Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary Verse 2. Shechaniah the son of Jehiel] He speaks here in the name of the people, not acknowledging himself culpable, for he is not in the following list. It is in the same form of speech with that in James, James iii. 9. With the tongue curse we men. He seems to have been a chief man among the people; and Ezra, at present, stood in need of his influence and support.
Yet now there is hope in Israel] hwqm mikveh, expectation, of pardon; for the people were convinced of the evil, and were deeply penitent: hence it is said, ver. 1, that they wept sore.
John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 2. And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra , etc.] This man seems to be one of those that now came with Ezra from Babylon, (see Ezra 8:3,5), we have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives
of the people of the land ; not that he had taken any himself, being but just come into the land, nor is his name in the list of those that had; but inasmuch as many of the nation, of which he was a part, and his own father, and several of his uncles had, ( Ezra 10:26), he expresses himself in this manner: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing ; of a reformation of this evil, and of pardon for it.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-5 - Shechaniah owned the national guilt. The case is sad, but it is no desperate; the disease threatening, but not incurable. Now that the people begin to lament, a spirit of repentance seems to be poured out now there is hope that God will forgive, and have mercy. The sin tha rightly troubles us, shall not ruin us. In melancholy times we mus observe what makes for us, as well as against us. And there may be goo hopes through grace, even where there is the sense of great guil before God. The case is plain; what has been done amiss, must be undon again as far as possible; nothing less than this is true repentance Sin must be put away, with a resolution never to have any thing more to do with it. What has been unjustly got, must be restored. Arise, be of good courage. Weeping, in this case, is good, but reforming is better As to being unequally yoked with unbelievers, such marriages, it is certain, are sinful, and ought not to be made; but now they are no null, as they were before the gospel did away the separation betwee Jews and Gentiles.
Original Hebrew ויען6030 שׁכניה7935 בן1121 יחיאל3171 מבני1121 עולם5867 ויאמר559 לעזרא5830 אנחנו587 מעלנו4603 באלהינו430 ונשׁב3427 נשׁים802 נכריות5237 מעמי5971 הארץ776 ועתה6258 ישׁ3426 מקוה4723 לישׂראל3478 על5921 זאת׃2063
