Ezra 10:17 (DRB)

Passage

And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month.

Nearby Context

Ezra 10:15 Then Jonathan the son of Azahel, and Jaasia the son of Thecua were appointed over this, and Mesollam and Sebethai, Levites, helped them:

Ezra 10:16 And the children of the captivity did so. And Esdras the priest, and the men heads of the families in the houses of their fathers, and all by their names, went and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.

Ezra 10:17 And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month.

Ezra 10:18 And there were found among the sons of the priests that had taken strange wives: Of the sons of Josue the son of Josedec, and his brethren, Maasia, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Godolia.

Ezra 10:19 And they gave their hands to put away their wives, and to offer for their offence a ram of the flock.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "taken", "strange", "wives", "first", and "month". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "taken" and "strange", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "And the children of the captivity did..." into verse 18's "And there were found among the sons...", so "taken" and "strange" 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 "taken" and "strange" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.