulness. Chapter 10 proceeds to list the names of those implicated, starting with priests, then Levites, and finally, laypeople by family lineage. Verse 25 specifically lists men from the family of Parosh who were among those who had taken foreign wives and agreed to separate from them, marking a painstaking process of cleansing the community from within.
Ezra 10 25 Word analysis
Of the sons: (מִבְּנֵי, mi-b'nei) - Lit. "from the sons of." Indicates derivation or membership within a family lineage or clan. It stresses descent and the family unit's responsibility in the matter.
Parosh: (פַּרְעֹשׁ, Parosh) - A tribal or family name, one of the leading families who returned with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:3; Neh 7:8). The inclusion of prominent families emphasizes the widespread nature of the sin across all levels of the community and the gravity of the needed cleansing.
Ramiah: (רַאֲמְיָה, Ra'amyah) - A Hebrew name meaning "Yah has hurled" or "Yah has been exalted." The presence of "Yah" (short for Yahweh) within the name signifies a connection to God, making the sin of intermarriage a stark contrast to their namesake.
Izziah: (יִזִּיָּה, Yizziyah) - Meaning "Yah is strength" or "Yah strengthens." Again, the "Yah" ending emphasizes their lineage within the covenant community.
Malchijah: (מַלְכִּיָּה, Malkiyyah) - Meaning "My king is Yah." This name appears twice in this verse, either referring to two distinct individuals or a scribal repetition, which can occur in such lists. It reiterates loyalty to God as King, highlighting the betrayal of that loyalty through intermarriage.
Mijamin: (מִיָמִן, Miyamin) - Meaning "from the right hand" or "by the right hand." Could refer to a family associated with a certain location or role.
Eleazar: (אֶלְעָזָר, El'azar) - Meaning "God has helped." A common name, notably the son of Aaron, who became High Priest. Its presence here among laypeople signifies a name often given with a hopeful spiritual meaning.
Benaiah: (בְּנָיָה, Benayah) - Meaning "Yah has built." Reflects a belief that God built or established their lineage, contrasting with actions that sought to tear down that spiritual heritage.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Of the sons of Parosh": This phrase precisely identifies the familial group affected by the intermarriage issue. It underscores the organized, lineage-based structure of post-exilic Israel and how sin impacted families, not just isolated individuals. It signals a careful, systematic accounting of those involved.
- "[List of names]": The sequential listing of proper names transforms what could be an abstract issue into a concrete, personal confession and repentance. It serves as a historical record, signifying the public nature of the sin and the painful but necessary corrective action taken by specific individuals to maintain the holiness and integrity of the restored covenant community. This was not a general admonition but a precise identification for accountability.
Ezra 10 25 Bonus section
The act of listing names in Ezra 10 is not just for historical record but also served as an act of public accountability, demonstrating a thorough and transparent process for addressing a severe national sin. This detail-oriented approach reflects the deep seriousness with which Ezra and the community viewed their commitment to God's law. From a sociological standpoint, such a purge, while painful, reinforced communal identity and cohesion among the returned exiles. It asserted boundaries that were deemed crucial for the long-term spiritual health and survival of a fragile, vulnerable community attempting to re-establish itself on covenant terms. The sacrifice of personal relationships for communal purity highlighted the "corporate" nature of ancient Israelite identity, where individual actions could directly impact the well-being of the entire people of God.
Ezra 10 25 Commentary
Ezra 10:25 is not merely a dry list of names but a powerful testament to the severity of covenant infidelity and the drastic measures required for spiritual purification in the post-exilic community. The detailed identification of men from the family of Parosh, alongside others, underscores that intermarriage was a pervasive sin impacting all strata of Israelite society. The Mosaic Law strictly forbade such unions, not out of ethnic prejudice, but due to the overwhelming risk of idolatry and the erosion of Israel's distinct covenant identity. By linking with foreign peoples, Israel diluted its unique role as a "holy seed" set apart for God. The act of "putting away" these wives was an agonizing decision, signifying a national recognition that the preservation of their faith and identity, and prevention of future judgment, superseded personal comfort and social convention. This was a profound act of repentance and obedience, aimed at cleansing the community so it could truly walk in covenant faithfulness with God, drawing a clear line between the ways of God and the ways of the surrounding nations.