when Ezra. Da 9:3,4,20; Ac 10:30;
when he had. Le 26:40,41; Ps 32:5; Ho 14:2; 1Jo 1:8-10;
weeping. Ps 119:136; Jer 9:1; 13:17; Zec 12:10; Lu 19:41; Ro 9:2;
before the house. 1Ki 8:30; 9:3; 2Ch 20:9;
a very great. De 31:12; 2Ch 20:13; Ne 10:28; Joe 2:16-18; Ac 21:5;
very sore. Heb. a great weeping. Jud 2:4,5; Ne 8:9;
We have trespassed. Shechaniah here speaks in the name of the people, not acknowledging himself culpable; for he is not in the following list.
Compare. Jas 2:9; Ex 34:12; Ne 13:27;
yet now there is hope. Ex 34:6,7; Isa 55:6,7; Jer 3:12,13; 1Jo 1:7-9;
let us make. {Nichrath berith,} "let us cut a covenant:" De 29:12; Jos 9:6; 2Ki 11:17; 2Ch 29:10; 34:31,32; Ne 9:38; Ne 10:29-39;
put away. Heb. bring forth. according to the counsel. 2Ch 30:12;
of those that. 9:4; 2Ch 34:21,27; Ps 119:59,120; Isa 66:2; Eze 9:4;
at the commandment. De 7:2,3; Jos 23:12,13;
let it. Ne 8:14; 13:1-3; Isa 8:20; Shechaniah's counsel, which he was then so clear in, will not hold now: such marriages, it is certain, are contrary to the will of God, and ought not to be made; but they are not null. Our rule under the gospel is {Quod fieri non debuit, factum valet,} "That which ought not to have been done must, when done, abide." See 1Co 7:12,13;
Arise. Jos 7:10-26; 1Ch 22:16,19; Ec 9:10;
for this matter. By the decree of Artaxerxes, Ezra was authorised to do every thing that the law of God required. 7:23-28; Mr 13:34;
we also will. Jos 1:16-18; 1Ch 28:10,21;
be of good. Isa 35:3,4; Heb 10:24; 12:12,13;
arose. Pr 1:5; 9:9; 15:23; 25:11,12; 27:9;
made. ver. 3; Ne 5:12; 10:29; 13:25; Mt 26:63;
the chamber. Ne 13:5;
Johanan. Ne 3:1,20; 12:10,22; 13:28;
he did eat. De 9:18; Job 23:12; Joh 4:31-34;
he mourned. 9:4; Isa 22:12; Da 9:3;
And that whosoever. 7:26; Jud 21:5; 1Sa 11:7;
forfeited. Heb. devoted. Le 27:28; Jos 6:19;
himself separated. Ne 13:3; Mt 18:17; Joh 9:22,34; 16:2; 1Co 5:13;
the ninth month. That is, some time in December, which is the coldest and most rainy time of the year in Palestine. Dr. Russel, in his account of the weather at Aleppo, which very much resembles that in Judea, says, that the natives reckon the severity of the winter, which they call {marbania,} to last but forty days, beginning from the 12th of December, and ending the 20th of January, and that this computation comes in fact very near the truth: and that the air during this time is excessively piercing, even to those that are just come from a cold climate. 7:8,9; Es 2:16;
trembling. 1Sa 12:17,18; Jer 10:10,13;
taken. Heb. caused to dwell. or, brought back. to increase. 9:6; Nu 32:14; Jos 22:17,18; 2Ch 28:13; Mt 23:32;
make confession. Le 26:40-42; Jos 7:19; Ps 32:5; Pr 28:13; Jer 3:13; 1Jo 1:7-9;
do his. Isa 1:16-18; 56:4; Ro 12:2; Col 1:10; Heb 13:21;
separate. 9:1; Ne 13:3; 2Co 6:17;
and from the. De 7:3,4; 1Co 2:12-14;
As thou hast said. They all resolved to do what Ezra had commanded; and they did put away their wives, even those by whom they had children, (ver. 44,) each of whom doubtless received a portion according to the circumstances of her husband, and was not turned away desolate. Humanity must have dictated this, and no law of God is contrary to humanity.
so must we do. ver. 3,4; Ne 13:23; Ps 78:37,57;
the people. ver. 18-44; Mt 7:13,14;
we are many that have transgressed in this thing. or, we have greatly offended in this thing.
our rulers. De 17:9,18,19; 2Ch 19:5-7;
the fierce. Nu 25:4; De 13:17; Jos 7:26; 2Ch 29:10; 30:8; Ps 78:38; Isa 12:1;
for this matter be turned from us. or, be turned from us, till this matter be dispatched.
were employed. Heb. stood. Meshullam. Ne 3:6; 10:20; 12:33;
Shabbethai. Ne 11:16;
to examine the matter. De 13:14; Job 29:16; Joh 7:51;
A.M. 3548. B.C. 456. the first day. The cases brought before the council were either so many, or so complicated, that, though they separated themselves from other employments, yet they were three whole months in examining into their affairs, and making the necessary separations required by the law. ver. 17;
the sons. 9:1; Le 21:7,13-15; 1Sa 2:22-24; Ne 13:28; Jer 23:11,14; Eze 44:22; Mal 2:8,9; 1Ti 3:11;
Jeshua. 2:2; 3:2; 5:2; 1Ch 6:14,15; Ne 12:10; Hag 1:1; Zec 3:1;
gave their hands. They bound themselves in the most solemn manner to do as the rest of the delinquents had done, and make and acknowledgment to God of their iniquity, by offering each a ram for a trespass offering. 2Ki 10:15; 1Ch 29:24; 2Ch 30:8; La 5:6; Ga 2:9;
Immer. 2:37; 1Ch 24:14; Ne 7:40;
Harim. 2:39; 1Ch 24:8; Ne 7:42;
Pashur. 2:38; 1Ch 9:12; Ne 7:41;
Moreover of Israel. That is, as Calmet observes, simple Israelites; thus distinguished from the priests, Levites, and singers, mentioned in ver. 18, 23, 24.
Elam. ver. 2; 2:7,31; 8:7; Ne 7:12,34;
Jehiel. ver. 2;
Binnui. Malluch. Ne 10:4;
Pahath-moab. 2:6; 8:4; Ne 7:11;
Malchiah. This variation only exists in the translation, the original being uniformly Malchijah, or rather, Malkeeyah. Ne 3:11;
Malchijah. ver. 32;
Bani. ver. 29; ver. 35; ver. 36; ver. 37; ver. 38; ver. 39;
Machnadebai. or, Mabnadebai, according to some copies. ver. 41; ver. 42;
strange wives. Pr 2:16; 5:3,20;
and some of them. This observation was probably intended to shew that only a few
of them had children, and also how rigorously the law was put
in execution. According to a passage in Justin Martyr's
Dialogue with Trypho, a Jew, Ezra offered a paschal lamb on
this occasion, and addressed the people thus: "And Ezra said
to the people, This pass-over is our Saviour and our Refuge;
and if ye will be persuaded of it, and let it enter into your
hearts, that we are to humble to Him in a sign, and afterwards
shall believe in Him, this place shall not be destroyed for
ever, saith the Lord of hosts; but, if ye will not believe in
Him, nor hearken to his preaching, ye shall be a
laughing-stock to the Gentiles." This was probably a marginal
note added by some early Christian.
CONCLUDING REMARKS ON THE BOOK OF EZRA.
This book details the events of a very interesting period of
the Sacred History, when, according to the decree of
Providence, the Jewish people were to be delivered from their
captivity, at the expiration of seventy years, and restored to
the land of their fathers. This book informs us how the
Divine goodness accomplished this most gracious design, and
the movers and agents He employed on the occasion. Ezra was
undoubtedly the chief agent under God in effecting this
arduous work; and his zeal, piety, knowledge, and discretion,
appear here in a most conspicuous point of view, and claim our
utmost admiration. Descended from Seraiah, in a direct line
from Aaron, he seems to have united all the requisites of a
profound statesmen with the functions of the sacerdotal
character. He appears to have made the Sacred Scriptures,
during the captivity, his peculiar study; and, perhaps
assisted by Nehemiah and the great synagogue, he corrected the
errors which had crept into the Sacred Writings, through the
negligence or mistake of transcribers; he collected all the
books of which the Sacred Scriptures then consisted, disposed
them in their proper order, and settled the canon of
Scriptures for his time; he occasionally added, under the
dictation of the Holy Spirit, whatever appeared necessary for
the purpose of illustrating, completing, or connecting them;
he substituted the modern for the ancient names of some
places, which had now become obsolete; and transcribed the
whole of the Scriptures into the Chaldee character. He is
said to have lived to the age of 120; years, and, according to
Josephus, was buried in Jerusalem; but the Jews believe he
died in Persia, in a second journey to Artaxerxes, where his
tomb is shown in the city of Zamusa. Though not styled a
prophet, he wrote under the Divine Spirit; and the canonical
authority of his book has never been disputed. It is written
with all the spirit and fidelity that could be displayed by a
writer of contemporary times; and those parts which chiefly
consist of letters, decrees, etc., are written in Chaldee,
because it seemed more suitable to the fidelity of a sacred
historian to give these official documents, as they may be
termed, in the original language, especially as the people,
recently returned from the captivity, were familiar, and
perhaps more conversant with the Chaldee, than with the
Hebrew.
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