Ezra 9

Vcr. 35. Also the children of those that had been carried away, ivhich were come out of the captivity J. That is, this company who camo up from Babylon with Ezra. Offered burnt-offerings unto the God of Israel.’] To express their gratitude to God for their resloration. Twelve bullocks for all Israel] One for every tribe.. Ninety and six ranis, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he* goats, for a sin-offering*’] For all Israel, whether still rer maining in Babylon, or returned to Jerusalem.- All this ivas a burnt-offering unto the Lord.] All the rest (except the he-goats) were a burnt-offering; whereby they acknowledged the Lord for their God. Ver. 3G. And they delivered the king’s commissions unto the king’s lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river.] That they might know the king’s pleasure, and what privileges he had granted them,’ which are recited in the foregoing chapter. And they furthered the people, and the house of God.] Yielded obedience to the king’s orders. I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God.] But put himself now into the posture of an humble supplicant to the Divine Majesty.

Ezra 9:1

JSoW, when these things were done. When he had shewn, his commission, and jit appeared that he had power to reform all abuses, and see the laws of Moses observed by all the Jews, (chap. vii. 14.) Tlie princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands.] Some of the great men came to him with a grievous complaint, that unlawful marriages were practised among them with those wicked nations whom God had forbidden them to mingle withal: which was the moro to be lamented, because not only the people, but the priests themselves and the Levites, were guilty of this sin. Doing according to their abominations.] This is com r monly an expression, signifying worshipping of idols, which are called abominations in Scripture; but here signifies only imitation of the heathen in promiscuous marriages with any nation whatsoever, which would soon lead them to commit idolatry. For these words in the Hebrew run thus, Have not separated themselves from the people of the land, according to their abominations (the word doing is not there); which Mr. Mede rightly interprets, according to the several kinds of idolaters in the land round about them. Even of the Camanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, theMoabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.] By this it appears, that, as marriages with the seven nations of Canaan were expressly forbidden, (Deut. vii. 2,3.) so Ezra thought that law extended to all other nations, who were not proselyted to the Jews’ religion. And this is the common opinion of the Hebrew doctors, as Mr. Selden shews, lib. v. de Jure Nat. etGent. cap. 12. For even before the law of Moses, it seems to be thought unlawful, after they had received the covenant of circumcision, for the seed of Abraham to marry with other nations that were uncircumcised, (Gen. xxxiv. 14.)

Ezra 9:2

For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons; so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands. , They are called aJioly seed, because of.the covenant of God with them, which made them a peculiar people, separated from all other nations. Yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.] The case was the more dangerous, because the great men of the nation were the principal offenders, (chap. x. 18. 23.) whose example the people followed without fear of punishment. It is likely, those princes who informed Ezra of this enormous practice had endeavoured to reform them, but could not, because they were opposed by as great men as themselves. But we must not cast away all hope, though we cannot presently reform men’s lives; the time may come when it may be done.

Ezra 9:3

And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle. Both his inner and upper garment; which w r as a token not only of very great grief and sorrow, but expressed his sense of the Divine displeasure*. For the Jews rent their clothes when they apprehended God to be highly offended. (See Grotius upon Matt. xxvi. 65.) The Talmudists say, the high-priest rent his garments otherwise than other men, not above from the shoulders to the bottom, but below at his feet, and the skirts of his garments, upward. 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, even among the heathens. So Bochart observes out of many authors, particularly Homer, in several places. For example, speaking of Ulysses and his companions bewailing the death of Elpenor, he saith, Oclyss. x. E£ojU£voi S* ivravOa yo<*)V, riWovro re ^airag. They sitting down there howled and plucked off their hairs. (SeeHieroz. lib. ii. cap. 35.) To shave the head or the beard was another thing; which the law forbade the Jews in their mourning for the dead, because it was a custom of their idolatrous neighbours, whose maimers he would not have them imitate. And sat down astonied.] With amazement that they should be so ungrateful to God, who had delivered them from captivity, and with an apprehension of their danger, there being so open a breach of the Divine law, which had formerly proved their ruin..

Ezra 9:4

Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel. Which it is likely he read to them, and told them the importance of them. Because of the transgression of those that had been carried away.] Into Babylon, but now were returned to their own land, little ox nothing amended, either by their banishment or their restoration. He speaks not of those who were lately come back with him, but of those who came back with Zerubbabel, and of their children. And I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice.] When the people used to meet together to worship God. #

Ezra 9:5

And at the evening sacrifice I arose upfront my heaviness. Wherein he had sat cvct since he heard of their foul transgression. And, having rent my garment and my mantle.] He mentions that again, because he still continued and appeared in a mournful condition.

Ezra 9:6

And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. The sum of his confession and deprecation is this, which it may be useful to represent at once: That he was confounded when he thought of the greatness of their sins, which were ready to overwhelm them, and of the boldness and insolence of t^em beyond all measure; and that, though they had seen the Divine vengeance upon their forefathers (from whom they derived this impious disposition) in so terrible a manner, that they had not yet worn off the marks of his displeasure, (ver. 6, 7.) He had begun indeed to shew favour unto them; (ver. 8.) but this so much the more aggravated their wickedness, in that not very many years after he had been so gracious as to deliver a small handful of them, and given them a footing again in their own land, and in the holy place, and thereby had made them joyful, and given them life, as it were, from the dead, by restoring them to their liberty, they returned to their old provocations, and forgot both that they had been bondmen, and that God had been so kind to them in that bondage, as to make those whom they served to pity them, and give.them leave to go to their own land, and build the house of their God, (ver. 8, 9.) What shall any one say for such a wretched people as this, (ver. 10.) w r ho had no regard to their prophets, nor to Moses himself, who had charged them to have nothing to do with the people of Canaan, whom he intended to destroy, because they had defiled that land, but to separate themselves from them, and seek to root them out, which was the way to plant themselves firmly there for ever, (ver. 11, 12.) Can we expect less than utter destruction of this small remnant, when, after all the punishments he hath inflicted upon us for our sins, and his ceasing to punish us, and rescuing us in this manner from our captivity, we return to those sins which are So odious to him, because so expressly against his commandments? (ver. 13, 14.) if he deal so with us, we must acknowledge the justice of his proceedings. For when we remain a monument of his mercy, who are rescued (as is apparent) from our bondage, we are notwithstanding here before him in our offences so guilty, that we have nothing to plead for ourselves; we are not able to say one word to excuse our detestable ingratitude. • There cannot be, a more pathctical supplication than this, taken altogether; several phrases of which it maybe fit to explain. * For our iniquities are increased over our head.] A metaphor taken from deep waters, wherein men arc drowned and ready to perish. And oar trespass is grown vp unto the heavens.] This signifies, as I have expressed it in my paraphrase, the high presumption and insolence of their wickedness.

Ezra 9:7

Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day, &c. And therefore were punished unto this day, as the verse concludes. For many of their brethren were still in Babylon, or other countries, and they who returned were in danger to be undone for their continued sins.

Ezra 9:8

And to give «$ a nail in his holy place. By nails or pins tents were fastened to the ground; therefore this signifies (as it is explained in the margin) a settled abode, after long banishment.

Ezra 9:9

To give zts a reviving. For Ezckiel compares them, when they were in Babylon, to the dry boneg of dead men lying in their. graves, (chap, xxxvii. 1, &c.) And to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.] From hence some infer, that the wall of Jerusalem, before Nehemiah came, was built as well as the temple. But the Hebrew word gedar should be otherwise translated; for it doth not properly signify a wall, but a hedge or fence, such as were made for the foldsof sheep. Whereby Ezra expresses (as Huetius well notes) the singular care of God of them; who, being the Shepherd of Israel, had gathered together his scattered sheep, and brought them back into their ancient folds; wherein he preserved them safe, even when they had no wall to defend them, under the powerful protection of the king of Persia.

Ezra 9:10

12. These verses need no explication more than I have given in the paraphrase upon them.

Ezra 9:13

Our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve. In the Hebrew the words are, hast withheld beneath our iniquities: that is, forborne to punish. For as, when God will no longer forbear, he is said to arise, and take vengeance: so here (as Lud. de Dieu observes), on the contrary, he is said to withhold himself below; that is, not to arise, but to wait patiently for their ameridment.

Ezra 9:14

So that there should be no remnant nor escaping. Not one of such a wicked nation left remaining, but all utterly extirpated.

Ezra 9:15

O- Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous, &c. Either the word righteous here signifies very merciful, which was the reason they were not destroyed as they deserved; or the next words must be translated, not for we remain, but though we remain escaped: that is, God’s justice will not let us escape, though, for the present, he forbear to punish. us. Behold; we are before thee in our trespasses; for ive cannot stand before thee because of this.] As this cannot be denied, so it cannot be defended or excused: but we must yield up ourselves to bear the punishment unto which thou wilt condemn us. Thus he concludes this admirable representation of their condition; which is as much as if he had said, Unless we reform, I know not how to beg for mercy, but we must be undone, and that most justly. For he gives them no hope, intending to put them into a great terror and affrightment, and see how that would work upon their hearts. And we find in the next chapter (ver. 2.) it had this effect; that one stopcl up and spake in the name of all the rest, that they would renew their covenant with God, and put away these abominations (which was effectual repentance), and then they hope God would be merciful unto them.