Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezra 9:10
And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,
10. A sudden apostrophe. God’s mercy has been great; but now, in spite of all, Israel has broken this command: what does she deserve?
And now after this ] It has been very generally supposed that ‘after this’ means ‘after this manifestation of Divine clemency’. But it seems better to suppose that Ezra breaks abruptly off at Ezr 9:9. The thought of God’s favour in the past makes Ezra mentally compare it with the present position of the Jews. ‘And now, at this moment, after this fresh violation of commandment, after this further proof of our guiltiness, what can we say?’
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 10. What shall we say after this?] Even in the midst of these beginnings of respite and mercy we have begun to provoke thee anew!
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
What apology can we make for ourselves, after thou hast conferred such great and high favours upon us, and we have so grossly abused them?
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And now, O our God, what shall we say after this?…. What apology or excuse can be made for such ingratitude? what can be said in favour of such a people? what kindness can be expected to be shown to a people who had behaved in so base a manner?
for we have forsaken thy commandments: particularly those which related to marriages with people of other nations.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Ezr 9:10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,
Ver. 10. And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? ] q.d. We have nothing to say for ourselves, wherever thou shouldst not presently pronounce against us, and execute upon us the sentence of utter rejection. We are even speechless, excuseless, and must needs conclude, It is the Lord’s mercy that we are not consumed, that we are at all on this side of hell it is because his compassions fail not, Lam 3:32 .
For we have forsaken thy commandments NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Ezr 9:10-15
10Now, our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, 11which You have commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from end to end and with their impurity. 12So now do not give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters to your sons, and never seek their peace or their prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it as an inheritance to your sons forever.’ 13After all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and our great guilt, since You our God have requited us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us an escaped remnant as this, 14shall we again break Your commandments and intermarry with the peoples who commit these abominations? Would You not be angry with us to the point of destruction, until there is no remnant nor any who escape? 15O LORD God of Israel, You are righteous, for we have been left an escaped remnant, as it is this day; behold, we are before You in our guilt, for no one can stand before You because of this.
Ezr 9:11 unclean. . .uncleanness The term (BDB 622) originally referred to the ceremonial impurity caused by a woman’s monthly menstrual cycle. It came to be a metaphor for uncleanness (cf. 2Ch 29:5; Eze 7:19-20; Zec 13:1).
In the Mosaic legislation any fluids which come out of the human body makes one ceremonially unclean, unable to participate in religious and social activities.
their abominations This usually involves the sin of idolatry (e.g., Lev 18:3; Lev 18:24-30) and disobedience (e.g., Jer 7:25-26), which caused the exile in the first place. Now it was starting over again in the same way. See Special Topic: Abomination .
from end to end This is literally from mouth unto mouth (Young’s Literal Translation of the Bible, p. 320). The term (BDB 804) is often used in idiomatic phrases:
1. ask his mouth (ask personally), Gen 24:57
2. mouth of the sword, Gen 34:26
3. mouth to mouth (face to face), Num 12:8; 2Ki 10:21; 2Ki 21:16; Jer 32:4; Jer 34:3
4. with one mouth (unanimous), Jos 9:2
5. mouth to mouth (devour), Isa 9:12
6. mouth to mouth (resuscitation), 2Ki 4:34
7. hand over mouth (respect), Job 29:9
8. mouth to mouth (fill completely), 2Ki 21:16; Ezr 9:11
(Examples taken from NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 583).
Ezr 9:11-12 This seems to be a summary statement encompassing insights from Moses (cf. Exo 23:32-33; Exo 34:10-17; Deu 7:2-3; Deu 20:10-18) and the Prophets. In Jewish theology only prophets wrote Scripture, so Moses was considered a prophet (cf. Deu 18:15-22) and more (cf. Num 12:6-8).
Ezr 9:12 never seek their peace or their prosperity This may be an allusion to Deu 23:6. The VERB seek (BDB 205, KB 233, Qal IMPERFECT) may refer to treaties (cf. NIDOTTE, vol. 1, p. 994). Israel’s Mosaic prohibition of any social or religious contact with idolatry (the first two VERBS are Qal IMPERFECTS used in a JUSSIVE sense – do not give your daughters, do not take their daughters, cf. Exo 23:32; Exo 34:12) continues!
forever See Special Topic: Forever (‘olam) .
Ezr 9:13 You our God have requited us less than our iniquities deserve This is an idiomatic way of asserting God’s great love and mercy towards the Jews, but they took advantage of it! They are back in the promised land by God’s forgiveness and restitution, but now they are violating His word again!
The literal idiom is held back downward (BDB 362, KB 359 and BDB 641).
Ezr 9:14 YHWH expresses anger towards an Israel to whom He chose to reveal Himself, so as to reveal Himself to the entire world. Their special knowledge brought great responsibility (cf. Deu 7:11; Deu 11:16-17; Deu 29:25-29).
Ezr 9:15 Thou art righteous YHWH’s character is exactly opposite of His people’s! He is faithful (cf. Ezr 9:9) and righteous, but they are unfaithful (cf. Ezr 9:2, even their political and religious leaders) and sinful (cf. Ezr 9:6-7; Ezr 9:10; Ezr 9:13). See note at Ezr 9:9. See Special Topic: Righteousness .
no one can stand before Thee This is the theological summary of the results of human rebellion, both individually and corporately (e.g., Gen 6:5; Gen 6:11-13; Job 4:17; Job 9:2; Job 25:4; Jer 17:9).
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought provoking, not definitive.
1. What is the meaning of the phrase separate themselves from the peoples of the lands?
2. Why are the tribes of Canaan listed in so many different ways?
3. Were all the tribes of Canaan which are mentioned in Ezr 9:1 still in existence in Ezra’s day?
4. How did Ezra’s grief effect his fellow Jews?
5. Explain the relationship between personal confession and corporate confession.
what shall we say . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6.
what shall we say: Gen 44:16, Jos 7:8, Lam 3:22, Dan 9:4-16, Rom 3:19
Reciprocal: Jdg 2:2 – but ye have 2Ki 21:9 – they hearkened Isa 38:15 – What Jer 9:13 – General Dan 9:10 – which
Ezr 9:10. And now, what shall we say after this? What apology can we make for ourselves, after thou hast conferred such great and high favours upon us, and we have so grossly abused them?
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments