Ezra 9 7

Ezra 9:7 kjv

Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.

Ezra 9:7 nkjv

Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to humiliation, as it is this day.

Ezra 9:7 niv

From the days of our ancestors until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.

Ezra 9:7 esv

From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as it is today.

Ezra 9:7 nlt

From the days of our ancestors until now, we have been steeped in sin. That is why we and our kings and our priests have been at the mercy of the pagan kings of the land. We have been killed, captured, robbed, and disgraced, just as we are today.

Ezra 9 verses

Ezra 9 7 Meaning

Ezra 9:7 is a profound confession by Ezra on behalf of the Israelite community, acknowledging a deep, continuous state of national sinfulness spanning generations. From the earliest days of their ancestors to the very present moment, the people of Israel, including their leaders (kings and priests), have persisted in "great guilt" and "iniquities." As a direct consequence of this unwavering disobedience, God, in His just judgment, has consistently delivered them into the oppressive control of foreign rulers, subjecting them to war, forced displacement, pillaging, and pervasive national humiliation. This verse expresses the somber realization that their current diminished and shame-ridden state is the culmination and continuation of their historical unfaithfulness.

Ezra 9 7 Context

Ezra 9:7 is part of Ezra’s extended prayer of confession following his shock and grief over the people’s intermarriage with foreign women. Upon hearing reports in Ezra 9:1-2, Ezra responds with a visceral demonstration of despair, tearing his garments and sitting aghast (Ezra 9:3). His subsequent prayer, beginning in Ezra 9:6, is not a self-defense or a plea of ignorance, but a profound national lament and confession of corporate sin. Verse 7 specifically sets the historical backdrop for their current sin and suffering, establishing a continuous chain of rebellion and its consequences that extends from the founding of the nation to Ezra’s present day. This historical perspective grounds the current crisis in the larger narrative of Israel’s covenant relationship with God and their repeated failure to uphold it, affirming that their suffering is just divine discipline, not arbitrary misfortune.

Ezra 9 7 Word analysis

• Since the days of our fathers:

  • Original Language: מִימֵי אֲבֹתֵינוּ (miymey avotenu).
  • Significance: This phrase emphasizes the persistent, historical nature of Israel's unfaithfulness. It implies that the pattern of sin is deeply entrenched and generational, a pervasive national condition rather than an isolated incident. This broad historical scope reinforces the weight of the confession.

• to this day:

  • Original Language: עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה ('ad hayyom hazzeh).
  • Significance: Links the historical sin and its consequences directly to their present reality. It demonstrates that the pattern of rebellion and its accompanying judgment are not just ancient history but an ongoing, unbroken experience. It highlights that the current struggles are a direct outgrowth of past and present unfaithfulness.

• we have been in great guilt:

  • Original Language: בְּאַשְׁמָה גְדֹלָה (b'ashmah gedolah).
  • Word: 'ashmah (אַשְׁמָה)
    • Meaning: Guilt, trespass, trespass offering, punishment for sin. It denotes culpability for an offense, often requiring atonement or bearing consequences.
    • Significance: Indicates not merely a feeling of guilt, but a state of having committed offenses worthy of punishment. "Great" signifies the immense weight and accumulation of this guilt. This isn't just moral error but legal and covenantal transgression.

• And for our iniquities:

  • Original Language: וּבַעֲוֹנוֹתֵינוּ (uvavonotenu).
  • Word: 'avonot (עֲוֹנוֹת, plural of 'avon - עֲוֹן)
    • Meaning: Iniquity, perversity, moral depravity, punishment for iniquity. It speaks of the crookedness or distortion of moral character that leads to sinful acts, a fundamental breach of God’s standard.
    • Significance: Reinforces the depth and pervasiveness of sin, referring to the crookedness and corruption within, not just external acts. This sin merits divine response.

• we, our kings, and our priests:

  • Original Language: אֲנַחְנוּ מַלְכֵינוּ כֹהֲנֵינוּ ('anaḥnu malḱenu kohenenu).
  • Significance: This specifies the collective responsibility, encompassing all segments of society, from the common people ("we") to their designated spiritual ("priests") and political ("kings") leaders. It signifies a comprehensive and pervasive national failure across all strata and roles. Leaders are often held to higher accountability.

• have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands:

  • Original Language: נִתַּנּוּ בְּיַד מַלְכֵי הָאֲרָצוֹת (nittannu b'yad malḱey ha'aratzot).
  • Phrase: nittannu (נִתַּנּוּ) - passive verb "have been given."
    • Significance: This passive voice strongly implies divine agency. God, though unseen, is understood to be the one who "gave them up" or "handed them over." Foreign kings were not just conquering forces but instruments of God's justice.
  • Phrase: b'yad (בְּיַד) - "into the hand of."
    • Significance: Denotes complete power and control. Being in the hand of another signifies subjugation, being under their authority and mercy.
  • Phrase: "kings of the lands" (malḱey ha'aratzot):
    • Significance: Refers to gentile, foreign powers (Assyria, Babylon, Persia). It clarifies that God used surrounding nations as the means of their judgment and discipline, consistent with covenant warnings.

• to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame:

  • Original Language: לַחֶרֶב (laḥerev), לַשֶּׁבִי (lashevī), לַבִּזָּה (labbizzah), וְלְכָל כָּלְמָּה (velekol kilmah).
  • Significance: This list details the concrete consequences of their iniquity, reflecting the covenant curses (Deut 28; Lev 26). These are not arbitrary misfortunes but divinely orchestrated judgments:
    • Sword: Violent death, warfare, decimation.
    • Captivity: Exile, forced removal from their land, loss of freedom and identity.
    • Plundering: Confiscation of property, economic ruin, dispossession.
    • Utter shame:
      • Word: kilmah (כִּלְמָה) - "shame, dishonor, disgrace."
      • Significance: Encompasses complete humiliation and loss of standing before other nations, a deep internal disgrace often associated with God turning His face from them or withdrawing His protection. The phrase "all shame" indicates a thorough and complete dishonoring.

• as it is this day:

  • Original Language: כְּהַיּוֹם הַזֶּה (k'hayyom hazzeh).
  • Significance: Reiteration of the current reality, emphasizing that the state of shame and oppression described is not just a historical memory but a living experience for Ezra and his contemporaries. It underscores the continued repercussions of their chronic unfaithfulness.

Ezra 9 7 Bonus section

The historical consciousness articulated in Ezra 9:7 serves as a vital model for understanding God's active involvement in human affairs, particularly concerning national obedience and disobedience to His covenant. It embodies the prophetic understanding that suffering for Israel was often discipline rather than abandonment. This deep recognition of multi-generational sin and its present-day consequences is fundamental to genuine repentance. It is not just about individual sins, but a collective turning from an inherited pattern of rebellion. Such confessions are foundational for spiritual renewal, demonstrating that true spiritual recovery begins with a clear-eyed and unreserved admission of corporate failure before God's righteousness.

Ezra 9 7 Commentary

Ezra 9:7 is the core of Ezra's profound theological interpretation of Israel's history. It's a national confession that moves beyond a simple acknowledgment of specific transgressions to address a persistent pattern of national sin, termed "great guilt" and "iniquities." This is a lament over perpetual spiritual waywardness. Ezra’s insight is that the repeated cycle of judgment—marked by the "sword," "captivity," "plundering," and "utter shame"—is not random suffering but a direct and just consequence divinely imposed ("given into the hand of") upon a people who persistently broke covenant, generation after generation. The inclusion of "kings and priests" highlights that corruption had reached every level of leadership, symbolizing a top-down and bottom-up failure. The phrase "as it is this day" is crucial, tying their current post-exilic vulnerable state directly to this long, unbroken chain of rebellion, underscoring that while restoration was begun, the deep spiritual problem persisted. It serves as a call to recognize the gravity of their past and present condition as a prelude to true, comprehensive repentance. This verse challenges any notion that Israel's suffering was undeserved, placing full responsibility for their condition on their chronic disloyalty to God.