Public Repentance and the Proposal to Send Away Foreign Wives
Ezra 10:1-17
Ezr.10.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וכהתפלל: CONJ+VERB,hitpael,perf,3,m,sg
- עזרא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכהתודתו: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- בכה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ומתנפל: CONJ+VERB,hitpael,ptc,3,m,sg
- לפני: PREP
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- נקבצו: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,pl
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- מישראל: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- קהל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רב: ADJ,m,sg
- מאד: ADV
- אנשים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ונשים: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- וילדים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- כי: CONJ
- בכו: PREP
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הרבה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בכה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezra 9:5-6 (structural): Immediately prior in the same narrative Ezra prays, confesses, and prostrates himself—same penitential posture and language continued into chapter 10.
- Nehemiah 8:9 (verbal): A large assembly responds with weeping on hearing God's law; language and communal emotional response closely parallel Ezra's gathering and weeping.
- 2 Chronicles 34:19-21 (thematic): When the book of the law is read in Josiah's day the king rends his clothes and mourns, prompting covenantal reform—similar discovery/repentance before Yahweh.
- Joel 2:12-13 (thematic): A prophetic call to return to the LORD with fasting, weeping, and mourning—shares the penitential, communal sorrow and confession evident in Ezra 10:1.
- 1 Samuel 7:6 (thematic): At Mizpah the people fast, pray, and confess their sins together, weeping before the LORD—another Old Testament instance of corporate lament and repentance.
Alternative generated candidates
- And when Ezra had prayed, and when he had made confession, he wept and prostrated himself before the house of God. A very great assembly of men and women and children gathered to him from Israel, for the people wept greatly.
- And as Ezra prayed and made confession, he wept and prostrated himself before the house of God; a very great assembly of Israelites gathered to him—men and women and children—for the people were weeping bitterly.
Ezr.10.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויען: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שכניה: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:3,f
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יחיאל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מבני: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cs
- עילם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לעזרא: PREP+NOUN,proper,m,sg,abs
- אנחנו: PRON,1,pl
- מעלנו: VERB,qal,perf,1,pl
- באלהינו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+1,pl
- ונשב: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,pl
- נשים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- נכריות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- מעמי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss:1,_,sg
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ועתה: CONJ
- יש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מקוה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לישראל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
Parallels
- Ezra 9:1-2 (quotation): Immediate parallel in the preceding chapter: the charge that the returned exiles had taken foreign wives is stated nearly verbatim, providing the background for Shecaniah's confession and hope for Israel.
- Nehemiah 13:23-27 (thematic): Nehemiah rebukes Jews for marrying local foreign women and describes the social and religious consequences, echoing the concern about intermarriage and fidelity to the covenant.
- Deuteronomy 7:3-4 (structural): The Mosaic prohibition against marrying the nations of Canaan because it leads Israel astray provides the legal and theological rationale underlying Ezra's and Shecaniah's alarm over foreign wives.
- 1 Kings 11:1-4 (thematic): Solomon's many foreign wives who turned his heart to other gods illustrates the long-standing biblical theme that intermarriage with foreign peoples can lead to idolatry and covenant unfaithfulness.
- Malachi 2:11 (allusion): Malachi accuses Judah of profaning the covenant by marrying the 'daughter of a foreign god,' a prophetic denunciation that echoes the language linking intermarriage with religious defilement.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, “We have trespassed against our God, and have taken foreign wives from the peoples of the land. Yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this.
- Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, “We have trespassed against our God and taken foreign wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel in this matter.
Ezr.10.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועתה: CONJ
- נכרת: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- ברית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לאלהינו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUFF,1,pl
- להוציא: VERB,hiphil,inf
- כל: DET
- נשים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- והנולד: PART,qal,ptc,ms,sg,def
- מהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- בעצת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,construct
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- והחרדים: PART,qal,ptc,mp,pl,def
- במצות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- אלהינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:1,pl
- וכתורה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יעשה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezra 9:11 (verbal): Immediate parallel in the same narrative: Ezra 9:11 uses virtually the same language calling for confession and prohibiting giving daughters to or taking daughters from the peoples of the land—direct precedent for the action in 10:3.
