Ezra's Confession over Intermarriage and Plea for Mercy
Ezra 9:1-15
Ezr.9.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וככלות: CONJ
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- נגשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- השרים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- לא: PART_NEG
- נבדלו: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,pl
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והכהנים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- והלוים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- מעמי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss:1,_,sg
- הארצות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- כתועבתיהם: PREP+NOUN,f,pl+PRON,3,m,pl
- לכנעני: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- החתי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הפרזי: ADJ,m,pl,def
- היבוסי: ADJ,m,sg,def
- העמני: NOUN,ethn,m,sg,def
- המאבי: NOUN,ethn,m,sg,def
- המצרי: ADJ,m,sg,def
- והאמרי: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
Parallels
- Ezra 10:2-3 (structural): Immediate sequel and response: Ezra calls the people to confess and separate from foreign wives after the leaders report the intermarriages described in 9:1.
- Nehemiah 13:23-29 (thematic): Later reform episode addressing the same problem of Israelites marrying foreign women and adopting foreign practices; similar concern for separation and purity of the community.
- Deuteronomy 7:3-4 (verbal): Law forbidding intermarriage with the peoples of the land because it leads Israel to idolatry—provides the legal-theological basis for Ezra's complaint.
- Joshua 23:12-13 (allusion): Warning that remaining nations will be a snare, causing Israel to intermarry and serve other gods—parallels Ezra’s concern about adopting abominations of surrounding peoples.
- 1 Kings 11:1-2 (thematic): Solomon’s foreign marriages and their religious consequences illustrate the longstanding biblical theme linking intermarriage with turning to foreign worship.
Alternative generated candidates
- And when these things were finished the heads came to me, saying, “The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, doing according to their abominations—Canaanite, Hittite, Perizzite, Jebusite, Ammonite, Moabite, Egyptian, and Amorite.”
- When these things were finished the leaders came to me, saying, 'The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands; they have taken their abominations to be like the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.'
Ezr.9.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- נשאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מבנתיהם: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs,PRON:3,m,pl
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ולבניהם: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
- והתערבו: CONJ+VERB,hitpael,perf,3,m,pl
- זרע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הקדש: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בעמי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,poss,1
- הארצות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- ויד: CONJ
- השרים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- והסגנים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
- היתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- במעל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- ראשונה: ADJ,f,sg
Parallels
- Nehemiah 13:23-27 (thematic): Nehemiah condemns Jews who married foreign women and describes the same social/religious danger — children 'profaning' the holy seed and leaders being involved in the offense.
- Deuteronomy 7:3-4 (thematic): The Mosaic law forbids intermarriage with surrounding nations to prevent Israelite hearts turning away from God; provides the legal/theological rationale behind Ezra's complaint about mingling the 'holy seed.'
- Numbers 25:1-3 (verbal): Reports Israel's mingling with Moabite women and subsequent idolatry (Baal‑Peor), using language of the people 'joining' with foreign women and thereby bringing judgment — a narrative precedent for Ezra's concern.
- Malachi 2:11 (allusion): Accuses Israel (Judah) of treachery in marrying 'the daughter of a foreign god,' linking improper marriages with covenant unfaithfulness and temple/holy‑dominion profanation similar to Ezra's charge.
Alternative generated candidates
- For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy seed has mingled with the peoples of the lands; and the hand of the heads and of the rulers was first in this trespass.
- For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons; the holy seed has mingled itself with the peoples of the lands. The hand of the leaders and of the rulers has been foremost in this trespass.
Ezr.9.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וכשמעי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- קרעתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- בגדי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- ומעילי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss:1
- ואמרטה: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- משער: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ראשי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- וזקני: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,cons
- ואשבה: VERB,qal,imperfect,1,_,sg
- משומם: ADJ,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Job 1:20 (verbal): Job 'tore his robe and shaved his head' after hearing calamity — closely parallels Ezra's tearing garments and plucking hair as expressions of grief/astonishment.
- Genesis 37:34 (verbal): Jacob 'rent his clothes' on hearing of Joseph's supposed death — the same gesture of tearing garments as public mourning.
- Nehemiah 1:4 (thematic): 'When I heard these words I sat down and wept, and mourned...' — parallels Ezra's reaction of hearing bad news, sitting down and mourning (penitential lament).
- 2 Samuel 13:19 (verbal): Tamar 'put ashes on her head, and rent her garment' after her assault — another instance of tearing clothing and ritual signs of mourning/shame akin to Ezra's actions.
- Daniel 9:3 (thematic): Daniel pursues prayer with 'fasting, sackcloth, and ashes' — a penitential response comparable to Ezra's tearing garments and bodily mourning over communal sin.
Alternative generated candidates
- When I heard this matter I tore my garments and my robe, and pulled hair from my head and my beard, and sat down astonished.
- When I heard this matter I tore my garments and my mantle, and pulled hair from my head and beard, and sat appalled.
Ezr.9.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואלי: CONJ+PREP,1,sg
- יאספו: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- חרד: ADJ,m,sg
- בדברי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,const
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- מעל: PREP
- הגולה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ואני: PRON,1,sg
- ישב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- משומם: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- עד: PREP
- למנחת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,const
- הערב: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Nehemiah 1:4 (thematic): Nehemiah hears bad news about Jerusalem and responds with mourning, fasting and prayer — a leader's anguished reaction to the community's plight, similar to Ezra's stunned mourning.
- Job 1:20 (verbal): Job rends his garment and shaves his head (physical signs of grief) after tragic news — parallels Ezra's tearing and bodily expressions of distress.
- Joshua 7:6 (verbal): Joshua rends his clothes and falls on his face after Israel's sin is revealed — another instance of a leader publicly mourning and reacting to communal transgression.
- Esther 4:3 (thematic): Throughout the provinces Jews mourn, fast and weep at the decree against them — communal lamentation and mourning in response to a crisis, comparable to Ezra's reaction.
- 2 Samuel 13:19 (verbal): Tamar rends her garment and puts ashes on her head — ritual signs of mourning and shame that mirror the physical gestures of grief in Ezra.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then were assembled to me everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel concerning the transgression of the exiles; and I sat stunned until the evening sacrifice.
- Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered to me, for the transgression of the exiles; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice.
Ezr.9.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ובמנחת: NOUN,f,sg,const
- הערב: NOUN,m,sg,def
- קמתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- מתעניתי: VERB,hitp,perf,1,_,sg
- ובקרעי: NOUN,m,sg,suff
- בגדי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- ומעילי: NOUN,m,sg,suff
- ואכרעה: VERB,qal,imprf,1,_,sg
- על: PREP
- ברכי: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,1,sg
- ואפרשה: VERB,qal,imprf,1,_,sg
- כפי: PREP
- אל: NEG
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
Parallels
- Daniel 9:3 (thematic): Daniel turns to the Lord with prayer, fasting, sackcloth and ashes — parallels Ezra’s fasting and urgent penitential prayer before God.
- Nehemiah 9:5 (verbal): The Levites ‘fell upon their knees to the LORD’ and confessed — closely parallels Ezra’s kneeling and confession-oriented posture.
- 2 Chronicles 6:13 (verbal): Solomon ‘kneeled on his knees and spread his hands toward heaven’ — nearly identical language and posture (kneeling and spreading hands) in prayer.
- Job 1:20 (thematic): Job tore his robe, shaved his head, fell to the ground and worshiped after calamity — parallels Ezra’s tearing garments and prostration as signs of mourning and supplication.
- Psalm 35:13 (thematic): ‘I humbled my soul with fasting’ — connects with Ezra’s use of fasting and bodily humility as penitential practice before God.
Alternative generated candidates
- At the time of the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, and with my garment and cloak torn I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God.
- At the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting and from my torn garments and mantle, and I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God,
Ezr.9.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואמרה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- בשתי: PREP+NUM,card,f,dual
- ונכלמתי: CONJ+VERB,nip,perf,1,m,sg
- להרים: INF+VERB,qal,inf
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- פני: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אליך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- עונתינו: NOUN,f,pl,suff1,pl
- רבו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- למעלה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ראש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואשמתנו: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,suff
- גדלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- עד: PREP
- לשמים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 38:4 (verbal): Uses nearly identical language about personal guilt ‘iniquities are gone over my head’/’our iniquities are increased over our head’—a close verbal parallel of overwhelming guilt and shame.
- Nehemiah 9:37 (verbal): Public confession text that repeats the same formulation: ‘our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens’—direct verbal echo.
- Daniel 9:7-8 (thematic): Daniel’s corporate confession emphasizes national sin, shame before God, and ‘confusion of face’—thematic parallel in tone and content to Ezra’s ashamed plea.
