Ezra 9 14

Ezra 9:14 kjv

Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?

Ezra 9:14 nkjv

should we again break Your commandments, and join in marriage with the people committing these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You had consumed us, so that there would be no remnant or survivor?

Ezra 9:14 niv

Shall we then break your commands again and intermarry with the peoples who commit such detestable practices? Would you not be angry enough with us to destroy us, leaving us no remnant or survivor?

Ezra 9:14 esv

shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape?

Ezra 9:14 nlt

But even so, we are again breaking your commands and intermarrying with people who do these detestable things. Won't your anger be enough to destroy us, so that even this little remnant no longer survives?

Ezra 9 verses

Ezra 9 14 Meaning

Ezra 9:14 is a profound rhetorical question, expressing Ezra’s horrified conviction that if the returned exiles repeat the historical sin of intermarrying with the pagan nations practicing abominations, God's righteous anger will consume them completely, leaving no survivors or remnant. It underscores the severity of breaking God's commandments, especially after having just experienced the prior judgment of exile, indicating that a repetition of such sin would warrant complete annihilation rather than another opportunity for preservation. Ezra uses this question to affirm God's justice and the absolute necessity of radical repentance.

Ezra 9 14 Context

Ezra 9:14 is the climactic rhetorical question in Ezra’s heartbroken prayer of confession, following the alarming report of the returned exiles' intermarriage with the pagan "peoples of the lands" (Ezra 9:1-2). This direct violation of God’s covenantal commands (e.g., Exod 34:15-16, Deut 7:1-6) threatened the very identity and purity of the nascent community. Having recently returned from seventy years of exile—a divine judgment precisely for their past disloyalty and assimilation—this repetition of sin deeply distressed Ezra. His prayer acknowledges God's justice in their prior sufferings, admitting that even the exile was less than what their sins deserved (Ezra 9:13). Verse 14 poses the dreadful logical conclusion: if they persist in such grievous disobedience now, after experiencing divine discipline, surely utter and complete destruction would be their rightful portion, leaving no remnant or hope of future preservation in the land God gave them. This verse serves as a powerful plea, highlighting the profound crisis of Israel's spiritual state.

Ezra 9 14 Word analysis

• Should we again break (הֲנָשׁוּב לְהָפֵר – ha-na-shuv le-ha-fer): הֲ (ha-): This is an interrogative particle, forming a direct question. Its placement intensifies the rhetorical nature, expressing shock and horror: "Are we truly to do this?" נָשׁוּב (na-shuv): From the root "שׁוּב" (shuv), meaning "to return, turn back." Here, it carries the sense of repeating an action, "doing again." It evokes Israel's history of cyclical disobedience, implying a failure to learn from past judgments, notably the recent exile. לְהָפֵר (le-ha-fer): From the root "פָּרַר" (parar), meaning "to break, annul, frustrate, make void." This verb signifies the tearing up or violating of an agreement or law, directly implying a breach of the divine covenant. It is a severe term for rebellion against God’s authority.
• thy commandments (מִצְוֹתֶיךָ – mitz-vo-tey-cha): From "מִצְוָה" (mitzvah), meaning "commandment, precept, injunction." This refers to the specific, authoritative instructions given by God to His covenant people, especially through the Torah. Ezra is pointing to God’s clearly revealed will regarding their separation from pagan practices and peoples.
• and join in affinity with (וּלְהִתְחַתֵּן בְּ – u-le-hit-ḥat-ten be-): וּ (u-): The conjunction "and," directly linking the general "breaking commandments" with the specific sin. לְהִתְחַתֵּן (le-hit-ḥat-ten): From "חָתַן" (hatan), "to intermarry, become allied by marriage." The Hithpael stem denotes a reciprocal action, emphasizing the active involvement of both parties in forming marriage alliances. This act was forbidden because it inevitably led to spiritual compromise and idolatry.
• the people of these abominations (עַמֵּי הַתּוֹעֵבֹת הָאֵלֶּה – am-mey hat-to-e-vot ha-e-leh): עַמֵּי (am-mey): "Peoples of." Distinguishes these specific Gentile groups from Israel. The issue was not ethnicity but their religious practices and lifestyle. הַתּוֹעֵבֹת (hat-to-e-vot): From "תּוֹעֵבָה" (to'evah), "abomination, detestable thing." This powerful term refers to practices utterly repugnant to Yahweh, often associated with idolatry, child sacrifice, illicit sexual relations, and other rituals condemned by the Law. Marriage into such cultures was seen as a gateway to spiritual pollution. הָאֵלֶּה (ha-e-leh): "These." A demonstrative pronoun, specifically referring to the surrounding nations identified in Ezra 9:1.
• wouldest not thou be angry with us (הֲלֹא תֶאֱנַף-בָּ֙נוּ֙ – ha-lo te-e-naf-ba-nu): הֲלֹא (ha-lo): A negative interrogative particle, meaning "Will You not...?" or "Surely You will..." This construction expects a strong affirmative answer, emphasizing the inevitability of God’s anger. Ezra acknowledges the divine justice that must act. תֶאֱנַף-בָּנוּ (te-e-naf-ba-nu): From "אָנַף" (anaf), "to be enraged, be indignant, frown." This describes God's righteous and just anger against sin and rebellion, not an irrational emotion. It highlights God's character as holy and one who judges evil.
• till thou hadst consumed us (עַד-כַּלֵּה֙ – ad kal-leh): עַד (ad): "Until, up to the point of." This specifies the duration and ultimate extent of God’s anger. כַּלֵּה (kal-leh): From "כָּלָה" (kalah), "to complete, finish, consume entirely, bring to an end, utterly destroy." It denotes total annihilation, reflecting the strongest warnings in the Torah about national extinction for unrepentant covenant breaking. It means destruction to the very end.
• so that there should be no remnant nor escaping (לְבִלְתִּי֙ שְׁאֵרִ֣ית וּפְלֵיטָ֔ה – le-vil-ti she-e-rit u-fe-ley-tah): לְבִלְתִּי (le-vil-ti): "So that not," "without," indicating the consequence of God's consumption. שְׁאֵרִית (she'e-rit): "Remnant, remainder." A crucial theological concept referring to the portion of Israel God graciously preserves through judgment for His redemptive purposes. Ezra's profound fear is the absence of this grace—total extermination. וּפְלֵיטָה (u-fe-ley-tah): "And escape, survival, deliverance, survivor." Similar to "remnant," this emphasizes surviving a disaster. The phrase "no remnant nor escaping" (literally "no remainder and no survivor") points to a definitive, absolute end to their corporate existence and future, without any possibility of continued lineage or presence in the land.

Words-group analysis

• "Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity...": This opening rhetorical question immediately highlights the grave spiritual condition. The phrase "again break" acknowledges the historical pattern of disobedience from which they have ostensibly learned nothing. By specifically linking it to "join in affinity," Ezra underscores that intermarriage is not merely a social act, but a direct and severe breach of God's covenantal instructions for separation, representing a foundational transgression.
• "...with the people of these abominations...": This phrase identifies the specific spiritual threat. It clarifies that the objection to intermarriage is not based on race, but on the deeply defiling religious practices and immorality ("abominations") of the surrounding cultures. Intermarrying with such people inevitably leads to Israel's assimilation into their idolatry, undermining their covenant identity and holiness as God's chosen people. It explains why the marriage alliances are covenant violations.
• "wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us...": This powerful rhetorical question expects an undeniable affirmative answer. It confesses that God’s wrath is fully justified if they were to persist in such rebellion after having already endured the exile. Ezra acknowledges God's perfect justice and sovereignty in dealing with persistent covenant disloyalty. "Till thou hadst consumed us" paints a picture of complete and utter annihilation, a terrifying judgment far more severe than the prior seventy-year exile.
• "...so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?": This concluding phrase describes the dire ultimate consequence. The idea of "no remnant" directly confronts one of the foundational hopes for Israel's future – that God would always preserve a portion for Himself. Ezra’s horror is that their current sin, if continued, could lead to a final, irrevocable end to their corporate existence as God's people in the land, without any hope of divine preservation or future restoration. It implies the final judgment that would entirely obliterate the seed of Israel from the land.

Ezra 9 14 Bonus section

• The Weight of "Again": The word "again" (implied in "shall we return to break") carries immense historical weight, indicating Israel's cyclical pattern of covenant breaking. It highlights a tragic lack of learning from past, severe judgments.
• A Theological Dilemma: Ezra's prayer puts forth a "theological dilemma" for God (from a human perspective): if God did not completely destroy them for such ungrateful rebellion, His justice and faithfulness to His own declared curses would seem compromised. Ezra, by verbalizing this, seeks to align his plea with God's character.
• The Horror of "No Remnant": The concept of a "remnant" is central to Old Testament prophecy and God's plan of redemption. It speaks of divine grace preserving a seed even through judgment. The horror in Ezra 9:14 is the idea of reaching a point of no remnant, suggesting total divine abandonment and the undoing of foundational promises.
• A Call for Immediate Action: While a prayer, this powerful rhetoric from Ezra lays the groundwork for the radical and painful actions taken in the subsequent chapter to put away the foreign wives and their children. It shows Ezra believed that the threat of utter consumption necessitated immediate and drastic repentance.

Ezra 9 14 Commentary

Ezra 9:14 encapsulates Ezra's deepest fear and his profound theological insight into Israel's relationship with God. It is not a genuine question about God's likely reaction, but a stark, rhetorical declaration that divine judgment must inevitably result in total consumption if they were to repeat the sin of intermarriage after having just experienced the bitter discipline of exile. Ezra understands that their partial deliverance and return to the land were acts of immense divine grace. To squander this grace by immediately reverting to the very abominations that led to their previous destruction would not only defy God's explicit commands but would also call into question the justice of God if He were not to mete out ultimate judgment. The core message is a desperate plea against testing the boundaries of God's patience and mercy, acknowledging that persistence in flagrant sin, especially after clear discipline, logically leads to irrevocable and absolute annihilation ("no remnant nor escaping"). It signifies that God's justice is unyielding in the face of unrepentant, repeated rebellion, affirming His holiness and covenant integrity above all else.