- Nehemiah 13:25-27 (thematic): Nehemiah confronts and forces men to separate from foreign wives, rebuking intermarriage and compelling divorce—same corrective action and concern about mixed marriages as in Ezra 10:3.
- Deuteronomy 7:3-4 (thematic): The Mosaic law forbids intermarriage with surrounding nations because it leads to idolatry and covenantal unfaithfulness; provides the legal/theological rationale underlying Ezra’s demand to put away foreign wives.
- Exodus 34:15-16 (verbal): Warning against making a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and intermarrying (lest idols lead Israel astray)—language and concern that echo Ezra’s call to separate and uphold the covenant.
- Malachi 2:11-12 (allusion): Malachi condemns Judah for marrying foreign women and profaning the sanctuary by bringing foreign influence in—a later prophetic critique that mirrors Ezra’s charge about the sacramental/covenantal consequences of intermarriage.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to send away all these wives and the children born to them, according to the counsel of our leaders and of those who tremble at the commandments of our God; and let it be done according to the Law.
- Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to send away all these wives and their children, by the counsel of our leaders and of those who fear the commandments of our God; and let it be done according to the law.
Ezr.10.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- קום: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- עליך: PREP+2ms
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ואנחנו: CONJ+PRON,1,pl
- עמך: NOUN,m,sg,suff-2m
- חזק: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ועשה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- 1 Chronicles 22:13 (verbal): David to Solomon: an identical exhortation—'Be strong and do it'—urging the leader to take up the task of building the house of the LORD.
- Nehemiah 2:18 (thematic): The people respond to Nehemiah's call with communal support—'Let us rise up and build'—echoing the summons to get up and act with the community's backing.
- Haggai 2:4 (verbal): God's command to Zerubbabel and Joshua: 'Be strong... work,' a similar encouragement to courage and action in the face of rebuilding.
- Joshua 1:6–9 (thematic): The charge to Joshua—'Be strong and courageous... be careful to do according to all that is written'—combines exhortation to strength and decisive obedience like Ezra's summons.
Alternative generated candidates
- Rise up; for the matter is upon you. We are with you—be strong and act.”
- Rise up; for the matter is upon you. We are with you—be strong and act.”
Ezr.10.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקם: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- עזרא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וישבע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שרי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- הכהנים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- הלוים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
- כדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- וישבעו: VERB,qal,imf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Nehemiah 10:28-29 (thematic): Post-exilic covenant renewal in which the people bind themselves to obey the law and renounce foreign practices—parallels Ezra’s forcing of an oath to carry out the reform.
- Nehemiah 13:25 (verbal): Nehemiah confronts intermarriage and ‘made them swear by God’ not to give their daughters to foreign peoples—directly parallels the use of an oath to end mixed marriages.
- Exodus 24:3-8 (structural): Moses reads the law, the people commit ‘all that the LORD has spoken we will do’, and Moses seals the covenant—similar ritual of communal oath and covenant commitment.
- Joshua 24:24-25 (structural): Joshua elicits the people’s pledge to serve the LORD and ‘made a covenant’ with them at Shechem—another instance of a leader securing a public oath to observe the covenant.
- 2 Chronicles 34:31-32 (thematic): King Josiah and the people enter into a covenant to walk after the LORD and to keep his commandments—parallels Ezra’s leadership in renewing commitment and swearing the people to reform.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Ezra rose and made the heads of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel swear to do according to this word; and they swore.
- So Ezra rose and put the heads of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel under oath to do this thing; and they swore.