- Nehemiah 1:4-7 (structural): Nehemiah’s opening prayer follows the same structure (leader’s lament, confession of national sin, shame to lift face, petition for mercy), mirroring Ezra’s intercessory confession.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I said: O my God, I am ashamed and confounded to lift up my face to you; for our iniquities have risen above our heads, and our guilt reaches to the heavens.
- and I said, 'O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you; for our iniquities are multiplied above our head, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.
Ezr.9.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מימי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cons
- אבתינו: NOUN,m,pl,suff:1pl
- אנחנו: PRON,1,pl
- באשמה: PREP
- גדלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- עד: PREP
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- ובעונתינו: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נתנו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- אנחנו: PRON,1,pl
- מלכינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+1,pl
- כהנינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מלכי: NOUN,pl,m,cons
- הארצות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- בחרב: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בשבי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובבזה: PREP
- ובבשת: PREP
- פנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- כהיום: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
Parallels
- Nehemiah 1:7-9 (verbal): Nearly identical confession language: because of our sins we, our kings and priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands. Direct verbal and thematic parallel in a communal penitential prayer.
- Psalm 106:40-43 (thematic): Recapitulates Israel's history of sin and God's wrath, saying God gave them into the hands of the nations—parallels Ezra's account of sword, captivity, spoil and shame as consequences of sin.
- 2 Chronicles 36:15-21 (structural): Narrative explanation of Judah's exile to the Chaldeans because of persistent disobedience; provides the historical/causal framework (kings of the lands, deportation, desolation) that Ezra summarizes.
- Lamentations 5:7-8 (thematic): Speaks of ancestral sin and present suffering—'our fathers sinned and are no more, and we bear their iniquities'—echoing Ezra's appeal to inherited guilt and ongoing reproach.
- Deuteronomy 28:25,36-37 (allusion): Covenantal curses for disobedience: defeat before enemies and being delivered to foreign rulers and becoming a byword—legal/motivational background for understanding exile as punishment in Ezra's confession.
Alternative generated candidates
- From the days of our fathers we have been in great guilt to this day; and because of our sins we and our kings and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to disgrace.
- From the days of our fathers we have been in great guilt until this day; and because of our iniquities we and our kings and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to spoil, and to shame, as it is to this day.
Ezr.9.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועתה: CONJ
- כמעט: ADV
- רגע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- היתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- תחנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מאת: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:1,pl
- להשאיר: VERB,qal,inf
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- פליטה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ולתת: VERB,qal,inf
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- יתד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- במקום: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קדשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- להאיר: PREP+VERB,hiphil,inf
- עינינו: NOUN,f,pl,poss_1pl
- אלהינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:1,pl
- ולתתנו: CONJ+VERB,qal,inf+1pl
- מחיה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מעט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בעבדתנו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+1pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 10:20-22 (thematic): Both passages invoke the motif of God preserving a remnant of Israel after judgment — language and theology of a surviving remnant that returns to or remains with the LORD.
- Romans 11:5 (allusion): Paul uses the same theological motif — 'a remnant chosen by grace' — echoing the idea that God preserves a faithful remnant despite national judgment or exile.
- Psalm 126:1-3 (thematic): Both describe divine restoration that brings renewed life, joy, and refreshment after a period of captivity or suffering; parallels Ezra's plea for God to 'enlighten our eyes' and give 'a little reviving.'
- Ezra 9:9 (structural): Immediate context: verse 9 continues and amplifies the thought of 9:8, describing the community's servitude and God’s mercy in leaving a remnant and granting limited restoration within their bondage.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now, almost as nothing, a remnant has been left us by our God, and a foothold has been granted us in his holy place, to give light to our eyes and to give us a little revival in our slavery.
- And now—how can we endure it? But for our God there was a very little reviving left for us: he spared us to give us a peg in his sanctuary, to enlighten our eyes, and to give us a little revival in our bondage.
Ezr.9.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- עבדים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אנחנו: PRON,1,pl
- ובעבדתנו: CONJ+PREP,NOUN,f,sg,abs,prsuf,1,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- עזבנו: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,pl
- אלהינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:1,pl
- ויט: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- עלינו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- חסד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לפני: PREP
- מלכי: NOUN,pl,m,cons
- פרס: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- לתת: VERB,qal,inf
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- מחיה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לרומם: VERB,qal,inf
- את: PRT,acc
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אלהינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:1,pl
- ולהעמיד: CONJ+VERB,hif,inf
- את: PRT,acc
- חרבתיו: NOUN,f,sg,abs,prsuf,3,ms
- ולתת: VERB,qal,inf
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- גדר: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ביהודה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובירושלם: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezra 1:1-4 (quotation): Cyrus’ decree permitting the return and funding for the temple—directly explains the ‘mercy before the kings of Persia’ that enabled rebuilding the house of God.
