290 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets,.... Moses, and Joshua, and others, see Deuteronomy 7:3 saying, the land, unto which ye go to possess it; meaning the land of Canaan: is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons,.... That is, in marriage, see Deuteronomy 7:3, where the prohibition is expressed in the same language: nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever; that is, as long as they continue in their idolatries and impurities, see Deuteronomy 23:6, that ye...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass,.... As famine, sword, pestilence, and captivity, for their idolatries and other heinous sins: seeing that our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve; for they deserved eternal punishment, whereas it was temporal punishment that was inflicted, and this...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations?.... That are guilty of abominable idolatries, and of all uncleanness: wouldest thou not be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us; it might be justly expected: so that there should be no remnant nor escaping? any left or suffered to escape the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
O Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous,.... And would appear to be so, should Israel be entirely cut off, and utterly consumed for their iniquities: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day; that they remained yet escaped out of captivity, and escaped the wrath and vengeance of God, was not owing to any deserts of theirs, but to the grace...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO Ezra 10 Upon Ezra's prayer and confession, it was proposed by Shechaniah, that those who had married strange wives should put them away with their children, which they swore to do, Ezra 10:1, and proclamation was made throughout the land for all to meet at Jerusalem in three days' time, and accordingly they did, Ezra 10:6 when, at...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping,.... Had confessed the sins of the people in prayer and supplication, with many tears: and casting himself down before the house of God; in the outward court before the temple, his face turned towards it, where he lay prostrate: there assembled to him out of Israel a very great...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra,.... This man seems to be one of those that now came with Ezra from Babylon, see Ezra 8:3, we have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land; not that he had taken any himself, being but just come into the land, nor is...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God,.... Renew our covenant with him, and lay ourselves under fresh obligation by promise and oath, and unanimously agree to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them; he means all the strange wives, such marriages being unlawful; and such wives might the more easily be put away, since bills...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Arise,.... From the ground, where he lay prostrate: for this matter belongeth unto thee; as a priest and scribe of the law, well versed in it, and therefore could direct what was to be done according to it; and as a ruler under the king of Persia, and a commissioner of his, to inquire whether the law of God was observed by the Jews, Ezra 7:14 and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then arose Ezra,.... From the ground where he lay: and made the chief priests, and the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word: he took an oath of all that were present to do what was proposed, namely, to put away strange wives and their children: and they sware; by means of which they were kept to their word...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God,.... Departed from thence: and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib; who was of the family of the high priest. Eliashib was grandson of Joshua the high priest, and succeeded his father Joiakim as such; but though Johanan was never high priest, being a younger son, however he was a...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they made proclamation,.... By the voice of an herald: throughout Judah and Jerusalem, unto all the children of the captivity; who were returned from it: that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem; within a time after mentioned.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And that whosoever would not come within three days,.... Or at the end of three days, as Jarchi, this was the space of time allowed, and which was decided upon for the quick dispatch of this affair, to prevent any schemes that might be formed to obstruct it, and lest those who had agreed to it, and promised to assist in it, should repent and go...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin,.... And such of the ten tribes that returned and dwelt among them: gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days; the time fixed: which they were the more careful to observe, since it was enjoined by the authority of princes and elders, and the punishment in case of disobedience very severe:...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Ezra the priest stood up,.... In the midst of the assembly to make his speech, acquainting them with the reason of their meeting together: and said unto them, ye have transgressed; the law of God in the following instance: and have taken strange wives; of the people of the land and others, idolatrous persons: to increase the trespass of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Now therefore make confession to the Lord God of your fathers,.... Of their sin, and express their detestation of it, and repentance for it: and do his pleasure; obey his will, and particularly in this case: and separate yourselves from the people of the land; the Canaanites, c. have no fellowship with them, make no covenants, contracts, and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice,.... That they might be heard, and to show that they were willing and ready to comply with what was proposed: as thou host said, so must we do; being convinced of their sin, they saw it was a duty incumbent on them to put away their strange wives, and that there was a necessity of it,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But the people are many,.... Who have been guilty of this evil: and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without: in the street, because of the rain: neither is this a work of one day or two; to inquire into this affair, who they are that have taken strange wives, and to persuade or oblige them to put them away: for we are many...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Let now our rulers of all the congregations stand,.... Let the great sanhedrim, or court of judicature at Jerusalem, be fixed and continued, and others: and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times; to the court at Jerusalem, at certain and fixed known times of their sittings there for this purpose: and...