Ezra 10:44 (KJV)

What does Ezra 10:44 mean?

Ezra 10:44 states that all the men listed earlier in the chapter had married foreign wives, and some of these marriages had produced children. The verse summarizes the situation at the end of a list, highlighting that intermarriage with women from other nations was not only common but had also resulted in families.

Ezra 10:44 comes at the conclusion of a chapter where Ezra and the leaders of Israel are dealing with the issue of Israelites marrying women from surrounding peoples, which was seen as a violation of their covenant identity. The verse is part of a record of those who had taken "strange wives," meaning women from outside Israel, and notes that some of these relationships had led to children, making the situation more complex and emotionally charged.

The Hebrew behind Ezra 10:44

• "taken" (נָשָׂא, nāśā’): This word often means "to lift" or "to take up," but here it carries the sense of "to take" in marriage. It emphasizes an active choice by the men to marry these women.
• "strange" (נָכְרִי, nokhrī): This word means "foreign" or "non-Israelite." It highlights that the wives were from outside the community of Israel, which was the central concern in this passage.
• "wives" (אִשָּׁה, ishshah): The standard Hebrew word for "wives" or "women," used here to specify the nature of the relationships being discussed.
• "children" (בֵּן, ben): This word means "son" or "child," indicating that some of these marriages had resulted in offspring, which would have complicated the process of separating from these families.

Why Ezra 10:44 matters

• Ezra 10:44 clarifies that the issue was not just about marriage but also about families that had already formed, showing the personal and communal challenges involved in following the leaders’ call for separation.
• The verse highlights the seriousness with which the community viewed intermarriage at that time, connecting it to concerns about identity and faithfulness to their covenant.
• By mentioning the children, the verse sets up the emotional and ethical weight of the decisions the community faced, helping readers understand the depth of the crisis described in Ezra 9–10.