Ezra 9-10; Nehemiah 1: Grief and Mourning

Thoughts

Ezra 9

After the people’s return, leaders approach Ezra. They report Israelites have not separated themselves from surrounding peoples. They have taken foreign wives which God had banned. 

Ezra tears his clothes and pulls hair from his head and beard.  He sits appalled until the evening sacrifice. Ezra rises from his humiliation and falls on his knees in prayer.

Ezra acknowledges the nation’s guilt: “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to You.” He recounts Israel’s long history of sin and punishment. The people have again broken His commandments by intermarrying.

Ezra confesses that they deserve destruction yet asks for God’s mercy.

SIDENOTE I found this interesting due to the voice changes.

Section	Chapters	Narrative Voice	Notes
1–6	Return and temple rebuilding	Third person	Ezra not yet present
7:1–26	Introduction of Ezra	Third person	About Ezra
7:27–9:15	Ezra’s journey and prayer	First person	Ezra’s memoirs
10:1–44	Repentance and reform	Third person	Narrator resumes

Ezra 10

While Ezra prays, weeps, and confesses before the temple, a large crowd gathers, also weeping bitterly. 

Shecaniah son of Jehiel speaks up, acknowledging the people’s sin of marrying foreign women.He proposes a covenant to put away these marriages and obey God’s law.

Ezra rises and makes the leaders, priests, Levites, and all Israel take an oath to carry out this plan. Then he withdraws to a chamber in the temple, to fast and mourn.

A proclamation is sent throughout Judah and Jerusalem for all returned exiles to assemble in three days.Anyone who failed to appear would forfeit property and be expelled from the community.

All the men of Judah and Benjamin gather in Jerusalem, trembling. Ezra confronts them. The people agree and promise to separate from their foreign wives.

Because it’s winter and the crowd is large, they suggest appointing officials to handle the cases in phases rather than all at once.

Only a few oppose the plan (notably Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah).

Ezra and the heads of families begin investigating each case on the first day of the tenth month (roughly December). By the first day of the first month (March), the work is completed.

Some priests are found guilty; they pledge to dismiss their wives and offer a ram for guilt as a sacrifice.

A detailed list of those who had married foreign women is recorded:

Priests
From the family of Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers:

• Maaseiah
• Eliezer
• Jarib
• Gedaliah

Other priestly families:

• Sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah
• Sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah
• Sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah

Levites

• Jozabad
• Shimei
• Kelaiah (also called Kelita)
• Pethahiah
• Judah
• Eliezer

Temple Singers and Gatekeepers 

• Singers: Eliashib
• Gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri

Others

Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Hashabiah, and Benaiah
Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah
Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza
Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai
Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth
Pahath-Moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh
Harim: Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah
Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei
Bani (another group): Maadai, Amram, Uel, Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasai, Bani, Binnui, Shimei, Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph
Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah

Nehemiah 1

The book opens with: “The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah.” The events occur in the month of Kislev (November–December) in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes (445 BC)

This happens about 13 years after Ezra’s arrival to Jerusalem.

Nehemiah is in Susa, the Persian royal fortress. He is serving as the king’s cupbearer. 

Hanani, one of Nehemiah’s brothers, arrives from Judah with other men. Nehemiah asks about the Jewish remnant who survived the exile and about Jerusalem’s condition. He reports that the survivors are in great trouble and disgrace. Furthermore the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and the gates have been burned. 

Upon hearing this, Nehemiah weeps, mourns, fasts, and prays for many days. 

His prayer:

• Nehemiah begins by honoring God
  “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and keep His commandments.”
• He confesses the sins of Israel, including his own and his family’s
• He acknowledges disobedience to God’s commandments, statutes, and laws given through Moses.
• Nehemiah recalls God’s word to Moses:
  • If Israel is unfaithful, God will scatter them.
  • If they return and obey, He will gather them back to the place He has chosen.

• He reminds God that His people are “redeemed by Your great power.”
• He asks for God’s favor and success when he speaks to the king.

Questions

Why does the Bible include the names of those with pagan wives?

Could the wives convert?

When Ezra says “the holy offspring has mixed itself”, does he mean genealogically or spiritually?

Application
I think a theme between these three chapters are grieving and mourning. We don’t often talk about godly sorrow. In chapter 9 Ezra tears his robe and pulls his hair and sits in silence. In chapter 10, he wept in grief and caused an assembly of people to gather to him. In Nehemiah we see that he sat down and mourned for days while fasting and praying. Mourning can come in many forms from sitting in silence to weeping in public. It reminds us of the seriousness of sin. When was the last time you let something truly grieve you before God? I can’t think of I time personally. Maybe we need to weep first sometimes.