The Meaning of Ezra 9:2 Explained

Ezra 9:2

KJV: For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.

YLT: for they have taken of their daughters to them, and to their sons, and the holy seed have mingled themselves among the peoples of the lands, and the hand of the heads and of the seconds have been first in this trespass.'

Darby: for they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, and have mingled the holy seed with the peoples of the lands; and the hand of the princes and rulers has been chief in this unfaithfulness.

ASV: For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the peoples of the lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For they have taken  of their daughters  for themselves, and for their sons:  so that the holy  seed  have mingled  themselves with the people  of [those] lands:  yea, the hand  of the princes  and rulers  hath been chief  in this trespass. 

What does Ezra 9:2 Mean?

Context Summary

Ezra 9:1-15 - A Leader's Sorrows For His People's Sins
The mingling of the holy seed with heathen peoples was always the curse of Israel, and it has been the temptation of God's children in every age. Do we sufficiently tremble at the words of the God of Israel because of our sins or those of others? The humiliation and anguish of soul experienced by Ezra and his associates are a great rebuke to us. We are indignant, but we do not view sin from God's standpoint. Notice the humility of his prayer, I blush to lift up my face; its vicarious confession of sin; its acknowledgment of God's grace in giving a little reviving; its recital of the aggravation which had dyed their sin of a deeper hue. Israel was intended to live in Canaan as a separated people. The land itself could not yield its good, or remain their permanent inheritance on condition of their fidelity to God. When confession of sin has been made, let us stand before God claiming forgiveness, acceptance, and cleansing, through the precious blood of Christ, 1 John 1:7. [source]

Chapter Summary: Ezra 9

1  Ezra mourns for the affinity of the people with strangers
5  He prays unto God, with confession of sins

What do the individual words in Ezra 9:2 mean?

For they have taken some of their daughters [as wives] for themselves and their sons so that is mixed seed the holy with the peoples of [those] lands and indeed the hand of the leaders and rulers has been in trespass This foremost -
כִּֽי־ נָשְׂא֣וּ מִבְּנֹֽתֵיהֶ֗ם לָהֶם֙ וְלִבְנֵיהֶ֔ם וְהִתְעָֽרְבוּ֙ זֶ֣רַע הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ בְּעַמֵּ֖י הָאֲרָצ֑וֹת וְיַ֧ד הַשָּׂרִ֣ים וְהַסְּגָנִ֗ים הָֽיְתָ֛ה בַּמַּ֥עַל הַזֶּ֖ה רִאשׁוֹנָֽה ס

נָשְׂא֣וּ  they  have  taken 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
מִבְּנֹֽתֵיהֶ֗ם  some  of  their  daughters  [as  wives] 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
לָהֶם֙  for  themselves 
Parse: Preposition-l, Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
וְלִבְנֵיהֶ֔ם  and  their  sons 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
וְהִתְעָֽרְבוּ֙  so  that  is  mixed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: עָרַב 
Sense: to pledge, exchange, mortgage, engage, occupy, undertake for, give pledges, be or become surety, take on pledge, give in pledge.
זֶ֣רַע  seed 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: זֶרַע  
Sense: seed, sowing, offspring.
הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ  the  holy 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֹדֶשׁ  
Sense: apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness.
בְּעַמֵּ֖י  with  the  peoples 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
הָאֲרָצ֑וֹת  of  [those]  lands 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
וְיַ֧ד  and  indeed  the  hand 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
הַשָּׂרִ֣ים  of  the  leaders 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: סָרַר 
Sense: prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain.
וְהַסְּגָנִ֗ים  and  rulers 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: סֶגֶן  
Sense: ruler, prefect, governor, a subordinate ruler.
הָֽיְתָ֛ה  has  been 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
בַּמַּ֥עַל  in  trespass 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַעַל  
Sense: unfaithful or treacherous act, trespass.
הַזֶּ֖ה  This 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
רִאשׁוֹנָֽה  foremost 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רִאשֹׁון  
Sense: first, primary, former.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation