3<\/strong>. I rent my garment and my mantle<\/em> ] Ezra’s conduct betrays his surprise, his grief, and his indignation. The rending of the clothes is frequently mentioned in Scripture as a sign of grief: Ezra here is described as rending the under-garment or tunic (the ‘begedh’) and the long loose robe (the m‘l) in which he was attired. Reuben rent his ‘clothes’ (plur. of ‘begedh’) on not finding Joseph (Gen 37:29<\/span>): Jacob rent his ‘garments’ (plur. of ‘simlah’) on seeing Joseph’s blood-stained coat (Gen 37:34<\/span>): Joseph’s brethren rent their clothers (plur. of ‘simlah’) when the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack (Gen 44:13<\/span>): Joshua rent his ‘clothes’ (plur. of ‘simlah’) after the repulse at Ai (Jos 7:6<\/span>): Jephthah rent his clothes (plur. of ‘begedh’) on meeting his daughter (Jdg 11:35<\/span>): the messenger from the field of Ziklag came with his clothes (plur. of ‘begedh’) rent (2Sa 1:2<\/span>, cf. 1Sa 4:12<\/span>): Job rent his mantle (‘m‘l’) on hearing of his children’s death (Job 1:20<\/span>), and his friends rent each one his mantle (‘m‘l’) when they came to visit him (Job 2:12<\/span>). These were all signs of grief. The action also denoted ‘horror’ on receiving intelligence or hearing words, which shocked: thus Hezekiah and his ministers rent their clothes (plur. of ‘begedh’) after Rabshakeh’s speech (2Ki 18:37<\/span>; 2Ki 19:1<\/span>): Mordecai rent his clothes (plur. of ‘begedh’) on hearing of Haman’s determination (Est 4:1<\/span>): the High-priest rent his garments on hearing the testimony of Jesus (Mat 26:65<\/span>). See also Isa 36:22<\/span>; Jer 41:5 ; 2Ch 34:27<\/span>.<\/p>\n The ‘mantle’ was a long flowing robe; by this name is designated the High-priest’s robe (Exo 28:31<\/span>; Exo 28:34<\/span>; Exo 39:22-23<\/span>); the ‘robe’ which Hannah made for Samuel (1Sa 2:19<\/span>); Jonathan’s ‘robe’, which he presented to David (1Sa 18:4<\/span>); Samuel’s robe (1Sa 15:27<\/span>); Saul’s ‘robe’ (1Sa 24:4<\/span>); the ‘robe’ which covered the apparition of Samuel (1Sa 28:14<\/span>). Its use in metaphor (Psa 109:29<\/span>; Isa 59:17<\/span>) agrees with this.<\/p>\n and pluckt off the hair<\/em> &c.] This sign of grief is not described elsewhere in the O. T. Compare Esther (additions to), Esther 14:2, ‘All the places of her joy she filled with her torn hair’.<\/p>\n The shaven head was a common sign of mourning, e.g. Job 1:20<\/span>; Eze 7:18<\/span>; Amo 8:10<\/span>. Ezra’s action denotes in an exaggerated way his great grief.<\/p>\n Nehemiah’s indignation made him ‘pluck off’ the hair of his opponents (Neh 13:25<\/span>; cf. 2Es 1:8<\/span>), but is hardly a parallel case.<\/p>\n and sat down astonied<\/em> ] cf. Dan 4:19<\/span> ‘Then Daniel was astonied or a while’. The word in the original is the same as that rendered ‘desolator’ (marg. desolate) in Dan 9:27<\/span>, and ‘that maketh desolate’ Dan 11:31<\/span>. Here the sense of ‘bewilderment’ is uppermost. See the use of ‘astonied’ in the R.V., Job 17:8<\/span>; Job 18:20<\/span>; Eze 4:17<\/span>; Dan 3:24<\/span>; Dan 4:19<\/span>.<\/p>\n Plucking out the hair with the hands, so common among the Classical nations, is, comparatively speaking, rarely mentioned as practiced by Asiatics.<\/P><\/p>\n Verse 3<\/span>. I rent my garment and my mantle<\/B><\/I>] The outer<\/I> and inner<\/I> garment, in sign of great grief. This significant act is frequently mentioned in the sacred writings, and was common among all ancient nations.<\/P> <\/P> Plucked off the hair<\/B><\/I>] Shaving<\/I> the head and beard were signs of excessive grief; much more so the plucking off the hair<\/I>, which must produce exquisite pain. All this testified his abhorrence, not merely of the act of having taken strange wives, but their having also joined them in their idolatrous<\/I> abominations.<\/P> <\/p>\n My garment and my mantle; <\/B>both my inner and my upper garment. <\/P> Plucked off the hair of my head, and of my beard, <\/B>in testimony of my great grief and indignation; which was usual among all these eastern and ancient people, wherein he did not transgress that law, Lev 19:27<\/span>; Deu 14:1<\/span>, because he did not shave off all the hair, but only plucked off some hairs. <\/P> Sat down astonied; <\/B>partly for grief and shame at the sin; and partly for fear of some great and dreadful judgment which he expected and feared for it. <\/P> <\/p>\n 3. when I heard this thing, I rentmy garment and my mantle,<\/B> c.the outer and inner garment, whichwas a token not only of great grief, but of dread at the same time ofthe divine wrath <\/P> plucked off the hair of myhead and of my beard<\/B>which was a still more significant sign ofoverpowering grief.