The Pulpit Commentary — Ezra — Section 135

who wore alnrmed at the transgression of the the time. Ho rent hie garment and hi■ commands of God (eh. x, 3), and at the mantle a second time, as a renewed indicn• threat,; which the Law contained against tion of sorrow, and with the view of impress• transgressors (Deut. vii. 4). Beoause of the ing the people who "were a.ssembled unto transgreeeion of those that had been carried him" (ver. 4) the more, and stirring them away. The transgression of "the children up to penitence. "Segnius irritant animum of the captivity" (eh. iv, 1)-of those who dernissa pe_r _aw-es Quam qum sunt oculia had been removed to Babylon and had su~jecta fide(,ibus." returned under Zerubbabel. I sat astonied \ er. 6.-I am ashamed and blush. Jere- until the evening sacrifice. As morning is miah had complained that in his day those the time for business in the East, we may who " committed abominations were not at assume that the princes had waited upon all ashamed, neither could they blush" (Jer. Ezra tolerably early in the day-before noon, vi. 16 ; viii. 12). Ezra, with these words at any rate-to communicate their intelli- in his thoughts possibly, begins his con- gence. The evening sacrifice took place at fession with a protestation that he at any three in the afternoon. Ezra must, therefore, rate is not open to this reproach-he blushes either from the intensity of his own feelings or and burns with shame for the sins of his with the view of impressing the people, have people. Our iniquities are increased over " sat astonied "-speechless and motionless our head. I. e. he.ve kept on rising like a -for several hours. flood ; " gone over our head" (Ps. xxxviii 0 EZRA S CONFESSION AND PRAYER TO GQ.D 4), and overwhelmed us. And our trespasa (eh. ix. 5-15). The most remarkable feature is grown up unto the heavens. Has grown to such a height that it has attracted the of Ezra's confession is the thoroughness with notice of God, and made him angry with us. which he identifies himself with his erring Ver. 7.-Since the days of our fathers. countrymen, blushes for their transgressions, The historical sketches in Nehemiah (ix. 6- and is ashamed for their misconduct. .All 35) and the Acts (vii. 2-53) show that their sins he appears to consider as his sins, this phrase might be taken in a very wide sense, and be regarded as including the all their disobedience os bis disobedience, all "fathers" of the nation who came out of their perils as his perils. Another striking Egypt; but perhaps Ezra has rather in his feature is his sense of the exceeding sinful- mind the series of iclolatries belonging to the ness of the particular sin of the time (see ki7UJly period, and extending from Solomon vers. 6, 7, 10). He views it as a "great to Zedekiah. We, our kings, and our trespass "----0ne that "is grown up into the priests, have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands. Menahem into hca,ens "-which is equivalent to a complete the hand of Pul, Pekah of Tiglath-Pileser, forsaking of God's commandments, and on Hoshea of Shal.maneser or Sargon, Manasseh e.ccount of which he and his people "cannot of Esarhad.don, Josiah of Pharaoh-Necho, stand before " God. This feeling seems J ehoahaz, J ehoiakim, J ehoiachin, and Zede- based partly on the nature of the sin itself ki.ah, of Nebuchadnezzar. That the priests had their full share in the calamities of the (ver. 14), but also, and in an especial way, captivity appears from 2 Kings xxv. 18 ; on a strong sense of the ingratitude shown Jer. Iii 24 ; Ezek. i. 1-3. And to con- by the people in turning from God so soon fusion of face. I. e. To disgrace and she.me after he had forgiven their former sins against (compare Ps. xliv. 13-16). him, and allowed them to return from the Ver. 8.-And now for a little space grace hath been showed. The "little space" must captivity, rebuild the temple, and re-estab- be understood relatively to the long enjoy- lish themselves as a nation. If after their ment of Divine favour from Abraham to deliverance they again fell away, the sin Zedekiah. It was a space of more than could not but be unpardonable ; and the eighty years. A remnant to escape. The pnnishment to be expected was a final Hebrew has simply p' leyt~h, " a remnant," the "remnant" being that which had uprooting and destraction from which there escaped the two dangers of destruction and could be no recovery (vers. 13, 14). absorption, and had returned from Babylon Ver. 5.-At the evening sacri.fl.ce I arose to Palestine. To give us a nail. " A nail" up from my heavineBB. The time of sacri- seems to mean here '' a. firm and sure abode," fice was the fittest time for prayer, especially as our translators note in the margin. for a prayer in which acknowledgment of sin Ver. 9.-J!'or we were bondsmen. Rather, was to form a large part. Sacrifice symbol- " we are." The J ewe had not recovered ired expiation ; and Ezra probably felt that their independence. They continued to be his supplication would be helped by the the subjects of a despotic monarch, and were expiatory rite which was being performed at therefore 'abadim, "sla.ves." All the favour CH, IX. 1-15 THE BOOK OF EZRA. 141