All these had taken foreign wives; and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
Parallel translations
- KJV All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
- BSB All these men had married foreign women, and some of them had children by these wives.
- NKJV All these had taken pagan wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
- NASB All of these men had married foreign wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
- NLT Each of these men had a pagan wife, and some even had children by these wives.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The book closes by noting that all these men had taken foreign wives, some with children. The narrative ends soberly with the costly reality of dealing with sin.
Overview
The summary statement underscores both the scale of the compromise and the painful consequences of repentance, which touched not only the men but wives and children. The abrupt, sober ending leaves the reader weighing the heavy cost of sin and the seriousness of holiness among God's people. It points beyond the law's hard remedies to the deeper need for a Savior who can cleanse sin without destroying, fulfilled in Christ who gathers a holy people from every nation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Prov 2:16To deliver you from the strange woman, even from the foreigner who flatters with her words;
- Prov 5:3For the lips of an adulteress drip honey. Her mouth is smoother than oil,
- Ezra 10:3Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and those who as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God. Let it be done according to the law.
- Prov 5:20For why should you, my son, be captivated with an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The return from exile and the rebuilt altar keep alive the hope of a greater restoration — the true return from our deeper exile of sin accomplished by Christ.
How Ezra 10:44 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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