<\/P><\/p>\n And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle<\/strong>,…. Both inward and outward garments, that which was close to his body, and that which was thrown loose over it; and this he did in token of sorrow and mourning, as if something very dreadful and distressing, see Job 1:20<\/span><\/p>\n and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard<\/strong>; did not shave them, and so transgressed not the law in Le 19:27<\/span> but plucked off the hair of them, to show his extreme sorrow for what was told him: which has frequently been done by mourners on sorrowful occasions in various nations, see Isa 15:2<\/span>. So in the apocryphal “addition” to Esther,<\/p>\n “And laid away her glorious apparel, and put on the garments of anguish and mourning: and instead of precious ointments, she covered her head with ashes and dung, and she humbled her body greatly, and all the places of her joy she filled with her torn hair.” (Esther 14:2)<\/p>\n she is said to fill every place of joy with the tearing of her hair; and Lavinia in Virgil k; several passages from Homer l, and other writers, both Greek and Latin, are mentioned by Bochart m as instances of it:<\/p>\n and sat down astonished<\/strong>; quite amazed at the ingratitude of the people, that after such favours shown them, in returning them from captivity unto their own land, and settling them there, they should give into practices so contrary to the will of God.<\/p>\n k Aeneid. 12. prope finem. Vid. Ciceron. Tusc. Quaest. l. 3. l Vid. Iliad. 10. ver. 15. & Iliad. 22. ver. 77, 78, 406. & Iliad. 24. ver. 711. m Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 45. col. 481.<\/p>\n This information threw Ezra into deep grief and moral consternation. The tearing of the upper and under garments was a sign of heartfelt and grievous affliction (Jos 8:6<\/span>); see remarks on Lev 10:6<\/span>. The plucking out of (a portion of) the hair was the expression of violent wrath or moral indignation, comp. Neh 13:25<\/span>, and is not to be identified with the cutting off of the hair in mourning Job 1:20<\/span>). “And sat down stunned;” , desolate, rigid, stunned, without motion. While he was sitting thus, there were gathered unto him all who feared the word of God concerning the transgression of those that had been carried away. , trembling, being terrified, generally construed with or (e.g., Isa 66:2<\/span>, Isa 66:5<\/span>), but here with (like verbs of embracing, believing), and meaning to believe with trembling in the word which God had spoken concerning this , i.e., thinking with terror of the punishments which such faithless conduct towards a covenant God involved.<\/p>\n EZRA’S GRIEF AND PRAYER, Ezr 9:3-15<\/span>.<\/p>\n 3<\/strong>. <\/strong> I rent my garment and my mantle <\/strong> Both the inner and the outer clothing. This was a sign of most excessive grief. Job rent only his mantle, Job 1:20<\/span>. Compare Jos 7:6<\/span>. <\/p>\n Plucked off the hair <\/strong> Another sign of anguish and sorrow. Job shaved <\/em> his head in his agony of grief. <\/p>\n Astonished <\/strong> Ezra sat down<\/strong>, amazed <\/em> at the extent and fearfulness of his people’s sin.<\/p>\n What a finished picture hath the Holy Ghost here drawn of a saint of God; silent under the heavy affliction of soul, arising from indignation at the awful calamity. The rending the garment, and the plucking of the hair, were strong expressions of an holy zeal for God’s honor, and an holy sorrow for man’s transgression. But what I most particularly desire the Reader to notice, is the silent humblings of Ezra, until the evening sacrifice. That grand, and all-important hour, which in all ages of the church, and in every sacrifice, pointed to Jesus. Most probably the ninth hour, the very hour in which Jesus on the cross finished redemption-work, and gave up the ghost, when he offered himself a sacrifice for sin. I cannot but still consider this hour (which corresponds, in point of time, to our three o’clock, in the afternoon) as a most important hour, in reference to Jesus, and with an eye to his sacrifice. For as the several ages, from the time of the first institution of sacrifices to the death of Christ, set apart this hour with peculiar solemnity, as the hour for offering the evening sacrifice; so from the death of Christ, believers now, in looking back to the great event then accomplished, find peculiar comfort in the exercise of faith, in all their prayers and ordinances, which have an eye to the thing signified.<\/p>\n Ezr 9:3 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.<\/p>\n Ver. 3. I rent my garment and my mantle<\/strong> ] In token of his deep and downright humiliation, indignation, detestation of their dealing therein.