Ezra 9:6

Ezra 9:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.
• New International Version (NIV)and prayed: “I am too ashamed and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens.
• English Standard Version (ESV)saying: "O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And I said: “O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens.

Context of Ezra 9:6

4Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel came and sat with me because of this outrage committed by the returned exiles. And I sat there utterly appalled until the time of the evening sacrifice. 5At the time of the sacrifice, I stood up from where I had sat in mourning with my clothes torn. I fell to my knees and lifted my hands to the Lord my God. I prayed, “O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you. For our sins are piled higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached to the heavens. 7From the days of our ancestors until now, we have been steeped in sin. That is why we and our kings and our priests have been at the mercy of the pagan kings of the land. We have been killed, captured, robbed, and disgraced, just as we are today. 8“But now we have been given a brief moment of grace, for the Lord our God has allowed a few of us to survive as a remnant. He has given us security in this holy place. Our God has brightened our eyes and granted us some relief from our slavery.

Ezra 9:6 word by word

וָאֹמְרָ֗ה אֱלֹהַי֙ בֹּ֣שְׁתִּי וְנִכְלַ֔מְתִּי לְהָרִ֧ים אֱלֹהַ֛י פָּנַ֖י אֵלֶ֑יךָ כִּ֣י עֲוֹנֹתֵ֤ינוּ רָבוּ֙ לְמַ֣עְלָה רֹּ֔אשׁ וְאַשְׁמָתֵ֥נוּ גָדְלָ֖ה עַ֥ד לַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• O my Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• I am ashamedבּוֹשׁbûsh · be ashamedH954
• and blushכָּלַםkâlam · be humiliatedH3637
• to lift upרוּםrûm · to exaltH7311
• my faceפָּנֶהpânîym · faceH6440
• for our iniquitiesעָוֺן‛âvôn ‛âvôn · iniquity: crimeH5771
• are increasedרָבָהrâbâh · to multiplyH7235
• overמַ֫עַלma‛al · aboveH4605
• headרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
• and our trespassאַשְׁמָה'ashmâh · guiltinessH819
• is grown upגָּדַלgâdal · to magnifyH1431
• unto the heavensשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064

Cross-references for Ezra 9:6

• Job 40:4“I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers? I will cover my mouth with my hand.
• Job 42:6I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”
• Jeremiah 3:3That’s why even the spring rains have failed. For you are a brazen prostitute and completely shameless.
• Jeremiah 6:15Are they ashamed of their disgusting actions? Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush! Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered. They will be brought down when I punish them,” says the Lord.
• Jeremiah 8:12Are they ashamed of these disgusting actions? Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush! Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered. They will be brought down when I punish them, says the Lord.
• Jeremiah 31:19I turned away from God, but then I was sorry. I kicked myself for my stupidity! I was thoroughly ashamed of all I did in my younger days.’
• Ezekiel 16:63You will remember your sins and cover your mouth in silent shame when I forgive you of all that you have done. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”
• Daniel 9:7“Lord, you are in the right; but as you see, our faces are covered with shame. This is true of all of us, including the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel, scattered near and far, wherever you have driven us because of our disloyalty to you.
• Romans 6:21And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom.
• Genesis 13:13But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord.
• Psalms 38:4My guilt overwhelms me— it is a burden too heavy to bear.
• Isaiah 1:18“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.
• Isaiah 59:12For our sins are piled up before God and testify against us. Yes, we know what sinners we are.
• 2 Chronicles 28:9But a prophet of the Lord named Oded was there in Samaria when the army of Israel returned home. He went out to meet them and said, “The Lord, the God of your ancestors, was angry with Judah and let you defeat them. But you have gone too far, killing them without mercy, and all heaven is disturbed.
• Luke 15:21His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
• Revelation 18:5For her sins are piled as high as heaven, and God remembers her evil deeds.

Commentaries on Ezra 9:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6I am ashamed and blush - God had been so often provoked, and had so often pardoned them, and they had continued to transgress, that he was ashamed to go back again to the throne of grace to ask for mercy in their behalf. This is the genuine feeling of every reawakened backslider.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. 6I am ashamed...our iniquities are higher than our heads: Although Ezra did not commit these sins, he identified with his people (see “Community Identity” Theme Note).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 9:6

• Afflictions and Adversities
• Blushing
• Intercession
• Prayer
• Repentance
• Sin

In the dictionaries

• God
• Chief
• Confession
• Escaping
• Join
• Mingle
• Ashamed
• Captivity
• Esdras, the First Book of
• Intercession

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