Ezra 9:1 Meaning and Explanation
“Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →After the temple work, leaders bring Ezra grave news: the people, priests, and Levites have not kept themselves separate from the surrounding nations and have taken up their practices.
What Does Ezra 9:1 Mean?
This opens the second crisis of the book. With the altar rebuilt and the law freshly taught, the community's own officials approach Ezra with a confession about the people. The long list of nations echoes the peoples Israel was warned about when it first entered the land, signaling that an old danger has returned.
The wound is that those set apart for God had blurred the line that was meant to keep them holy. Sin here is not a single dramatic act but a slow drift into the customs around them. Scripture treats holiness as belonging wholly to God, and the call to be separate from corrupting practice still points the heart toward undivided devotion to the Lord.
Ezra 9:1 in the Original Language
toebah (תּוֹעֵבָה), 'abominations' -- practices detestable to God because they corrupt true worship.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ezra 9:1
What does Ezra 9:1 mean?
After the temple work, leaders bring Ezra grave news: the people, priests, and Levites have not kept themselves separate from the surrounding nations and have taken up their practices.