Ezra 10:44
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
American King James Version (AKJV)
All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
American Standard Version (ASV)
All these had taken foreign wives; and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
Basic English Translation (BBE)
All these had taken strange wives; and some of them had wives by whom they had offspring.
Webster's Revision
All these had taken foreign wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
World English Bible
All these had taken foreign wives; and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
English Revised Version (ERV)
All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
Clarke's Ezra 10:44 Bible Commentary
Some of them had wives by whom they had children - This observation was probably intended to show that only a few of them had children; but it shows also how rigorously the law was put in execution.
According to a passage in Justin Martyr's dialogue with Trypho, a Jew, Ezra offered a paschal lamb on this occasion, and addressed the people thus: "And Ezra said to the people, This passover is our Savior and our Refuge; and if ye will be persuaded of it, and let it enter into your hearts, that we are to humble ourselves to him in a sign, and afterwards shall believe in him, this place shall not be destroyed for ever, saith the Lord of Hosts: but if ye will not believe in him, nor hearken to his preaching, ye shall be a laughing-stock to the Gentiles." - Dial. cum Tryphone, sec. 72.
This passage, Justin says, the Jews, through their enmity to Christ, blotted out of the book of Ezra. He charges them with cancelling several other places through the same spirit of enmity and opposition.
In the Hebrew text this and the following book make but one, though sometimes Nehemiah is distinguished as the second book of Esdras. In the Masoretic enumeration of sections, etc., both books are conjoined. This may be seen at the end of Nehemiah. I can add nothing of importance to the character of Ezra, which has already been given so much in detail in the introduction to this book.
Corrected, March, 1828. - A. Clarke.
Barnes's Ezra 10:44 Bible Commentary
The guilty persons, it would seem, were 113 in number. They comprised 4 members of the high priest's family, 13 other priests, 10 Levites, and 86 lay Israelites belonging to at least 10 distinct families. The fact noted in the second clause of the verse must have increased the difficulity of Ezra's task.
Wesley's Ezra 10:44 Bible Commentary
10:44 Had children - This implies that most of their wives were barren.Which came to pass by God's special providence, to manifest his displeasure against such matches, and that the putting them away might not be encumbered with too many difficulties. One would think this grievance altogether removed. Yet we meet with it again, Nehemiah 13:22 . Such corruptions are easily and insensibly brought in, tho' not easily purged out. The best reformers can but do their endeavour. It is only the Redeemer himself, who when he cometh to Sion, will effectually turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
