Ezra 9:8

Ezra 9:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.
• New International Version (NIV)“But now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And now for a little while grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage.

Context of Ezra 9:8

6and said, “I am ashamed, my God. I am embarrassed to look at you. Our sins have piled up over our heads, and our guilt is so overwhelming that it reaches heaven. 7From our ancestors’ days until now, we have been deep in guilt. Our kings and our priests have been handed over to foreign kings to be executed. We have been taken captive, robbed, and humiliated, as we still are today because of our sins. And now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been kind enough to leave us a few survivors from Babylon and to give us a secure hold on his holy place. Our God has made our eyes light up and has given us new opportunities while we were slaves. 9We are slaves, but our God hasn’t abandoned us in our slavery. Instead, he has made the kings of Persia treat us kindly. He did this to give us an opportunity to rebuild our God’s temple and restore its ruins and to give us a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem. 10“And now, our God, what can we say after all this? We have abandoned your commandments!

Ezra 9:8 word by word

וְעַתָּ֡ה כִּמְעַט־רֶגַע֩ הָיְתָ֨ה תְחִנָּ֜ה מֵאֵ֣ת׀ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ לְהַשְׁאִ֥יר לָ֙נוּ֙ פְּלֵיטָ֔ה וְלָתֶת־לָ֥נוּ יָתֵ֖ד בִּמְק֣וֹם קָדְשׁ֑וֹ לְהָאִ֤יר עֵינֵ֙ינוּ֙ אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ וּלְתִתֵּ֛נוּ מִֽחְיָ֥ה מְעַ֖ט בְּעַבְדֻתֵֽנוּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And now for a littleמְעַטme‛aţ me‛âţ · littleH4592
• spaceרֶ֫גַעrega‛ · momentH7281
• graceתְּחִנָּהtechinnâh · supplicationH8467
• from the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• our Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• to leaveשָׁאַרshâ'ar · to remainH7604
• us a remnant to escapeפְּלֵיטָהpelêyţâh pelêţâh · survivorH6413
• and to giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• us a nailיָתֵדyâthêd · pegH3489
• in his holyקֹ֫דֶשׁqôdesh · holinessH6944
• placeמָקוֹםmâqôm mâqôm meqômâh meqômâh · placeH4725
• may lightenאוֹר'ôr · to lightH215
• our eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
• revivingמִחְיָהmichyâh · recoveryH4241
• in our bondageעַבְדוּת‛abdûth · slaveryH5659

Cross-references for Ezra 9:8

• Ezra 9:9We are slaves, but our God hasn’t abandoned us in our slavery. Instead, he has made the kings of Persia treat us kindly. He did this to give us an opportunity to rebuild our God’s temple and restore its ruins and to give us a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
• Nehemiah 1:11Lord, please pay attention to my prayer and to the prayers of all your other servants who want to worship your name. Please give me success today and make this man, King Artaxerxes, show me compassion.” I was cupbearer to the king at this time.
• Nehemiah 9:31But your compassion is endless. You didn’t destroy them or abandon them. You are a merciful and compassionate God.
• Habakkuk 3:2Lord, I have heard the report about you. Lord, I fear your work. In the course of the years, renew it. In the course of the years, reveal it. In all this chaos, remember to be merciful.
• Ezra 9:14If we break your commandments again and intermarry with people doing these disgusting things, you will become even more angry with us until you finally destroy us and no survivors are left.
• 2 Kings 19:4The Lord your God may have heard all the words of the field commander. His master, the king of Assyria, sent him to defy the living God. The Lord your God may punish him because of the message that the Lord your God heard. Pray for the few people who are left.”
• Isaiah 1:9If the Lord of Armies hadn’t left us a few survivors, we would have been like Sodom and Gomorrah.
• Jeremiah 42:2They said to him, “Please listen to our request, and pray to the Lord your God for all of us who are left here. As you can see, there are only a few of us left.
• Jeremiah 44:14None of the people of Judah who went to live in Egypt will survive or return to Judah, where they long to return and live. Only a few refugees will return there.
• Ezekiel 6:8“ ‘But I will let some people live. Some people will escape the battle among the nations and be scattered throughout the countries.
• Ezekiel 14:22But some people will survive. Some of your sons and daughters will be brought out. When they come out to you, you will see how they live. Then you will be comforted after the disasters that I will bring on Jerusalem, after every disaster that I will bring against it.
• Zechariah 8:6This is what the Lord of Armies says: It may seem impossible to the few remaining people in those days, but will it seem impossible to me? declares the Lord of Armies.
• Zechariah 8:12Seeds will thrive in peacetime. Vines will produce their grapes. The land will yield its crops. The sky will produce its dew. I will give the few remaining people all these things as an inheritance.
• Romans 9:27Isaiah also says about Israel: “Although the descendants of Israel are as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore, only a few will be saved.
• Romans 11:5So, as there were then, there are now a few left that God has chosen by his kindness.
• Ecclesiastes 12:11Words from wise people are like spurs. Their collected sayings are like nails that have been driven in firmly. They come from one shepherd.

Commentaries on Ezra 9:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8And now for a little space - This interval in which they were returning from servitude to their own land. Grace hath been showed - God has disposed the hearts of the Persian kings to publish edicts in our favor. To leave us a remnant to escape - The ten tribes are gone irrecoverably into captivity; a great part even of Judah and Benjamin had continued beyond the Euphrates: so that Ezra might well say, there was but a remnant which had escaped. A nail in…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8The “little space” was above 60 years, counting from the second year of Darius Ezra 4:24, or about 80 years, counting from the first year of Cyrus Ezra 1:1. This does not seem to Ezra much in the “lifetime” of a nation. A remnant to escape - Rather, “a remnant that has escaped.” The “remnant” is the new community that has returned from the captivity. A nail - Compare the marginal note and reference. The metaphor is probably drawn from a tent-pin, which is…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-15Verses 5-15 The sacrifice, especially the evening sacrifice, was a type of the blessed Lamb of God, who in the evening of the world, was to take away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Ezra's address is a penitent confession of sin, the sin of his people. But let this be the comfort of true penitents, that though their sins reach to the heavens, God's mercy is in the heavens. Ezra, speaking of sin, speaks as one much ashamed. Holy shame is as necessary in…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8-9God's abundant grace and unfailing love should influence how people respond to him (see Deuteronomy 30:1–5). After all God had done for the remnant, it was shameful they were so quick to betray him. grace in the sight of the kings of Persia: Babylon and Assyria had tortured and exiled their enemies (2 Kings 17; 25), but Persia treated exiled people kindly and returned them to their homelands (see Ezra 1:1–3). a wall of protection: This phrase refers to…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5-155-15. I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God--The burden of his prayer, which was dictated by a deep sense of the emergency, was that he was overwhelmed at the flagrant enormity of this sin, and the bold impiety of continuing in it after having, as a people, so recently experienced the heavy marks of the divine displeasure. God had begun to show returning favor to Israel by the restoration of some. But this only aggravated…Read the comment

Topics related to Ezra 9:8

• Afflictions and Adversities
• Church
• God Continued...
• Intercession
• Nail

In the dictionaries

• God
• Holy place
• Bondage
• Chief
• Confession
• Escaping
• Join
• Mingle
• Nail
• Captivity

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