Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Nehemiah 9:2
And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
2. the seed of Israel ] A more formal and poetical expression than ‘the children of Israel.’ It does not occur again in these books; but we find it in 2Ki 17:20; 1Ch 16:13; Psa 22:23, and in Is. Jer. The phrase to be compared with it is ‘the holy seed’ in Ezr 9:2 (Est 10:3).
separated themselves ] See on Neh 10:28; Ezr 9:2-3. No stranger was to take part in this national act of humiliation and confession. The ‘strangers,’ i.e. the heathen who had not joined themselves to the ‘holy seed,’ and yet resided in Jerusalem, were not permitted to take part in the ceremony about to be described. Some commentators regard the words as describing in anticipation the result of the action taken by the Israelites on this day, as if by their penitence and confession they finally severed themselves from ‘the strangers.’ But from the position of the verse it is more natural to understand it of a solemn act of separation preliminary to the ratification of the Covenant.
from all strangers ] ‘ b’ ney nkar,’ i.e. ‘children of the foreigner,’ LXX. . Vulg. ‘ab omni filio alienigena,’ as in Psa 18:45; Psa 144:7; Psa 144:11; Isa 60:10; Isa 61:5; Isa 62:8; Eze 44:7.
confessed their sins ] So in chap. Neh 1:6; and compare a possibly parallel instance of national ‘confession,’ 2Ch 30:22, where however there is some doubt whether ‘confession’ or ‘thanksgiving’ is intended: cf. Ezr 10:11.
sins, and the iniquities ] ‘Sin’ ( attth) denoting ‘failure’ generally from the right way; ‘iniquity’ (‘ vn), carrying also the sense of ‘guilt,’ but denoting especially ‘crookedness’ and ‘perverseness’ (2Sa 7:14). Both words occur with the verb ‘confess;’ ‘sins,’ Lev 5:5; Num 5:7; Dan 9:20; ‘iniquities,’ Lev 16:21; Lev 26:40.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 2. The seed of Israel separated themselves] A reformation of this kind was begun by Ezra, Ezr 10:3; but it appears that either more were found out who had taken strange wives, or else those who had separated from them had taken them again.
And stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.] They acknowledged that they had been sinners against God throughout all their generations; that their fathers had sinned and were punished; and that they, with this example before their eyes, had copied their fathers’ offences.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
From all strangers; from all familiar and unnecessary society with the heathens, and particularly from those strange women whom some of them had married. For though Ezra had done this formerly, Ezr 10, as far as he had knowledge of the persons faulty, and power to redress their faults, yet, it seems, there were some criminals, who were either without his knowledge, or out of his power; or these were some new delinquents, that since that time had fallen into the same error, and showed the truth of their repentance by the forsaking of their beloved sins and dearest relations. See again Neh 13:3.
The iniquities of their fathers; which they confess partly as one cause of their present sufferings; and partly because they by their practices had justified their fathers sins, and made them their own.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
2. confessed their sins, and theiniquities of their fathersNot only did they read in theirrecent sufferings a punishment of the national apostasy and guilt,but they had made themselves partakers of their fathers’ sins byfollowing the same evil ways.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers,…. Such as were genuine Israelites, of the seed of Abraham, who had married wives of the Gentiles, strangers to the commonwealth of Israel, either before the reformation by Ezra, not being then discovered, or had fallen into this evil since; but now, on the reading of the law, were convinced of it, and so separated themselves from such wives, which was a proof of the truth of their repentance:
and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers: particularly their taking of strange wives, which their fathers had also done, and set them a bad example, which they had followed; of standing and confessing, see Lu 18:13.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(2) The seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers.The change to seed has here a deep propriety. They carefully avoided the many aliens among them throughout this fast.
And stood and confessed.It must be remembered that these verses give the programme of what is afterwards filled up: the very praise for which they stood was filled with confession.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2. Seed of Israel The pure descendants of Israel, as distinguished from the offspring of unlawful mixed marriages.
Separated themselves from all strangers Renounced all fellowship with the heathen, and dissolved all their marriages with strange women. Marriages of this character had been one of the great sins of the people which Ezra had corrected some time before, (Ezra 9, 10,) but even up to this time they were not all pure, and at a still later day Nehemiah had to contend again with the same evil.
Neh 13:23-30.
Stood and confessed As is more fully shown in the penitential prayer that follows after Neh 9:5.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Neh 9:2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
Ver. 2. And the seed of Israel ] Called Israelites (not Abrahamites) from their wrestling with God by prayer and tears, and prevailing. Called also Jews from Judah, which signifieth the confessor. Here it is said of them that,
They stood and confessed their sins
And the iniquities of their fathers
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
strangers = sons of the foreigner.
sins. Hebrew. chata’. App-44.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the seed: Neh 13:3, Neh 13:30, Ezr 9:2, Ezr 10:11
strangers: Heb. strange children, Psa 144:7, Psa 144:11, Isa 2:6, Hos 5:7
confessed: Neh 1:6, Lev 26:39, Lev 26:40, Ezr 9:6, Ezr 9:7, Ezr 9:15, Psa 106:6, Psa 106:7, Dan 9:3-10, Dan 9:20, 1Jo 1:7-9
Reciprocal: Deu 29:10 – General 1Ki 8:14 – all the congregation 2Ki 17:20 – all the seed Neh 10:28 – all they Psa 51:3 – For I Isa 58:5 – it such Jer 14:20 – We acknowledge Dan 9:4 – made Joe 1:14 – the elders Joe 2:12 – with fasting 1Jo 1:9 – we confess
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Neh 9:2. The seed of Israel separated themselves From all unnecessary society with the heathen, and particularly from those strange women whom some of them had married. For although Ezra had effected this separation formerly, as far as he had knowledge of the faulty persons, and power to reform them; yet it seems there were some criminals who either had escaped his knowledge, or were beyond the reach of his power; or there were some new delinquents that since that time had fallen into the same error, and now showed the truth of their repentance by forsaking their beloved sins and dearest relations. And the iniquities of their fathers Which they confess, partly as one cause of their present sufferings; and partly because they, by their practices, had justified their fathers sins, and made them their own.