Ezra 9:3

I rent my garment and my mantle Ezra's conduct betrays his surprise, his grief, and his indignation. The rending of the clothes is frequently mentioned in Scripture as a sign of grief: Ezra here is described as rending the under-garment or tunic (the -begedh") and the long loose robe (the m-îl) in which he was attired. Reuben rent his -clothes" (plur. of -begedh") on not finding Joseph (Genesis 37:29): Jacob rent his -garments" (plur. of -simlah") on seeing Joseph's blood-stained coat (Genesis 37:34): Joseph's brethren rent their clothers (plur. of -simlah") when the cup was found in Benjamin's sack (Genesis 44:13): Joshua rent his -clothes" (plur. of -simlah") after the repulse at Ai (Joshua 7:6): Jephthah rent his clothes (plur. of -begedh") on meeting his daughter (Judges 11:35): the messenger from the field of Ziklag came with his clothes (plur. of -begedh") rent (2 Samuel 1:2, cf. 1 Samuel 4:12): Job rent his mantle (-m-îl") on hearing of his children's death (Job 1:20), and his friends rent each one his mantle (-m-îl") when they came to visit him (Job 2:12). These were all signs of grief. The action also denoted -horror" on receiving intelligence or hearing words, which shocked: thus Hezekiah and his ministers rent their clothes (plur. of -begedh") after Rabshakeh's speech (2 Kings 18:37; 2 Kings 19:1): Mordecai rent his clothes (plur. of -begedh") on hearing of Haman's determination (Esther 4:1): the High-priest rent his garments on hearing the testimony of Jesus (Matthew 26:65). See also Isaiah 36:22; Jer 41:5; 2 Chronicles 34:27.

The -mantle" was a long flowing robe; by this name is designated the High-priest's robe (Exodus 28:31; Exodus 28:34; Exodus 39:22-23); the -robe" which Hannah made for Samuel (1 Samuel 2:19); Jonathan's -robe", which he presented to David (1 Samuel 18:4); Samuel's robe (1 Samuel 15:27); Saul's -robe" (1 Samuel 24:4); the -robe" which covered the apparition of Samuel (1 Samuel 28:14). Its use in metaphor (Psalms 109:29; Isaiah 59:17) agrees with this.

and pluckt off the hair&c. This sign of grief is not described elsewhere in the O. T. Compare Esther (additions to), Esther 14:2, -All the places of her joy she filled with her torn hair".

The shaven head was a common sign of mourning, e.g. Job 1:20; Ezekiel 7:18; Amos 8:10. Ezra's action denotes in an exaggerated way his great grief.

Nehemiah's indignation made him -pluck off" the hair of his opponents (Nehemiah 13:25; cf. 2EEsther 1:8), but is hardly a parallel case.

and sat down astonied cf. Daniel 4:19 -Then Daniel … was astonied or a while". The word in the original is the same as that rendered -desolator" (marg. desolate) in Daniel 9:27, and -that maketh desolate" Daniel 11:31. Here the sense of -bewilderment" is uppermost. See the use of -astonied" in the R.V., Job 17:8; Job 18:20; Ezekiel 4:17; Daniel 3:24; Daniel 4:19.