Ezra 9:3

Ezr 9:3 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.

Ver. 3. I rent my garment and my mantle] In token of his deep and downright humiliation, indignation, detestation of their dealing therein.

And plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard] To show how passionately grieved and offended he was. The raging Turk did the like at the last assault of Scodra; being extremely vexed at the dishonour and loss he had received there. But what followed? In his choler and frantic rage he most horribly blasphemed God; whereas holy Ezra, though he sat astonied till the evening sacrifice, yet then he poureth forth his soul in a heavenly prayer, Ezr 9:5-6.

And sat down astonied] As one that hath neither life nor soul (as we say), that can neither say nor do for himself, being wonderfully amazed, astonished, or desolate, as David had been, Psa 143:4. The true zealot, as his love is fervent, his desires eager, his delights ravishing, his hopes longing; so his hatred is deadly, his anger fierce, his grief deep, his fear terrible, &c. Zeal is an extreme heat of all the affections, Rom 12:11, boiling hot, hissing hot, as the Greek importeth (ζεοντες).

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.

Ezr 9:3. When I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, &c. — Both my inner and my upper garment. This was a token, not only of his very great grief and sorrow, but of his sense of God’s displeasure at their conduct. For the Jews were wont to rend their clothes, when they apprehended God to be highly offended. And plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard — This was still a higher sign of exceeding great grief. For, in ordinary sorrow, they only neglected their hair, and let it hang down scattered in a careless manner; but this was used in bitter lamentations. And sat down astonied — Through grief and shame at their sin, that they should be so ungrateful to God, who had so lately delivered them from captivity; and through an apprehension of some great and dreadful judgment befalling them, because of so open a violation of the divine law, the transgression of which had formerly proved their ruin.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

EZRA’S GRIEF AND PRAYER, Ezr_9:3-15.

3. I rent my garment and my mantle — Both the inner and the outer clothing. This was a sign of most excessive grief. Job rent only his mantle, Job_1:20. Compare Jos_7:6.

Plucked off the hair — Another sign of anguish and sorrow. Job shaved his head in his agony of grief.

Astonished — Ezra sat down, amazed at the extent and fearfulness of his people’s sin.

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

EZRA"S ASTONISHMENT AND HORROR. (Ezr_9:3, Ezr_9:4) In Babylonia, whence Ezra had come, the inclination to intermarry with the heathen had not, it would seem, shown itself. Exiles in a foreign land naturally cling to each other under their adverse circumstances, and, moreover, being despised by those among whom they sojourn, are not readily accepted by them into social fellowship, much less into affinity and alliance. Thus the thing was to Ezra a new thing. His familiarity with the Law, and, perhaps we may add, his insight into the grounds upon which the Law upon this point was founded, caused him to view the matter as one of the gravest kind, and to feel shocked and horror-struck at what was told him respecting it. He showed his feelings with the usual openness and abandon of an Oriental: first rending both his outer and his inner garments, then tearing his hair and his beard, and finally" sitting down astonied," motionless and speechless, until the time of the evening sacrifice. Such a manifestation of horror and amazement was well calculated to impress and affect the sympathetic and ardent people over whom Providence had placed him.

I rent my garment and my mantle. Rending the clothes was always, and still is, one of the commonest Oriental modes of showing grief. Reuben rent his clothes when his brothers sold Joseph to the Midianites, and Jacob did the same when he believed that Joseph was dead. (Gen_37:29, Gen_37:34) Job "rent his mantle" on learning the death of his sons and daughters; (Job_1:20) and his friends rent every one his mantle when they came to mourn with him and comfort him". (Job_2:11, Job_2:12) Rent clothes indicated that a messenger was a messenger of woe (1Sa_4:12; 2Sa_1:2) or that a man had heard something that had greatly shocked him, and of which he wished to express his horror (2Ki_18:37; Mat_26:65) Ezra"s action is of this last kind, expressive of horror more than of grief, but perhaps in some degree of grief also. And plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard. These are somewhat unusual signs of grief among the Orientals, who were wont to shave the head in great mourning, but seldom tore the hair out by the roots. The practice is not elsewhere mentioned in Scripture, excepting in the apocryphal books (RAPC 1Est 8:71 2Est_1:8; Apoc. (Est_4:2) And sat down astonied. Compare Dan_4:19 Dan_8:27, where the same verb is used in the same sense.

