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Ezra 1:1
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, andput it also in writing, saying,

2 Chronicles 30:5
So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem: for they had not doneit of a longtime in such sort as it was written.

that all the exiles should gather at Jerusalem
The call for "all the exiles" to gather underscores the inclusive nature of the assembly, inviting every member of the community who had returned from Babylonian exile. This gathering was crucial for addressing the issue of intermarriage with foreign women, which was seen as a threat to the religious purity and identity of the Jewish people. Jerusalem, being the spiritual center, was the appropriate place for such a significant assembly. The gathering at Jerusalem also echoes earlier biblical events, such as the assembly at Mount Sinai, where the Israelites received the Law. This connection emphasizes the covenantal renewal and the need for communal repentance and reform. The gathering can also be seen as a type of the future gathering of God's people, as prophesied in various scriptures, pointing to a time of restoration and unity under God's rule.

The simple conjunction ties verse 7 to Ezra’s heartfelt confession and the people’s response in verses 1-6.

• It signals immediate obedience—no delay between conviction and action (James 1:22).

• Leadership moves first: Ezra and the elders act decisively once sin is exposed (Ezra 10:5-6;Nehemiah 13:11).

• Heaven-directed momentum continues; God stirred Cyrus to proclaim freedom earlier (Ezra 1:1), and now He stirs His restored community to pursue holiness.

This was an official, public summons—authoritative and unmistakable.

• Similar royal edicts appear inEzra 1:1-4 andEsther 3:12; God works through lawful channels (Romans 13:1-2).

• Proclamation underscores urgency. The people had taken pagan wives; delaying would harden hearts (Hebrews 3:13).

• The call came from spiritual, not political, concerns—showing that moral issues warrant clear, collective address (Joel 2:15-16).

The message spread across the entire covenant land.

• Judah (rural) and Jerusalem (urban) alike are accountable (Jeremiah 25:29;1 Peter 4:17).

• The scope echoes earlier gatherings under Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 30:5-12) and Josiah (2 Chronicles 34:29-33), when reform required everyone’s presence.

• Unity is essential; isolated obedience is insufficient (Philippians 1:27).

The summons targets the returned remnant—people rescued from Babylonian bondage.

• Their very identity rests on God’s faithfulness to restore (Isaiah 11:12;Jeremiah 29:14).

• Having experienced mercy, they must now respond in purity (Romans 12:1).

• No exceptions—holiness is a community project (Hebrews 12:14-15).

The spiritual epicenter remains the temple city.

• Jerusalem is where God chose to place His Name (Deuteronomy 12:5;Psalm 132:13).

• Corporate assembly allows transparent assessment and covenant renewal (Nehemiah 8:1-8).

• Refusal carried serious consequences (Ezra 10:8), illustratingHebrews 10:24-25: believers must not neglect meeting together, especially when discipline and restoration are at stake.

Ezra 10:7 describes a swift, authoritative call for every returned Israelite to convene in Jerusalem so that communal repentance could be enacted. God-fearing leadership, territory-wide reach, total participation, and temple-centered gathering all stress that when sin threatens the covenant community, decisive, united, and God-honoring action is non-negotiable.

(8)Forfeited.--This, as also what precedes and what follows, again recalls the express commission of Ezra 7. But "according to the counsel" removes all appearance of arbitrariness on the part of Ezra.

(9)Within three days.--From the time of hearing the summons. No town was more than forty miles distant; and of course only those would come that were able, and who came within the scope of the proclamation, the precise terms of which are not given. They were not more than could assemble "in the street," or open court of the Temple. The minute specifications of date, and the two reasons for the trembling of the people, and the whole strain of the narrative, bear witness to the veracity of an eye-witness.

It was the ninth month.--Chisleu, our December, the rainy month in Palestine.

(10)Ezra the priest.--He stood up, not as the commissioner of Artaxerxes, not at this moment as the scribe, but as the representative of God.

(11)Do his pleasure.--This procedure, humanly severe, is connected with the Divine will.

From the people of the land, and from the strange wives.--The marriages were but a subordinate branch, though a very important one, of the wider sin: that of confederacy with idolators.

(13)We are many.--Better,we have greatly offended in this thing. The greatness of the offence of course implied the number of the offenders.

(14)Stand.--As a representative body in session.

Until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us.--A difficult verse, owing to a slight peculiarity in the original. The meaning seems to be:until the fierce wrath of our God--fierce while this matter lasts--be turned away from us.

(15)Were employed about.--Rather,stood against. Nothing is said as to the reason for opposition on the part of these and the two who abetted them. But the reason is obvious enough. Some modern expositors are of their mind, and regard the act of Ezra as remedying one sin by another still greater. They bring Malachi (Ezra 2:15) to their support; but nothing in his prediction about "the wife of thy youth," rightly understood, tends to condemn the conduct here described. . . .