Ezra 10:2 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Shechaniah names the sin plainly but then lifts the people's eyes, declaring that there is still hope in Israel.
What Does Ezra 10:2 Mean?
Out of the weeping crowd one voice rises. Shechaniah speaks for the people, confessing that they have been unfaithful to God by marrying women from the surrounding nations whose worship would draw Israel away. Strikingly, he does not stop at the confession. He adds a word the grieving congregation needs to hear: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.
Confession and hope belong together. Shechaniah refuses both denial and despair; he tells the truth about the wrong and then insists that the situation is not beyond remedy. This is the very shape of repentance the Scriptures commend, gravity about sin joined to confidence in God's mercy. No failure is so deep that the door of return is shut, for the God of the covenant is the God who restores. In Christ that hope finds its fullness; where sin abounds, grace abounds the more.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ezra 10:2
What does Ezra 10:2 mean?
Shechaniah names the sin plainly but then lifts the people's eyes, declaring that there is still hope in Israel.