Ezra 10:8 (ASV)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

Ezra 10:10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have trespassed, and have married foreign women, to increase the guilt of Israel.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whosoever", "came", "within", "three", "days", "counsel", "princes", and "elders". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whosoever" and "came", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "And they made proclamation throughout Judah and..." into verse 9's "Then all the men of Judah and...", so "whosoever" and "came" 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 "whosoever" and "came" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.