Ezra 9:2 Meaning and Explanation
“For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The people had intermarried with the surrounding nations, mingling the holy seed with them, and the leaders were foremost in this offense.
What Does Ezra 9:2 Mean?
The report grows more pointed. The marriages described are not merely social; in the world of the Old Testament they bound households to foreign gods and their worship. Worst of all, the rulers who should have guarded the covenant were the leaders in the very trespass, so the failure ran from the top down.
The phrase 'holy seed' recalls God's purpose to keep a people set apart for His own. The danger was never the nations' blood but their idols, which could turn hearts away from the living God. The verse exposes how leaders bear weighty responsibility, and how compromise spreads fastest when those in front fall first.
Ezra 9:2 in the Original Language
maal (מַעַל), 'trespass' -- an act of unfaithfulness that breaks trust with God.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ezra 9:2
What does Ezra 9:2 mean?
The people had intermarried with the surrounding nations, mingling the holy seed with them, and the leaders were foremost in this offense.