Ezra 10:19 (LSB)

Passage

They gave their hand in pledge to put away their wives, and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their guilt.

Nearby Context

Ezra 10:17 And they completed investigating all the men who had married foreign wives by the first day of the first month.

Ezra 10:18 Among the sons of the priests who had married foreign wives were found of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib and Gedaliah.

Ezra 10:19 They gave their hand in pledge to put away their wives, and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their guilt.

Ezra 10:20 Of the sons of Immer there were Hanani and Zebadiah;

Ezra 10:21 and of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel and Uzziah;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "gave", "hand", "pledge", "away", "wives", "guilty", "offered", and "flock". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "gave" and "hand", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Among the sons of the priests who..." into verse 20's "Of the sons of Immer there were...", so "gave" and "hand" 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 "gave" and "hand" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.