- 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 (quotation): A parallel account of Cyrus’ decree in Chronicles, echoing the grant to rebuild the temple and release exiles mentioned in Ezra 9:9.
- Nehemiah 2:7-8 (thematic): Nehemiah’s securing of Persian royal letters, timber, and protection for rebuilding Jerusalem parallels the theme of Persian rulers granting support and safeguards in Ezra 9:9.
- Ezra 6:14-15 (verbal): Reports the completion of the house of God and rebuilding of its ruins in the days of Darius—echoes the specific language of restoring the temple and its ruins in Ezra 9:9.
- Isaiah 44:28 (allusion): Prophetic naming of Cyrus as the one who will rebuild Jerusalem and release exiles provides theological background for Persian kings acting as God’s instrument in Ezra 9:9.
Alternative generated candidates
- For we were servants—yet in our servitude our God did not forsake us; but showed us favor before the kings of Persia, granting us life to raise up the house of our God and to restore its ruins and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
- For we are servants; yet in our servitude our God has not forsaken us, but has extended mercy to the kings of Persia, so that they would grant us life to lift up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us walls in Judah and Jerusalem.
Ezr.9.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועתה: CONJ
- מה: PRON,int
- נאמר: VERB,niphal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- אלהינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:1,pl
- אחרי: PREP
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- כי: CONJ
- עזבנו: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,pl
- מצותיך: NOUN,f,pl,cons,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezra 9:6 (structural): Immediate context in the same prayer: the speaker confesses shame and the people's transgression (their iniquities and abandonment of God's ways), forming part of the same penitential speech.
- Daniel 9:5 (thematic): National confession of sin and rebellion before God—'we have sinned and done wrong'—parallels Ezra's admission that the people have forsaken God's commandments.
- Nehemiah 9:33 (thematic): A communal confession in Nehemiah acknowledging that, despite God's righteousness, the people have acted wickedly and failed to keep God's commands—echoing Ezra's charge of having abandoned the commandments.
- Psalm 51:4 (thematic): Individual confession that sin is ultimately against God ('Against you, you only, have I sinned'), resonating with Ezra's recognition that the offense involves forsaking God's commandments.
- Jeremiah 3:25 (verbal): Expresses national shame and disgrace because 'we have sinned against the Lord our God,' closely mirroring Ezra's language of communal guilt for abandoning God's commands.
Alternative generated candidates
- And now what can we say, O our God, after this? For we have forsaken your commandments.
- And now, what shall we say, O our God, after this? For we have forsaken your commandments,
Ezr.9.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אשר: PRON,rel
- צוית: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עבדיך: NOUN,m,pl,abs,2ms
- הנביאים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- באים: VERB,qal,part,3,m,pl
- לרשתה: INF,qal,3,f,sg
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נדה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- בנדת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cons
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- הארצות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- בתועבתיהם: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs,poss:3,m,pl
- אשר: PRON,rel
- מלאוה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl,obj:3,f,sg
- מפה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- פה: ADV
- בטמאתם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss:3,m,pl
Parallels
- Leviticus 18:24-28 (verbal): Speaks of the nations' sexual/ritual abominations that defile the land and cause God to 'abhor' the practices and punish the land—language and concept closely parallel to Ezra's 'land is defiled... by their abominations.'
- Numbers 33:52-56 (structural): Commands Israel to dispossess the inhabitants of the land because of their abominations and uncleanness—provides the legal/ritual rationale echoed in Ezra for why the land is 'unclean.'
- Deuteronomy 9:4-5 (thematic): Explains that Israel will possess the land not for their righteousness but because of the wickedness of the current inhabitants (whose sins make the land objectionable), a theological background to Ezra's appeal to prophetic warnings.
- Ezekiel 36:17-20 (allusion): The prophet laments that Israel and the nations profaned the land with abominations and describes exile as the consequence; echoes the theme that land is defiled by peoples' sins and that prophetic judgment follows.
