The Meaning of Ezra 9:9 Explained

Ezra 9:9

KJV: For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

YLT: for servants we are, and in our servitude our God hath not forsaken us, and stretcheth out unto us kindness before the kings of Persia, to give to us a quickening to lift up the house of our God, and to cause its wastes to cease, and to give to us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

Darby: For we are bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us before the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God and to repair the ruins thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

ASV: For we are bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended lovingkindness unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the ruins thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For we [were] bondmen;  yet our God  hath not forsaken  us in our bondage,  but hath extended  mercy  unto us in the sight  of the kings  of Persia,  to give  us a reviving,  to set up  the house  of our God,  and to repair  the desolations  thereof, and to give  us a wall  in Judah  and in Jerusalem. 

What does Ezra 9:9 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 9:9 mean?

For slaves we [were] and yet in our bondage not did forsake us our God but He extended to us mercy in the sight of the kings of Persia to us revive to repair - the house of our God and to rebuild its ruins and to give a wall in Judah and Jerusalem -
כִּֽי־ עֲבָדִ֣ים אֲנַ֔חְנוּ וּבְעַבְדֻ֔תֵנוּ לֹ֥א עֲזָבָ֖נוּ אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ וַֽיַּט־ עָלֵ֣ינוּ חֶ֡סֶד לִפְנֵי֩ מַלְכֵ֨י פָרַ֜ס לָֽתֶת־ לָ֣נוּ מִֽחְיָ֗ה לְרוֹמֵ֞ם אֶת־ בֵּ֤ית אֱלֹהֵ֙ינוּ֙ וּלְהַעֲמִ֣יד חָרְבֹתָ֔יו וְלָֽתֶת־ גָדֵ֔ר בִּֽיהוּדָ֖ה וּבִירוּשָׁלִָֽם ס

עֲבָדִ֣ים  slaves 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: עֶבֶד  
Sense: slave, servant.
אֲנַ֔חְנוּ  we  [were] 
Parse: Pronoun, first person common plural
Root: אֲנַחְנוּ  
Sense: we (first pers.
וּבְעַבְדֻ֔תֵנוּ  and  yet  in  our  bondage 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common plural
Root: עַבְדֻת  
Sense: servitude, bondage.
עֲזָבָ֖נוּ  did  forsake  us 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular, first person common plural
Root: עָזַב 
Sense: to leave, loose, forsake.
אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ  our  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
וַֽיַּט־  but  He  extended 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָטָה 
Sense: to stretch out, extend, spread out, pitch, turn, pervert, incline, bend, bow.
עָלֵ֣ינוּ  to  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
חֶ֡סֶד  mercy 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֶסֶד 
Sense: goodness, kindness, faithfulness.
לִפְנֵי֩  in  the  sight 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
מַלְכֵ֨י  of  the  kings 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
פָרַ֜ס  of  Persia 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: פָּרַס  
Sense: the empire Persia; encompassed the territory from India on the east to Egypt and Thrace on the west, and included, besides portions of Europe and Africa, the whole of western Asia between the Black Sea, the Caucasus, the Caspian and the Jaxartes on the north, the Arabian desert, the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean on the south.
לָ֣נוּ  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
מִֽחְיָ֗ה  revive 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִחְיָה  
Sense: preservation of life, sustenance.
לְרוֹמֵ֞ם  to  repair 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct
Root: יָרוּם 
Sense: to rise, rise up, be high, be lofty, be exalted.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
בֵּ֤ית  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
אֱלֹהֵ֙ינוּ֙  of  our  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
וּלְהַעֲמִ֣יד  and  to  rebuild 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: עָמַד  
Sense: to stand, remain, endure, take one’s stand.
חָרְבֹתָ֔יו  its  ruins 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: חָרְבָּה  
Sense: a place laid waste, ruin, waste, desolation.
וְלָֽתֶת־  and  to  give 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
גָדֵ֔ר  a  wall 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: גָּדֵר  
Sense: fence, wall.
בִּֽיהוּדָ֖ה  in  Judah 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
וּבִירוּשָׁלִָֽם  and  Jerusalem 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation