Ezra 9:4 (ASV)

Passage

Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the trespass of them of the captivity; and I sat confounded until the evening oblation.

Nearby Context

Ezra 9:2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the peoples of the lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.

Ezra 9:3 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my robe, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down confounded.

Ezra 9:4 Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the trespass of them of the captivity; and I sat confounded until the evening oblation.

Ezra 9:5 And at the evening oblation I arose up from my humiliation, even with my garment and my robe rent; and I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto Jehovah my God;

Ezra 9:6 and I said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God; for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our guiltiness is grown up unto the heavens.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "assembled", "trembled", "words", "israel", "trespass", "captivity", "confounded", and "until". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "assembled" and "trembled", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "And when I heard this thing I..." into verse 5's "And at the evening oblation I arose...", so "assembled" and "trembled" 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 "assembled" and "trembled" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.