The Pulpit Commentary — Ezra — Section 134

It must have been some considerable time much less into affinity and alliance. Thus nfterwards. Ezra reached Jerusalem on the the thing was to Ezra a new thing. IIis first do.y ot the fifth month (eh. vii. 9), familiarity with the Law, and, perhaps we rested three days (eh. viii. 32), nncl on the fourth day of the ea.me month made over the may add, his insight into the grounds upon vessols to the temple authorities. It was which the Law upon this point was founded, not till the seventeenth day of the ninth caused him to view the matter a.a one of the month that, on Ezra's motion, the matter of gravest kind, and to feel shocked and honor- the mixed marriages wns taken in hand (eh. struck at what was told him respecting it, x. 8, 9). Yet we cannot suppose that action was long delayed after the matter came to He showed his feelings with the usual open- Ezra's knowledge. The princes. The civil ness and abandon of an Orlen tal: first heads of the community, whom Ezra found rending both his outer and his inner gar- e.t the head of affairs on his arrival, and ments, then tearing his hair and his beard, whose authority he did not wholly supersede and finally" sitting down astonied," motion- (see eh. x. 14, 16). The people of the lands. The idolatrous nations inhe.biting the dis- less and speechless, until the time of the tricts adjoining Palestine: Egyptians and evening sacrifice. Such a manifestation of A.morites on the south; Moe.bites and Am- horror and amazement was well calculated monites on the east; Canaanites probably to impress and affect the sympathetic and towards the north and the north • west. ardent people over whom Providence ha(! Doing according to their abominations. Rather, " in respect of their abominations." placed him. The complaint was not so much that the Ver. 3.-I rent my garment e.nd my Jews had as yet actually adopted idolatrous mantle. Rending the clothes was always, functions, as that they did not keep them- and still is, one of the commonest Oriental selves wholly aloof from them. The foreign modes of showing grief. Reuben rent his wives would introduce idolatrous rites into clothes when his brothers sold Joseph to their very houses. the Midianites, and Jacob did the same Ver. 2.-The holy seed. Compare Isa. when he believed that Joseph was dead vi. 13. The "seed of Israel," however much (Gen. xxxvii. 29, 34). Job "rent his mantle" it polluted itself by transgressions, was still on learning the death of his sons and " holy" by profession, by call, by obliga- daughters (Job i. 20); and his friends "rent tion, by prophetic announcement. They every one his mantle" when they "came to were " a kingdom of/riests, a holy nation " mourn with him and comfort him" (Job ii. (Exod. xix. 6); boun to be "separated from 11, 12). Rent clothes indicateu. that a a.ll the people that were on the face of the messenger was e. messenger of woe (1 S:im. earth" (Exod. xxxiii 16), e.nd to keep them- iv. 12; 2 Sam. i. 2), or that a man hau. selves a "peculiar people." When they heard something that had greatly shockeu. mingled themselves with the people of the him, and of which he wished to express his lands, they not only broke e. positive com- horror (2 Kings xviii. 37; Matt. =vi. 65). mand (Deut. vii. 3), but did their best to Ezra's action is of this last kiuu., expressive frustrate God's entire purpose in respect of of horror more than of grief, but perhaps in them, and to render a.ff that he ha.d done for some degree of grief also. And plucked oft' them of no effect. The hand of the princes the hair of my head and of my beard. These and rulers bath been chief in the trespe.ss. are somewhat unusual signs of grief among " Princes and rulers " are here opposed to the Orientals, who were wor.t to shave the people of the middle and lower ranks. The head in great mourning, but seldom tore the upper classes, whether clerical or lay, had hair out by the roots. The practice is not been the chief offenders (see eh. x. 18); and elsewhere mentioned in Scripture, excepting compare the similar defection of Jews of the in the apocryphal books (I Esdr. viii. 71; 2 upper classes in Nehemiah's time (Neh. vi. Esdr. i. 8; Apoc. Esth, iv. ?.). And sat 17, 18; xiii. 4, 28). down astonied. Compare Dan. iv. 19; viii. EZRA's ASTONISHMENT AND HORROR (eh. 27, where the same verb is used in the same sense. ix. 3, 4). In Babylonia, whence Ezra had Ver. 4.-Then were assembled unto me. come, the inclination to intermarry with the The open manifestation by Ezra of his gt·ief heathen had not, it would seem, shown itself. and horror produced an immediate effect. A Exiles in a foreign land naturally cling to crowd assembled around him, attracted by oach other under their adverse circumstances, the unusual sight - partly sympathizing, partly no doubt curious. Every one came and, moreover, being despised by those that trembled at the words of the God of among whom they sojou111, are not readily Israel; by which is meant not so much all accepted by them into social fellowship, God-fearing persons (sec Isa. lxvi. 2) as all 140 THE BOOK OF EZRA. [err. rx. 1-15.