Ezr.10.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקם: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- עזרא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלפני: PREP
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- וילך: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- לשכת: NOUN,f,sg,constr
- יהוחנן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אלישיב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וילך: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- שם: ADV
- לחם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- אכל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ומים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- שתה: VERB,qal,impv,2,sg
- כי: CONJ
- מתאבל: VERB,hitp,ptc,2,m,sg
- על: PREP
- מעל: PREP
- הגולה: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Nehemiah 1:4 (thematic): Nehemiah hears of Jerusalem’s distress and sits down, weeps, mourns, and fasts—parallel communal mourning and fasting over the people’s wrongdoing.
- Ezra 8:23 (verbal): Earlier in Ezra the leader proclaims a fast to humble themselves and seek God’s protection—same author, similar practice of abstaining from food and drink in a penitential context.
- Daniel 9:3-5 (thematic): Daniel turns to God with fasting, sackcloth, and confession over the sins of Israel—a prophetic model of mourning and intercession for corporate transgression.
- Joel 2:12-13 (thematic): The prophet calls for return to God with fasting, weeping, and mourning—an explicit exhortation linking fasting and repentance for communal sin.
- Psalm 69:10 (thematic): The psalmist describes weeping and humbling the soul with fasting as part of lament—reflects the penitential, mourning posture found in Ezra’s abstention.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Ezra rose from before the house of God and went into the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. There he ate no bread and drank no water, for he mourned because of the transgression of the exiles.
- Then Ezra departed from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Johanan son of Eliashib; there he neither ate bread nor drank water, for he mourned over the transgression of the exiles.
Ezr.10.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעבירו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- קול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ביהודה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וירושלם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לכל: PREP
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- הגולה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- להקבץ: INF,qal
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezra 1:3 (verbal): Cyrus' decree calling those among the exiles to 'go up to Jerusalem'—a direct, verbal call for the return/assembly of God's people in Jerusalem, like Ezra 10:7's proclamation to gather the returned exiles.
- Nehemiah 8:1 (structural): Describes all the people assembling 'as one man' in Jerusalem to hear the law after the return—parallels the communal gathering in Ezra 10:7 and the civic-religious assembly dynamic.
- Isaiah 43:5-6 (thematic): God's promise to bring back the dispersed from east, west, north, and south and gather them to Zion—the broader prophetic theme of calling and gathering exiles reflected in Ezra 10:7.
- Ezekiel 37:21-22 (allusion): Prophetic declaration that God will gather the house of Israel from the nations and bring them into their land as one nation—an overarching motif of reassembly of the dispersed that Ezra 10:7 enacts historically.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they proclaimed a fast throughout Judah and Jerusalem for all the returned exiles to assemble at Jerusalem.
- A proclamation went out throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the exiles, that they should assemble in Jerusalem.
Ezr.10.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- יבוא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לשלשת: PREP+NUM,card,pl,f,cons
- הימים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- כעצת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cs
- השרים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- והזקנים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
- יחרם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- כל: DET
- רכושו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUFF,3,m,sg
- והוא: CONJ+PRON,3,m,sg
- יבדל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מקהל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הגולה: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Ezra 10:11 (verbal): Same episode and legal sanction — the demand that offending men 'separate' from foreign wives; repeats the requirement and consequences for noncompliance.
- Joshua 7:11-15 (verbal): Both passages use the language of communal purging/ceremonial forfeiture (cherem) and impose severe penalties on those who bring defilement into the community.
- Deuteronomy 13:12-15 (thematic): Prescribes communal investigation and decisive punishment (removal/destruction) when a town is led into idolatry — parallels the leaders' authority to exclude and confiscate to preserve covenant purity.
- 1 Corinthians 5:11-13 (thematic): Paul instructs the church to 'put away' an immoral brother and not associate with him — a New Testament analogue to excluding a covenant-breaker from the congregation to maintain communal holiness.
- Nehemiah 13:23-30 (structural): Nehemiah's later reforms confront the same problem of intermarriage with foreigners and enforce separation/exclusion by civic and religious leaders, echoing the procedures and penalties in Ezra.
Alternative generated candidates
- And whoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the heads and elders, all his goods would be forfeited and he would be excluded from the assembly of the exiles.
