IS O Lord God oriR«el.*thioaarfriahtMw:
for we remain yet escaped, as t( ts wis day: behold, we ore ' before thee >■ in our trespasses: for W6 caoDOt ■ stand before thc« becaosa of this.
NOW d when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping * iiiMia«i and casting himself down * before the -^^*''?!^ house of Ood, there aasemUed onto him out of Israel It very a^eat coogrMation of men, and women, and cmldreo: -for the people ' wept very sore.
2 And Sbecbaniah the son of Jehld, one of the sons of Elam, answered and isaid nnto Eira, We have ■ trespassed a^gainst our God,and have taken strange wives ofthe people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concemiDg this thing.
3 How therefore let us make a ^ ooveaant with our God i to nut away all the wires, and such as are born or them, according to the oooih sel of my lord, and of those that * tretnUe at I the commandment of our God; and let it b« done according to the law.
4 Arise j for thia matter belongeih nnto Oiee: we also wtfffre with thee: ■ be (d'good cooragei and do it
5 Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and aD Ivael, * to nraar that they should do according to thii word. And
6 If " Then Ezra rose up from before the house
We eannotatand before Aeebaeauae^ tkia.} TTk parallel place, as noted in the margin, ia Paal. czxx. 3. ff Aou, Ziord^ ehautdeat mar/c inxauiliaa, O Lord, iiAe dmt aiaiw? Every man moat stana before the ja(irnieat-«al of Christ: but wbo diall stand there with jot? No man against whom the Lord marks iniquities. There ■ a reiereDCe here to die temple service; die urieats and Lavites stood and ministered before the Ixira, bat tbcr wen not permitted to do so unless pure from all poUatiao; ao no man diall stand before the judgment-eeat ot CtuiM who is not waahed and made miiie in the blood ot die Lamb. Beader, how dost thou expect to stajDd tbmY
Verm I. T7ta people vept tery aore} l%eyvendc^r affected at the thought of God's displeasafe, vhidi w justly feared waa about to light upon thei% because of dnr transgressions.
YereeZ SieAanidh the aon of JJtitt] HeqwalahOT in the name of the peiyle, not acknowledgiw himadf cul{mble, for he is not in the following list. It is in ob aama form of speech widi that in Jameth Aatp. iL 9- vUk 6u tongue dtrae we man. He seems to have oeea a tki^ man among the people; and Bu^ at preseai, stood btsees of his influenee and cuppori.
Yet now there U hope In Xrroef] mpo miiva/k, erped ation of pardon { for the people were convinced of the evil, and Were deeply penitent: hence it is said, ver. I. that Aqr mpt aore*
Verae 3. Let ua moJea a eoaanmi] rn> jrvo lueraA berith; let ua cut or divide the covmaaU aactyka. See the notea en Gen. xv. 10.
Verae 4. Ariae,for diia matter belongedi imfe AeeJ By die decree of ArUzerxea, he was author ixed to do evor diing that the law of Gm tnuired: see chap. vii. And all officers were conunanoed lo be aidtaig and aasirtinff I benos8bsohaniahsay% ffeoTBiBiAyett.
Verse 6. And they aware] The diing was mfanlW contrary to the law of God; and now be Bsond thesi, ly an oath, to rectify the abuse.
Verae 6. Johamm aon ^ BOa^V EUaslAwss bifdi prieai^ andwss sueeseded in tttatcfies byfab ssa dTGod, and went into the chamber of Johanu dw son of Blhehib: aod when he came thither, he ' dkt eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned becanse of the traoBgreaeifm of them that bad been carried away.
7 And they made proclamatioD throuffhout Jndah and Jerusalem untoall tbedifldrenof the eapcivit/, that they ihould gather themeelres together unto Jerusalem;
S And that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the coanael of the prinees and the eldera, all his aabetanee ehoold be * fbrfeited, and himself separated from Uie congregation of those that had been carried away.
9 1* Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselrea together onto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, and the twentieth day of the month: and ' all the people sat in the street of the house of Qod, tren^Iiiw because of thU matter, and for ■ the great rain.
10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said onto them. Ye have transgressed, and • have taken strange wivee, to innwse the trespass of
11 Now, therefore, " make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and * separate yourselves from the people of the land, ana from the strange wives.
13 Then all the congregation answered and •aid with a load voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.
13 But the people are many, and it is a tune of much rain, aod we are not euho to stand withoat, neither it CAi* a work of one day or two: for * we are many that have tranagreBsed in this thing.
14 Let DOW our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until ■ the fierce imtth of oar God ' for this matter be turned Horn us.
15 If Only Jonathan the son of Asahel, and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah, ■were emmoyed about this matter: and Meshullam and Snabbethai the Levite hehped them.
16 And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, -with certain chief of the fiithers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.
17 And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month.
Joiada, Neh. xii. 10. Probably JUtanan here is the nme M Jmiaihan in N«heiBiah, who was the aon ot Joiada, and onndson of EUatliib. Some auppoae that Mumatt aod ^oiada were two namea for the nme peraoo.
TrtmMing btenu* q^—A* grtat rain] Am m jeaimau ^^fmuglnl, Btoamat ^ mt wMm- 1 ft was now XhemMr, die ookbst and moat rsfaiypsitof tbe year in Palestine.
Terse II. Mikt e(n\ftaaion'\ Aeknowledge yoor rins befitre Ood with deep coinpunctioa of bear^ and the fullest reaohition to fbrMke them.
Tose 12. At Aou haat amd^ so muH w do] Tim all resolTed to do what Ezra dien eommsnded \ wey did put away diair wirca, even dwse by whom thw had dliklmi. war. 44. lUa was a great bardihip on ms wsMa and dUIAm: dwugb by die Jswidl kws all nioh marriHss
18 t And among the sons of the ^'Vwi'L^ priests there were found that had btT^Sm taken stranffe wives: name/y. of the
sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, <Mid his brethren; Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Oedaliah.
19 And they 'gave their hands that th^ would put away their wives j and heme " guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for ueii
20 And of the sons of Immer i Hanani, and Zebadiah.
21 And the sons of Harim; Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and tFaziah.
25 Moreover, of Israel: ofthe eonsof Farosh; Ramaiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miaminj and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah.
. 27 And of the sons of Zattu; Elioenal, EUashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and
28 Of the sons also of Bebai; Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and AthlaL
29 And of the sona Bani; Merimllam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashnb, and Sheal, and
were Ruii sad yet, as tbe weswn dieybad taken, dklnotloKm these l«w^ their case was deplorable. However, we may take it for granted that each of them reeernd a potion aceorduiK to the eireumslaooes of their husbands i and that they and their ebildreQ were not tuned away desolate, but had such a provision as their nacestiries ra> ipiired. Aimom^ must have dictated this i and no law of Ood is eontranr to homani^. After all, mere is soms room to doobt wnether thndid put them ^bioUy away t for, sevanl years after, NtOMmian fbund Jews that had muried wives of AsUod; Ammon, and Aftsft, Neb. ohsp. ziiL23. And if these were not the same wOBsa, we flad that the same ofienoe was continued.
Terse 17. T>»Jtntdayiift}tM/Tttm(ma{\ Soihe;rwen Aret vhoU nmSu in examming into this affiur, and making these agtaratima which the law required.
Terse 19. They gov* thtir lumd»\ Tliqr bound themselves in die most solenui manner, to do as the rest of tbs delimnientshaddoasi and day awde sa aAnowledgmant of tbeir iniqu^wOedbyoflhRagflsdia foskCor atn^ paM-offering.
ckOdrM.! Thia obMmiian WM profaiUr iUtaMlad to Aov A»t only a/ete of them bud childMn; Imtitriwwi alao bow rigorouily die law vaa put in eKeoutioD.
Aocording to a paange in JiUtin lUartyr'a dialogoe witk Tyy^M, a Jew. Ezra offend a paeehal lamb <hi diis oeeanm, and aodreaaed the people thuit — ^"And Ezra aaid to the peofile, Thie paMorcr U our Saviour nd ow Re≥ and if y will be perauaded of it, and let it enter into your beaii& that we are to bumble to him ■a««gB,UMt«a«rward enall beUev* ia bim, ikia place ilMlI not be daetroyed &w ever, aailh tbe Loidof hoatat ko^ if ya wOl not believe in nin, nor bsailnD to hia
44 AH Aeae had taken wtntm* wirea, and ume Qt them had wivea hf wfiom ttejr bad ehfldrea.
preaching, ye AaS be a langhingitodr to dMOenlika:'*— Dial, eum TVypftone, aeeL TS.
Ubim paMage, Jutttn mja, (he Jam throogb iiiili to Cbriit, blotted out of the hock al BSu& He dMOM them widi eaneriting Mveral other plaee^ Araag^ tts aame ^rit of enmi^ and oppoaitioo.
