Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezra 9:11

Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness.

11. The Divine commands which Israel had violated had been conveyed to them expressly by the prophets. The people were without excuse.

commanded by thy servants the prophets ] Lit. ‘by the hand of’. To command by ‘the hand of’ occurs often, as in the Heb. of Neh 8:14; Lev 8:36; Num 16:40; Num 36:13; Jdg 3:4, &c.: cf. ‘to speak by the hand of’, 2Ki 17:23; 2Ki 21:10; 2Ki 24:2.

saying ] The prophetic word is contained in this and the following verse. There is no passage in the prophets resembling the words here given. It is generally supposed that Ezra is citing from Deu 7:1-3, and that the expression ‘thy servants the prophets’ alludes to Moses. But it must be remembered that ‘the law of Moses’ in these books is always directly referred to, e.g. Ezr 3:2; Ezr 6:18; Ezr 7:6; Neh 8:1; Neh 8:14; Neh 13:1 ; 2Ch 23:18; 2Ch 25:4; 2Ch 30:16 ; 2Ch 35:12. It is better then to regard the passage as a perfectly general statement by Ezra of prophetical teaching upon the subject of intermarriage with foreign nations. Such a statement would naturally reecho the Deuteronomic law, and even repeat words and phrases which, by oral as well as by written tradition, would be familiar. We are forcibly reminded how much of the teaching of the prophets has never come down to us. On the other hand it is no less instructive to observe that the prophetical teaching seems naturally to embody itself in a form, which recalls the language of the Deuteronomic legislation, e.g. ‘The land unto which ye go to possess it’, cf. Deu 7:1 ‘Then the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it’.

The land is an unclean land ] This expression (lit. land of unclean ness) is not found in the Pentateuch with reference to the promised land.

with the filthiness of the people of the land ] R.V. through the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands. The same word ‘uncleanness’ (niddah) is used here as in the phrase an ‘unclean land’. It occurs in 2Ch 29:5 ‘carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place’. Cf. Lam 1:17. It is a strong word to denote anything that would convey defilement.

with their abominations ] R.V. through their abominations. Added by way of explanation. On the word see note on Ezr 9:1. The ‘abominations’ are described as acts of impurity because these were the accompaniment of the local worship. Cf. Lev 18:27 ‘All these abominations (Ezr 9:6-15) have the men of the land done and the land is defiled’.

from one end to another ] Lit. ‘from mouth to mouth’. Cf. almost the same expression in 2Ki 10:21; 2Ki 21:16. It means ‘from one extremity to another’; perhaps the metaphor has been taken from a drinking vessel.

with their uncleanness ] R.V. with their filthiness. The same word in the Hebrew as that rendered ‘filthiness’ in chap. Ezr 6:21. It denotes ‘impurity’, ‘defilement’ generally. Cf. Zec 13:2 ‘I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land’. See, for the special application, the whole passage Lev 18:24-30.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Saying – The words which follow in this verse are not quoted from any previous book of Scripture, but merely give the general sense of numerous passages. Compare the marginal references.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 11. Have filled it from one end to another] The abominations have been like a sweeping mighty torrent, that has increased till it filled the whole land, and carried every thing before it.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

An unclean land with the filthiness of the people: this notes the cause or matter of this uncleanness. The land was not unclean in itself, but only polluted by the filthiness of its inhabitants.

Of the lands; or, of these lands which are round about it. This land is as corrupt as any of the rest of the heathen nations.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets,…. Moses, and Joshua, and others, see De 7:3

saying, the land, unto which ye go to possess it; meaning the land of Canaan:

is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness; which is to be understood not of their idolatries only, but of their incestuous marriages, and impure copulations, on which account the Lord spewed out the old inhabitants of it; for which reason the Jews ought to have been careful not to have defiled it again by similar practices; see Le 18:1.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

11. Commanded by thy servants the prophets Especially by Moses, the great prophet (Deu 18:15) and lawgiver. Comp. with this and the next verse Exo 23:32; Exo 34:12-16; Deu 7:1-3.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Ezr 9:11 Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness.

Ver. 11. Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets ] Whose office it was to expound the law to us, and to apply it to our consciences. This, although they have done daily and duly, yet we have not been kept within the bounds of obedience, but have flown against the lights (as bats use to do), and sinned presumptuously. Thus he aggravateth their sin by every circumstance. And this is right confession, such as the schoolmen have set forth in this tetrastic.

Sit simplex, humilis confessio, pura, fidelis,

Atque frequens, nuda et discreta, lubens, verecunda,

Integra, cordata, et lachrymabilis, accelerata,

Fortis et accusans, et se punire parata.

Is an unclean land ] Because inhabited by an unclean people, who are acted and agitated by an unclean spirit, and do miserably moil themselves in the filthiness of lewdness, which defileth a man worse than any leprosy, than any out-house, Mar 7:23 . Mr Aseham (schoolmaster to Queen Elizabeth) did thank God that he was but nine days in Italy, wherein he saw, in that one city of Venice, more uncleanness and licentiousness than in London he ever heard of in nine years.

With the filthiness of the people of the lands ] Those Canaanites were very Borborites, shameless sinners before the Lord; who therefore rooted them out, and caused their land, when it could bear them no longer, to spue them out. Sin is filthiness ( ) in the abstract. St James calleth it the stinking filth of a pestilent ulcer, and the superfluity or garbage of naughtiness, Jas 1:21 . It is no better than the devil’s excrement; it sets his limbs in us, and draws his picture upon us; for malice is the devil’s eye, oppression is his hand, hypocrisy is his cloven foot, &c. Great sins do greatly pollute.

Which have filled it from one end to another ] Hath overspread it as a deluge, overrun it, as the Jerusalem artichoke doth the ground wherein it is planted; turned it into the same nature with itself, as copperas, which will turn milk into ink; or leaven, which turneth a very passover into pollution. See Mic 1:5 , See Trapp on “ Mic 1:5 “

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

by = by the hand of.

filthiness. Showing Ezra’s acquaintance with the Pentateuch. Compare Gen 15:16. Deu 9:5.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

by thy servants: Heb. by the hand of thy servants

The land: Ezr 9:1, Lev 18:24-30, Deu 12:31, Deu 18:12, 2Ch 33:2

the filthiness: Ezr 6:21, Eze 36:25-27, 2Co 7:1

one end to another: Heb. mouth to mouth, 2Ki 21:16, *marg.

Reciprocal: Jos 23:12 – shall make Jos 24:14 – put Jdg 3:6 – General 1Ki 21:26 – according to 2Ki 21:9 – they hearkened Neh 13:23 – married Jer 26:5 – my Dan 9:10 – which Mal 2:10 – by Mar 12:2 – a servant Act 11:8 – unclean 2Co 6:14 – unequally Rev 17:4 – filthiness

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Ezr 9:11-12. Is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands Or, of these lands, which are round about it. This expresses the cause or matter of this uncleanness: the land was not unclean of itself, but only polluted by the filthiness of its inhabitants. Give not your daughters unto their sons, &c., that ye may be strong Although you may fancy making leagues and marriages with them is the only way to establish you, yet, I assure you, it will weaken and ruin you, and the contrary course will make you strong.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments