Nehemiah 9:2

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

And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. Confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.

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, Ezra 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 . 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.

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.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] All their sins, either actually committed, or habitually comprised in their body of sin. This whoso doth in due manner shall have mercy, Proverbs 28:13. Yea, he shall have heaven. Israel had power with God as a prince. Judah, the confessor, got the kingdom from Reuben. Confession is the way to the kingdom; walk in it; only it must be joined with confusion of sin, as here. They separated themselves from all strangers, they abandoned their peccatum in deliciis, their darling sin, they kept themselves from their iniquity. Psalms 18:23. Hoc non sit verbis, Marce: ut ameris, ama Let this not be by words so that you may be loved and love. (Martial). And the iniquities of their fathers] i.e. Of their progenitors; which are owned, if not bewailed, disclaimed.

(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.

Verse 2. The seed of Israel separated themselves] A reformation of this kind was begun by Ezra, Ezra 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.

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 2 Kings 17:20; 1 Chronicles 16:13; Psalms 22:23, and in Is. Jer. The phrase to be compared with it is ‘the holy seed’ in Ezra 9:2 (Esther 10:3). separated themselves] See on Nehemiah 10:28; Ezra 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 nκkar,’ i.e. ‘children of the foreigner,’ LXX. ἀπὸπαντὸςυἱοῦἀλλοτρίου. Vulg. ‘ab omni filio alienigena,’ as in Psalms 18:45; Psalms 144:7; Psalms 144:11; Isaiah 60:10; Isaiah 61:5; Isaiah 62:8; Ezekiel 44:7. confessed their sins] So in chap. Nehemiah 1:6; and compare a possibly parallel instance of national ‘confession,’ 2 Chronicles 30:22, where however there is some doubt whether ‘confession’ or ‘thanksgiving’ is intended: cf. Ezra 10:11. sins, and the iniquities] ‘Sin’ (ḥ ?attβth) denoting ‘failure’ generally from the right way; ‘iniquity’ (‘βvτn), carrying also the sense of ‘guilt,’ but denoting especially ‘crookedness’ and ‘perverseness’ (2 Samuel 7:14). Both words occur with the verb ‘confess;’ ‘sins,’ Leviticus 5:5; Numbers 5:7; Daniel 9:20; ‘iniquities,’ Leviticus 16:21; Leviticus 26:40.

2. Seed of Israel — The pure descendants of Israel, as distinguished from the offspring of unlawful mixed marriages.