Ezra 10:2 · Bible study
Ezra 10:2 Commentary: Hope After Confession of Unfaithfulness
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Shecaniah's confession opens hope for Israel after marrying foreign women. Repentance and covenant action restore the community's future.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Confession of covenant unfaithfulness opens the door for hope rooted in repentance and obedience.
- Key words: trespassed (ma‘al, covenant betrayal), married (hoshev, lit. “caused to dwell”), foreign (nokhri, alien women), hope (mikveh, source of expectation).
- Main debate: Whether “hope” refers to God as object (Jer 14:8) or to the expectation of mercy from repentance.
- Theological theme: Covenant restoration through confession and communal action; divine mercy meets human repentance.
- Best use: A model for addressing corporate sin with honesty and courage, trusting that God’s grace provides a future.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, an Elamite, said to Ezra: “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the people of the land, yet in spite of this, there is hope for Israel.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered Ezra, “We have trespassed against our God, and have married foreign women of the peoples of the land. Yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this thing.
KJV King James Version 1769
And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have married foreign women of the peoples of the land: yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this thing.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And Shechaniah son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, answereth and saith to Ezra, `We--we have trespassed against our God, and we settle strange women of the peoples of the land; and now there is hope for Israel concerning this,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, We have acted unfaithfully toward our God, and have taken foreign wives of the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this thing.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And Sechenias the son of Jehiel of the sons of Elam answered, and said to Esdras: We have sinned against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: and now if there be repentance in Israel concerning this,
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Entonces respondió Sechânías hijo de Jehiel, de los hijos de Elam, y dijo á Esdras: Nosotros hemos prevaricado contra nuestro Dios, pues tomamos mujeres extranjeras de los pueblos de la tierra: mas hay aún esperanza para Israel sobre esto.
Então Secanias, filho de Jeiel, dos filhos de Elão, respondeu a Esdras, dizendo: Nós temos transgredido contra nosso Deus, pois nos casamos com mulheres estrangeiras dos povos da terra; mas quanto a isto, ainda há esperança para Israel.
Alors Schecania, fils de Jehiel, d’ entre les fils d’ Élam, prit la parole et dit à Esdras: Nous avons péché contre notre Dieu, en nous alliant à des femmes étrangères qui appartiennent aux peuples du pays. Mais Israël ne reste pas pour cela sans espérance.
Und Sechanja, der Sohn Jehiels, aus den Kindern Elam, antwortete und sprach zu Esra: Wohlan, wir haben uns an unserm Gott vergriffen, daß wir fremde Weiber aus den Völkern des Landes genommen haben. Nun, es ist noch Hoffnung für Israel über dem.
Toen antwoordde Sechanja, de zoon van Jehiel, een van de zonen van Elam, en zeide tot Ezra: Wij hebben overtreden tegen onzen God, en wij hebben vreemde vrouwen van de volken des lands bij ons doen wonen; maar nu, er is hope voor Israel, dezen aangaande.
Allora Scecania, figliuolo di Jehiel, uno de’ figliuoli di Elam, prese a dire a Esdra: “Noi siamo stati infedeli al nostro Dio, sposando donne straniere prese dai popoli di questo paese; nondimeno, rimane ancora, a questo riguardo, una speranza a Israele.
Tedy odpowiadając Sechanijasz, syn Jechyjelowy z synów Elamowych, rzekł do Ezdrasza: Myśmyć zgrzeszyli przeciwko Panu, Bogu naszemu, żeśmy pojęli żony obce z narodu tej ziemi; ale wżdy ma jeszcze nadzieję Izrael przytem.
И отвечал Шехания, сын Иехиила из сыновей Еламовых, и сказал Ездре: мы сделали преступление пред Богом нашим, что взяли себе жен иноплеменных из народов земли, но есть еще надежда для Израиля в этом деле;
屬以攔 的子孫、耶歇 的兒子 示迦尼 對以斯拉 說：「我們 在此地 娶了 外邦 女子 為妻，干犯了我們的 神，然而 以色列人 還有 指望。
And Shecaniah, the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answering, said to Ezra, We have done evil against our God, and have taken as our wives strange women of the peoples of the land: but still there is hope for Israel in this question.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Ezra 10:2
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Shecaniah speaks on behalf of the assembly, not as a personal offender, his name does not appear in the list of those who married foreign women (Ezra 10:26), though his father Jehiel does. This gives weight to his confession: he risks confronting sin in his own family. The word hope (mikveh) is central. Cambridge Bible notes that in Hebrew this word can mean an object of hope (as in Jeremiah 17:13, where God himself is the hope of Israel), but here it refers to the source or means of hope, specifically, the promise of pardon attached to genuine repentance (Deuteronomy 30:1-10). Gill and JFB emphasize that Shecaniah’s hope is not vague optimism; it is grounded in timely reformation. He calls for a covenant to put away the foreign wives, trusting that God will show mercy when the people turn back to the law. Matthew Henry praises Shecaniah’s courage and good conscience. Across traditions, the verse is read as a turning point: honest confession and concrete action open the door for God’s restoration.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Repentance-based hope (majority view): Shecaniah’s appeal to covenant promises (Deut 30:1-10) and the immediate context of confession and weeping.
- Hope as God himself (object view): Mikveh used for God in Jer 14:8; 17:13; Cambridge notes this possibility but distinguishes the sense here as source/means.
What is clear: Confession of sin leads to a genuine expectation of mercy when the community turns back to covenant obedience.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Shecaniah’s personal guilt | He speaks in the name of the people, identifying with the national sin. | Some read his words as including himself, while others (Clarke, Gill) note he was likely innocent, making his confession an act of solidarity. |
| Meaning of “hope” (mikveh) | The word denotes the ground for expecting God’s favor after repentance. | Cambridge suggests it is the means/source of hope (the promise attached to repentance), while other passages use mikveh for God himself. Christians differ on whether the focus is on a future act of divine mercy or on the hope inherent in the promise. |
| Severity of the divorce action | Putting away the wives and children was seen as necessary to preserve covenant purity. | Some traditions (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) argue the measure, though harsh, was right for that time. Others question its application today, seeing it as a specific response to the danger of apostasy in the post-exilic context. |
| Courage vs. prudence | Shecaniah’s speech showed moral courage in speaking against sin in his own family. | Whether this courage came from his personal situation (Barnes notes his father was guilty) or from a broader conviction that God’s law must come before family loyalty. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Ezra 10:2 takes place in the post-exilic community, around 458 BC. The exiles had returned to rebuild the temple and city, but they had fallen into the same sin that caused the exile: intermarriage with the surrounding peoples. The Law of Moses forbade such marriages (Exodus 34:12, Deuteronomy 7:3) because they led to idolatry and diluted the covenant identity. Ezra had just finished a devastating prayer of confession (Ezra 9), weeping and prostrate before the temple. A great assembly of men, women, and children joined him, also weeping bitterly.
In this charged moment, Shecaniah, a lay leader, likely not a priest, steps forward. The Hebrew verb for “married” here is hoshev, literally “caused to dwell,” a technical term for bringing a wife into one’s home (also used in Ezra 10:10, 14, 17). The word for “foreign” (nokhri) refers to alien women from the peoples of the land, not necessarily all non-Jews, but those belonging to the groups condemned in the Law. The phrase “yet now” (ve’attah) marks a deliberate contrast with Ezra’s closing words in Ezra 9:15 where he says “we are before you in our guilt.” Shecaniah introduces a note of hope precisely because the people have confessed. The word mikveh (“hope”) appears elsewhere as a title for God (Jeremiah 14:8, 17:13), but here it denotes the ground for expecting mercy. Shecaniah is relying on the covenant promise: if the people repent and obey, God will relent (Deuteronomy 30:1-10).
The cultural context also sheds light on Shecaniah’s courage. As a member of the family of Elam, a family that included offenders, he could have stayed silent. Instead, he speaks up, urging both confession and action. His proposal to divorce these wives and send away their children sounds harsh to modern ears, but in the context, it was necessary to preserve the community’s religious distinctiveness. The assembly, trembling under conviction, accepts this direction (v. 12). This historical moment shows that hope does not ignore sin; it addresses it head-on through repentance and covenant faithfulness.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Ezra 10:2. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. Some translations vary in rendering “hope” (mikveh) as “expectation” or “hope,” but the underlying consonantal text is undisputed.
Reception History
Ezra 10:2 has been read historically as a pivotal moment of communal repentance. Jewish tradition views Shecaniah’s speech positively, as a model of leadership that combines confession with constructive action. Christian commentators from the Reformation era onward (e.g., Matthew Henry, Gill) have highlighted Shecaniah’s courage and the principle that hope arises from facing sin honestly. In moral instruction, the verse is often used to teach that confession, while painful, opens the door to restoration. The verse has also been a touchstone for discussions on the nature of true repentance, whether it must include concrete separation from sin. Across traditions, the accent falls on the “yet now”: God’s mercy meets those who turn back.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Honest confession names the sin publicly. Shecaniah says “we,” including himself in the trespass, even though he is personally innocent. This models the courage to identify with one’s community in repentance.
- Hope emerges not despite sin, but through turning from it. The word “yet now” signals a pivot. Despair gives way to expectation because confession has opened the door for mercy.
- Faith requires concrete action, not just words. Shecaniah proposes a covenant to put away the foreign wives and their children. Hope without change is empty; God’s grace meets us when we move.
Five-point outline
- The crisis: Israel has broken covenant by marrying foreign women (v. 2a).
- The confession: The people acknowledge their trespass (v. 2b).
- The hope: “Yet now there is hope for Israel” (v. 2c). Repentance creates space for restoration.
- The strategy: Make a covenant to put away the wives and children, doing what the law requires (v. 3).
- The summons: Shecaniah calls Ezra to lead, promising the community’s support (v. 4).
Illustration hooks
- A church realizes its worship has drifted toward consumerism. The worship leader stands up and says, “We have failed to honor God. But if we change, there is hope.”
- A teenager confesses to a parent: “I’ve been lying to you. I know I messed up, but I want to start over.” The parent responds, “This is hard, but now we can rebuild trust.”
- A small group has allowed gossip to take root. One member speaks up: “We’ve sinned as a group. If we commit to speaking only truth in love, there is hope for healing.”
Questions your congregation is asking
- How can I have hope when my sin feels too big for God to forgive?
- Is it okay to confess a sin that I didn’t personally commit, as part of a group?
- What does real repentance look like beyond just saying sorry?
Leading a Discussion
Ezra 10:2 shows how honest confession leads to practical hope. In your group, read the verse and the surrounding context (Ezra 9, 10:1-5). Notice the sequence: Ezra prays, the people weep, then Shecaniah speaks. This can help us see that repentance is a community act that opens the door for God’s mercy.
Discussion questions
- What do you notice about how Shecaniah frames his confession? He uses “we” even though he may not have personally entered a mixed marriage.
- The Hebrew word for “hope” (mikveh) can mean a source or object of hope. What or who is the ground of hope in this verse?
- Shecaniah says there is hope “concerning this thing”, the very sin that caused Israel’s despair. What does that tell you about God’s response to confessed sin?
- Why does Shecaniah call for a concrete covenant action (v. 3)? What might be the danger of stopping at confession without change?
- This passage involves putting away families, a drastic measure. How do we understand such a response today, when different cultural and covenantal contexts apply?
- Shecaniah shows courage by confronting sin in his own family (his father is listed among offenders). What makes it hard to speak up when someone close to us is wrong?
- In what areas of your life or your church’s life do you need to move from weeping over sin to taking concrete steps of repentance and hope?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 34:6 | Yahweh passed by before him, and proclaimed, “Yahweh! Yahweh, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth, |
| Exodus 34:7 | keeping loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and disobedience and sin; and who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the children’s children, on the third and on the fourth generation.” |
| Exodus 34:12 | Be careful, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be for a snare among you; |
| Ezra 2:7 | The children of Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four. |
| Ezra 2:31 | The children of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four. |
| Ezra 9:2 | For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy offspring have mixed themselves with the peoples of the lands. Yes, the hand of the princes and rulers has been chief in this trespass.” |
| Ezra 10:26 | Of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah. |
| Nehemiah 3:29 | After them, Zadok the son of Immer made repairs across from his own house. After him, Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the east gate, made repairs. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke highlights that Shechaniah speaks on behalf of the people, not for himself, since he is not listed among the guilty. The hope he mentions comes from the people's deep conviction and bitter weeping, showing that sincere repentance opens the door to pardon.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes observes that Shechaniah’s proposal in Ezra 10 came from firsthand experience, not abstract theory. Because Jehiel, one of his own relatives, had married an idolatrous woman, the problem had hit home for him personally.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible commentary highlights Shecaniah's word for hope: it refers not to a feeling but to the very source or means of hope, grounded in God's promise attached to repentance. The phrase "concerning this thing" means "with reference to this offence," not "on account of this repentance."
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Geneva's note highlights Shechaniah's bold confession of sin followed immediately by the declaration of hope. The point is that even after serious disobedience against God, repentance opens the door to restoration. Acknowledging the wrong does not end in despair but in the possibility of mending the relationship with God.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that Shechaniah himself had not married a foreign wife, since he had just arrived from Babylon. Yet he included himself in the confession because many in his family had. For Gill, the man's real point is hope: a path toward reform and forgiveness still exists.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB highlights Shechaniah's courage: though his own relatives were guilty, he proposed the painful but necessary measure because obeying God mattered more than pleasing family. The hope he spoke of required immediate action and reliance on God's mercy, not surrender to despair. He urged Ezra to carry this out, as only he had the skill and authority.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch defend the original Hebrew reading "according to the counsel of the Lord" against scholars who would change it to "my lord" (Ezra). They argue that Ezra had not given advice on this matter, and calling him "my lord" would be an unusual title from a fellow Israelite.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange highlights that Ezra did not directly denounce the people but prayed and mourned, waiting for the congregation to initiate reform itself. The spontaneous proposal from Shechaniah and the hard decree to send away even children, while severe, was necessary to preserve the covenant community's purity and survival.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry observes that Ezra's profound grief over the people's sin moved them to weep as well. His example as a leader showed them how serious their corruption truly was, proving that a faithful example of sorrow can awaken those who are otherwise numb to their own guilt.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights that the speaker says "we" to include his own family even though his name does not appear in the list that follows. This act of loyal duty shows he honored God more than his closest relatives. Wesley adds that the hope expressed depends on their repentance and reformation.