- Jeremiah 25:8-11 (thematic): A prophetic pronouncement that because of disobedience and idolatry the nations will be given over to exile and the land made desolate—parallels Ezra's citation of prophetic warnings about the land's uncleanness and exile.
Alternative generated candidates
- Which you commanded by the hand of your servants the prophets, saying: The land that you are entering to possess is a land defiled by the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, filled from end to end with their abominations.
- which you commanded by the hand of your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land that you are entering to possess is a land defiled by the filth of the peoples of the lands with their abominations; it is filled from one end to another with uncleanness.'
Ezr.9.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועתה: CONJ
- בנותיכם: NOUN,f,pl,abs+2mp
- אל: NEG
- תתנו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- לבניהם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+3,m,pl
- ובנתיהם: NOUN,f,pl,prsuf
- אל: NEG
- תשאו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- לבניכם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:2mp
- ולא: CONJ
- תדרשו: VERB,qal,impf,2,pl
- שלמם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3mp
- וטובתם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs,prsuf3mp
- עד: PREP
- עולם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- למען: PREP
- תחזקו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- ואכלתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- והורשתם: VERB,hiph,impf,2,m,pl
- לבניכם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:2mp
- עד: PREP
- עולם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Nehemiah 10:30 (verbal): A covenantal repetition: the community vows 'not to give their daughters to the peoples of the land nor take their daughters,' using nearly identical language to Ezra's injunction against intermarriage.
- Deuteronomy 7:3–4 (thematic): Earlier Mosaic prohibition against intermarriage with Canaanite nations and warning that such marriages will turn Israel’s offspring to other gods — provides the theological rationale behind Ezra’s command to avoid giving daughters/receiving daughters.
- Ezra 9:11 (structural): Immediate context within the same prayer/chapter where the leader explains why foreign marriages should not be sought, forming the direct buildup to the admonition in 9:12.
- Nehemiah 13:23–25 (thematic): Nehemiah rebukes Jews who intermarried with surrounding peoples, describes the social and spiritual problems that resulted, and takes corrective action — a practical enforcement parallel to Ezra’s warning.
- Malachi 2:11 (allusion): Condemns Judah's unfaithfulness in marrying 'the daughter of a foreign god,' linking intermarriage with covenantal faithlessness and impurity of worship, echoing Ezra’s concern about protecting land and covenantal identity.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, and do not take their daughters for your sons; do not seek their peace or their prosperity forever,
- Now therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons, and do not seek their peace or prosperity forever, that you may be strong and may possess and eat the good of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.
Ezr.9.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואחרי: CONJ
- כל: DET
- הבא: NOUN,m,sg,def
- עלינו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- במעשינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הרעים: ADJ,m,pl,def
- ובאשמתנו: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הגדלה: ADJ,f,sg,def
- כי: CONJ
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- אלהינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:1,pl
- חשכת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- למטה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מעוננו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ונתתה: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- פליטה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כזאת: DEM,f,sg
Parallels
- Daniel 9:14 (thematic): Communal confession that calamity has come upon the people because of their sins; both passages link national disaster to corporate guilt and appeal to God's justice and mercy.
- Nehemiah 9:33 (verbal): Part of a liturgical confession recounting Israel's sins and God's disciplining of the nation—language about punishment and God's dealings with the remnant closely parallels Ezra's acknowledgment of deserved judgment.
- Psalm 106:44-46 (thematic): Psalm recounts Israel's repeated sins, the resulting punishment, and God's eventual pity and rescue—mirrors Ezra's theme of collective guilt producing calamity and the hope for divine mercy.
- Isaiah 64:9-10 (verbal): Isaiah laments that God has 'hidden his face' and allowed the people to suffer—language and imagery echo Ezra's charge that God has withdrawn favor/compassion and given them into distress.
Alternative generated candidates
- that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever. And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt—you, our God, have hidden yourself and given us this remnant.
- But now, after all that has come upon us because of our evil deeds and because of our great guilt—for you, our God, punished us less than our iniquities deserved and gave us such a remnant—
Ezr.9.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הנשוב: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,pl
- להפר: VERB,qal,inf
- מצותיך: NOUN,f,pl,cons,2,m,sg
- ולהתחתן: CONJ+VERB,hitpael,inf
- בעמי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,poss,1
- התעבות: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- האלה: DEM,pl
- הלוא: PART
- תאנף: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- בנו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- עד: PREP
- כלה: ADV
- לאין: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שארית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ופליטה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezra 10:11 (structural): Direct continuation/response in the same narrative: calls for confession and explicit separation from foreign wives—practical remedy to the intermarriage lamented in 9:14.
- Nehemiah 13:23-27 (thematic): Nehemiah confronts Jews who married foreign women (Ashdodites, Ammonites, Moabites), reproves them and links mixed marriages to religious and communal decline—same problem and moral outrage as Ezra 9:14.
- Deuteronomy 7:3-4 (allusion): Mosaic prohibition against marrying the Canaanite nations because such marriages lead Israel to turn to other gods—foundational law that underlies Ezra’s objection to intermarriage.
- Joshua 23:12-13 (thematic): Joshua warns that remaining Canaanite peoples will be snares through intermarriage and cause Israel to serve other gods—anticipates the catastrophic consequences Ezra fears (loss of remnant).
- Malachi 2:11-12 (verbal): Accuses Judah of marrying 'the daughter of a foreign god' and profaning the covenant—similar language and accusation that foreign marriage brings defilement and guilt before God.
Alternative generated candidates
- Shall we again break your commandments and join ourselves to these abominable peoples? Will you be angry with us until there is no remnant or survivor?
- shall we again break your commandments and join ourselves to these abominable peoples by marrying them? Would you not be angry with us until you had consumed us, so that there would be no remnant and no escape?
Ezr.9.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- צדיק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- נשארנו: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,pl
- פליטה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כהיום: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- הננו: PRON,1,c,pl
- לפניך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- באשמתינו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,1,pl
- כי: CONJ
- אין: PART,neg
- לעמוד: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- לפניך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- על: PREP
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
Parallels
- Daniel 9:7-8 (verbal): Daniel's communal confession uses almost identical moves—affirming that righteousness belongs to God and admitting the people's shame and inability to stand before him (language of 'righteousness' and 'shame/face').
- Nehemiah 9:33 (thematic): Nehemiah's corporate prayer likewise praises God's justice and recounts Israel's continued guilt and weakness, portraying the community as a remnant before God's righteous judgment.
- Isaiah 64:6-7 (thematic): Isaiah emphasizes human impurity and the insufficiency of our works—'we are all as unclean'—and contrasts human failure with God's righteous character, echoing the remnant/guilt motif.
- Psalm 143:2 (verbal): This psalm pleads that none can stand in God's sight or be justified before him—echoing Ezra's admission that they cannot stand before the Lord because of their iniquity.
Alternative generated candidates
- O LORD God of Israel, you are righteous; for we remain as of today a remnant before you in our guilt, for we cannot stand before you because of this.
- O LORD, God of Israel, you are righteous; for we remain as a remnant today. Behold, we are before you in our guilt; for we cannot stand before you because of this.'
And when these things were ended the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel—and the priests and the Levites—have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, doing according to their abominations: the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, the Ammonite, the Moabite, the Egyptian, and the Amorite.
For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, and the holy seed has been mixed with the peoples of the lands; and the hand of the leaders and officials was first in this trespass.
When I heard this word I tore my garments and my robe; I pulled hair from my head and my beard and sat appalled.
Then were gathered to me everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of the exiles; and I sat appalled until the evening sacrifice.
At the evening sacrifice I rose from my mourning; with my garments and cloak torn I fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God.
I said, “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to you; for our iniquities have risen above our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens.
From the days of our fathers we have been in great guilt until this day; and because of our iniquities our kings and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands—with the sword, with captivity, with plunder, and with disgrace, as it is this day.
Yet now, for a brief moment, the LORD our God has shown us mercy and has left us a remnant and given us a stake in his holy place, to give light to our eyes and to grant us a little relief in our bondage.
For we are servants—our God has not forsaken us in our bondage but has shown us favor before the kings of Persia, giving us life to raise up the house of our God and to repair its ruins and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. And now, what shall we say, O our God, after this? For we have forsaken your commandments.
Which you commanded by the hand of your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are entering to possess is defiled; it is defiled by the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands and filled with their abominations from end to end.'”
Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, and do not take their daughters for your sons; do not seek their peace or prosperity forever, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever. And after all that has come upon us because of our evil deeds and because of our great guilt, you, O our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this.
Shall we then again break your commandments and intermarry with these abominable peoples? Will you not be angry with us until there is no remnant and no survivor?
O LORD, God of Israel, you are righteous; for we are left as a remnant this day. Behold, we are before you in our guilt—for we cannot stand before you because of this.”