Study notes
Ezra addressed the issue of marrying idol-worshipping foreigners. The Jewish leaders had permitted this practice, even though the early settlers had promised to stay away from pagan influences (Ezra 4:1–5). Ezra prayed for the nation and assisted those who felt guilty about their sins to correct their actions.
Ezra was in charge of making sure that the Jews obeyed the Law of Moses. The leaders of the people told him about one way they had disobeyed. Some Jewish men had married women who didn’t worship the true God. God had told his people not to do this. It led to problems in their families and in their communities.
Israelites who married people who worshipped false gods started worshipping false gods too. This led them to do evil things. There were many examples of this happening in Israel’s history. Israelites could marry people from other people groups if they worshipped only God. The story of Ruth is an example. But that isn’t what these Jewish men had done.
Ezra was very sad when he heard this. He wanted the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem to be faithful to the Mount Sinai covenant. Being faithful led to the covenant blessings. It led to enjoying the land for ever with their families. The covenant curses had led to them being slaves once again.
The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt hundreds of years before. Now they were back in the land God had promised to give to Abraham’s family line. But they weren’t the rulers of that land. The Persian government ruled over them.
Ezra prayed to God about the sin of these Jewish men. The community decided that these men should send their wives and children away. This meant that they would divorce their wives.
Ezra's sincere mourning over his people's sin inspired many to join him.
Shecaniah was the first to bravely admit in public that he had been unfaithful to God. Admitting guilt offers hope for forgiveness of sin.
A covenant is a binding agreement. In this case, it refers to divorcing pagan wives whom the people of Israel had married inappropriately. By doing this, they would renew their commitment to the Sinai covenant.
Women usually received custody of their children when a marriage ended (compare Hagar and Ishmael, Genesis 21:14).
this matter is your responsibility: As an expert in the law (see Ezra 7:10), Ezra was responsible for guiding the people to a solution that honored God regarding intermarriage. Since the law of Moses did not provide clear instructions for divorcing pagan wives, Ezra needed to create a plan that aligned with Scripture and was fair to everyone involved.
The solemn oath included a promise to act and a self-imposed curse if the promise was broken (see Ruth 1:16–17; 1 Samuel 14:24–28).
according to the counsel of the leaders and elders: It was reasonable for Ezra to add this exception. Some people might not be able to come to Jerusalem to help settle this matter.
on the twentieth day of the ninth month...the heavy rain: The cold and wet weather made meeting outside uncomfortable.
It is unclear why these four people opposed the plan. They might have wanted a stricter penalty, or perhaps they or their family members did not want to divorce their foreign wives. The fact that there were only four dissenters shows the policy had overwhelming support among the rest of the exiles. Sadly, a few years later, a similar problem of intermarriage with foreign wives created another crisis within the community (Nehemiah 9–10).
some of them had children by these wives: The couples likely married before Ezra returned to Jerusalem. They were not exempt from the decree.
Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources