The Meaning of Ezra 10:1 Explained

Ezra 10:1

KJV: Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.

YLT: And at Ezra's praying, and at his making confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there have been gathered unto him out of Israel an assembly very great -- men and women and children -- for the people have wept, multiplying weeping.

Darby: And while Ezra prayed, and made confession, weeping and falling down before the house of God, there were gathered to him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children; for the people wept very much.

ASV: Now while Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there was gathered together unto him out of Israel a very great assembly of men and women and children; for the people wept very sore.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Now when Ezra  had prayed,  and when he had confessed,  weeping  and casting himself down  before  the house  of God,  there assembled  unto him out of Israel  a very  great  congregation  of men  and women  and children:  for the people  wept  very  sore. 

What does Ezra 10:1 Mean?

Context Summary

Ezra 10:1-19 - Putting Away Strange Marriages
The people seem to have been more impressed by Ezra's intense grief of soul than they could have been by his severest condemnation. Is not this the secret of winning men from their evil ways? But we must not expend all our force in tears; we must act when we have opportunity. Shechaniah was not implicated, but his father and other near relatives were, Ezra 10:26. His words may be appropriated by us all, Ezra 10:2. There is always hope for the man who repents and puts away evil. It is a great encouragement when brave men will stand by the reformer, but whether they do or not, there is One who neither leaves nor forsakes, Hebrews 13:5-6. A drastic remedy was required; it seemed very hard and must have occasioned many heartbreaks. Probably if a wife had truly turned to the God of Israel, she would have been retained. God demands the sacrifice of anything which comes between us and Him, however dear, Mark 9:43; Matthew 10:37. There is no warrant for such action in our days. The process of the Gospel is given in 1 Corinthians 7:12-13. A solemn assembly was convened in the month of December, the coldest and rainiest time of the year. A court of inquiry was finally appointed, who continued their labors for about a quarter of a year. The offense seems to have been temporarily eradicated, though we meet with it again, Nehemiah 13:23; Malachi 2:11. Each generation repeats the sins of its predecessors, unwarned by their bitter experiences. Not the study of history, but the Spirit of God is needed to deal with and subdue individual and national sins [source]

Chapter Summary: Ezra 10

1  Ezra encouraged to reform the strange marriages
6  Ezra assembles the people
9  The people repent, and promise amendment
15  The care to perform it
18  The names of them which had married strange wives

What do the individual words in Ezra 10:1 mean?

And while was praying Ezra and while he was confessing weeping and bowing down before the house of God gathered to him from Israel a assembly large very of men and women children for wept the people very bitterly -
וּכְהִתְפַּלֵּ֤ל עֶזְרָא֙ וּכְ֨הִתְוַדֹּת֔וֹ‪‬ בֹּכֶה֙ וּמִתְנַפֵּ֔ל לִפְנֵ֖י בֵּ֣ית הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים נִקְבְּצוּ֩ אֵלָ֨יו מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֜ל קָהָ֣ל רַב־ מְאֹ֗ד אֲנָשִׁ֤ים וְנָשִׁים֙ וִֽילָדִ֔ים כִּֽי־ בָכ֥וּ הָעָ֖ם הַרְבֵּה־ בֶֽכֶה ס

וּכְהִתְפַּלֵּ֤ל  And  while  was  praying 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k, Verb, Hitpael, Infinitive construct
Root: פָּלַל 
Sense: to intervene, interpose, pray.
עֶזְרָא֙  Ezra 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֶזְרָא  
Sense: the priest and scribe who led the reforms of the returned exiles in Jerusalem; co-worker with Nehemiah.
וּכְ֨הִתְוַדֹּת֔וֹ‪‬  and  while  he  was  confessing 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k, Verb, Hitpael, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: יָדָה 
Sense: to throw, shoot, cast.
בֹּכֶה֙  weeping 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: בָּכָה  
Sense: to weep, bewail, cry, shed tears.
וּמִתְנַפֵּ֔ל  and  bowing  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Participle, masculine singular
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
לִפְנֵ֖י  before 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
בֵּ֣ית  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים  of  God 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
נִקְבְּצוּ֩  gathered 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: קָבַץ  
Sense: to gather, assemble.
אֵלָ֨יו  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֜ל  from  Israel 
Parse: Preposition-m, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
קָהָ֣ל  a  assembly 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: קָהָל  
Sense: assembly, company, congregation, convocation.
רַב־  large 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רַב 
Sense: much, many, great.
מְאֹ֗ד  very 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מְאֹד  
Sense: exceedingly, much subst.
אֲנָשִׁ֤ים  of  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱנׄושׁ 
Sense: man, mortal man, person, mankind.
וְנָשִׁים֙  and  women 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
וִֽילָדִ֔ים  children 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural
Root: יֶלֶד  
Sense: child, son, boy, offspring, youth.
בָכ֥וּ  wept 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: בָּכָה  
Sense: to weep, bewail, cry, shed tears.
הָעָ֖ם  the  people 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
הַרְבֵּה־  very 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Infinitive absolute
Root: הַרְבָּה 
Sense: be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous.
בֶֽכֶה  bitterly 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֶּכֶה  
Sense: a weeping.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation