Ezra 9:5 (LSB)

Passage

But at the evening offering I arose from my affliction, even with my garment and my robe torn, and I fell on my knees and stretched out my hands to Yahweh my God;

Nearby Context

Ezra 9:3 When I heard about this matter, I tore my garment and my robe, and pulled some of the hair from my head and my beard, and sat down in consternation.

Ezra 9:4 Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel on account of the unfaithfulness of the exiles gathered to me, and I sat appalled until the evening offering.

Ezra 9:5 But at the evening offering I arose from my affliction, even with my garment and my robe torn, and I fell on my knees and stretched out my hands to Yahweh my God;

Ezra 9:6 and I said, “O my God, I am ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have multiplied above our heads and our guilt has become great even to the heavens.

Ezra 9:7 Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt, and on account of our iniquities we, our kings and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to plunder and to open shame, as it is this day.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "evening", "offering", "arose", "affliction", "garment", "robe", and "torn". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "evening" and "offering", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Then everyone who trembled at the words..." into verse 6's "and I said O my God I...", so "evening" and "offering" 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 "evening" and "offering" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.