{"commentary":{"id":"jamieson-fausset-brown","name":"Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary","website":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamieson-Fausset-Brown_Bible_Commentary","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/","licenseNotes":null,"licenseNotice":null,"englishName":"Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary","language":"eng","textDirection":"rtl","sha256":"db3d4c8b3c1f32ef9d1430a57392e02bda3a17aac1f9bbe398461de021a3cb13","availableFormats":["json"],"listOfBooksApiLink":"/api/c/jamieson-fausset-brown/books.json","listOfProfilesApiLink":"/api/c/jamieson-fausset-brown/profiles.json","numberOfBooks":66,"totalNumberOfChapters":1187,"totalNumberOfVerses":17056,"totalNumberOfProfiles":0,"languageName":"English","languageEnglishName":"English"},"book":{"id":"EZR","commentaryId":"jamieson-fausset-brown","name":"Ezra","commonName":"Ezra","introduction":"EZRA was, along with Nehemiah, reckoned one book by the ancient Jews, who called them the First and Second Books of Ezra, and they are still designated by Roman Catholic writers the First and Second Books of Esdras. This book naturally divides itself into two parts or sections, the one contained in the first six chapters, and which relates the circumstances connected with the return of the first detachment of Babylonish exiles under Zerubbabel with the consequent rebuilding of the temple and the re-establishment of the divine service. The other part, embraced in the four concluding chapters, narrates the journey of a second caravan of returning captives under the conduct of Ezra himself, who was invested with powers to restore, in all its splendor, the entire system of the Jewish ritual. The general opinion of the Church in every succeeding age has been that Ezra was the author of this book. The chief objection is founded on Ezr 5:4, where the words, \"Then said we unto them after this manner, What are the names of the men that make this building?\" have occasioned a surmise that the first portion of the book was not written by Ezra, who did not go to Jerusalem for many years after. But a little attention will show the futility of this objection, as the words in question did not refer to the writer, but were used by Tatnai and his associates [Ezr 5:3]. The style and unity of object in the book clearly prove it to have been the production of but one author. The canonical authority of this book is well established; but another under the name of Ezra is rejected as apocryphal. \n\n\n\nNext: Ezra Chapter 1\n\n","order":15,"numberOfChapters":10,"sha256":"b44f786d46334192f2d3effae5a470ad5bf8f94438d993c9c9470415dc72632f","firstChapterNumber":1,"firstChapterApiLink":"/api/c/jamieson-fausset-brown/EZR/1.json","firstChapterReference":{"commentaryId":"jamieson-fausset-brown","book":"EZR","chapter":1},"lastChapterNumber":10,"lastChapterApiLink":"/api/c/jamieson-fausset-brown/EZR/10.json","lastChapterReference":{"commentaryId":"jamieson-fausset-brown","book":"EZR","chapter":10},"totalNumberOfVerses":74},"chapter":{"number":10,"content":[{"type":"verse","number":2,"content":["Shechaniah . . . answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed--This was one of the leading men, who was not himself a delinquent in the matter, for his name does not occur in the following list. He spoke in the general name of the people, and his conduct evinced a tender conscience, as well as no small fortitude in making such a proposal; for as his father and five paternal uncles (Ezr 10:26) were involved in the guilt of unlawful marriages, he showed, by the measure he recommended, that he deemed it better to obey God than to please his nearest relatives. \n\nyet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing--This hope, however, depended on timely measures of reformation, and therefore, instead of surrendering themselves to despair or despondency, he counselled them to amend their error without delay, relying on God's mercy for the past. Though the proposal may seem harsh and cruel, yet in the peculiar circumstances of the Jews it was just as well as necessary; and he urged the duty of seeing it executed on Ezra, as the only person competent to carry it into effect, being possessed of skill and address for so delicate and difficult a work, and invested by God, and under Him by the Persian king (Ezr 7:23-28), with the requisite authority to enforce it.\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":5,"content":["Then Ezra . . . went into the chamber of Johanan--At a private council of the princes and elders held there, under the presidency of Ezra, it was resolved to enter into a general covenant to put away their foreign wives and children; that a proclamation should be made for all who had returned from Babylon to repair within three days to Jerusalem, under pain of excommunication and confiscation of their property.\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":9,"content":["Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin--The returned captives belonged chiefly to these tribes; but other Israelites are also included under these names, as they all were then occupying the territory formerly assigned to those two tribes. \n\nIt was the ninth month--that is, between the end of December and the beginning of January, which is the coldest and most rainy season of the year in Palestine. \n\nall the people sat in the street--that is, the court.\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":10,"content":["Ezra the priest stood up, and said--Having fully represented the enormity of their sin and urged them to dissolve their unlawful connections, he was gratified by receiving a prompt acknowledgment of the justice of his reproof and a promise of compliance with his recommendation. But as the weather was ungenial and the defaulters were too numerous to be passed in review at one time, it was resolved that a commission should be appointed to examine into the whole matter. These commissioners, assisted by the judges and elders of the respective cities, made a minute investigation into every case, and after three months' labor completely removed all traces of the abuse. Doubtless, an adequate provision was made for the repudiated wives and children, according to the means and circumstances of the husbands.\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":18,"content":["THOSE THAT HAD TAKEN STRANGE WIVES. (Ezra 10:18-44)\n\namong the sons of the priests--From the names of so many men of rank appearing in the following list, some idea may be formed of the great and complicated difficulties attending the reformatory work.\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":19,"content":["they gave their hands--that is, came under a solemn engagement, which was usually ratified by pledging the right hand (Pro 6:1; Eze 17:18). The delinquents of the priestly order bound themselves to do like the common Israelites (Ezr 10:25), and sought to expiate their sin by sacrificing a ram as a trespass offering.\n\n\n\n\n\nNext: Nehemiah Introduction\n\n"]}],"introduction":"EZRA REFORMS THE STRANGE MARRIAGES. (Ezra 10:1-17)\n\nNow when Ezra had prayed--As this prayer was uttered in public, while there was a general concourse of the people at the time of the evening sacrifice and as it was accompanied with all the demonstrations of poignant sorrow and anguish, it is not surprising that the spectacle of a man so respected, a priest so holy, a governor so dignified as Ezra, appearing distressed and filled with fear at the sad state of things, should produce a deep sensation; and the report of his passionate grief and expressions in the court of the temple having rapidly spread through the city, a great multitude flocked to the spot.\n\n"},"thisChapterLink":"/api/c/jamieson-fausset-brown/EZR/10.json","thisChapterReference":{"commentaryId":"jamieson-fausset-brown","book":"EZR","chapter":10},"nextChapterApiLink":"/api/c/jamieson-fausset-brown/NEH/1.json","nextChapterReference":{"commentaryId":"jamieson-fausset-brown","book":"NEH","chapter":1},"previousChapterApiLink":"/api/c/jamieson-fausset-brown/EZR/9.json","previousChapterReference":{"commentaryId":"jamieson-fausset-brown","book":"EZR","chapter":9},"numberOfVerses":6}