While Ezra prays and casts himself down before the house of God, a very great congregation gathers weeping — and Shecaniah son of Jehiel speaks the hard hope: 'We have broken faith with our God... yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this thing. Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives.' Ezra makes the chiefs swear; a proclamation gathers all Judah and Benjamin to Jerusalem within three days, and the people sit trembling in the broad place before the house of God — for the matter, and for the great rain. The examination is set to elders and judges, city by city, from the tenth month to the first; and the book ends with the register of those who had married foreign women — the priests first, the house of Jeshua among them — 'and they gave their hand that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their guilt.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Now while Ezra prayed, and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there was gathered together to him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children; for the people wept very sore.
verse value 5579
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 95 letters. The shortest word is "weeping" (בֹּכֶה֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·as·his·confessing" (וּכְהִתְוַדֹּת֔וֹ, 8 letters). 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·as·praying" (וּכְהִתְפַּלֵּ֤ל), "and·as·his·confessing" (וּכְהִתְוַדֹּת֔וֹ), "weeping" (בֹּכֶה֙). The root בכה appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "house·of" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "the·people" (root עם, 50x in Ezra); "God" (root אלהים, 47x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'God', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 11 words.
Rashi
weeping Heb. בּכֶה, like בֶּכִי.
Ibn Ezra
Weeping (bocheh) - On the pattern of [the defectively-spelled] “megabeah” (rising), as in “waters rising.”
Ralbag
Wept very sore (harbeh bekheh) - A great deal of weeping; and it appears that Ezra said this [prayer of confession] in a loud voice, so that the hearts of the sinners would be humbled by it.
Metzudat David
'Now while [Ezra] prayed' — while Ezra was praying, etc. 'For...wept' — because of Ezra's prayer, the people who were with him wept, and at the sound of their weeping a great congregation gathered.
Metzudat Zion
Made confession (hitvadoto) - From the language of confession. Casting himself down (mitnapel) - Falling and prostrating himself on the ground.
Malbim
'Women and children' - one may say that also gathered were the wives whose husbands had taken foreign wives [in addition to them], and they too wept; as Malachi speaks of this - referring to this very [period of] Ezra - 'And this you do again: you cover Hashem's altar with tears...'
And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra: ‘We have broken faith with our God, and have married foreign women of the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this thing.
verse value 5931
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 98 letters. The shortest word is "and·he·answered" (וַיַּ֩עַן֩, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·son·of·Jehiel" (בֶן־יְחִיאֵ֜ל, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·he·answered" (וַיַּ֩עַן֩), "we·acted·unfaithfully" (מָעַ֣לְנוּ), "in·our·God" (בֵאלֹהֵ֔ינוּ). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·son·of·Jehiel" (root בן, 167x in Ezra); "from·peoples·of" (root עם, 50x in Ezra); "in·our·God" (root אלהים, 47x in Ezra). First appearance of the root נכרי ("foreign") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 4 words.
Rashi
and we have taken And we took them in. there is hope There is hope for Israel concerning this, for they can cast out their foreign wives and their offspring and cast out all the children born from these foreign wives.
Ibn Ezra
Yet now there is hope (yesh mikveh) - The interrogative heh [that might be expected, forming “ha-yesh”] is missing; from the same root as “I hope for Hashem” [and] “my soul hopes.”
Ralbag
There is hope for Israel concerning this (yesh mikveh leYisrael al zot) - Meaning, [the word “mikveh” can be understood as] a gathering of water in which they will wash and be purified - that is, that the guilty man will abandon his way by sending away all the foreign wives and the children born to them. Or “mikveh” may be related to “tikvah,” hope and trust - meaning that they have hope of being purified from this impurity. Either way the sense is the same, however it is explained.
Metzudat David
'And have married' — we brought them into our homes to take them as wives. 'There is hope' — there is hope to undo this sin.
Metzudat Zion
Hope (mikveh) - From the language of hope and expectation.
Malbim
'From this, this trespass applies to all of them' - because they did not protest against it. Yet is there not, even now, hope in this, to remedy what they previously lacked the power to fix, for...
Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of the Lord, and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.
verse value 5235
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 76 letters. The shortest word is "from·them" (מֵהֶם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "let·us·cut·covenant" (נִֽכְרׇת־בְּרִ֣ית, 8 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "let·us·cut·covenant" (נִֽכְרׇת־בְּרִ֣ית), "all·wives" (כׇל־נָשִׁ֜ים), "and·the·born" (וְהַנּוֹלָ֤ד). The root אלהים appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·our·God" (root אלהים, 47x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'our·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֣ה [and·now] (481) + נִֽכְרׇת־בְּרִ֣ית [let·us·cut·covenant] (1282) + לֵ֠אלֹהֵ֠ינוּ [to·our·God] (132) + לְהוֹצִ֨יא [to·put·away] (142) + כׇל־נָשִׁ֜ים [all·wives] (450) + וְהַנּוֹלָ֤ד [and·the·born] (101) + מֵהֶם֙ [from·them] (85) + בַּעֲצַ֣ת [in·counsel·of] (562) + אֲדֹנָ֔י [Lord] (65) + וְהַחֲרֵדִ֖ים [and·the·trembling] (273) + בְּמִצְוַ֣ת [at·commandment·of] (538) + אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ [our·God] (102) + וְכַתּוֹרָ֖ה [and·as·the·law] (637) + יֵעָשֶֽׂה [let·it·be·done] (385) = 5235.
Rashi
by the counsel of the Lord by the counsel and the will of the Holy One, blessed be He. and those who hasten to [perform] the commandment of our God and the God-fearers, they shall cast them out. and according to the Law it shall be done he who performs this act, who will cast out his gentile wife and children.
Ibn Ezra
And such as are born of them (mehem) - Equivalent to “mehen” [the feminine form]. According to the counsel of Hashem - [Namely, the choice] whether to draw [them] near to the congregation of Hashem, or to distance [them]. We do not find that they drew any of them near [i.e., accepted them as converts]; perhaps they expelled them because they had not been [properly] converted, unlike Ruth the Moabite. And our sages, of blessed memory, said: “He is his son in every respect, except for one born from a maidservant or a Cuthean woman”; and they sent away the mothers and the [these] children. And of those who tremble at the commandment of our God - [Namely,] so as not to intermarry with them, they should send away their wives. And let it be done according to the law - [This applies] to one who is not among the God-fearing, for we shall compel him to send [his wife] away.
Metzudat David
'All the wives' — from the daughters of the idol-worshippers. 'And such as are born of them' — the children born from them. 'According to the counsel of Hashem' — because of the counsel of Hashem, as it is stated, 'Neither shall you make marriages with them...for he will turn away, etc.' (Deuteronomy 7). 'And of those who tremble' — by the command and the urging of those who tremble at the commandment of our God. 'And let it be done according to the law' — and when we do so, it will then be done in accordance with the word of the Torah.
Metzudat Zion
Tremble (hacharedim) - Those who hasten [to obey].
Malbim
'Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God' - [proposed] on the counsel of Hashem and the counsel of those who tremble at His commandments, to put away all the wives and the children born of them. And since they knew that many would rise up against them and refuse to put away their wives - and Ezra himself had power to punish only according to the strict law of the Torah - he needed to frighten them now with more severe penalties. For this, the community as a whole has the authority, if they accept the matter under oath; for then the community has, in this, the status of a king, who may punish beyond the strict law, as in the incident of the concubine at Gibeah, and elsewhere. Therefore he says that they should all enter into a covenant, all of them joining with him to agree to this under oath and imprecation; and then, in accordance with the Torah, [Ezra] would punish, by the authority of the community as a whole, anyone who transgressed - just as they then carried out a harsh punishment against the men of Yavesh-Gilead, who had transgressed the oath of the assembly.
Arise; for the matter belongs to you, and we are with you; be of good courage, and do it.’
verse value 1264
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "arise" (ק֛וּם, 3 letters) and the longest is "for·upon·you" (כִּֽי־עָלֶ֥יךָ, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "arise" (ק֛וּם), "for·upon·you" (כִּֽי־עָלֶ֥יךָ), "and·we" (וַאֲנַ֣חְנוּ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "with·you" (root עם, 50x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: ק֛וּם [arise] (146) + כִּֽי־עָלֶ֥יךָ [for·upon·you] (160) + הַדָּבָ֖ר [the·matter] (211) + וַאֲנַ֣חְנוּ [and·we] (121) + עִמָּ֑ךְ [with·you] (130) + חֲזַ֖ק [be·strong] (115) + וַעֲשֵֽׂה [and·do] (381) = 1264.
Rashi
and we are with you to agree with you.
Metzudat David
'Arise' — be quick about the matter, for it rests upon you, since you are the head of us all, and we will be with you, helping you.
Metzudat Zion
Arise (kum) - An expression of urging, as in 'arise, cross over' (Joshua 1).
Then Ezra arose, and made the chiefs of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they would do according to this word. So they swore.
verse value 3994
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "this" (הַזֶּ֖ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·all·Israel" (וְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·he·made·swear" (וַיַּשְׁבַּ֣ע), "the·chiefs·of" (אֶת־שָׂרֵי֩), "as·the·word" (כַּדָּבָ֥ר). The root שבע appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·priests" (root כהן, 34x in Ezra); "and·all·Israel" (root כל, 33x in Ezra); "and·he·made·swear" (root שבע, 23x in Ezra). Full calculation: וַיָּ֣קׇם [and·he·arose] (156) + עֶזְרָ֡א [Ezra] (278) + וַיַּשְׁבַּ֣ע [and·he·made·swear] (388) + אֶת־שָׂרֵי֩ [the·chiefs·of] (911) + הַכֹּהֲנִ֨ים [the·priests] (130) + הַלְוִיִּ֜ם [the·Levites] (91) + וְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל [and·all·Israel] (597) + לַעֲשׂ֛וֹת [to·do] (806) + כַּדָּבָ֥ר [as·the·word] (226) + הַזֶּ֖ה [this] (17) + וַיִּשָּׁבֵֽעוּ [and·they·swore] (394) = 3994.
Metzudat David
'And all Israel' — the officers of all Israel.
Malbim
'Then [Ezra] arose' - therefore Ezra put the chiefs of the priests, [and the chiefs of] all Israel, under oath, and the matter was carried out with the agreement of the community.
Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib; and when he came there, he did eat no bread, nor drink water; for he mourned because of the faithlessness of them of the captivity.
verse value 4718
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 86 letters. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֗ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·son·of·Eliashib" (בֶּן־אֶלְיָשִׁ֑יב, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 66: and·he·went, and·he·went. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "from·before" (מִלִּפְנֵי֙), "to·chamber·of" (אֶל־לִשְׁכַּ֖ת), "the·son·of·Eliashib" (בֶּן־אֶלְיָשִׁ֑יב). The root הלך appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·son·of·Eliashib" (root בן, 167x in Ezra); "house·of" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "God" (root אלהים, 47x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·son·of·Eliashib', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 10 words.
Metzudat Zion
Chamber (lishkat) - An expression for some room.
Malbim
'And he went' - 'and went there' - meaning that even once he arrived there he still did not eat bread, even though the fast day itself had ended, because he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles and could not eat bread.
And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together to Jerusalem;
verse value 2068
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "voice" (ק֜וֹל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·proclaimed" (וַיַּעֲבִ֨ירוּ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·they·proclaimed" (וַיַּעֲבִ֨ירוּ), "to·gather" (לְהִקָּבֵ֖ץ). The root ירושלם appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 167x in Ezra); "and·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 48x in Ezra); "to·all" (root כל, 33x in Ezra). Full calculation: וַיַּעֲבִ֨ירוּ [and·they·proclaimed] (304) + ק֜וֹל [voice] (136) + בִּיהוּדָ֣ה [in·Judah] (32) + וִירֽוּשָׁלִַ֗ם [and·Jerusalem] (592) + לְכֹל֙ [to·all] (80) + בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + הַגּוֹלָ֔ה [the·captivity] (49) + לְהִקָּבֵ֖ץ [to·gather] (227) + יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם [Jerusalem] (586) = 2068.
Rashi
a proclamation Heb. קוֹל, lit. a voice, an announcement.
Metzudat David
'And they made proclamation' — they announced publicly to all the children of the captivity, etc.
and that whoever came not within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of the captivity.
verse value 4253
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 66 letters. Notable word values: "and·he" (וְה֥וּא) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "and·all" (וְכֹל֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·elders" (וְהַזְּקֵנִ֔ים, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "not·he·comes" (לֹֽא־יָב֜וֹא), "as·counsel·of" (כַּעֲצַ֤ת), "and·the·elders" (וְהַזְּקֵנִ֔ים). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·all" (root כל, 33x in Ezra); "the·days" (root יום, 25x in Ezra); "that" (root אשר, 22x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·his·property', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְכֹל֩ [and·all] (56) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [that] (501) + לֹֽא־יָב֜וֹא [not·he·comes] (50) + לִשְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת [within·three·of] (1060) + הַיָּמִ֗ים [the·days] (105) + כַּעֲצַ֤ת [as·counsel·of] (580) + הַשָּׂרִים֙ [the·princes] (555) + וְהַזְּקֵנִ֔ים [and·the·elders] (218) + יׇחֳרַ֖ם [shall·be·forfeited] (258) + כׇּל־רְכוּשׁ֑וֹ [all·his·property] (582) + וְה֥וּא [and·he] (18) + יִבָּדֵ֖ל [shall·be·separated] (46) + מִקְּהַ֥ל [from·assembly·of] (175) + הַגּוֹלָֽה [the·captivity] (49) = 4253.
Rashi
by three days at the end of three days.
Ralbag
All his substance should be forfeited (yecharam kol rechusho) - All his property will be placed under a ban, and he himself will be cut off from the assembly of the returned exiles.
Metzudat David
'Within three days' — by the end of three days from the time of the proclamation. 'According to the counsel, etc.' — [of the princes and elders] who had set this time limit. 'And himself separated' — he would not be included with the congregation of the captivity in any matter whatsoever.
Metzudat Zion
Forfeited (yocharam) - An expression of destruction and loss.
Malbim
'All his property shall be forfeited' - this is by force of what had been enacted by the community, as [explained] above at verse 3; and therefore it says 'according to the counsel of the officers and elders,' for the community has the authority to do this.
Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together to Jerusalem within the three days; it was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the broad place before the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain.
verse value 6958
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 106 letters. The shortest word is "it" (ה֛וּא, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·men·of·Judah" (כׇל־אַנְשֵֽׁי־יְהוּדָה֩, 11 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·they·gathered" (וַיִּקָּבְצ֣וּ), "all·men·of·Judah" (כׇל־אַנְשֵֽׁי־יְהוּדָה֩), "month" (חֹ֥דֶשׁ). The root חדש appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "house·of" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "all·the·people" (root עם, 50x in Ezra); "Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 48x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·month', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 8 words.
Rashi
the ninth month That is the month of Kislev. quaking over the matter They were afraid over the matter. They were afraid of the stumbling block of this transgression. and because of the rains And because of the rains that were falling upon them there, they were shivering and miserable.
Ibn Ezra
And for the great rain - And because of the abundance of rain, [they were] trembling.
Ralbag
In the broad place before the house of God (birchov beit ha'Elohim) - This is the open square in front of the house of God, outside the Temple courtyard (azarah), for it is not proper to sit within the azarah.
Metzudat David
'In the broad place' — there were open squares on the Temple Mount, just as there had been in the First Temple as well, as it states, 'to the east square' (2 Chronicles 29). 'Trembling' — they were trembling both over the sin they had stumbled into, and because of the heavy rain falling upon them.
Metzudat Zion
Trembling (mar'idim) - From the language of shaking and trembling.
Malbim
'Trembling' - both on account of the matter, namely the transgression, and on account of the rains.
And Ezra the priest stood up, and said to them: ‘You have broken faith, and have married foreign women, to increase the guilt of Israel.
verse value 5251
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "you" (אַתֶּ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·you·have·married" (וַתֹּשִׁ֖יבוּ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "you·acted·unfaithfully" (מְעַלְתֶּ֔ם), "and·you·have·married" (וַתֹּשִׁ֖יבוּ), "to·add" (לְהוֹסִ֖יף). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·priest" (root כהן, 34x in Ezra); "Israel." (root ישראל, 31x in Ezra); "and·said" (root אמר, 26x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'foreign', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֨קׇם [and·stood·up] (156) + עֶזְרָ֤א [Ezra] (278) + הַכֹּהֵן֙ [the·priest] (80) + וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֲלֵהֶ֔ם [to·them] (76) + אַתֶּ֣ם [you] (441) + מְעַלְתֶּ֔ם [you·acted·unfaithfully] (580) + וַתֹּשִׁ֖יבוּ [and·you·have·married] (724) + נָשִׁ֣ים [women] (400) + נׇכְרִיּ֑וֹת [foreign] (686) + לְהוֹסִ֖יף [to·add] (191) + עַל־אַשְׁמַ֥ת [upon·guilt·of] (841) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel.] (541) = 5251.
Metzudat David
'And you have married' — you brought them to dwell in your houses as wives. 'To increase the guilt of Israel' — which they already bore from before.
Malbim
'You have broken faith' - since all Israel are responsible for one another, the guilt rests upon everyone; and he wanted all of them to agree to this, so that by this agreement, whoever transgressed would be considered separated from the community, and there would be authority to punish him - whether by death or by uprooting him entirely [from the community] - under the law governing a king.
Now therefore make confession to Hashem, the God of your fathers, and do His pleasure; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the foreign women.’
verse value 4362
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "give" (תְּנ֥וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·God·of·your·fathers" (אֱלֹהֵֽי־אֲבֹתֵיכֶ֖ם, 10 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "give" (תְּנ֥וּ), "confession" (תוֹדָ֛ה), "the·God·of·your·fathers" (אֱלֹהֵֽי־אֲבֹתֵיכֶ֖ם). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·peoples·of" (root עם, 50x in Ezra); "the·God·of·your·fathers" (root אלהים, 47x in Ezra); "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 37x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·pleasure', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֗ה [and·now] (481) + תְּנ֥וּ [give] (456) + תוֹדָ֛ה [confession] (415) + לַיהֹוָ֥ה [to·Hashem] (56) + אֱלֹהֵֽי־אֲבֹתֵיכֶ֖ם [the·God·of·your·fathers] (519) + וַעֲשׂ֣וּ [and·do] (382) + רְצוֹנ֑וֹ [his·pleasure] (352) + וְהִבָּֽדְלוּ֙ [and·separate·yourselves] (53) + מֵעַמֵּ֣י [from·peoples·of] (160) + הָאָ֔רֶץ [the·land] (296) + וּמִן־הַנָּשִׁ֖ים [and·from·the·women] (501) + הַנׇּכְרִיּֽוֹת [the·foreign] (691) = 4362.
Rashi
confess Heb. תּוֹדָה, [which, in this case, means] וִדּוּי, confession.
Metzudat David
'Make confession' — acknowledge that you have done wrong, regret it, and from now on do His will. 'From the peoples of the land' — so as not to give your daughters [in marriage] to idol-worshippers.
Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice: ‘As you have said, so it is for us to do.
verse value 2318
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "thus" (כֵּ֛ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·the·assembly" (כׇֽל־הַקָּהָ֛ל, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "thus" (כֵּ֛ן), "like·your·word" (כִּדְבָרְךָ֥). The root דבר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·us" (root על, 30x in Ezra); "and·said" (root אמר, 26x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'great', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words.
Metzudat David
'So' — the matter is true and right, and it is incumbent upon us to do as you have said.
But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two; for we have greatly transgressed in this matter.
verse value 3287
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 75 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָד֙) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "many" (רָב֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "for·we·have·multiplied" (כִּֽי־הִרְבִּ֥ינוּ, 8 letters). 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "but" (אֲבָ֞ל), "and·the·time" (וְהָעֵ֣ת), "rain" (גְּשָׁמִ֔ים). 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·people" (root עם, 50x in Ezra); "not·day" (root יום, 25x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·outside', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 9 words.
Rashi
and it is the rainy season for the rains are falling upon us. and the work And this separation from sin cannot be executed so quickly.
