Ezra 9:2

_FOR THEY HAVE TAKEN OF THEIR DAUGHTERS FOR THEMSELVES, AND FOR THEIR SONS: SO THAT THE HOLY SEED HAVE MINGLED THEMSELVES WITH THE PEOPLE OF THOSE LANDS: YEA, THE HAND OF THE PRINCES AND RULERS HATH BEEN CHIEF IN THIS TRESPASS._ No JFB commentary on this verse....

1-4 Many corruptions lurk out of the view of the most careful rulers. Some of the people disobeyed the express command of God, which forbade all marriages with the heathen, Ezra 9:7. Disbelief of God's all-sufficiency, is at the bottom of the sorry shifts we make to help ourselves. They exposed themselves and their children to the peril of idolatry, that had ruined their church and nation. Carnal professors may make light of such connexions, and try to explain away the exhortations to be separate; but those who are best acquainted with the word of God, will treat the subject in another manner. They must forebode the worst from such unions. The evils excused, and even pleaded for; by many professors, astonish and cause regret in the true believer. All who profess to be God's people, ought to strengthen those that appear and act against vice and profaneness....

Verse Ezra 9:2. _HATH BEEN CHIEF IN THIS TRESPASS._] They who are the _first_ men have been the most _capital_ offenders; so VIRGIL, _AEn_. ix. 783: - Unus homo, vestris, o cives, undique septus Aggeribus, tantas strages impune per urbem Ediderit? Juvenum _primos_ tot miserit orco? "Shall one, and he enclosed within your walls, One rash imprisoned warrior, vanquish all? Calm you look on, and see the furious foe Plunge crowds of _heroes_ to the shades below!" PITT. The first

§ 2. REFORMATION OF RELIGION ACCOMPLISHED BY EZRA AT JERUSALEM. EXPOSITION IN the interval between Zerubbabel's rule and the coming of Ezra from Babylon with a special commission appointing him governor of Judaea, the Jews seem to have been left without any strong controlling authority. The civil administration devolved upon a certain number of chiefs or "princes," who maintained order in Jerusalem, collected and remitted the tribute due to the Persian crown, and held courts to decide all causes, criminal and civil, in which only Jews were concerned. Tranquillity and order were sufficiently maintained in this way; but the governing power was weak, and in matters outside the range of the civil and criminal law men did pretty nearly "as it seemed good in their own eyes." During this interval of governmenta

FOR THEY HAVE TAKEN OF THEIR DAUGHTERS FOR THEMSELVES, AND FOR THEIR SORTS,.... Some that were widowers not only took wives to themselves of the above nations, either when they were of Babylon, where many of these nations also were, or rather since their return; but they took for their sons also; yea, some that had wives took Heathenish ones to them, see Malachi 2:13, SO THAT THE HOLY SEED; such as the Lord had separated from other nations, chosen them to be an holy people above all others, and devoted them to his service and worship: HAVE MINGLED THEMSELVES WITH THE PEOPLE OF THOSE LANDS; before mentioned, by marrying with them: YEA, THE HAND OF THE PRINCES AND RULERS HATH BEEN CHIEF IN THIS TRESPASS; they were the first that went into it, were ringleaders of it, who should by their authority and example have restrained others; or t

CHAPTER 9 _ 1. Ezra's astonishment and grief (Ezra 9:1)_ 2. Ezra's confession and prayer (Ezra 9:5) Ezra 9:1. When all these things had been done (that are related in chapter 8:33-36) Ezra was confronted by a very sad condition of the people, and even the priests and the Levites. The princes (civil leaders) came to Ezra and told him that the demanded separation according to the law, between God's people and the Canaanitish inhabitants of the land, had not been obeyed. The people had taken of their daughters for themselves and of their sons “so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of the lands; yea the hand of the princes and rulers hath been first in this trespass.” Not alone had they intermarried, b

REPORT IS MADE TO EZRA OF THE MARRIAGES OF JEWS WITH THE HEATHEN. Ezra's zeal in this matter resulted in his going beyond the requirements of the Law (_cf._ Deuteronomy 23:7). Ezra 9:1. the Canaanites. Amorites: with the Gentiles here enumerated _cf._ Deuteronomy 7:1. Ezra 9:2. holy seed: _cf._ Isaiah 61:3....

HOLY SEED, or the sanctuary's seed. See note on Exodus 3:5 and compare Daniel 2:43.Exodus 19:6; Exodus 22:31.Deuteronomy 7:6; Deuteronomy 14:2. TRESPASS. defection. Hebrew. _ma'al._ App-44. Not the same word as in Ezra 9:6....

_they have taken_ i.e. -taken wives" as in Ezra 10:44; 2Ch 11:21; 2 Chronicles 13:21. _the holy seed_ i.e. the race set apart and consecrated to God, cf. Exodus 19:5-6. The term -the holy seed" is found also in Isaiah 6:13. _have mingled themselves_ The same phrase occurs in a passage which well illustrates our verse. Psalms 106:34-35. -They did not destroy the peoples (-ammîm) as the Lord commanded them; but _mingled themselves_with the nations (haggoyyim) and learned their works". with the people of

TEXT AND VERSE-BY-VERSE COMMENT C. Ezra hears about some current sins, particularly marriage to foreigners, and he prays. 1. Ezra is informed of the problem. TEXT, EZRA 9:1-5 1 Now when these things had been completed, the princes approached me, saying, The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, according to their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has intermingled with the peoples of the lands; indeed, the hands or the princes and the rulers have been foremost in this unfaithfulness. 3 And when I heard about this matter, I tore my garment and my