Ezra 10:7 (DBY)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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

Ezra 10:6 And Ezra arose from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib; and when he came thither, he ate no bread and drank no water; for he mourned because of the unfaithfulness of them that had been carried away.

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

Ezra 10:8 and that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be confiscated, and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away.

Ezra 10:9 Then were all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered together at Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month; and all the people sat in the open space of the house of God, trembling because of the matter, and because of the pouring rain.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "And Ezra arose from before the house..." into verse 8's "and that whosoever would not come within...", so "proclamation" and "judah" 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 "judah" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.