Ibn Ezra
Neither is this a work [of one day or two] - The work of separating from the [foreign] wives.
Metzudat David
'The people' — those who have married idol-worshipping wives are many, and there are not enough houses here to hold them all, and it is a time of rain, etc. 'Neither is this a work, etc.' — [namely,] the work of separating out the idol-worshipping wives. 'For we have greatly transgressed' — meaning, many are those who have sinned in this matter.
Let now our princes of all the congregation stand, and let all those who are in our cities who have married foreign women come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and its judges, until the fierce wrath of our God be turned from us, as touching this matter.’
verse value 6655
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 114 letters. Notable word values: "let·him·come" (יָבֹא֙) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "until" (עַ֠ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·wrath·of·our·God" (אַף־אֱלֹהֵ֙ינוּ֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 74: until, until. 14 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "let·them·stand·please" (יַֽעַמְדוּ־נָ֣א), "our·princes" (שָׂ֠רֵ֠ינוּ), "to·all·the·assembly" (לְֽכׇל־הַקָּהָ֞ל). The root עיר appears 2 times in this verse. 22 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·with·them" (root עם, 50x in Ezra); "and·all" (root כל, 33x in Ezra); "that" (root אשר, 22x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·its·judges', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 8 words.
Rashi
with the entire congregation Heb. לְכָל הַקָהָל who took in Heb. הַהשִּׁיב equivalent to אֲשֶּׁר הוֹשִּׁיב. until we avert until the burning anger of the Holy One, blessed be He, returns from upon us.
Ibn Ezra
Has married (ha-hoshiv) - The heh is for definiteness; it is the heh that attaches to past-tense verbs, and its sense is like “asher” (that/which). As touching this matter - Like “ad zeh midavar” [in inverted order]; meaning: the princes shall continue to remain [in session] because of this matter.
Ralbag
Who have married foreign women (hahoshiv nashim nochriyot) - Meaning, who had taken foreign wives [into their households].
Metzudat David
'Our princes of all the congregation' — the officers over the whole congregation shall stand here in Jerusalem until the matter is finished. 'Has married' — [referring to] one who has brought idol-worshipping wives to dwell in his house. 'At appointed times' — according to the time that the officers arrange for them. 'And with them' — along with the men who have brought idol-worshipping wives into their homes, the elders of each city and its judges shall come, to determine whether everyone has appeared. 'Until...be turned' — meaning, the officers shall remain in Jerusalem until they bring about the turning away of Hashem's fierce wrath; and the verse goes on to explain, 'until this matter is finished' — for then the wrath will turn away from Israel.
Metzudat Zion
Appointed times (mezumanim) - An expression of preparation and fixed regularity, as in 'at appointed times' (Nehemiah 13).
Malbim
'Let stand' - meaning that the officers of the people should remain in Jerusalem on behalf of the whole assembly and in its place, so that whatever they do will be as though it were done by the assembly as a whole. 'Until this matter [be settled]' - meaning to repair all the breaches of the generation, including this one, so that nothing should remain on whose account Hashem's wrath would burn against them.
Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah stood up against this matter; and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.
verse value 3734
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "only" (אַ֣ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·son·of·Asahel" (בֶּן־עֲשָׂהאֵ֛ל, 7 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "only" (אַ֣ךְ), "Jonathan" (יוֹנָתָ֧ן), "the·son·of·Asahel" (בֶּן־עֲשָׂהאֵ֛ל). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·son·of·Asahel" (root בן, 167x in Ezra); "the·Levite" (root לוי, 23x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'against·this', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: אַ֣ךְ [only] (21) + יוֹנָתָ֧ן [Jonathan] (516) + בֶּן־עֲשָׂהאֵ֛ל [the·son·of·Asahel] (458) + וְיַחְזְיָ֥ה [and·Jahzeiah] (46) + בֶן־תִּקְוָ֖ה [the·son·of·Tikvah] (563) + עָמְד֣וּ [stood] (120) + עַל־זֹ֑את [against·this] (508) + וּמְשֻׁלָּ֛ם [and·Meshullam] (416) + וְשַׁבְּתַ֥י [and·Shabbethai] (718) + הַלֵּוִ֖י [the·Levite] (51) + עֲזָרֻֽם [helped·them] (317) = 3734.
Rashi
stood up against this to argue concerning this matter. supported them strengthened their hands.
Metzudat David
'Stood up against this matter' — they exerted great effort concerning this matter, [namely] to separate out the idol-worshipping wives. 'Helped them' — they assisted them in this matter.
Malbim
'Only Jonathan' - [meaning] that only these two stood in opposition to contest the matter, with two others assisting them; but the rest of the people agreed to it.
And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain heads of fathers’ houses, after their fathers’ houses, and all of them by their names, were separated; and they sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.
verse value 6137
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 92 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָד֙) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·did·so" (וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ־כֵן֮, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: and·were·separated, in·day. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·did·so" (וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ־כֵן֮), "and·were·separated" (וַיִּבָּדְלוּ֩), "their·fathers" (אֲבֹתָ֖ם). The root אב appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 167x in Ezra); "to·house·of" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "the·priest" (root כהן, 34x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'by·names', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 7 words.
Rashi
to investigate Heb. לְדַרְיוֹשּׁ, like לִדְרוֹשּׁ.
Ibn Ezra
And Ezra the priest, [with certain] men, were separated - The vav is missing; the sense is “[and] men.” To examine (ledaryosh) - An unusual word because of the yod; it is a four-letter word of the heavy, doubled pattern, and it takes a cholam, following the pattern of “yasor yisreni,” “kavoh kivviti,” [and] “vayevarech barech” — and its meaning is “lidrosh” (to inquire).
Ralbag
And Ezra the priest, with certain heads of fathers' houses, were separated (vayibadlu Ezra hakohen anashim rashei ha'avot) - Meaning, they had already been set apart for this task: Ezra the priest, together with men who were heads of fathers' houses. To examine the matter (lidrosh hadavar) - Meaning, to investigate the matter [and determine] who were the ones who had transgressed.
Metzudat David
'And...did so' — [namely,] to send away the idol-worshipping wives. 'Were separated' — they separated out the idol-worshipping wives, and those who carried out the separation were Ezra the priest, together with men who were heads of the fathers' houses — that is, the heads of the families. 'And all of them by their names' — those heads of the fathers' houses were known and recognized by name, on account of their great standing. 'To examine (ledaryosh)' — equivalent to 'lidrosh' [to investigate]; the yod is extra.
Malbim
'And they were set apart' - meaning that Ezra and the heads of the ancestral houses remained in Jerusalem, set apart from the rest of the people, who returned to their own affairs, while they sat to investigate the matter.
