Ezra 10 41

Ezra 10:41 kjv

Azareel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,

Ezra 10:41 nkjv

Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,

Ezra 10:41 niv

Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,

Ezra 10:41 esv

Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,

Ezra 10:41 nlt

Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,

Ezra 10 verses

Ezra 10 41 Meaning

Ezra 10:41 concludes a list of men who had taken foreign wives during the post-exilic period, stating that every individual named had indeed married foreign women, and a significant number among them had also had children from these marriages. This verse underscores the pervasive nature of the spiritual compromise and highlights the seriousness of the situation confronting the returned exiles, necessitating the radical action of separation.

Ezra 10 41 Context

Ezra chapter 10 documents the practical steps taken in response to the great sin of intermarriage with foreign women among the returning Jewish exiles. This crisis deeply troubled Ezra, as recorded in chapter 9, where he offers a heartfelt prayer confessing the people's transgression against God's covenant commands. The immediate context of verse 41 is the concluding statement of a detailed list (Ezra 10:18-43) enumerating the individuals who had committed this offense and who were obligated to divorce their foreign wives. Historically, after the return from Babylonian exile, the Jewish community in Jerusalem and Judea faced immense challenges in re-establishing their identity and spiritual purity. The intermarriage issue threatened to dilute their unique covenant relationship with God, leading to syncretism and idolatry, which were the very reasons for the Babylonian exile in the first place. Therefore, this severe and unpopular measure was considered critical for the preservation of Israel's spiritual distinctiveness and the purity of their faith.

Ezra 10 41 Word analysis

• and all of them: Hebrew: vəkhullām (וְכֻלָּם). The prefix ve- means "and", kullām means "all of them." This phrase emphasizes the inclusiveness of the prior lists. It underscores that the reported issue of foreign wives was not limited to a few isolated cases but was widespread among the people, impacting priests, Levites, and laymen. It highlights the gravity and scale of the problem Ezra faced, indicating a collective societal failure to uphold God's law.

• were married: Hebrew: nāsə'û (נָשְׂאוּ). This is the Piel imperfect third person plural of the verb nasa' (נָשָׂא), meaning "to take," "to lift," "to carry." In this context, it functions idiomatically as "to take a wife" or "to marry." The choice of verb indicates the active initiative taken by the men in acquiring these foreign wives.

• foreign women: Hebrew: nāšîm nāḵriyōt (נָשִׁים נָכְרִיּוֹת). Nāšîm (נָשִׁים) means "women" (plural of ishah אִשָּׁה). Nāḵriyōt (נָכְרִיּוֹת) means "foreign," "alien," "stranger" (feminine plural of nokhri נָכְרִי). These were women from the surrounding pagan nations (Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites/Canaanites mentioned in Ezra 9:1), specifically those not part of the Israelite covenant community. Intermarriage with such women was expressly forbidden by God's law (Ex 34:15-16, Deut 7:3-4) because it directly threatened to introduce idolatry and corruption into the community, diluting their identity as God's chosen, holy people.

• and some of them: Hebrew: ūmihhem (וּמֵהֶם). The u- means "and", mihhem means "from them," or "some of them." This nuanced phrase indicates that not every single man listed had children with their foreign wives, but a subset did. This specific detail highlights an even deeper level of entanglement and consequence than mere marriage; the presence of children created mixed families, complicating the required separation significantly, both practically and emotionally.

• had children: Hebrew: hāyû lāhem bānîm (הָיוּ לָהֶם בָּנִים). Hāyû (הָיוּ) is the Qal perfect third person plural of hayah (הָיָה), meaning "to be" or "to exist." Lāhem (לָהֶם) means "to them," and bānîm (בָּנִים) means "sons" or "children." The presence of children compounded the problem dramatically, as it signified not only the breach of the covenant but also the establishment of families whose spiritual lineage and identity were compromised. It raised questions about the children's place within the community and presented a heartbreaking dimension to the reform: the necessary expulsion of the mothers would also mean the expulsion of the children, or at least a highly disrupted family unit.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "all of them were married to foreign women": This phrase underlines the pervasive nature of the transgression. It was not an isolated incident but a widespread practice, reaching even into priestly families, signifying a significant moral and spiritual decay within the community post-exile. The depth of assimilation to foreign customs, evidenced by widespread intermarriage, directly contravened the divine command for holiness and separation that was essential for Israel's covenant identity.
  • "and some of them had children by these women": This detail intensifies the severity and complexity of the problem. The birth of children solidified the marital ties and, more importantly, introduced a "mixed seed" into the "holy race" (Ezra 9:2). This threatened the purity of the Israelite lineage, potentially leading to the loss of their unique covenant identity and even affecting the lineage leading to the Messiah. The presence of children meant that the "putting away" (divorce) was not merely a matter between husband and wife but tore apart families, showcasing the drastic and painful nature of the necessary corrective action taken to restore the covenant integrity.

Ezra 10 41 Bonus section

The severe action mandated in Ezra 10, particularly the separation from foreign wives and children, remains a complex point for commentators. It's crucial to understand this not merely as ethnic cleansing, but as a drastic theological response to a direct breach of God's covenant law which specifically forbade intermarriage with idolatrous nations (Deut 7). The rationale was not racial prejudice but spiritual preservation; the purity of worship and the safeguarding of Israel's distinct identity as God's chosen people were at stake, directly linked to their ability to receive and fulfill His purposes, including the Messianic lineage. The very existence of Israel as a "holy race" (Ezra 9:2) in the promised land, given their past exilic history due to idolatry, depended on this strict separation. The emphasis on children in verse 41 highlights the concern that mixed families would perpetuate idolatry through generations, pulling Israel further away from God and dissolving their distinct heritage. While immensely harsh from a humanitarian perspective, the narrative frames it as an extreme necessity for spiritual survival, showcasing the gravity of covenant defilement in God's eyes.

Ezra 10 41 Commentary

Ezra 10:41 serves as a stark concluding summary to the painful resolution of a grave spiritual crisis. The widespread intermarriage with foreign women, forbidden by God, signified a deep compromise of Israel's distinctiveness and covenant loyalty. The fact that many of these unions had produced children further highlights the embedded nature of the problem, turning an act of disobedience into a deeply intertwined social and familial challenge. Ezra's actions, demanding the divorce of these women and the potential departure of their children, were radical and exceptionally difficult. However, within the context of preserving Israel's holy identity, protecting the purity of worship, and safeguarding the lineage of the promised Messiah, such drastic measures were deemed essential for the spiritual survival of the community and its fidelity to God. This passage underscores that faithfulness to God's covenant can demand costly and agonizing obedience, prioritizing corporate spiritual purity over personal or familial attachments when those attachments threaten the integrity of the covenant community.

• Practical usage example: Recognizing situations where societal norms or personal desires compromise one's spiritual convictions, similar to Israel's challenge with foreign alliances affecting their purity.
• Practical usage example: Understanding that true obedience to God can sometimes necessitate difficult personal sacrifices for the greater good of spiritual integrity and alignment with His will.