Ezra 10:7 (ASV)

Passage

And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;

Nearby Context

Ezra 10:5 Then arose Ezra, and made the chiefs of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they would do according to this word. So they sware.

Ezra 10:6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib: and [when] he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water; for he mourned because of the trespass of them of the captivity.

Ezra 10:7 And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;

Ezra 10:8 and that whosoever came not within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the assembly of the captivity.

Ezra 10:9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within the three days; it was the ninth month, on the twentieth [day] of the month: and all the people sat in the broad place before the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "proclamation", "throughout", "judah", "jerusalem", "children", "captivity", "should", and "gather". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "proclamation" and "throughout", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "Then Ezra rose up from before the..." into verse 8's "and that whosoever came not within three...", so "proclamation" and "throughout" belong inside that flow. In Ezra context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "proclamation" and "throughout" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.