And they were finished with all the men who had married foreign women by the first day of the first month.
verse value 2986
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 47 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֖ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "until" (עַ֛ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "who·married" (הַהֹשִׁ֖יבוּ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·finished" (וַיְכַלּ֣וּ), "who·married" (הַהֹשִׁ֖יבוּ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "with·all" (root כל, 33x in Ezra); "day" (root יום, 25x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'foreign', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיְכַלּ֣וּ [and·finished] (72) + בַכֹּ֔ל [with·all] (52) + אֲנָשִׁ֕ים [men] (401) + הַהֹשִׁ֖יבוּ [who·married] (328) + נָשִׁ֣ים [women] (400) + נׇכְרִיּ֑וֹת [foreign] (686) + עַ֛ד [until] (74) + י֥וֹם [day] (56) + אֶחָ֖ד [one] (13) + לַחֹ֥דֶשׁ [of·the·month] (342) + הָרִאשֽׁוֹן [the·first] (562) = 2986.
Rashi
And they completed everything And they completed the rectification of the matter of the men who had brought in heathen wives, for they cast them out. of the first month until the first day of Nissan.
Ibn Ezra
And they were finished with all [the men] - The bet stands in place of two [functions]; the sense is: “and they finished among all the men who had taken [foreign wives].”
Ralbag
And they were finished with all the men who had married foreign women (vayechalu bechol anashim hahoshivu nashim nochriyot) - Meaning, in this way they completed the investigation in every place, seeking out who were the men who had taken foreign wives.
Metzudat David
'And they were finished' — they completed the matter of separation for all the men who had married idol-worshipping wives, from the time they began sitting [in session] until the first day, etc.
Malbim
'And they finished with all' [this is explained as] 'with the men' [the letter bet is understood to serve two functions {as though it read 'with all the men who...'}, and therefore the word 'bechol' is vocalized with a cholam], as Ibn Ezra writes. 'Who had taken [foreign wives]' means 'who had taken them.' 'And being guilty, a ram of the flock' - the Sages explained in Kritot 11a that they had relations with a designated bondwoman (a shifchah charufah), and were therefore obligated to bring a guilt-offering ram, as the law requires. This is also why it says 'and being guilty' - for in the law of a shifchah charufah one is liable only if he had relations in the usual manner and completed the act; therefore, if two witnesses testified that he had relations with a shifchah charufah and he says, 'I did not,' he is not liable, since he can claim, 'I did not complete the act,' as stated in Kritot 12a. If so, he cannot be obligated to bring a guilt-offering ram on the testimony of witnesses - only where the men themselves admitted their guilt were they obligated to bring a ram of the flock. Now, they could have freed her [to permit the marriage], but since they were priests, she was forbidden to them under the prohibition of a 'zonah'; therefore they committed themselves to put her away, in accordance with the law of a priest who married a woman through transgression - that he vows [to forswear benefit from her] and continues to serve [in the Temple]. Rashi wrote that this [sending away] was a temporary ruling [of that time alone], but this is difficult, for it goes against the Gemara cited above. It appears that Rashi is following his own position, for he writes in Gittin 36a that the Jubilee was not observed in Second Temple times; and if so, according to the ruling that a shifchah charufah is a woman betrothed to a Hebrew bondman, this could not have applied in Second Temple times, since the law of a Hebrew bondman applies only when the Jubilee is in effect. It must therefore be that Rav Chisda, who said that they had relations with a shifchah charufah, spoke according to the view of others in Kritot 11a, that a shifchah charufah is a woman betrothed to a Canaanite bondman - though this is not the halachah according to Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yehudah, who hold that a shifchah charufah is a woman betrothed to a Hebrew bondman. Tosafot, however, in Gittin [ibid.] and in Arachin 31a, wrote that the Jubilee was observed in Second Temple times and that the law of the Hebrew bondman was in effect; and according to their view, Rav Chisda's statement accords with the halachah.
And among the sons of the priests there were found who had married foreign women, namely: of the sons of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and his brethren, Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.
verse value 4105
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 76 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·son·of·Jozadak" (בֶּן־יֽוֹצָדָק֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 102: from·sons·of, from·sons·of. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·was·found" (וַיִּמָּצֵא֙), "married" (הֹשִׁ֖יבוּ), "and·Jarib" (וְיָרִ֖יב). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·sons·of" (root בן, 167x in Ezra); "the·priests" (root כהן, 34x in Ezra); "that" (root אשר, 22x in Ezra). First appearance of the root מעשיה ("Maaseiah") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'foreign', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Metzudat David
'Maaseiah, etc.' — these were the ones who had brought idol-worshipping wives into their homes.
And they gave their hand that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their guilt.
verse value 2533
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "their·hand" (יָדָ֖ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "for·their·guilt" (עַל־אַשְׁמָתָֽם, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "their·hand" (יָדָ֖ם), "their·wives" (נְשֵׁיהֶ֑ם), "and·guilty" (וַאֲשֵׁמִ֥ים). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·gave" (root נתן, 24x in Ezra); "their·hand" (root יד, 20x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·wives', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתְּנ֥וּ [and·they·gave] (472) + יָדָ֖ם [their·hand] (54) + לְהוֹצִ֣יא [to·put·away] (142) + נְשֵׁיהֶ֑ם [their·wives] (405) + וַאֲשֵׁמִ֥ים [and·guilty] (397) + אֵֽיל־צֹ֖אן [ram·of·flock] (182) + עַל־אַשְׁמָתָֽם [for·their·guilt] (881) = 2533.
Rashi
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.
Ibn Ezra
And they gave their hand - An allusion to a handshake as an oath, or the giving of the hand like one who hands himself over to another to carry out his will and his request; likewise, [elsewhere] “they gave a hand” means “we surrendered ourselves to them.” Being guilty (ashamim) - A noun-form [adjective]; and the meaning: “and the guilty ones gave [a pledge] to offer a ram of the flock.” We do not find [elsewhere] a guilt-penalty for one who cohabits with a gentile woman; perhaps it was the counsel of the leaders to institute this on their own.
Ralbag
'And being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their guilt' - This appears to have been a temporary ruling, for we do not find a guilt-offering required for relations with a non-Jewish woman, except in the case of a betrothed bondwoman. Yet here they were compelled to send away the children they had from these women, for a child born from a non-Jewish woman is her mother's child, not a child of Israel, as is stated in many places in the Torah. This is the explanation of what needed to be explained in this passage, which we have limited our explanation to at this point.
Now, the benefits to be derived from this account are these:
The first benefit is to make known that a person should carefully consider the paths he takes, so that he may fully accomplish, to the greatest extent possible, what he intends through them. Thus you find it told that when Ezra was at the river that flows to Ahava, he encamped there three days to examine those who had come up with him, to see whether they would fulfill for him what he sought through them. When he saw that there were no Levites or servants for the House of God among them, he took pains to send to a place where leading men and wise men could be found, and he sent them to Iddo, the leader there, and to his brethren and to the netinim, so that they might fully achieve his purpose - for leading men are heeded, and the wise are likewise heeded, and when the two are joined together they are heeded all the more, and better able to carry out their mission. Nor was this enough for Ezra; he also put words in their mouths to speak there, so that their words would be more complete and better suited to achieving the goal. For this reason it also relates that while Ezra was at the river Ahava, he took to heart the danger that he and those who came up with him faced from the enemies of Judah and Benjamin, and he and those with him afflicted themselves with fasting and prayed to Hashem, may He be blessed, to make the way straight before them, to save them from every enemy and ambush - until Hashem, may He be blessed, answered them, and they were assured that no harm would befall them on their journey.
The second benefit is to make known that one should approach Hashem, may He be blessed, with fasting and prayer in times of trouble and fear. For this reason it mentions that Ezra and his company fasted and prayed to Hashem, may He be blessed, when they feared enemy and ambush on their way; and likewise it relates that Ezra fasted, confessed, and prayed over the trespass of the exiles, fearing lest the wrath of Hashem be kindled against them. And so it is, for fasting together with prayer benefits both the righteous and the wicked. For the wicked, fasting subdues the animal soul and weakens its desires, making a person more fit to draw near to Hashem, may He be blessed, and to abandon his evil way - so that his prayer is more readily accepted. As for the righteous, they too find benefit in this: since they stand under divine providence and are themselves distressed over the matter, then, by virtue of that providence, the evil that distresses them is removed, and their prayer is thereby accepted so as to save even others who are not [in themselves] worthy of having such providence attach to them - on account of the divine providence attached to the righteous. In this way, then, one person's prayer can indeed benefit another.
The third benefit is to make known that one who seeks something from a ruler should not, together with his request, raise any matter that might be seen as running counter to the very considerations that moved the ruler to grant his request - lest the ruler then withhold what he had already been prepared to give. Thus you find that, because the considerations that moved Artaxerxes to grant Ezra's request were what Ezra had planted in the king's heart - that the hand of the God of Israel is upon all who seek Him, for good, and His power and His wrath are against all who forsake Him - the king's heart was drawn all the more toward the service of the House of God, so that wrath would not come upon the kingdom of the king and his sons. Because of this, Ezra did not agree to ask the king for troops and horsemen to guard him on the way, lest Artaxerxes think that this ran counter to what he had said before - even though that was not, in fact, the true reason, for Hashem, may He be blessed, although He helps those who love Him, does not wish that they rely on a miracle when it is possible for them to take ordinary precaution instead.
The fourth benefit is to make known that it is proper to entrust a large sum of consecrated money to many people, by weight, so that they cannot take from it, and so that no suspicion will attach to them either. For if this were not done, suspicion might arise that they had stolen from that money, whether they grew rich or grew poor - for if they grew rich, people would say, 'Surely they stole this wealth from the consecrated funds'; and if they grew poor, people would say, 'It is because of the sin of stealing the consecrated funds that they lost their wealth.' For this reason it relates that Ezra took great care with this consecrated wealth on the journey, placing it in the hands of twelve men and weighing it out to them; and they, in turn, delivered it back by weight to the chiefs of the priests and the Levites and the heads of the ancestral houses of Israel - that is, to all the families of Israel - so that all of these were cleared of suspicion, since no single one of these families could steal anything from the consecrated funds without all of them knowing of it. After this, they placed it in the chambers of the House of Hashem.
The fifth benefit is to make known that it is proper to place consecrated things alongside other consecrated things. For this reason it relates that Ezra said to those to whom he entrusted the consecrated wealth, 'You are holy to Hashem, and the vessels are holy' - as if to say that for this very reason it is fitting to entrust the consecrated wealth to them. This benefit is self-evident.
The sixth benefit is to make known that intermarrying with the nations is a very grave sin - for even though its penalty [under law] is only lashes, note that when Solomon intermarried with daughters of the nations, even though they had converted, we were exiled from our land and our slain were multiplied. Thus you find that Ezra was so remarkably affected by this sin when he found it present in Israel, and strove to cleanse Israel of it with such urgency, that he paid no heed to the people's distress over the rains, so that they would hasten to purify themselves of this sin before the wrath of Hashem, may He be blessed, would blaze up against them.
The seventh benefit is to make known that Ezra, foreseeing the difficulty the husbands of these women would have in sending away their wives and children, handled the matter with such wondrous wisdom that, rather than needing to be reproved, they became convinced on their own, on account of what they heard in Ezra's words as he spoke to Hashem, may He be blessed - in which he explained, in utterly thorough fashion, that because of this sin they stood in a position where it would be fitting for Hashem, may He be blessed, to be enraged against them to the point of utter destruction, with neither remnant nor survivor. For this reason Ezra wept and fell down before God and tore his garment and robe, until these words that Ezra spoke to Hashem, may He be blessed, as he cast himself down before Him, cast great fear upon the entire community of exiles, and they resolved on their own to send away those wives and their children. And even though they were numerous, as is related, not one of them failed to agree to this.
Metzudat David
'And they gave their hand' — they pledged, shaking on it, to send away their wives and to bring a guilt-offering — a ram from the flock — for their guilt; and this was a ruling for that time alone.
Verse structure: 4 words, 18 letters. The shortest word is "Immer" (אִמֵּ֔ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Zebadiah" (וּזְבַדְיָֽה, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "Hanani" (חֲנָ֖נִי), "and·Zebadiah" (וּזְבַדְיָֽה). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·of·the·sons·of" (root בן, 167x in Ezra); "Immer" (root אמר, 26x in Ezra). Full calculation: וּמִבְּנֵ֣י [and·of·the·sons·of] (108) + אִמֵּ֔ר [Immer] (241) + חֲנָ֖נִי [Hanani] (118) + וּזְבַדְיָֽה [and·Zebadiah] (34) = 501.
Rashi
And of the sons of Immer All these are priests until (verse 23): “And of the Levites, etc.”
And of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.
verse value 1427
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "Harim" (חָרִ֑ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Shemaiah" (וּֽשְׁמַֽעְיָ֔ה, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·Uzziah" (וְעֻזִּיָּֽה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·of·the·sons·of" (root בן, 167x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Harim', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 5 words. 5 of the verse's 7 words begin with the letter ו. Full calculation: וּמִבְּנֵ֖י [and·of·the·sons·of] (108) + חָרִ֑ם [Harim] (248) + מַעֲשֵׂיָ֤ה [Maaseiah] (425) + וְאֵֽלִיָּה֙ [and·Elijah] (52) + וּֽשְׁמַֽעְיָ֔ה [and·Shemaiah] (431) + וִיחִיאֵ֖ל [and·Jehiel] (65) + וְעֻזִּיָּֽה [and·Uzziah] (98) = 1427.
And of the singers: Eliashib; and of the porters: Shallum, and Telem, and Uri.
verse value 2643
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "Shallum" (שַׁלֻּ֥ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·from·the·singers" (וּמִן־הַמְשֹׁרְרִ֖ים, 10 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·from·the·singers" (וּמִן־הַמְשֹׁרְרִ֖ים), "and·from·the·porters" (וּמִן־הַשֹּׁ֣עֲרִ֔ים), "and·Telem" (וָטֶ֖לֶם). 6 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root אלישיב ("Eliashib") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Eliashib', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּמִן־הַמְשֹׁרְרִ֖ים [and·from·the·singers] (891) + אֶלְיָשִׁ֑יב [Eliashib] (353) + וּמִן־הַשֹּׁ֣עֲרִ֔ים [and·from·the·porters] (721) + שַׁלֻּ֥ם [Shallum] (370) + וָטֶ֖לֶם [and·Telem] (85) + וְאוּרִֽי [and·Uri] (223) = 2643.
And of Israel: of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, and Izziah, and Malchijah, and Mijamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah.
verse value 2387
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "of·the·sons·of" (מִבְּנֵ֣י, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·of·Israel" (וּמִֽיִּשְׂרָאֵ֑ל, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 111: and·Malchijah, and·Malchijah. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·of·Israel" (וּמִֽיִּשְׂרָאֵ֑ל), "Ramiah" (רַ֠מְיָ֠ה), "and·Izziah" (וְיִזִּיָּ֤ה). The root מלכיה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of·the·sons·of" (root בן, 167x in Ezra); "and·of·Israel" (root ישראל, 31x in Ezra). First appearance of the root מלכיה ("and·Malchijah") in Ezra. First appearance of the root בניה ("and·Benaiah") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·of·Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 1 and 9 words. 7 of the verse's 10 words begin with the letter ו. Full calculation: וּמִֽיִּשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [and·of·Israel] (587) + מִבְּנֵ֣י [of·the·sons·of] (102) + פַרְעֹ֡שׁ [Parosh] (650) + רַ֠מְיָ֠ה [Ramiah] (255) + וְיִזִּיָּ֤ה [and·Izziah] (38) + וּמַלְכִּיָּה֙ [and·Malchijah] (111) + וּמִיָּמִ֣ן [and·Mijamin] (146) + וְאֶלְעָזָ֔ר [and·Eleazar] (314) + וּמַלְכִּיָּ֖ה [and·Malchijah] (111) + וּבְנָיָֽה [and·Benaiah] (73) = 2387.
And of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Elijah.
verse value 1876
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "Elam" (עֵילָ֑ם, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·Jehiel" (וִיחִיאֵ֣ל, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·Abdi" (וְעַבְדִּ֔י). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·of·the·sons·of" (root בן, 167x in Ezra). First appearance of the root מתניה ("Mattaniah") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Elam', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 6 words. 5 of the verse's 8 words begin with the letter ו. Full calculation: וּמִבְּנֵ֖י [and·of·the·sons·of] (108) + עֵילָ֑ם [Elam] (150) + מַתַּנְיָ֤ה [Mattaniah] (505) + זְכַרְיָה֙ [Zechariah] (242) + וִיחִיאֵ֣ל [and·Jehiel] (65) + וְעַבְדִּ֔י [and·Abdi] (92) + וִירֵמ֖וֹת [and·Jeremoth] (662) + וְאֵלִיָּֽה [and·Elijah] (52) = 1876.
And of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.
verse value 2339
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "Zattu" (זַתּ֑וּא, 4 letters) and the longest is "Elioenai" (אֶלְיוֹעֵנַ֤י, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "Elioenai" (אֶלְיוֹעֵנַ֤י), "and·Zabad" (וְזָבָ֖ד), "and·Aziza" (וַעֲזִיזָֽא). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·of·the·sons·of" (root בן, 167x in Ezra). First appearance of the root זבד ("and·Zabad") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Zattu', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 6 words. Full calculation: וּמִבְּנֵ֖י [and·of·the·sons·of] (108) + זַתּ֑וּא [Zattu] (414) + אֶלְיוֹעֵנַ֤י [Elioenai] (177) + אֶלְיָשִׁיב֙ [Eliashib] (353) + מַתַּנְיָ֣ה [Mattaniah] (505) + וִֽירֵמ֔וֹת [and·Jeremoth] (662) + וְזָבָ֖ד [and·Zabad] (19) + וַעֲזִיזָֽא [and·Aziza] (101) = 2339.
And of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, Athlai.
verse value 903
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "Bebai" (בֵּבָ֑י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Jehohanan" (יְהוֹחָנָ֥ן, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "Hananiah" (חֲנַנְיָ֖ה), "Zabbai" (זַבַּ֥י), "Athlai" (עַתְלָֽי). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·of·the·sons·of" (root בן, 167x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Bebai', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּמִבְּנֵ֖י [and·of·the·sons·of] (108) + בֵּבָ֑י [Bebai] (14) + יְהוֹחָנָ֥ן [Jehohanan] (129) + חֲנַנְיָ֖ה [Hananiah] (123) + זַבַּ֥י [Zabbai] (19) + עַתְלָֽי [Athlai] (510) = 903.
And of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth.
verse value 2734
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "Bani" (בָּנִ֑י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·of·the·sons·of" (וּמִבְּנֵ֖י, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "Meshullam" (מְשֻׁלָּ֤ם), "Jashub" (יָשׁ֖וּב), "and·Sheal" (וּשְׁאָ֥ל). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·of·the·sons·of" (root בן, 167x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Bani', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 7 words.
And of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon;
verse value 1955
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "Harim" (חָרִ֑ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "Eliezer" (אֱלִיעֶ֧זֶר, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "Eliezer" (אֱלִיעֶ֧זֶר), "Isshijah" (יִשִּׁיָּ֛ה), "Malchijah" (מַלְכִּיָּ֖ה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons·of" (root בן, 167x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Harim', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּבְנֵ֖י [and·sons·of] (68) + חָרִ֑ם [Harim] (248) + אֱלִיעֶ֧זֶר [Eliezer] (318) + יִשִּׁיָּ֛ה [Isshijah] (325) + מַלְכִּיָּ֖ה [Malchijah] (105) + שְׁמַֽעְיָ֥ה [Shemaiah] (425) + שִׁמְעֽוֹן [Shimeon] (466) = 1955.
Verse structure: 3 words, 14 letters. The shortest word is "Malluch" (מַלּ֖וּךְ, 4 letters) and the longest is "Benjamin" (בִּנְיָמִ֥ן, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "Benjamin" (בִּנְיָמִ֥ן). 3 unique roots are used. Full calculation: בִּנְיָמִ֥ן [Benjamin] (152) + מַלּ֖וּךְ [Malluch] (96) + שְׁמַרְיָֽה [Shemariah] (555) = 803.
Of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, Shimei.
verse value 3043
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 36 letters. Notable word values: "Zabad" (זָבָ֣ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "Hashum" (חָשֻׁ֑ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "Eliphelet" (אֱלִיפֶ֔לֶט, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "Mattattah" (מַתַּתָּה֙), "Jeremai" (יְרֵמַ֥י), "Manasseh" (מְנַשֶּׁ֖ה). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of·the·sons·of" (root בן, 167x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashum', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 7 words. Full calculation: מִבְּנֵ֖י [of·the·sons·of] (102) + חָשֻׁ֑ם [Hashum] (348) + מַתְּנַ֤י [Mattenai] (500) + מַתַּתָּה֙ [Mattattah] (845) + זָבָ֣ד [Zabad] (13) + אֱלִיפֶ֔לֶט [Eliphelet] (160) + יְרֵמַ֥י [Jeremai] (260) + מְנַשֶּׁ֖ה [Manasseh] (395) + שִׁמְעִֽי [Shimei] (420) = 3043.
Verse structure: 5 words, 20 letters. The shortest word is "Bani" (בָנִ֔י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Uel" (וְאוּאֵֽל, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "Maadai" (מַעֲדַ֥י), "Amram" (עַמְרָ֖ם), "and·Uel" (וְאוּאֵֽל). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of·the·sons·of" (root בן, 167x in Ezra). Full calculation: מִבְּנֵ֣י [of·the·sons·of] (102) + בָנִ֔י [Bani] (62) + מַעֲדַ֥י [Maadai] (124) + עַמְרָ֖ם [Amram] (350) + וְאוּאֵֽל [and·Uel] (44) = 682.
Malbim
'Of the sons of Bani' - were they not already counted [above, verse 29]? [This must mean] that these are sons of a son of Bani [i.e., grandsons - a different lineage bearing the same name].
Verse structure: 4 words, 18 letters. The shortest word is "Benaiah" (בְּנָיָ֥ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "Cheluhu" (כְּלֽוּהוּ, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 67: Benaiah, Cheluhu. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "Bedeiah" (בֵדְיָ֖ה), "Cheluhu" (כְּלֽוּהוּ). 3 unique roots are used.
Verse structure: 3 words, 15 letters. The shortest word is "Vaniah" (וַנְיָ֥ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "Eliashib" (אֶלְיָשִֽׁיב, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "Vaniah" (וַנְיָ֥ה), "Meremoth" (מְרֵמ֖וֹת). 3 unique roots are used. Full calculation: וַנְיָ֥ה [Vaniah] (71) + מְרֵמ֖וֹת [Meremoth] (686) + אֶלְיָשִֽׁיב [Eliashib] (353) = 1110.
Verse structure: 4 words, 19 letters. The shortest word is "Mattenai" (מַתְּנַ֖י, 4 letters) and the longest is "Mattaniah" (מַתַּנְיָ֥ה, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·Jaasai" (וְיַעֲשָֽׂי). 4 unique roots are used.
Verse structure: 3 words, 15 letters. The shortest word is "and·Nathan" (וְנָתָ֖ן, 4 letters) and the longest is "Shelemiah" (וְשֶֽׁלֶמְיָ֥ה, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "Shelemiah" (וְשֶֽׁלֶמְיָ֥ה), "and·Nathan" (וְנָתָ֖ן). 3 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Nathan" (root נתן, 24x in Ezra). Full calculation: וְשֶֽׁלֶמְיָ֥ה [Shelemiah] (391) + וְנָתָ֖ן [and·Nathan] (506) + וַעֲדָיָֽה [and·Adaiah] (95) = 992.
Verse structure: 3 words, 12 letters. The shortest word is "Shashai" (שָׁשַׁ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Machnadebai" (מַכְנַדְבַ֥י, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "Machnadebai" (מַכְנַדְבַ֥י), "Shashai" (שָׁשַׁ֖י). 3 unique roots are used. Full calculation: מַכְנַדְבַ֥י [Machnadebai] (126) + שָׁשַׁ֖י [Shashai] (610) + שָׁרָֽי [Sharai] (510) = 1246.
Verse structure: 3 words, 17 letters. Verse gematria: 1260 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "Azarel" (עֲזַרְאֵ֥ל, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·Shelemiah" (וְשֶׁלֶמְיָ֖הוּ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "Azarel" (עֲזַרְאֵ֥ל), "and·Shelemiah" (וְשֶׁלֶמְיָ֖הוּ). 3 unique roots are used. Full calculation: עֲזַרְאֵ֥ל [Azarel] (308) + וְשֶׁלֶמְיָ֖הוּ [and·Shelemiah] (397) + שְׁמַרְיָֽה [Shemariah] (555) = 1260.
Verse structure: 3 words, 13 letters. The shortest word is "Shallum" (שַׁלּ֥וּם, 4 letters) and the longest is "Amariah" (אֲמַרְיָ֖ה, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "Shallum" (שַׁלּ֥וּם), "Amariah" (אֲמַרְיָ֖ה), "Joseph" (יוֹסֵֽף). 3 unique roots are used. Full calculation: שַׁלּ֥וּם [Shallum] (376) + אֲמַרְיָ֖ה [Amariah] (256) + יוֹסֵֽף [Joseph] (156) = 788.
Of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, and Joel, Benaiah.
verse value 1383
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 40 letters. Notable word values: "Zabad" (זָבָ֣ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "Nebo" (נְב֑וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Jeiel" (יְעִיאֵ֤ל, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "Mattithiah" (מַתִּתְיָה֙), "Zebina" (זְבִינָ֔א), "and·Joel" (וְיוֹאֵ֖ל). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of·the·sons·of" (root בן, 167x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Nebo', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 8 words.
All these had taken foreign wives; and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
verse value 3165
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 43 letters. Notable word values: "all·these" (כׇּל־אֵ֕לֶּה) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "and·there·are" (וְיֵ֣שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "foreign" (נׇכְרִיּ֑וֹת, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 400: wives, wives. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "all·these" (כׇּל־אֵ֕לֶּה), "took" (נָשְׂא֖וּ), "and·there·are" (וְיֵ֣שׁ). The root נשא appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons" (root בן, 167x in Ezra); "all·these" (root אלה, 43x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'foreign', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words.
Rashi
and some of them had wives by whom they had children And some of them had heathen wives by whom they had children. They cast out all of them, both the wives and the children.
Ibn Ezra
And some of them had wives - The sense: some of these had wives, and had already “placed” children — meaning they had fathered children by them. Or [alternatively]: “and they presented the children before the heads of the fathers' houses” in order to take counsel as to what should be done with them — whether to send them away, or whether to keep them close.
Malbim
'And some of them had [taken] wives' by whom they had children - the word 'had taken' (nasu) is understood to apply to both [clauses]. It says 'they had children' (vayasimu vanim) rather than 'and they bore [children]' (vayeldu), because the offspring of a foreign woman is reckoned like her [i.e., follows her status].
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim