Ezra 9:14 (GNV)

Passage

Should we returne to breake thy commadements, and ioyne in affinitie with the people of such abominations? wouldest not thou be angrie towarde vs till thou haddest consumed vs, so that there should be no remnant nor any escaping?

Nearby Context

Ezra 9:12 Now therfore shall ye not giue your daughters vnto their sonnes, neither shall ye take their daughters vnto your sonnes, nor seeke their peace nor wealth for euer, that yee may be strong and eate the goodnes of the lande, and leaue it for an inheritance to your sonnes for euer.

Ezra 9:13 And after all that is come vpon vs for our euill deedes, and for our great trespasses, (seeing that thou our God hast stayed vs from being beneath for our iniquities, and hast giuen vs such deliuerance)

Ezra 9:14 Should we returne to breake thy commadements, and ioyne in affinitie with the people of such abominations? wouldest not thou be angrie towarde vs till thou haddest consumed vs, so that there should be no remnant nor any escaping?

Ezra 9:15 O Lord God of Israel, thou art iust, for we haue bene reserued to escape, as appeareth this day: beholde, we are before thee in our trespasse: therfore we canot stand before thee because of it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "should", "returne", "breake", "commadements", "ioyne", "affinitie", "people", and "such". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "should" and "returne", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "And after all that is come vpon..." into verse 15's "O Lord God of Israel thou art...", so "should" and "returne" 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 "should" and "returne" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.