Ezra 10:11 Meaning and Explanation
“Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Ezra calls the people to confess to the LORD, to do His will, and to separate from the foreign alliances.
What Does Ezra 10:11 Mean?
Having named the sin, Ezra calls for the response: confession to the LORD, the God of their fathers, followed by obedience to His will and separation from the entanglements that had drawn them away. Confession and action go together here; words of repentance are to issue in a changed life. Ezra grounds the appeal in covenant memory, the God of your fathers, reminding them whose people they are.
To make confession and to do His pleasure is the heartbeat of returning to God: agreeing with Him about the wrong, and then aligning the will with His. Separation, in this setting, was about guarding wholehearted devotion to the LORD against the pull of other gods. Beneath the specific command lies a timeless call to belong fully to God, undivided. The New Testament keeps that call alive, summoning believers to be wholly the Lord's, set apart not by hatred of others but by love for Him.
Ezra 10:11 in the Original Language
yadah (יָדָה), here 'make confession' -- to acknowledge openly, the same root that elsewhere means to give thanks and praise.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ezra 10:11
What does Ezra 10:11 mean?
Ezra calls the people to confess to the LORD, to do His will, and to separate from the foreign alliances.