Ezra 10:15 - Exposition

OPPOSITION OF JONATHAN AND OTHERS ( Ezra 10:15 ). It was natural that some opposition should manifest itself when so trenchant a measure was announced as that which Ezra had declared to be necessary. To compel men to divorce their wives was to touch many in the tenderest place. Nor was it difficult to bring forward very plausible arguments to show that the marriages—or at any rate some of them—were allowable. Joseph had married an Egyptian ( Genesis 41:45 ), Moses a Midianite ( Exodus 2:21 ). True, these marriages had taken place before the law was given; but subsequently, also, Boaz had married Ruth the Moabitess ( Ruth 4:13 ); David had taken to wife Maacah, a Geshurite ( 2 Samuel 3:3 ); and Solomon had without blame married the daughter of a Pharaoh ( 1 Kings 3:1 ). These examples might be pleaded in proof that the Law admitted of exceptions, and individuals might argue that their cases were of an exceptional character. Again, in some instances the foreign wives may have become proselytes, and the children may have been circumcised, and so accepted into the congregation; which would give them a claim to remain, which would extend in some degree to the mothers. We therefore cannot be surprised that an opposition was made. Rather, it is remarkable that it was so slight, only extending (so far as appears) to four persons, and so easily quelled.

Only Jonathan … and Jaha-ziah … were employed about this matter. If this were the true meaning of the passage it would contradict the next verse, by which it appears that Ezra himself, together with several "chiefs of the fathers"—probably identical with the "rulers and elders" of verse 14—took the matter in hand, and were occupied with it for three months. The true meaning of the clause, however, is almost certainly that which was assumed in the preceding paragraph: "Only Jonathan and Jahaziah stood up against this matter," or " opposed " it (see 1 Chronicles 21:1 ; Daniel 8:25 ; Daniel 11:14 , where the same expression has the sense of "oppose, resist"). Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them. The "Meshullam" intended is perhaps the person of the name mentioned in verse 29 as having married an idolatrous wife. The others seem not to have had any personal interest in thwarting Ezra and preventing the reform.