Ezra 10:41 - Azarel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,

Generated Verse: Ezra 10:41

What does "Ezra 10:41" mean?


Ezra 10:41 is part of a list of names in the Book of Ezra. The verse simply names three men: Azarel, Shelemiah, and Shemariah. To understand its significance, we need to look at the context.

Here's what we can glean from the context of Ezra 10:

The Problem: Ezra is dealing with a serious issue: Jewish men who had returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile had intermarried with foreign women, which was forbidden by Jewish law (Deuteronomy 7:3-4). This was seen as a threat to the religious purity and identity of the Jewish people.
The Repentance: Ezra leads the people in a confession of their sin and they agree to take action to correct the situation.
The List of Names: Ezra 10 lists the names of men who had married foreign women. These lists are important for several reasons:
Identifying the Offenders: The list names individuals who were expected to separate from their foreign wives and their children.
Legal Documentation: The list served as a formal record of who was involved in this transgression and the action taken to remedy it.
Historical Record: It provides historical information about the social conditions and challenges faced by the Jewish community after their return from exile.

Therefore, the verse "Azarel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah," simply identifies three men, named Azarel, Shelemiah, and Shemariah, who were among those who had married foreign women. They were part of the broader problem that Ezra was addressing and were expected to comply with the resolution to separate from their wives.

The names themselves might have meanings in Hebrew (Azarel means "God is my help," Shelemiah means "Yahweh has recompensed," and Shemariah means "Yahweh has guarded"), but within the context of Ezra 10, their primary function is to identify individuals involved in the specific issue of intermarriage.

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