Ezra 10:14
Ver. 14. Let now our rulers of all the congregations stand,.... Let the great sanhedrim, or court of judicature at Jerusalem, be fixed and continued, and others:
and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times; to the court at Jerusalem, at certain and fixed known times of their sittings there for this purpose:and with the elders of every city and the judges thereof; the principal magistrates of it, who were to testify that upon search and inquiry those were the men and all the men in their city, that had taken strange wives, and that they had put them away according to the order of the princes and elders; and this they proposed to be done in every city, and the account to be brought to the sanhedrim at Jerusalem, who were to sit at certain times till this affair was finished:until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us: which it seems had broke out in some instances, and they feared would do yet more, unless this step was taken, whereby they hoped it would be averted. Ezra 10:15Ver. 15. Only Jonathan the son of Asahel, and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah, were employed about the matter,.... To see that this affair was conducted in the manner proposed; that the magistrates of every city brought the persons that had been delinquents, in their turns, of which they gave them notice, and took the account of them as they came:and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them; assisted them in this work; the other two perhaps were priests, and both these Levites; and these four were the only persons appointed over this matter, as the phrase in the preceding clause may signify; though Jarchi interprets it to a quite contrary sense, that they were the only persons that opposed and objected to it; and so Dr. Lightfoot {r} understands it, and renders it, "stood against this matter"; in which they were seconded by the two Levites, and the sense is very probable.{r} Works, vol. 1. p. 144. Ezra 10:16Ver. 16. 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 satto examine the matter; the accounts brought in from the several cities by the magistrates thereof, and recorded them. Ezra 10:17Ver. 17. And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives,.... Finished their inquiry and examination of them:by the first day of the first month; the month Nisan, answering to part of March and April; so that they were three months about this work. Ezra 10:18Ver. 18. And among the sons of the priests there were found that had taken strange wives,.... So that it need not be wondered at that this evil should spread among the people, when those who understood the law, and should have instructed the people in it, set such an example: namely,of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak; who was the high priest; and perhaps for this fault of his, in not restraining his sons from such unlawful marriages, is he represented in filthy garments, Zec 3:3,and his brethren, Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah; these were the brethren of Jeshua. Ezra 10:19Ver. 19-43. And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives,.... They proposed to do it, and actually did it:and being guilty; of which they were fully convinced:they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass; to make atonement for it, and thereby set an example to others to do the like. Aben Ezra observes, that we do not find that the trespass offering was a mulct to such who married strange wives, and conjectures, that it was the advice of the chief men to do it. From hence, to the end of Ezr 10:43, is a list of the men that had married strange wives, and put them away; those in Ezr 10:20, were priests; in Ezr 10:23, Levites, and those of them who were singers or porters; the rest were Israelites: and it is a very common distinction, in rabbinical writers, to distinguish the Jews into priests, Levites, and Israelites; of these we know no more than their names; some of the heads of the families may be observed in Ezr 2:1. Ezra 10:20Ver. 20. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:21Ver. 21. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:22Ver. 22. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:23Ver. 23. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:24Ver. 24. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:25Ver. 25. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:26Ver. 26. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:27Ver. 27. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:28Ver. 28. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:29Ver. 29. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:30Ver. 30. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:31Ver. 31. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:32Ver. 32. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:33Ver. 33. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:34Ver. 34. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:35Ver. 35. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:36Ver. 36. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:37Ver. 37. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:38Ver. 38. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:39Ver. 39. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:40Ver. 40. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:41Ver. 41. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:42Ver. 42. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:43Ver. 43. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19". Ezra 10:44Ver. 44. All these had taken strange wives,.... In all about one hundred and thirteen:and some of them had wives by whom they had children; and yet they put them away, which made it the more difficult for them to do; and those that had none, it is thought to be a mark of God's displeasure at such marriages. No mention being made of the children being put away, as Shechaniah proposed, Ezr 10:3, it may be concluded they were not, but were taken care of, to be educated in the true religion, and entered proselytes at a proper time; and the rather, as Ezra gave no orders about their putting away, Ezr 10:11.