Ezra 10:3

Ezra 10:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.
• New International Version (NIV)Now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all these women and their children, in accordance with the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these 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.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.

Context of Ezra 10:3

1While Ezra prayed and confessed, weeping and falling facedown before the house of God, an extremely large assembly of Israelite men, women, and children gathered around him. The people also wept bitterly. 2Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, an Elamite, responded to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the surrounding peoples, but there is still hope for Israel in spite of this. Therefore, let’s make a covenant before our God to send away all the foreign wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the command of our God. Let it be done according to the law. 4Get up, for this matter is your responsibility, and we support you. Be strong and take action!” 5Then Ezra got up and made the leading priests, Levites, and all Israel take an oath to do what had been said; so they took the oath.

Ezra 10:3 word by word

וְעַתָּ֣ה נִֽכְרָת־בְּרִ֣ית לֵ֠אלֹהֵינוּ לְהוֹצִ֨יא כָל־נָשִׁ֜ים וְהַנּוֹלָ֤ד מֵהֶם֙ בַּעֲצַ֣ת אֲדֹנָ֔י וְהַחֲרֵדִ֖ים בְּמִצְוַ֣ת אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ וְכַתּוֹרָ֖ה יֵעָשֶֽׂה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Now therefore let us makeכָּרַתkârath · to cut: make(covenant)H3772
• a covenantבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
• with our Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• to put awayיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: sendH3318
• all the wivesאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
• and such as are bornיָלַדyâlad · to begetH3205
• of them, according to the counselעֵצָה‛êtsâh · counselH6098
• of my lordאֲדֹנָי'ădônây · LordH136
• and of those that trembleחָרֵדchârêd · tremblingH2730
• at the commandmentמִצְוָהmitsvâh · commandmentH4687
• and let it be doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• according to the lawתּוֹרָהtôrâh tôrâh · instructionH8451

Cross-references for Ezra 10:3

• Deuteronomy 29:12so that you may enter into the covenant of the Lord your God, which he is making with you today, so that you may enter into his oath
• Joshua 9:6They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land. Please make a treaty with us.”
• 2 Kings 11:17Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people that they would be the Lord’s people and another covenant between the king and the people.
• 2 Chronicles 29:10It is in my heart now to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel so that his burning anger may turn away from us.
• 2 Chronicles 34:31Then the king stood at his post and made a covenant in the Lord’s presence to follow the Lord and to keep his commands, his decrees, and his statutes with all his heart and with all his soul in order to carry out the words of the covenant written in this book.
• Nehemiah 9:38In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement in writing on a sealed document containing the names of our leaders, Levites, and priests.
• Nehemiah 10:29join with their noble brothers and commit themselves with a sworn oath to follow the law of God given through God’s servant Moses and to obey carefully all the commands, ordinances, and statutes of the Lord our Lord.
• 2 Chronicles 30:12Also, the power of God was at work in Judah to unite them to carry out the command of the king and his officials by the word of the Lord.
• Ezra 9:4Everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me, because of the unfaithfulness of the exiles, while I sat devastated until the evening offering.
• 2 Chronicles 34:21“Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for those remaining in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book that was found. For great is the Lord’s wrath that is poured out on us because our ancestors have not kept the word of the Lord in order to do everything written in this book.”
• Psalms 119:59I thought about my ways and turned my steps back to your decrees.
• Isaiah 66:2My hand made all these things, and so they all came into being. This is the Lord’s declaration. I will look favorably on this kind of person: one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and trembles at my word.
• Ezekiel 9:4“Pass throughout the city of Jerusalem,” the Lord said to him, “and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the detestable practices committed in it.”
• Deuteronomy 7:2and when the Lord your God delivers them over to you and you defeat them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.
• Joshua 23:12If you ever turn away and become loyal to the rest of these nations remaining among you, and if you intermarry or associate with them and they with you,
• Nehemiah 8:14They found written in the law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should dwell in shelters during the festival of the seventh month.

Commentaries on Ezra 10:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Let us make a covenant - ברית נכרת nichrath berith, let us cut or divide the covenant sacrifice. See the notes on Genesis 15:10.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Let it be done according to the law - i. e., let a formal “bill of divorcement” be given to each foreign wife, whereby she will be restored to the condition of an unmarried woman, and be free to marry another husband (see Deuteronomy 24:1-2). The facility of divorce among the Jews is well-known. According to many of the rabbis, a bill of divorcement might he given by the husband for the most trivial cause. Thus, no legal difficulty stood in the way of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3A 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).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-42-4. Shechaniah ... answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed--This was one of the leading men, who was not himself a delinquent in the matter, for his name does not occur in the following list. He spoke in the general name of the people, and his conduct evinced a tender conscience, as well as no small fortitude in making such a proposal; for as his father and five paternal uncles (Ezr 10:26) were involved in the guilt of unlawful marriages, he…Read the comment

Topics related to Ezra 10:3

• Church
• Decision
• Divorce
• Ezra
• Fear of God
• Righteous

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Covenant
• Shecaniah
• Transgression
• Trespass
• Azaelus
• Bacchurus
• Covenant, in the Old Testament
• Esdras, the First Book of

Commentaries on Ezra 10

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings