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

6I prayed, “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face to you, my God! For our iniquities have climbed higher than our heads, and our guilt extends to the heavens. 7From the days of our fathers until this very day our guilt has been great. Because of our iniquities we, along with our kings and priests, have been delivered over by the local kings to sword, captivity, plunder, and embarrassment – right up to the present time. “But now briefly we have received mercy from the Lord our God, in that he has left us a remnant and has given us a secure position in his holy place. Thus our God has enlightened our eyes and has given us a little relief in our time of servitude. 9Although we are slaves, our God has not abandoned us in our servitude. He has extended kindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, in that he has revived us to restore the temple of our God and to raise up its ruins and to give us a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem. 10“And now what are we able to say after this, our God? For we have forsaken 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 9:9Although we are slaves, our God has not abandoned us in our servitude. He has extended kindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, in that he has revived us to restore the temple of our God and to raise up its ruins and to give us a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
• Nehemiah 1:11Please, O Lord, listen attentively to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who take pleasure in showing respect to your name. Grant your servant success today and show compassion to me in the presence of this man.” Now I was cupbearer for the king.
• Nehemiah 9:31However, due to your abundant mercy you did not do away with them altogether; you did not abandon them. For you are a merciful and compassionate God.
• Habakkuk 3:2Lord, I have heard the report of what you did; I am awed, Lord, by what you accomplished. In our time repeat those deeds; in our time reveal them again. But when you cause turmoil, remember to show us mercy!
• Ezra 9:14Shall we once again break your commandments and intermarry with these abominable peoples? Would you not be so angered by us that you would wipe us out, with no survivor or remnant?
• 2 Kings 19:4Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all these things the chief adviser has spoken on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria, who sent him to taunt the living God. When the Lord your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said. So pray for this remnant that remains.’”
• Isaiah 1:9If the Lord who commands armies had not left us a few survivors, we would have quickly become like Sodom, we would have become like Gomorrah.
• Jeremiah 42:2They said to him, “Please grant our request and pray to the Lord your God for all those of us who are still left alive here. For, as you yourself can see, there are only a few of us left out of the many there were before.
• Jeremiah 44:14None of the Judean remnant who have come to live in the land of Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah. Though they long to return and live there, none of them shall return except a few fugitives.’”
• Ezekiel 6:8“‘But I will spare some of you. Some will escape the sword when you are scattered in foreign lands.
• Ezekiel 14:22Yet some survivors will be left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out. They will come out to you, and when you see their behavior and their deeds, you will be consoled about the catastrophe I have brought on Jerusalem – for everything I brought on it.
• Zechariah 8:6And,’ says the Lord who rules over all, ‘though such a thing may seem to be difficult in the opinion of the small community of those days, will it also appear difficult to me?’ asks the Lord who rules over all.
• Zechariah 8:12‘for there will be a peaceful time of sowing, the vine will produce its fruit and the ground its yield, and the skies will rain down dew. Then I will allow the remnant of my people to possess all these things.
• Romans 9:27And Isaiah cries out on behalf of Israel, “Though the number of the children of Israel are as the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved,
• Romans 11:5So in the same way at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.
• Ecclesiastes 12:11The words of the sages are like prods, and the collected sayings are like firmly fixed nails; they are given by 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
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Holy place
• Bondage
• Chief
• Confession
• Escaping
• Join
• Mingle
• Nail

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