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard<\/strong> ] To show how passionately grieved and offended he was. The raging Turk did the like at the last assault of Scodra; being extremely vexed at the dishonour and loss he had received there. But what followed? In his choler and frantic rage he most horribly blasphemed God; whereas holy Ezra, though he sat astonied till the evening sacrifice, yet then he poureth forth his soul in a heavenly prayer, Ezr 9:5-6<\/span> . <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And sat down astonied<\/strong> ] As one that hath neither life nor soul (as we say), that can neither say nor do for himself, being wonderfully amazed, astonished, or desolate, as David had been, Psa 143:4<\/span> . The true zealot, as his love is fervent, his desires eager, his delights ravishing, his hopes longing; so his hatred is deadly, his anger fierce, his grief deep, his fear terrible, &c. Zeal is an extreme heat of all the affections, Rom 12:11<\/span> , boiling hot, hissing hot, as the Greek importeth ( ).<\/p>\n rent my garment, &c. These were signs of inward mourning. See Ezr 9:5. Jos 7:6. 1Sa 4:12. 2Sa 1:2; 2Sa 13:31. 2Ki 18:37. Job 1:20. Mat 26:65. <\/p>\n astonied: i.e. causing astonishment in such as saw me. <\/p>\n Ezr 9:3-4<\/p>\n Ezr 9:3-4<\/p>\n THE ASTONISHMENT AND HORROR OF EZRA<\/p>\n “And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my robe, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down confounded. Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the trespass of them of the captivity; and I sat confounded until the evening sacrifice.”<\/p>\n Ezra’s reaction to the bad news was extreme. There is hardly anything more painful than pulling out the hairs of one’s beard. Similar actions were customary among Oriental peoples as an expression of grief, dismay, or consternation (Job 1:20; Eze 7:18). “Notice that Ezra’s appeal was moral and religious … reformation can never be achieved by force.” As the chief authority, Ezra could have ordered the needed reforms and enforced them even with the death penalty; but he chose the better way.<\/p>\n Oesterley commented that, in Ezra’s strict enforcement of the prohibition of mixed marriages, “His zeal in this matter resulted in his going beyond the requirements of the law (Deu 23:7).” That passage states that, “Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite … or an Egyptian … The children of the third generation of them that are born unto them shall enter into the assembly of Jehovah”; but there is nothing in that passage that justifies Oesterley’s conclusion.<\/p>\n E.M. Zerr:<\/p>\n Ezr 9:3. Garment means the main body of his clothing and the mantle was an outer piece, covering the upper part of the body. Many customs of old times seem odd to us, and we do not know their origin. But the actions of Ezra in this instance were part of the practices used in times of great anxiety or grief. Astonied is another form which means to be astonished or amazed. <\/p>\n Ezr 9:4. To tremble at the words of God means to be respectful toward them, and to feel a great anxiety for those who have disobeyed. Such persons had brought the shocking report to Ezra, and now they gathered about him as he sat in his state of amazement. This sitting continued until the evening sacrifice which was at the middle of the afternoon. See Num 28:4, and the marginal reading in connection with it. <\/p>\n rent: Jos 7:6, 2Ki 18:37, 2Ki 19:1, Job 1:20, Jer 36:24 <\/p>\n off: Lev 21:5, Neh 13:25, Isa 15:2, Jer 7:29, Jer 48:37, Jer 48:38, Eze 7:18, Mic 1:16 <\/p>\n sat: Neh 1:4, Job 2:12, Job 2:13, Psa 66:3, Psa 143:4, Eze 3:15, Dan 4:19, Dan 8:27 <\/p>\n Reciprocal: Gen 37:34 – General Exo 33:4 – and no 1Sa 8:6 – prayed 2Ki 22:19 – wept Neh 13:8 – it grieved Psa 119:53 – horror Isa 22:12 – to baldness Isa 36:22 – with their Joe 2:1 – let Act 14:14 – they 2Co 12:21 – that I<\/p>\n Ezr 9:3. When I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, &c. Both my inner and my upper garment. This was a token, not only of his very great grief and sorrow, but of his sense of Gods displeasure at their conduct. For the Jews were wont to rend their clothes, when they apprehended God to be highly offended. And plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard This was still a higher sign of exceeding great grief. For, in ordinary sorrow, they only neglected their hair, and let it hang down scattered in a careless manner; but this was used in bitter lamentations. And sat down astonied Through grief and shame at their sin, that they should be so ungrateful to God, who had so lately delivered them from captivity; and through an apprehension of some great and dreadful judgment befalling them, because of so open a violation of the divine law, the transgression of which had formerly proved their ruin.<\/p>\n 9:3 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down {c} astonied.<\/p>\n (c) As one doubting whether God would continue his benefits toward us, or else destroy what he had begun.<\/p>\n And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonished. 3. I rent my garment and my mantle ] Ezra’s conduct betrays his surprise, his grief, and his indignation. The rending of the clothes is frequently … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezra 9:3”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12252"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12252\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"