God’s Word Translation
Ezra 9:2
2The Israelites and their sons have married some of these foreign women. They have mixed our holy race with the neighboring groups of people. Furthermore, the leaders and officials have led the way in being unfaithful.”
Ezra 9:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.
- New International Version (NIV)They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost."
- New King James Version (NKJV)For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed is mixed with the peoples of those lands. Indeed, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this trespass.”
Context of Ezra 9:2
1After these things had been done, the leaders came to me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and Levites, have failed to keep themselves separate from the neighboring groups of people and from the disgusting practices of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. The Israelites and their sons have married some of these foreign women. They have mixed our holy race with the neighboring groups of people. Furthermore, the leaders and officials have led the way in being unfaithful.” 3When I heard this, I tore my clothes ⌞in distress⌟, pulled hair from my scalp and my beard, and sat down in shock. 4Since the former exiles had been unfaithful, everyone who gathered around me there trembled at the words of the God of Israel. I sat in shock until the evening sacrifice.
Read all of Ezra 9Ezra 9:2 word by word
כִּֽי־נָשְׂא֣וּ מִבְּנֹֽתֵיהֶ֗ם לָהֶם֙ וְלִבְנֵיהֶ֔ם וְהִתְעָֽרְבוּ֙ זֶ֣רַע הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ בְּעַמֵּ֖י הָאֲרָצ֑וֹת וְיַ֧ד הַשָּׂרִ֣ים וְהַסְּגָנִ֗ים הָֽיְתָ֛ה בַּמַּ֥עַל הַזֶּ֖ה רִאשׁוֹנָֽה׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- For they have takenנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: marryH5375
- of their daughtersבַּתbath · daughterH1323
- for themselves, and for their sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- so that the holyקֹ֫דֶשׁqôdesh · holinessH6944
- seedזֶ֫רַעzera‛ · seed: childrenH2233
- have mingledעָרַב‛ârab · to pledgeH6148
- themselves with the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- landsאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- yea, the handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
- of the princesשַׂרώar · rulerH8269
- and rulersסָגָןsâgân · rulerH5461
- hath been chiefרִאשׁוֹןri'shôn ri'shôn · first: chiefH7223
- in this trespassמַ֫עַלma‛al · unfaithfulnessH4604
Cross-references for Ezra 9:2
- Ezra 10:18Among the descendants of the priests, the following were married to foreign women: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah, a descendant of Jeshua (who was Jozadak’s son) and his brothers.
- Exodus 34:16Then your sons will end up marrying their daughters. When their daughters chase after their gods as though they were prostitutes, they’ll lead your sons to do the same thing.
- Deuteronomy 7:1The Lord your God will bring you to the land you’re about to enter and take possession of. He will force many nations out of your way: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—seven nations larger and more powerful than you.
- Nehemiah 13:23In those days I saw some Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.
- Malachi 2:11Judah has been unfaithful! A disgusting thing has been done in Israel and Jerusalem. Judah has dishonored the holy place that the Lord loves and has married a woman who worships a foreign god.
- Exodus 19:6You will be my kingdom of priests and my holy nation.’ These are the words you must speak to the Israelites.”
- Exodus 22:31“You must be my holy people. Never eat the meat of an animal that has been killed by wild animals out in the countryside. Throw it to the dogs.”
- Deuteronomy 7:6You are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. He chose you to be his own special possession out of all the nations on earth.
- Deuteronomy 14:2You are people who are holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the people who live on earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his own special possession.
- Isaiah 6:13Even if one out of ten people is left in it, the land will be burned again. When a sacred oak or an oak is cut down, a stump is left The holy seed will be the land’s stump.”
- Malachi 2:15Didn’t ⌞God⌟ make you one? Your flesh and spirit belong to him. And what does the same ⌞God⌟ look for but godly descendants? So be careful not to be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.
- 1 Corinthians 7:14Actually, the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and an unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise, their children would be unacceptable ⌞to God⌟, but now they are acceptable to him.
- Genesis 6:2The sons of God saw that the daughters of other humans were beautiful. So they married any woman they chose.
- Nehemiah 13:3After the people heard this Teaching, they separated the non-Israelites from the Israelites.
- 2 Corinthians 6:14Stop forming inappropriate relationships with unbelievers. Can right and wrong be partners? Can light have anything in common with darkness?
- Nehemiah 13:4Even before this, the priest Eliashib, who was related to Tobiah and had been put in charge of the storerooms of our God’s temple,
Commentaries on Ezra 9:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Hath been chief in this trespass - They who are the first men have been the most capital offenders; so Virgil, Aen. ix. 783: - Unus homo, vestris, o cives, undique septus Aggeribus, tantas strages impune per urbem Ediderit? Juvenum primos tot miserit orco? "Shall one, and he enclosed within your walls, One rash imprisoned warrior, vanquish all? Calm you look on, and see the furious foe Plunge crowds of heroes to the shades below!" Pitt. The first of the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-2The events that follow occurred about four months after Ezra arrived (compare Ezra 7:9; 10:9). Intermarriage with non-Israelites was risky because Israelites might worship other gods and adopt harmful religious practices (compare Ezra 4:1–5; Deuteronomy 7:1–4). the holy seed has been mixed: Literally the holy seed has intermingled itself. Israel was a holy covenant nation (Exodus 19:6) and was not supposed to engage in pagan practices (Leviticus 19:2–4…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-41-2. Now when these things were done--The first days after Ezra's arrival in Jerusalem were occupied in executing the different trusts committed to him. The nature and design of the office with which the royal authority had invested him was publicly made known to his own people by the formal delivery of the contribution and the sacred vessels brought from Babylon to the priests to be deposited in the temple. Then his credentials were privately presented…Read the comment
Topics related to Ezra 9:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ezra 9
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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