Ezra 10:16

_AND THE CHILDREN OF THE CAPTIVITY DID SO. AND EZRA THE PRIEST, WITH CERTAIN CHIEF OF THE FATHERS, AFTER THE HOUSE OF THEIR FATHERS, AND ALL OF THEM BY THEIR NAMES, WERE SEPARATED, AND SAT DOWN IN THE FIRST DAY OF THE TENTH MONTH TO EXAMINE THE MATTER._ No JFB commentary on these verses....

15-44 The best reformers can but do their endeavour; when the Redeemer himself shall come to Zion, he shall effectually turn away ungodliness from Jacob. And when sin is repented of and forsaken, God will forgive it; but the blood of Christ, our Sin-offering, is the only atonement which takes away our guilt. No seeming repentance or amendment will benefit those who reject Him, for self-dependence proves them still unhumbled. All the names written in the book of life, are those of penitent sinners, not of self-righteous persons, who think they have no need of repentance....

EXPOSITION REPENTANCE OF THE PEOPLE, AND COVENANT SWORN TO, ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF SHECHANIAH (Ezra 10:1). While Ezra was uttering his prayer aloud, upon his knees, in front of the temple, where the evening sacrifice was being offered upon the great brazen altar (Ezra 3:2), the people gathered about him, heard what he said, and had their feelings so stirred that numbers of them burst into tears and "wept very sore" (Ezra 10:1). When he had ended, Sheehaniah, the son of Jehiel, took the word, and suggested an

AND THE CHILDREN OF THE CAPTIVITY DID SO,.... Put away their strange wives: AND EZRA THE PRIEST, WITH CERTAIN CHIEF OF THE FATHERS, AFTER THE HOUSE OF THEIR FATHERS, AND ALL OF THEM BY THEIR NAMES, WERE SEPARATED; from all their other business, and gave themselves up to attend to this wholly: AND SAT DOWN IN THE FIRST DAY OF THE TENTH MONTH; the month Tebeth, which answers to part of December and January; this was ten days after the assembly of all the people met and broke up: these took their places in the great court, and there sat TO EXAMINE THE MATTER; the accounts brought in from the several cities by the magistrates thereof, and recorded them....

TENTH MONTH That is, January....

CHAPTER 10 _ 1. The effect of Ezra's prayer on the people (Ezra 10:1)_ 2. Ezra summons an assembly (Ezra 10:5) 3. The gathering, confession and the evil judged (Ezra 10:9) 4. The register of those who had married strange women (Ezra 10:18) Ezra 10:1. Ezra's prayer, confession and humiliation were before the house of the LORD.” The people saw his great sorrow and his tears, they heard his words confessing the nation's sins. It produced a wonderful effect among the people. “There assembled unto him out of Israel a great congregation of me

THE JEWS ASSEMBLE IN JERUSALEM; OFFICERS ARE APPOINTED FROM EACH CITY TO SEE THAT THE FOREIGN WIVES ARE PUT AWAY. Ezra 10:6. Jehohanan: _cf._ Nehemiah 12:13. AND WHEN HE CAME THITHER: read, and he lodged there (_mg.), i.e._ spent the night there. Ezra 10:8. forfeited: devoted, _i.e._ put under a religious ban (see pp. 99, 114, Deuteronomy 2:34 * Joshua 6:17 *). SEPARATED FROM THE CONGREGATION: equivalent to the later put out of the synagogue; _cf._...

CERTAIN. men. Hebrew. _'enosh._ App-14. CHIEF. heads....

The Commission at work 16. _the children of the captivity did so_ For this expression cf. Ezra 10:7. The proposal was no sooner made than it was carried into execution. The personal influence of Ezra must account for the ready acquiescence of the people generally. _And Ezra the priest_ Ezra is here mentioned first, and it is probable that he presided over the court of enquiry. On his title -the priest", cf. Ezra 7:11. _with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers_ R.V. with CERTAIN HEADS OF FATHERS" houses, AFTER THEIR FATHERS" HOUSES. The word -with" does not appear in the Hebrew, but, if the existing text be correct, we clearly need some such copula, which is supplied in the LXX. and Vulg. The phrase -certain heads of fathers" houses, after their fat

4. The decision is carried out. TEXT, EZRA 10:16-19 16 But the exiles did so. And Ezra the priest selected men who were heads of fathers-' households for each of their fathers-' households, all of them by name. So they convened on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter. 17 And they finished investigating all the men who had married foreign wives by the first of the first month. 18 And among the sons of the priests who had married foreign wives were found of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers; Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 And they pledged to put away their wives, and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their offense. COMMENT _Ezra 10:16_ shows Ezra once more appo