Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Ezra 10:16

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

The problem solved (10:1-44)

People heard of Ezra’s grief and gathered with their families to meet him. They confessed their wrongdoing and promised on oath before Ezra that they would correct it (10:1-5). But the problem could not be solved in a day, for it was widespread and its consequences were far-reaching. Ezra therefore went away to a quiet room in a friend’s house where he could spend the night considering the matter before God. The result was that a meeting of all families was arranged for three days later (6-8).
The weather on the day of the meeting was unfavourable, but the people sat and shivered in the rain to hear Ezra’s judgment. They were genuinely concerned to put things right. Only a few objected when Ezra announced that the offenders should get rid of their foreign wives (9-15). This was going to take time, so officials were appointed to oversee the matter. Their work took three months to complete (16-17). Mixed marriages were as widespread among the religious leaders as among the common people, but in the end all alike put away their foreign wives. They also offered sacrifices for their sin (18-44).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

AND THE CHILDREN OF THE CAPTIVITY DID SO

"And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain heads of fathers' houses, after their fathers' houses, and all of them by their names, were set apart; and they sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. And they made an end with all the men that had married foreign women by the first day of the first month."

The opposition did not delay the repudiation of the foreign wives. Only about a week elapsed between the decision to do so and the first session of the commission appointed to execute it. "The case of each city (or village) was taken separately. The male inhabitants of full age attended, and the `elders and judges' heard each case separately. The neighbors of each person investigated were available for questioning; and when a mixed marriage was proved, the wife was repudiated. In 112 cases, the commission decided that the foreign wives and the children born to them were to be sent away."The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 155. An emendation in the RSV results in the number being reduced to 111.

In any case, the number is surprisingly small. Out of at least 20,000 men, only a few more than a hundred were guilty of having violated God's law in this matter. However, the importance of it was greatly intensified and augmented by the high social position and importance of the violators. If these had remained unpunished, or if their unlawful marriages had been allowed to stand, there is no way that Israel could have continued to maintain their distinction as a separate nation. Ezra's listing the violators as to their distinction as priests, Levites, etc., doubtless had this very fact in focus. The whole project was completed in three months' time, which allowed the better part of a whole day for the investigation of each one convicted.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 10

But here a very stringent and harsh measure was taken. They put away all of these wives, and they said unto him with a loud voice,

As thou hast said, so must we do ( Ezra 10:12 ).

They realized that it was a divine imperative. We must do it. It seems cruel. It seems harsh. But it had to be done if they were going to survive. It was a matter now of survival. So they took this cruel, harsh measure, put away all the wives and the children and separated themselves again unto God. And since that time, though Israel is guilty and the people have been guilty of many sins, they had not been guilty of idolatry. It seemed to be the cure finally for an idolatrous people whose major sin was that of idolatry. And that seemed to be a determinate cure for Israel as far as idolatry was concerned.

Now the names of those that were involved are listed towards the end of the book. And thus, we get to the end of the book of Ezra.

May the Lord bless you and watch over you this week. May His hand be upon your life to strengthen you, to guide you. May He use you as His instrument to do His work. May God fill you with love, and with understanding, compassion, His Spirit. May you walk in the Spirit and be led of the Spirit of God this week. In Jesus' name. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The completion of the proceedings 10:16-44

The people were able to complete the divorce proceedings in three months (Ezra 10:9; Ezra 10:17). A total of 113 Israelites had married and now divorced their foreign wives, only a small fraction of the total number of Jews then living in Judah. Of these, 16 were priests and 10 were Levites, about 25 percent of the total 113. Perhaps no Jewish women had married any Gentile men. A more likely possibility is that since women could not divorce their husbands in Israel, the Jewish women who had married Gentiles did not get divorces.

Was this plan one that God approved? The text does not give any statement from a prophet or other representative who spoke for God either way. However, for the reasons explained above-and since the writer devoted two chapters in this inspired book to the record of this incident-I think it was God’s will.

". . . although the law in general was known to the exiles, the finer distinctions and the interpretation of certain stipulations could have escaped them. Ezra was sent to teach them these distinctions and to interpret the law for them (Ezra 7:10). It is this lesson they had to learn in order to realize that their marriages to foreign women were wrong." [Note: Fensham, The Books . . ., p. 143.]

This reformation resulted in the continued racial, and more significantly, spiritual purity of Abraham’s descendants for another generation. However, Nehemiah faced the problem of mixed marriages again only a few years later (Nehemiah 10:30; Nehemiah 13:23).

"The Book of Ezra-Nehemiah presents Ezra as a strong personality. He did not emphasize the law as an end in itself; rather, he was convinced that the covenant community needed to return to God by taking seriously his revelation and applying it to every aspect of life." [Note: Breneman, p. 58.]

