Ezra 10 28

Ezra 10:28 kjv

Of the sons also of Bebai; Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.

Ezra 10:28 nkjv

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

Ezra 10:28 niv

From the descendants of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai and Athlai.

Ezra 10:28 esv

Of the sons of Bebai were Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.

Ezra 10:28 nlt

From the family of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.

Ezra 10 verses

Ezra 10 28 Meaning

Ezra 10:28 lists four individuals—Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai—who were "of the sons of Bebai." These men were among those in the post-exilic community who had taken foreign wives and, in an act of repentance and obedience, made a covenant to put away their non-Israelite spouses and their children. This verse identifies specific participants in the spiritual cleansing initiative led by Ezra, marking their adherence to the re-establishment of the community's holiness and covenant fidelity before God.

Ezra 10 28 Context

Ezra 10:28 is situated in a critical period of Judah's restoration after the Babylonian exile. The people, having returned to rebuild the Temple and re-establish their life in the land, had fallen into a severe sin: intermarriage with the surrounding pagan peoples. This was a direct violation of God's covenant commands (Exod 34:15-16, Deut 7:3-4), which explicitly forbade such alliances to prevent spiritual apostasy and preserve Israel's unique identity as a holy nation. Chapter 9 describes Ezra's intense grief and prayerful confession upon learning of this widespread sin. Chapter 10 then details the people's collective response: a profound conviction leading to a public assembly, national confession, and a solemn covenant. The assembly swore an oath to rectify this disobedience by putting away their foreign wives and their children born from these unions. Ezra 10:28 is part of the extensive list documenting the specific individuals who participated in this difficult, yet necessary, act of obedience and purification. The inclusion of names like "Bebai" who belonged to prominent families (Ezra 2:11) underscores the seriousness and pervasive nature of the issue, and the exemplary leadership required to address it.

Word Analysis

• of the sons of (בְּנֵי - bene): This phrase signifies lineage or descendants. It establishes the individuals as members of a specific family or clan group. In this post-exilic context, it highlights their established identity within the returned community and suggests a measure of social standing or recognized connection. Their participation reflected a family's, not just an individual's, commitment to the covenant.

• Bebai (בֵבַי - Bevai): A proper noun, identifying a prominent family clan whose members had returned from exile. This family head or clan is mentioned elsewhere among the returnees (Ezra 2:11; Neh 7:16). Their involvement indicates that leaders and established families were participating in the difficult repentance, setting an example for the community.

• Jehohanan (יְהוֹחָנָן - Yehochanan): A proper name meaning "Yahweh has been gracious" or "Yahweh is gracious." This name, common in the Bible, perhaps ironically reflects God's enduring grace even as the people were under judgment for their disobedience. His participation underscores the seriousness of personal repentance.

• Hananiah (וַחֲנַנְיָה - vachananya): A proper name with the same core meaning as Jehohanan, "Yahweh has been gracious." The repetition of names reflecting divine grace (or a common occurrence of such names) might implicitly highlight that God's covenant fidelity and mercy underpinned even the severe acts of judgment and purification during the restoration.

• Zabbai (זַבַּי - Zabbai): A proper name, possibly meaning "my gift" or connected to a root implying "flow." Its precise etymology is less clear, but like the other names, it simply designates an individual who was part of this collective act of repentance.

• Athlai (עַתְלָי - Atlay): A proper name with an uncertain etymology. As with Zabbai, its significance lies primarily in identifying another distinct individual who was complicit in the sin of intermarriage but subsequently partook in the difficult act of national purification.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai": This specific enumeration of names demonstrates the detailed accounting of the covenant members. It grounds the corporate act of putting away foreign wives in individual responsibilities. The listing validates the comprehensive nature of the reformation, indicating that the sin was widespread but that the repentance was also widespread and concrete. These individuals, through their specific obedience, contributed to the re-establishment of the distinct and holy character of the Israelite community after their return from exile.

Ezra 10 28 Bonus section

The detailed listing of names throughout Ezra 10 is not mere bureaucratic record-keeping; it served several important biblical purposes. First, it provided irrefutable documentation of the specific individuals involved in this national act of repentance, affirming the historicity and gravity of the event. Second, it highlights the personal cost and obedience of these men, making their actions concrete examples of devotion to God's law. Third, it underscored the corporate nature of Israel's covenant with God: sin affected the whole community, and therefore repentance and purification also required a corporate, though personally executed, response. This rigid action was seen as vital for the survival and integrity of the remnant who were to maintain the true worship of YHWH and from whom the Messiah would come, thus preserving the purity of the Davidic line. This passage demonstrates a moment where particularism – maintaining the distinctness and purity of God's chosen people – took precedence, securing their unique role in redemptive history after the threats of assimilation.

Ezra 10 28 Commentary

Ezra 10:28, though a simple list of names, is deeply significant. It marks the painful, yet decisive, turn for the post-exilic community back towards covenant faithfulness. The act of divorcing foreign wives was a drastic measure, born out of deep spiritual conviction that their past disobedience had led to exile and that future compromise threatened their very existence as God's chosen people. This was not merely about race or ethnicity, but about spiritual purity: the concern was that foreign wives would introduce idolatry and pagan practices, thus corrupting the purity of worship and the distinctive identity of the messianic line. The listed names, including members of established families, underscore the wide-ranging and difficult personal commitment required for this corporate spiritual cleansing. This chapter is a stark reminder of the serious consequences of covenant infidelity and the need for decisive action when the spiritual health of God's people is compromised. While challenging from a modern perspective, this historical event highlights God's demand for holiness and the gravity of compromise, particularly as it relates to maintaining His redemptive purposes, ultimately looking toward the purity of the lineage of the coming Messiah. However, it's crucial to distinguish this specific, historical decree, designed for the survival of a fragile Old Covenant remnant, from New Covenant principles concerning marriage between a believer and an unbeliever, which prohibit divorce in such circumstances if the unbeliever desires to remain (1 Cor 7:12-16).