In the Bdyrmt uSt, thie and the Mlowiitf book aiaka but one, dum^ Bometimea Nebemiah ia iiiWiiiaaiA«l aa the StetmdBook of Btdrat. la fhe Maaoteuc canmentioo of aectioiii^ &e. both booka are eoii|oiiwd. Tfua naybeaoBaattbaeDdof JWAMtiak. loaaaddiiDdttagof importanoe to the efaanfter of &r«, which baa already beea g^na ao anidi ia daodl in thi MradacMm to duB book.
rr ite latroaoation to die Book of Bds, vs hsre aeeo them mwndiNflhnnhlNmwlkrBBaabars. IV. Pridouix, with his omuJ penpietiity, hw inierworeii the whole lbs MaMOtfanu of the mneiaa of Nebeninh, with that paii of dn Penian hwtorr with which they sk coonectadf wtneh I tfudi gin, u in the pfeoednig boo^ tn hie own wonb. He eonoeett thii bod^ u it ought, whh the book of Sxn. See beforsi
"Hewhosuoeeeded Ezra in gntenunent of Jndahaod Jenualem, was Ndtemiah, a Tery religiou md moM MoeUent man | one that was nothing behind hta pnOtctttOTr ttviog fala laaniifv and gnu koowMn fn the law of Ood. He came to Jefuaalem in the ftwnltoft jrear of Artaxtna Ijmrtmama, AaaC fin" htmdnS and ferty^lM yean More CkriMi and, W a oomtnianon from him, lupcraoded rhat or Ezj% anil BticcHded him in che frovcn»ii«nE of Judah and Jenualein. He had in that CommiHion, m an Mpresa' rlauee Iherein inserted, full outhnnly to repair '*'j?I^!?L?!!lf 'fe of Jenualem; and to fortify it agarn in thai tniinner tts il w&« before it wa* dimnaaded nd deatiiiyed by tba Babyloniuw. He was a Jew, whoee aLDUcl^irq ho/i fc^rincrly been nnwu" of JcTosslcm; for there, he Mtn waa the placa of hia fiuhera' sepnlcfam: but oa to the tribe or family wnich he was of, aa more is uic^ bat oohr that hu tather'a name waa HadiaHah, who aeenui to have been of dioae J«wa who, luLvibg gauta good muiuaattm la OM knd of ttMfr enlivitjr, choae niher to abide ill then than mtam inco their own ooimtiTiVbeaiMTeiiWKnDlid ftr it It umoMUkelj that Hachaliah waa an inhabitant of Oie cj^ of 9hu4w?, and that it waa h% ^mltfnr ItHn tfHrtgm hia aon an opportuni^ of eainiu; sn adi^ifi^iTipnl m ihs kin^i nUocet for fiii -was cm of Ae tn^Sufc— of Eing ArtajKfxea^ which waa a puce ofgreat h'iiv»ir iind n-lvriiiTcico in IM Pennan t-cart, tMCBwefftajprirfkni itgavenim of being dail^ in the king*! prewnee, sd'I t)ii<. opix^rtiLiiity M-hicTi be bad thereby of c'aintng'bn ttrnir M' the obtaining of any petitKm which he ihouJd make to liim; and tha*^ (specially since the liiaa Qrliiaattend&nrealwa^ were when the king was making hia heart merrrvith ihe wine whid] he eerv'«d up to htfn; for ifua it the heel opwtttoDierwitballnienfw the obtaunneaojr boon mat ibAll bedeaiiedfif Lbam, becauM ibej are alwafi tbcQ in the beat bomoitrof eoinplying: it waa at auai a tfane tlat ba ufajd tU gownmiUt of JadM, ukI obMnediC. l«f,hy tbv like advantagea « tua place, no doabt ft WM thai w gained ihoK rinhfi^ wl^i^ aoafaled him for to suuy years, outof nia own privaia puree only, to live in his ooventment with tlut irplendiwr aiad exjvms^&s'n'ill be h«i«&f^r related, without burdening the people at all fbr it; niiii do dmiht # was fry the biTaar of Queen I'-fihi-r, on hfin^ of tiiQ aame nation and people with her, that he obtained ao Konournblc and wivajicageoaa a prefarmeBt ih itmCcdHLri Hiiwver, neither the honour or adTanlage of this place, nor 6ie long BctlJenieni of hia fomilToat of bti eiKiutry, >e»<j.ld make him forget his love fbr it, or ky aside that zeal whidb be litui for the niigiaa tifhu fureudierB, who had foi-itLtrly dwellinil. For though be had been bom and bred in a strange land, ytf h« bw a gmt lore fhr ^tbo.