Ezra 10:19

Ezr 10:19 And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and [being] guilty, [they offered] a ram of the flock for their trespass.

Ver. 19. And they gave their hands] i.e. They plighted their troth, and assured the assent of their hearts, 2Ki 10:15.

That they would put away their wives] Though as dear to them, haply, as was George Carpenter’s (martyr), burnt at Munchen, in Bavaria; My wife and children, said he, are so dear unto me, that they cannot be bought from me for all the riches and possessions of the duke of Bavaria: but for the love of my Lord God I will willingly forsake them. Let us do so by our dilecta delicta, our dearest and most delicious sins.

They offered a ram of the flock] This shows that they sinned against knowledge; for a sin of ignorance the oblation was not a ram, but a goat.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

As a token that they would keep promise and do it.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

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.

Next: Nehemiah Introduction

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 19. They gave their hands] They bound themselves in the most solemn manner to do as the rest of the delinquents had done; and they made all acknowledgment of their iniquity to God by offering each a ram for a trespass-offering.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

19. they gave their hands] R.V. their hand. The Hebrew has the singular. On this symbol of a promise or pledge compare 2Ki_10:15 ‘If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand’. Eze_17:18 ‘And behold, he had given his hand, and yet hath done all these things’. Lam_5:6 ‘We have given the hand to the Egyptians’. 2Ch_30:8 ‘But yield yourselves (Heb. give the hand) unto the Lord’.

and being guilty, &c.] It has been supposed that whereas the solemn pledge or promise, to put away the strange women, was made by all, the priests alone had to offer the sacrifice of a ram. The sacrifice of a ram for a guilt offering is enjoined, ‘if anyone commit a trespass and sin unwittingly, in the holy things of the Lord’ (see Lev_5:14-19). There is however no real reason for limiting the guilt offering to the priests. The passage from Leviticus makes no such restriction. It is probable that this verse represents the form of solemn renunciation imposed upon all the offenders, i.e. the promise and the guilt offering. It is mentioned after the first names on the list, and should be understood after each recorded group of names. The repetition of the formula was considered unnecessary.

being guilty] These words sound like the sentence of the commission, after investigating each case.

20, 21, 22. The sons of Immer, Harim and Pashur. In Ezr_2:37-39 and Neh_7:40-42 the order of the names is Immer, Pashur and Harim. In 1Ch_24:8-14 ‘Harim’ is the third and Immer the sixteenth priestly course: see notes on Ezr_2:37, &c.

Several of the names here mentioned occur in the lists of Nehemiah 8, 12.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives,.... They proposed to do it, and actually did it:

and being guilty; of which they were fully convinced:

they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass; to make atonement for it, and thereby set an example to others to do the like. Aben Ezra observes, that we do not find that the trespass offering was a mulct to such who married strange wives, and conjectures, that it was the advice of the chief men to do it. From hence, to the end of Ezr 10:43, is a list of the men that had married strange wives, and put them away; those in Ezr 10:20, were priests; in Ezr 10:23, Levites, and those of them who were singers or porters; the rest were Israelites: and it is a very common distinction, in rabbinical writers, to distinguish the Jews into priests, Levites, and Israelites; of these we know no more than their names; some of the heads of the families may be observed in Ezr 2:1.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Hands. Thus the Persians confirmed their most solemn engagements. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

They gave their hand, i.e. they covenanted or swore by giving their hand; which was the usual gesture in those cases; of which see Lev 6:2; Eze 17:18.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

LIST OF THOSE WHO HAD TAKEN STRANGE WIVES, Ezr_10:18-44.

So important to the new community was the whole procedure, that the names of the implicated ones were chronicled, and immortalized in connexion with this sad affair. Ezra embodied the list in his own book as a testimony of his care for Israel, and here it still stands, a monument of his fidelity to the people of his God.

The list gives, 1) the names of the sons of the priests who had taken strange wives, Ezr_10:18-22; Ezra 2) the names of the Levites, Ezr_10:23; Ezra 3) the names of the singers, Ezr_10:24; Ezra 4) the names of non-official or ordinary Israelites, Ezr_10:25-43.

19. Gave their hands — As a solemn form of indicating their acceptance of the covenant, (Ezr_10:3,) and of binding themselves to put away their wives. Handshaking is a natural ceremony of ratifying a solemn agreement between parties. Comp. 2Ki_10:15.

A ram… for their trespass — According to the law of Lev_6:1-6.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

They gave their hands that they would put away their wives. It is not clear whether this is intended to be said of Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah only, or of the entire body of persons found guilty of having married strange wives. Most probably the court made out the divorces in the generality of cases, but were content to take a solemn pledge from members of the high priest"s family.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And they advised them Heb. וַיִתְּנוּ יָדָם, lit. and they gave their hand, their advice, like (II Sam. 14:19): “Behold Joab’s advice (יַד יוֹאָב) is with you in all this (sic).”

for their guilt This was a temporary ruling.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.