290 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And I said unto them, ye are holy unto the Lord, the vessels are holy also,.... As they were dedicated and set apart to holy service, so the vessels were sacred to holy uses, and therefore not to be converted to any other: and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the Lord God of your fathers: and therefore not to be made use of but...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Watch ye, and keep them,.... The vessels, the gold, and the silver, that they be not hurt and diminished: until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord: that is, until they had delivered them in full weight, as they had received them,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
So took the priests and the Levites,.... The twelve priests and twelve Levites, mentioned in Ezra 8:24, the weight of the silver and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the house of our God; this they undertook to do, and did.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then we departed from the river of Ahava, on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem,.... The month Nisan, answering to part of March and part of April; this was two days before the passover began: and the hand of our God was upon us; guiding, directing, and protecting them by his providence: and he delivered us from the hand of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days. Before they went about any business, delivered what was committed to them for the use of the temple, and the commissions to the king's officers; as it was but proper they should have some rest after such a fatiguing journey.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Now on the fourth day,.... After their arrival at Jerusalem: was the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, weighed in the house of our God; the temple, that it might be seen and known that the exact weight which had been deposited with them was now faithfully delivered: this was done by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
By number and by weight of everyone,.... They were delivered in by tale and weight, which exactly agreed to the number and weight in which they received them: and all the weight was written at that time; an account was taken in writing, and laid up, that it might not only be known hereafter what freewill offerings had been made in Babylon, but...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity,.... Namely, those that now came along with Ezra: offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel; by way of thankfulness for their deliverance from captivity, and for their safe journey: twelve bullocks for all Israel: according to the number of the tribes;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they delivered the king's commissions unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river,.... The governors of the provinces of Syria, Palestine, and Judea, which were on that side of Euphrates the land of Israel was: and they furthered the people, and the house of God; or "lifted them up" (i), eased them of all burdens,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO Ezra 9 Ezra being informed, by some of the princes who complained unto him, of the marriages of many of the Israelites with the people of the land, the Canaanites and others, was greatly grieved and distressed, Ezra 9:1, upon which he made a confession of their sins to God, with great shame, sorrow, and contrition, and deprecated...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Now when these things were done,.... When the captives with Ezra had refreshed themselves, and weighed the money and vessels they brought, and put them into the hands of proper persons, and offered sacrifices, and delivered the king's commissions to his lieutenants and governors, and shown his own: the princes came to me; some of the nobles of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sorts,.... Some that were widowers not only took wives to themselves of the above nations, either when they were of Babylon, where many of these nations also were, or rather since their return; but they took for their sons also; yea, some that had wives took Heathenish ones to...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle,.... Both inward and outward garments, that which was close to his body, and that which was thrown loose over it; and this he did in token of sorrow and mourning, as if something very dreadful and distressing, see Job 1:20 and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard; did not...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
There were assembled unto me everyone that trembled at the words of the God of Israel,.... That had a reverence for the word of God, and the things contained in it; feared to break the laws of God, and trembled at his judgments, which they might apprehend would come upon transgressors, see Isaiah 46:2, because of the transgression of those that...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And at the evening sacrifice I rose up from my heaviness,.... The signs and tokens of it, particularly sitting on the ground; or "from my fasting" (n), having eaten nothing that day, it being early in the morning when he was told the above case: and having rent my garment and my mantle; which he had done before, and still kept them on him in the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And said, O my God,.... Here begins the prayer of Ezra, and that with faith in God as covenant God, even when he was about to make confession of sin, and repentance for it; that prayer is right which is put up in faith, and that repentance genuine which is accompanied with faith, and flows from it: I am ashamed, and blush to lift up my face to...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day,.... The sins they were guilty of had been long continued in, which was an aggravation of them: and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands; the ten tribes and their king into the hand of the king of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And now, for a little space, grace hath been showed from the Lord our God,.... It was but a small time since the Lord first began to show favour to them, so that they soon after began to revolt from him; which argued the strange propensity of their minds to that which is evil, and from which they could not be restrained by the recent goodness of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For we were bondmen,.... To the Chaldeans when in Babylon, which was more than the Jews in the times of Christ would own, John 8:33, yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage; had not left them to continue in it always: but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia; moved them to have pity and compassion on them, and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And now, O our God, what shall we say after this?.... What apology or excuse can be made for such ingratitude? what can be said in favour of such a people? what kindness can be expected to be shown to a people who had behaved in so base a manner? for we have forsaken thy commandments: particularly those which related to marriages with people of...