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

9:3 utterly shocked: Cp. Gen 37:34; 2 Kgs 22:11; Job 1:20.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

As one doubting whether God would continue his benefits towards us, or else destroy this which he had begun.

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

when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, &c.--the outer and inner garment, which was a token not only of great grief, but of dread at the same time of the divine wrath;

plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard--which was a still more significant sign of overpowering grief.

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 3. I rent my garment and my mantle] The outer and inner garment, in sign of great grief. This significant act is frequently mentioned in the sacred writings, and was common among all ancient nations.

Plucked off the hair] Shaving the head and beard were signs of excessive grief; much more so the plucking off the hair, which must produce exquisite pain. All this testified his abhorrence, not merely of the act of having taken strange wives, but their having also joined them in their idolatrous abominations.

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

3. I rent my garment and my mantle] Ezra’s conduct betrays his surprise, his grief, and his indignation. The rending of the clothes is frequently mentioned in Scripture as a sign of grief: Ezra here is described as rending the under-garment or tunic (the ‘begedh’) and the long loose robe (the m‘îl) in which he was attired. Reuben rent his ‘clothes’ (plur. of ‘begedh’) on not finding Joseph (Gen_37:29): Jacob rent his ‘garments’ (plur. of ‘simlah’) on seeing Joseph’s blood-stained coat (Gen_37:34): Joseph’s brethren rent their clothers (plur. of ‘simlah’) when the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack (Gen_44:13): Joshua rent his ‘clothes’ (plur. of ‘simlah’) after the repulse at Ai (Jos_7:6): Jephthah rent his clothes (plur. of ‘begedh’) on meeting his daughter (Jdg_11:35): the messenger from the field of Ziklag came with his clothes (plur. of ‘begedh’) rent (2Sa_1:2, cf. 1Sa_4:12): Job rent his mantle (‘m‘îl’) on hearing of his children’s death (Job_1:20), and his friends rent each one his mantle (‘m‘îl’) when they came to visit him (Job_2:12). These were all signs of grief. The action also denoted ‘horror’ on receiving intelligence or hearing words, which shocked: thus Hezekiah and his ministers rent their clothes (plur. of ‘begedh’) after Rabshakeh’s speech (2Ki_18:37; 2Ki_19:1): Mordecai rent his clothes (plur. of ‘begedh’) on hearing of Haman’s determination (Est_4:1): the High-priest rent his garments on hearing the testimony of Jesus (Mat_26:65). See also Isa_36:22; Jer_41:5; 2Ch_34:27.

The ‘mantle’ was a long flowing robe; by this name is designated the High-priest’s robe (Exo_28:31; Exo_28:34; Exo_39:22-23); the ‘robe’ which Hannah made for Samuel (1Sa_2:19); Jonathan’s ‘robe’, which he presented to David (1Sa_18:4); Samuel’s robe (1Sa_15:27); Saul’s ‘robe’ (1Sa_24:4); the ‘robe’ which covered the apparition of Samuel (1Sa_28:14). Its use in metaphor (Psa_109:29; Isa_59:17) agrees with this.

and pluckt off the hair &c.] This sign of grief is not described elsewhere in the O. T. Compare Esther (additions to), Esther 14:2, ‘All the places of her joy she filled with her torn hair’.

The shaven head was a common sign of mourning, e.g. Job_1:20; Eze_7:18; Amo_8:10. Ezra’s action denotes in an exaggerated way his great grief.

Nehemiah’s indignation made him ‘pluck off’ the hair of his opponents (Neh_13:25; cf. 2Es_1:8), but is hardly a parallel case.

and sat down astonied] cf. Dan_4:19 ‘Then Daniel … was astonied or a while’. The word in the original is the same as that rendered ‘desolator’ (marg. desolate) in Dan_9:27, and ‘that maketh desolate’ Dan_11:31. Here the sense of ‘bewilderment’ is uppermost. See the use of ‘astonied’ in the R.V., Job_17:8; Job_18:20; Eze_4:17; Dan_3:24; Dan_4:19.

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 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 shave them, and so transgressed not the law in Lev 19:27 but plucked off the hair of them, to show his extreme sorrow for what was told him: which has frequently been done by mourners on sorrowful occasions in various nations, see Isa 15:2. So in the apocryphal "addition" to Esther,"And laid away her glorious apparel, and put on the garments of anguish and mourning: and instead of precious ointments, she covered her head with ashes and dung, and she humbled her body greatly, and all the places of her joy she filled with her torn hair.'' (Esther 14:2)she is said to fill every place of joy with the tearing of her hair; and Lavinia in Virgil (k); several passages from Homer (l), and other writers, both Greek and Latin, are mentioned by Bochart (m) as instances of it:

and sat down astonished; quite amazed at the ingratitude of the people, that after such favours shown them, in returning them from captivity unto their own land, and settling them there, they should give into practices so contrary to the will of God.

(k) Aeneid. 12. prope finem. Vid. Ciceron. Tusc. Quaest. l. 3. (l) Vid. Iliad. 10. ver. 15. & Iliad. 22. ver. 77, 78, 406. & Iliad. 24. ver. 711. (m) Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 45. col. 481.

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

Plucking out the hair with the hands, so common among the Classical nations, is, comparatively speaking, rarely mentioned as practiced by Asiatics.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Coat, (tunicam) or inner garment. (Haydock) --- Mourning. Hebrew, "astonished." (Syriac) (Montanus) (Calmet) (Protestants) --- Septuagint, "alone." 3 Esdras, "pensive and in grief." (Haydock) --- Arabic, "not uttering a word." See Job i. 20., and ii. 8. This was the ordinary posture of people in sorrow, Isaias iii. 26. (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).

My garment and my mantle; both my inner and my upper garment.

Plucked off the hair of my head, and of my beard, in testimony of my great grief and indignation; which was usual among all these eastern and ancient people, wherein he did not transgress that law, Lev 19:27; Deu 14:1, because he did not shave off all the hair, but only plucked off some hairs.

Sat down astonied; partly for grief and shame at the sin; and partly for fear of some great and dreadful judgment which he expected and feared for it.

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

I rent - Both mine inner and my upper garment.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

This information threw Ezra into deep grief and moral consternation. The tearing of the upper and under garments was a sign of heartfelt and grievous affliction (Jos 8:6); see remarks on Lev 10:6. The plucking out of (a portion of) the hair was the expression of violent wrath or moral indignation, comp. Neh 13:25, and is not to be identified with the cutting off of the hair in mourning Job 1:20). "And sat down stunned;" משׁומם, desolate, rigid, stunned, without motion. While he was sitting thus, there were gathered unto him all who feared the word of God concerning the transgression of those that had been carried away. חרד, trembling, being terrified, generally construed with על or אל (e.g., Isa 66:2, Isa 66:5), but here with ב (like verbs of embracing, believing), and meaning to believe with trembling in the word which God had spoken concerning this מעל, i.e., thinking with terror of the punishments which such faithless conduct towards a covenant God involved.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

When I heard this

When Ezra heard that many Israelites had married foreign women and were worshiping their gods

I tore apart my clothing and robe and pulled out hair from my head and beard

Ezra was showing everyone how unhappy he was that people were doing things that offended God. (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

evening offering

a sacrifice that the priests would offer around the time the sun was going down

translationWords

shame

God

sacrifice

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

bewildered Heb. מְשּׁוֹמֵם miserable and bewildered, like (Ez. 3:15): “...seven days bewildered among them.”

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.