The Meaning of Ezra 10:8 Explained

Ezra 10:8

KJV: And that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away.

YLT: and every one who cometh not in by the third day, according to the counsel of the heads and of the elders, all his substance is devoted, and himself separated from the assembly of the removal.

Darby: and that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be confiscated, and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away.

ASV: and that whosoever came not within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the assembly of the captivity.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And that whosoever would not come  within three  days,  according to the counsel  of the princes  and the elders,  all his substance  should be forfeited,  and himself separated  from the congregation  of those that had been carried away. 

What does Ezra 10:8 Mean?

Context Summary

Ezra 10:1-19 - Putting Away Strange Marriages
The people seem to have been more impressed by Ezra's intense grief of soul than they could have been by his severest condemnation. Is not this the secret of winning men from their evil ways? But we must not expend all our force in tears; we must act when we have opportunity. Shechaniah was not implicated, but his father and other near relatives were, Ezra 10:26. His words may be appropriated by us all, Ezra 10:2. There is always hope for the man who repents and puts away evil. It is a great encouragement when brave men will stand by the reformer, but whether they do or not, there is One who neither leaves nor forsakes, Hebrews 13:5-6. A drastic remedy was required; it seemed very hard and must have occasioned many heartbreaks. Probably if a wife had truly turned to the God of Israel, she would have been retained. God demands the sacrifice of anything which comes between us and Him, however dear, Mark 9:43; Matthew 10:37. There is no warrant for such action in our days. The process of the Gospel is given in 1 Corinthians 7:12-13. A solemn assembly was convened in the month of December, the coldest and rainiest time of the year. A court of inquiry was finally appointed, who continued their labors for about a quarter of a year. The offense seems to have been temporarily eradicated, though we meet with it again, Nehemiah 13:23; Malachi 2:11. Each generation repeats the sins of its predecessors, unwarned by their bitter experiences. Not the study of history, but the Spirit of God is needed to deal with and subdue individual and national sins [source]

Chapter Summary: Ezra 10

1  Ezra encouraged to reform the strange marriages
6  Ezra assembles the people
9  The people repent, and promise amendment
15  The care to perform it
18  The names of them which had married strange wives

What do the individual words in Ezra 10:8 mean?

that whoever not would come within three days according to the instructions of the leaders and elders would be confiscated all his property and he would be separated from the assembly of those from the captivity -
וְכֹל֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹֽא־ יָב֜וֹא לִשְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת הַיָּמִ֗ים כַּעֲצַ֤ת הַשָּׂרִים֙ וְהַזְּקֵנִ֔ים יָחֳרַ֖ם כָּל־ רְכוּשׁ֑וֹ וְה֥וּא יִבָּדֵ֖ל מִקְּהַ֥ל הַגּוֹלָֽה ס

וְכֹל֩  that 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
אֲשֶׁ֨ר  whoever 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
יָב֜וֹא  would  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
לִשְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת  within  three 
Parse: Preposition-l, Number, masculine singular construct
Root: מִשְׁלֹשׁ 
Sense: three, triad.
הַיָּמִ֗ים  days 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
כַּעֲצַ֤ת  according  to  the  instructions 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: עֵצָה 
Sense: counsel, advice, purpose.
הַשָּׂרִים֙  of  the  leaders 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: סָרַר 
Sense: prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain.
וְהַזְּקֵנִ֔ים  and  elders 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Adjective, masculine plural
Root: זָקֵן  
Sense: old.
יָחֳרַ֖ם  would  be  confiscated 
Parse: Verb, Hofal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָרַם 
Sense: to ban, devote, destroy utterly, completely destroy, dedicate for destruction, exterminate.
רְכוּשׁ֑וֹ  his  property 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: רְכוּשׁ  
Sense: property, goods, possessions.
וְה֥וּא  and  he 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
יִבָּדֵ֖ל  would  be  separated 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בָּדַל  
Sense: to divide, separate.
מִקְּהַ֥ל  from  the  assembly 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: קָהָל  
Sense: assembly, company, congregation, convocation.
הַגּוֹלָֽה  of  those  from  the  captivity 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: גֹּולָה  
Sense: exiles, exile, captivity.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation