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.

EZRA 10:11KJV
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Ezra 10:11 (KJV)

What does Ezra 10:11 mean?

Ezra 10:11 calls the people to admit their wrongdoing to the LORD, act in a way that pleases Him, and separate themselves from the local people and foreign wives they had married. The verse is a direct instruction for the Israelites to turn away from relationships that were against their religious laws at that time.

Ezra, a priest and scribe, is speaking to the returned exiles in Jerusalem after discovering that many had married women from surrounding nations, which was forbidden by their law. The verse comes during a public assembly where Ezra urges the people to confess (admit) their actions, seek to do what God desires, and make a clear break from these marriages and the customs of the local people. This was seen as necessary for the community to restore its covenant relationship with God.

The Hebrew behind Ezra 10:11

  • "Confession" (תוֹדָה, todah): This word means an admission or acknowledgment, often of sin or wrongdoing. Here, it emphasizes the need for open honesty before God, not just private regret.
  • "Separate" (בָּדַל, badal): This word means to divide or set apart. In this context, it is a strong call for the people to make a clear distinction between themselves and those practices or relationships that were not in line with their faith.
  • "Strange" (נָכְרִי, nokhri): This word refers to something foreign or outside the community. The "strange wives" were women from other nations, which, according to the law at that time, posed a risk of leading Israel away from their faith.

Why Ezra 10:11 matters

  • Ezra 10:11 clarifies that the issue was not just about marriage but about faithfulness to the community's covenant with God, highlighting the seriousness of their commitment.
  • The verse shows that confession and action go together; it is not enough to admit wrongdoing—Ezra calls for real change in behavior.
  • This verse is key to understanding the larger story in Ezra 9–10, where the community is wrestling with how to maintain its identity and faith after returning from exile.

Where else these words appear

“confession” Hebrew H8426 · used in 30 verses

  • Leviticus 7:12 If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried.
  • Nehemiah 12:38 And the other company of them that gave thanks went over against them, and I after them, and the half of the people upon the wall, from beyond the tower of the furnaces even unto the broad wall;
  • Psalms 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

“separate” Hebrew H914 · used in 40 verses

  • Genesis 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
  • Numbers 8:14 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.
  • Ezra 6:21 And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, did eat,

“strange” Hebrew H5237 · used in 45 verses

  • Genesis 31:15 Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money.
  • 1 Kings 11:1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
  • Proverbs 5:10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;

“pleasure” Hebrew H7522 · used in 56 verses

  • Genesis 49:6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.
  • Psalms 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
  • Proverbs 14:9 Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.