- And whoever did not come within three days, according to the counsel of the leaders and elders, all his goods would be forfeited, and he himself would be cut off from the assembly of the exiles.
Ezr.10.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקבצו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- אנשי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ובנימן: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לשלשת: PREP+NUM,card,m,pl,cons
- הימים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- חדש: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- התשיעי: ADJ,ord,m,sg,def
- בעשרים: PREP+NUM,card,pl
- בחדש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cstr
- וישבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ברחוב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מרעידים: VERB,qal,ptcp,3,m,pl
- על: PREP
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ומהגשמים: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,def
Parallels
- Ezra 9:3-4 (verbal): Immediate literary parallel in the same episode: leaders and people react to the sin of intermarriage by tearing garments, sitting down astonied, and assembling all who 'trembled at the commandment of God,' echoing the trembling and assembly in 10:9.
- Nehemiah 8:2-3 (structural): Similar public assembly at/near the temple gates where 'all the people were gathered as one man' and sat in the street for a corporate religious act (reading/exposure to the law), paralleling the communal gathering and location in Ezra 10:9.
- Nehemiah 9:1-3 (thematic): Another post-exilic example of the people assembling, fasting, confessing, and separating themselves for repentance before the house of God—paralleling the communal penitential response and public setting of Ezra 10:9.
- Jonah 3:5 (thematic): A model of corporate repentance: the people of Nineveh proclaim a fast, put on sackcloth, and turn from evil—paralleling Ezra 10:9's depiction of nationwide/township-level alarm, assembly, and penitential response to sin.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within three days. It was on the twentieth day of the ninth month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling over the matter and because of the rain.
- All the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered to Jerusalem within three days—on the twentieth day of the ninth month—and all the people sat in the open square of the house of God, trembling over the matter and because of the rain.
Ezr.10.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקם: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- עזרא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הכהן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- מעלתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,mp
- ותשיבו: VERB,qal,imperfect,2,m,pl
- נשים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- נכריות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- להוסיף: VERB,qal,inf
- על: PREP
- אשמת: NOUN,f,sg,cstr
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezra 9:1-2 (structural): Immediate parallel within the same narrative: earlier report of Israelites marrying foreign women which prompts Ezra's strong response and confession.
- Nehemiah 13:23-27 (thematic): Nehemiah later confronts and punishes Jews for intermarriage with foreign women, echoing Ezra's charge and remedial action to remove such marriages.
- Deuteronomy 7:3-4 (thematic): The Mosaic law forbids marrying Canaanite/foreign women to prevent idolatry and turning away from YHWH, providing the legal/theological basis for Ezra's condemnation.
- Malachi 2:11-12 (allusion): Condemns Judah for marrying the 'daughter of a foreign god' and calls such unions faithlessness, language and concern closely paralleling Ezra's moral charge.
- 1 Kings 11:1-4 (thematic): Solomon's foreign wives lead him into idolatry and divine judgment, illustrating the perceived spiritual danger and national consequences of intermarriage as in Ezra's critique.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have transgressed, and have taken foreign wives to increase the guilt of Israel.
- Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have trespassed, and you have taken foreign wives to increase the guilt of Israel.”
Ezr.10.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועתה: CONJ
- תנו: VERB,qal,imp,2,pl
- תודה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ליהוה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אבתיכם: NOUN,m,pl,cons+PRON,2,pl
- ועשו: VERB,qal,impv,2,pl
- רצונו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- והבדלו: CONJ+VERB,hiph,imp,2,m,pl
- מעמי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss:1,_,sg
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ומן: CONJ+PREP
- הנשים: NOUN,f,pl,def
- הנכריות: NOUN,f,pl,def
Parallels
- Ezra 9:11-12 (verbal): Immediate parallel in the same narrative: Ezra 9:11–12 uses almost identical language calling for confession, obedience to God’s will, and separation from the peoples of the land and their foreign wives.