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

And the children of the captivity did so,.... Put away their strange wives:

and Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated; from all their other business, and gave themselves up to attend to this wholly:

and sat down in the first day of the tenth month; the month Tebeth, which answers to part of December and January; this was ten days after the assembly of all the people met and broke up: these took their places in the great court, and there sat

to examine the matter; the accounts brought in from the several cities by the magistrates thereof, and recorded them.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.   16 And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.   17 And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month.   18 And among the sons of the priests there were found that had taken strange wives: namely, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren; Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.   19 And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass.   20 And of the sons of Immer; Hanani, and Zebadiah.   21 And of the sons of Harim; Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.   22 And of the sons of Pashur; Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah.   23 Also of the Levites; Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah, (the same is Kelita,) Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.   24 Of the singers also; Eliashib: and of the porters; Shallum, and Telem, and Uri.   25 Moreover of Israel: of the sons of Parosh; Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah.   26 And of the sons of Elam; Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah.   27 And of the sons of Zattu; Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.   28 Of the sons also of Bebai; Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.   29 And of the sons of Bani; Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth.   30 And of the sons of Pahath-moab; Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and Binnui, and Manasseh.   31 And of the sons of Harim; Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,   32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.   33 Of the sons of Hashum; Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.   34 Of the sons of Bani; Maadai, Amram, and Uel,   35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh,   36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,   37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau,   38 And Bani, and Binnui, Shimei,   39 And Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah,   40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,   41 Azareel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,   42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.   43 Of the sons of Nebo; Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah.   44 All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had children.

      The method of proceeding in this matter being concluded on, and the congregation dismissed, that each in his respective place might gain and give intelligence to facilitate the matter, we are here told, 1. Who were the persons that undertook to manage the matter and bring the causes regularly before the commissioners--Jonathan and Jahaziah, two active men, whether of the priests or of the people does not appear; probably they were the men that made that proposal (Ezra 10:13; Ezra 10:14) and were therefore the fittest to see it pursued; two honest Levites were joined with them, and helped them,Ezra 10:15; Ezra 10:15. Dr. Lightfoot gives a contrary sense of this: only (or nevertheless) Jonathan and Jahaziah stood against this matter (which reading the original will very well bear), and these two Levites helped them in opposing it, either the thing itself or this method of proceeding. It was strange if a work of this kind was carried on and met with no opposition. 2. Who were the commissioners that sat upon this matter. Ezra was president, and with him certain chief men of the fathers who were qualified with wisdom and zeal above others for this service, Ezra 10:16; Ezra 10:16. It was happy for them that they had such a man as Ezra to head them; they could not have done it well without his direction, yet he would not do it without their concurrence. 3. How long they were about it. They began the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter (Ezra 10:16; Ezra 10:16), which was but ten days after this method was proposed (Ezra 10:9; Ezra 10:9), and they finished in three months, Ezra 10:17; Ezra 10:17. They sat closely and minded their business, otherwise they could not have despatched so many causes as they had before them in so little time; for we may suppose that all who were impeached were fairly asked what cause they could show why they should not be parted, and, if we may judge by other cases, provided the wife were proselyted to the Jewish religion she was not to be put away, the trial of which would require great care. 4. Who the persons were that were found guilty of this crime. Their names are here recorded to their perpetual reproach; many of the priests, nay, of the family of Jeshua, the high priest, were found guilty (Ezra 10:18; Ezra 10:18), though the law had particularly provided, for the preserving of their honour in their marriages, that being holy themselves they should not marry such as were profane, Leviticus 21:7. Those that should have taught others the law broke it themselves and by their example emboldened others to do likewise. But, having lost their innocency in this matter, they did well to recant and give an example of repentance; for they promised under their hand to put away their strange wives (some think that they made oath to do so with their hands lifted up), and they took the appointed way of obtaining pardon, bringing the ram which was appointed by the law for a trespass offering (Leviticus 6:6), so owning their guilt and the desert of it, and humbly suing for forgiveness. About 113 in all are here named who had married strange wives, and some of them, it is said (Ezra 10:44; Ezra 10:44), had children by them, which implies that not many of them had, God not crowning those marriages with the blessing of increase. Whether the children were turned off with the mothers, as Shechaniah proposed, does not appear; it should seem not: however it is probable that the wives which were put away were well provided for, according to their rank. One would think this grievance was now thoroughly redressed, yet we meet with it again (Nehemiah 13:23; Malachi 2:11), for such corruptions are easily and insensibly brought in, but not without great difficulty purged out again. The best reformers can but do their endeavour, but, when the Redeemer himself shall come to Sion, he shall effectually turn away ungodliness from Jacob.