101 Now while Ezra was praying and making confession , weeping and prostrating himself before the house of God , a very large assembly , men , women and children , gathered to him from Israel ; for the people wept bitterly e . 2 Shecaniah the son of Jehiel , one of the sons of Elam , said to Ezra , " We have been unfaithful to our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land ; yet now there is hope for Israel in spite of this . 3 "So now let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and their children , according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God ; and let it be done according to the law . 4 "Arise ! For this matter is your responsibility , but we will be with you; be courageous and act ." 5 Then Ezra rose and made the leading priests , the Levites and all Israel , take oath that they would do according to this proposal ; so they took the oath .
6 Then Ezra rose from before e the house of God and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib . Although he went there , he did not eat bread nor drink water , for he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles . 7 They made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the exiles e , that they should assemble at Jerusalem , 8 and that whoever e would not come within three days , according to the counsel of the leaders and the elders , all his possessions should be forfeited and he himself excluded from the assembly of the exiles . 9 So all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days . It was the ninth month on the twentieth of the month , and all the people sat in the open square before the house of God , trembling because of this matter and the heavy rain . 10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have been unfaithful and have married foreign wives adding to the guilt of Israel . 11 "Now therefore, make confession to the Lord God of your fathers and do His will ; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives ." 12 Then all the assembly replied with a loud voice , "That's right ! As you have said , so it is our duty to do . 13 "But there are many people ; it is the rainy season and we are not able to stand in the open . Nor can the task be done in one or two days , for we have transgressed greatly in this matter . 14 "Let our leaders represent the whole assembly and let all those in our cities who have married foreign wives come at appointed times , together with the elders and judges of each city , until the fierce anger of our God on account of this matter is turned away from us."
15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah opposed this , with Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supporting them. 16 But the exiles e did so . And Ezra the priest selected men who were heads of fathers' households for each of their father's households , all of them by name . So they convened on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter . 17 They finished investigating all the men who had married foreign wives by the first day of the first month .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezra 10:1-17
Commentary on Ezra 10:1-5
(Read Ezra 10:1-5)
Shechaniah owned the national guilt. The case is sad, but it is not desperate; the disease threatening, but not incurable. Now that the people begin to lament, a spirit of repentance seems to be poured out; now there is hope that God will forgive, and have mercy. The sin that rightly troubles us, shall not ruin us. In melancholy times we must observe what makes for us, as well as against us. And there may be good hopes through grace, even where there is the sense of great guilt before God. The case is plain; what has been done amiss, must be undone again as far as possible; nothing less than this is true repentance. Sin must be put away, with a resolution never to have any thing more to do with it. What has been unjustly got, must be restored. Arise, be of good courage. Weeping, in this case, is good, but reforming is better. As to being unequally yoked with unbelievers, such marriages, it is certain, are sinful, and ought not to be made; but now they are not null, as they were before the gospel did away the separation between Jews and Gentiles.
Commentary on Ezra 10:6-14
(Read Ezra 10:6-14)
There is hope concerning people, when they are convinced, not only that it is good to part with their sins, but that it is necessary; we must do it, or we are undone. So rich is the mercy, and so plenteous the redemption of God, that there is hope for the vilest who hear the gospel, and are willing to accept of free salvation. When sinners mourn for their sins, and tremble at the word of God, there is hope that they will forsake them. To affect others with godly sorrow or love to God, we must ourselves be affected. It was carefully agreed how this affair should be carried on. That which is hastily resolved on seldom proves lasting.
Commentary on Ezra 10:15-44
(Read Ezra 10:15-44)
The best reformers can but do their endeavour; when the Redeemer himself shall come to Zion, he shall effectually turn away ungodliness from Jacob. And when sin is repented of and forsaken, God will forgive it; but the blood of Christ, our Sin-offering, is the only atonement which takes away our guilt. No seeming repentance or amendment will benefit those who reject Him, for self-dependence proves them still unhumbled. All the names written in the book of life, are those of penitent sinners, not of self-righteous persons, who think they have no need of repentance.