- Deuteronomy 7:3-4 (thematic): Law code prohibiting intermarriage with the surrounding nations to prevent turning away to other gods, which underlies Ezra’s demand to separate from foreign wives and remain faithful to Yahweh.
- Nehemiah 13:23-27 (thematic): Nehemiah confronts and disciplines Israel for intermarrying with local peoples and taking foreign wives, echoing Ezra’s concern for separation and covenant purity.
- Numbers 25:1-3 (thematic): An earlier episode where Israel’s intermarriage with Moabite women leads to idolatry and divine judgment, providing historical precedent for the link between foreign marriage and covenant unfaithfulness in Ezra.
- Malachi 2:11-12 (allusion): The prophet condemns Judah’s marriage to the ‘daughter of a foreign god’ and treats such unions as treachery against the covenant—a later theological reflection on the same problem addressed by Ezra.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now therefore make confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do his will; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.”
- Now therefore make confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do his will; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.”
Ezr.10.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויענו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- הקהל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- קול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גדול: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- כן: ADV
- כדברך: PREP+NOUN+PRON,2,m,sg
- עלינו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
Parallels
- Exodus 19:8 (verbal): At Sinai the people answered with one voice, 'All that the LORD has spoken we will do'—nearly identical communal formula of assent to commands.
- Exodus 24:3 (verbal): When Moses declared the words of the covenant the whole congregation replied, 'All the words which the LORD hath said will we do'—same formula of collective agreement to obey leadership’s instruction.
- Exodus 24:7 (verbal): After reading the book of the covenant the people say, 'All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient'—close verbal parallel to 'as you have said, so must we do.'
- Joshua 24:24 (thematic): The assembly tells Joshua they will serve the LORD and obey his voice—thematic parallel of a people publicly affirming submission to covenantal authority.
- Nehemiah 10:29 (structural): Leaders and the people enter into a covenant/ oath to walk in God's law and observe commandments—structurally similar: communal resolution to implement reforms and obedience after a public proclamation.
Alternative generated candidates
- And all the assembly answered with a great voice, “Yes, as you have said, so must we do.”
- And all the congregation answered with a loud voice, “It is so; as you have said, so must we do.”
Ezr.10.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אבל: CONJ
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- רב: ADJ,m,sg
- והעת: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,def
- גשמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ואין: CONJ+PART,exist
- כח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לעמוד: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- בחוץ: ADV
- והמלאכה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,def
- לא: PART_NEG
- ליום: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- לשנים: PREP+NUM,m,du,abs
- כי: CONJ
- הרבינו: VERB,hiph,perf,1,pl
- לפשע: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 18:17-23 (verbal): Jethro tells Moses the work is too heavy and cannot be done by one person or in a short time—language and concern about the burden of the task echoes Ezra’s statement that the work cannot be done in one or two days.
- Ezra 9:13 (verbal): Immediately preceding material in Ezra uses almost the same language about sins having increased; both verses frame the urgency of action in terms of the community’s growing guilt.
- Nehemiah 13:23-27 (thematic): Nehemiah confronts Israelites for intermarriage and imposes corrective measures—a later account of the same social/religious problem and similar motives for separation and discipline.
- Deuteronomy 7:3-4 (structural): The Deuteronomic prohibition against intermarriage and its theological rationale (turning hearts away from God) provides the legal/ideological basis for Ezra’s actions and fears about communal sin.
- Malachi 2:11-12 (thematic): The prophet condemns marrying ‘the daughter of a foreign god’ and connects mixed marriages with defilement of the sanctuary—a prophetic echo of the same concern that underlies Ezra’s purge of foreign wives.
Alternative generated candidates
- But the people are many and the time is rainy; we are not able to stand outside, and the work cannot be done in one day or two— for we have greatly transgressed in this matter.
- But the people are many and the time is rainy; we cannot stand in the open. Moreover the work is not for a single day or two, for we have grown great in this transgression.”
Ezr.10.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יעמדו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- נא: PART
- שרינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,prsuf
- לכל: PREP
- הקהל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בערינו: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,prsuf
- ההשיב: CONJ+VERB,hif,perf,3,m,sg
- נשים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- נכריות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- יבא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לעתים: ADV
- מזמנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ועמהם: PREP,3mp
- זקני: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- עיר: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ועיר: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,const
- ושפטיה: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,prsuf
- עד: PREP
- להשיב: VERB,qal,inf
- חרון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אף: ADV
- אלהינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:1,pl
- ממנו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- עד: PREP
- לדבר: INF,qal
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezra 9:11-15 (verbal): Ezra's prayer recounts Israel's guilt and appeals for God's mercy to avert his wrath — language and concern about God’s 'fierce anger' and the issue of foreign marriages closely parallel the present petition and motive for action.
- Nehemiah 13:23-27 (thematic): Nehemiah confronts Jews who married foreign women and enforces separation; parallels in motive, procedure, and zeal to remove foreign wives to avert divine displeasure.
- Deuteronomy 7:3-4 (allusion): The Mosaic prohibition against intermarriage with Canaanite nations underlies Ezra’s policy — the law warns that foreign wives will turn the heart away from God, providing the theological basis for expulsions.
- 1 Kings 11:1-4 (thematic): Solomon’s foreign marriages lead him to idolatry and divine anger; this narrative illustrates the promised consequence (divine wrath and turning of the heart) that motivates Ezra’s measures.
- Ezra 10:16-17 (structural): Immediate continuation of 10:14 detailing the practical procedure (sending for those who took foreign wives, the timetable, and enforcement), showing this verse’s place in the corrective process.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let our leaders be appointed for the whole assembly; and let those who have taken foreign wives be summoned at appointed times, with the elders of every city and its judges, until the fierce wrath of our God be turned away from us for this matter.
- Let our chiefs be appointed for all the congregation; and let all who dwell in our towns who have taken foreign wives come at appointed times, with the elders of each town and its judges, until the fierce wrath of our God be turned away from us because of this matter.
Ezr.10.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אך: PART
- יונתן: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עשהאל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויחזיה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תקוה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עמדו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- על: PREP
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- ומשלם: CONJ+VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- ושבתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- הלוי: NOUN,m,sg,def
- עזרם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3mp
Parallels
- Ezra 10:2 (structural): Same episode—the assembly's decision to put away foreign wives; sets the context for the individuals who 'stood' over the matter in v.15.
- Ezra 10:16–17 (verbal): Adjacent verses that continue the list of men who 'stood' and those assisted by Levites—parallel language and function within the same reform narrative.
- Nehemiah 13:23–27 (thematic): Nehemiah confronts and separates Jews who had married foreign women; parallels Ezra's enforcement of marriage reforms and the community's response.
- Deuteronomy 7:3–4 (allusion): The Mosaic prohibition against intermarriage with surrounding peoples provides the legal/theological rationale underlying Ezra's action.
- Malachi 2:11–12 (thematic): The prophet condemns intermarriage with foreign women as profaning the covenant—an interpretive tradition that echoes the concern motivating Ezra's reforms.
Alternative generated candidates
- Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah stood against this; Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.
- Then Jonathan son of Asahel and Jehzeiah son of Tikvah supported this, and Meshullam and Shebbetai the Levite aided them.
Ezr.10.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- כן: ADV
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- הגולה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ויבדלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- עזרא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הכהן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אנשים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ראשי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- האבות: NOUN,m,pl,def
- לבית: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cns
- אבתם: NOUN,m,pl,abs,3,m,pl
- וכלם: CONJ+PRON,3,m,pl
- בשמות: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וישבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ביום: PREP
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- לחדש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- העשירי: ADJ,m,sg,def
- לדריוש: PREP+PN,m,sg
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Ezra 9:5-15 (structural): Immediate narrative context: Ezra's public confession and denunciation of intermarriage provides the theological and emotional lead‑up to the assembly and actions recorded in 10:16.
- Nehemiah 9:2-3 (verbal): Describes the people 'separating themselves' from foreigners and gathering for confession and the reading of the law, using language and actions similar to the separation and assembly in Ezra 10:16.
- Nehemiah 13:23-30 (thematic): Nehemiah confronts and reforms Israelites who married foreign women, compelling separations and covenantal correction—parallel in theme and corrective procedure to Ezra's measures.
- Deuteronomy 7:3-4 (allusion): The Torah prohibition against intermarriage with the nations is the legal and theological basis for Ezra's actions; Ezra 10 reflects enforcement of this Deuteronomic injunction.
Alternative generated candidates
- So the returned exiles did. And Ezra the priest summoned the heads of the fathers' households, every one by name; and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.
- Thus the exiles did. Ezra the priest set apart the heads of the fathers' houses, by their ancestral houses and by name; and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to deal with the matter—during the reign of Darius the king.
Ezr.10.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויכלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אנשים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ההשיבו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- נשים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- נכריות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- עד: PREP
- יום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- לחדש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הראשון: ADJ,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Ezra 9:11-12 (structural): Immediate narrative context: the same crisis and reform effort—Ezra calls for separation from foreign wives and 10:17 reports the men finished the task begun in chapter 9.
- Deuteronomy 7:3-4 (thematic): Law against intermarriage with Canaanite nations to prevent Israel’s turning to other gods; provides the legal/ideological basis for the postexilic expulsions of foreign wives.
- Nehemiah 13:23-27 (thematic): A later reformer confronts and reverses marriages to foreign women among returned exiles, paralleling Ezra’s concern and remedies for preserving purity of the community.
- Malachi 2:11-12 (allusion): Prophetic denunciation of marrying foreign women as treachery against the covenant—echoes the moral and covenantal rationale behind Ezra’s action.
- Numbers 25:1-9 (thematic): Early Israelite crisis when intercourse with foreign women led to idolatry and divine punishment; serves as a historical precedent for harsh measures against intermarriage in order to safeguard covenant fidelity.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they finished the investigation concerning all the men who had taken foreign wives by the first day of the first month.
- And they completed the work concerning all the men who had put away their foreign wives, by the first day of the first month.
And when Ezra had prayed and made confession, he wept and fell prostrate before the house of God. A very great assembly of Israelites gathered to him—men and women and children; for the people wept bitterly.
Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, “We have trespassed against our God and taken foreign wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel in this matter.”},{ Now let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those born to them, according to the counsel of our leaders and of those who tremble at the commandments of our God; and let it be done according to the law.
Arise, for this matter is upon you; we are with you—be strong and do it. So Ezra rose and bound himself by oath with the chiefs of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel to do according to this word; and they swore.
Ezra rose from before the house of God and went into the chamber of Johanan son of Eliashib; there he neither ate bread nor drank water, for he mourned over the transgressions of the exiles. And they sent word throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the exiles, that they should gather in Jerusalem. And whoever did not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and elders, all his property would be forfeited and he himself would be excluded from the assembly of the exiles.
All the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered in Jerusalem within three days—on the twentieth day of the ninth month—and all the people sat trembling in the open square of the house of God because of the matter and because of the heavy rain.
Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have transgressed and taken foreign wives, adding to the guilt of Israel. Now therefore confess to the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do His will; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.” And all the assembly answered with a loud voice, “It shall be done as you have declared to us.” But the people were numerous and the season was rainy, and we were not able to stand outside; nor could the work be done quickly—one day or two—because of the magnitude of our offense in this matter.
Let our leaders stand as judges for all the assembly, and let those who have taken foreign wives present themselves at appointed times, together with the elders of each town and its judges, until the wrath of our God is turned away from us concerning this matter.
Jonathan son of Asahel and Jachaziah son of Tikvah stood in this cause, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite were their helpers. And the men of the exile did so. And Ezra the priest brought forward the heads of the fathers' houses, each by his household, and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. And by the first day of the first month they had finished with all the men who had married foreign women.