Ezra 8:21

Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
proclaimed	וָאֶקְרָ֨א va.'ek.Ra'	H7121	to call out to (i.e. properly · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 1st person common singular
fast	צוֹם֙ tzOm	H6685	a fast · noun, common masculine singular absolute
river	הַנָּהָ֣ר ha.na.Har	H5104	a stream (including the sea · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
Ahava	אַהֲוָ֔א 'a.ha.Va'	H163	Ahava · proper noun, a place name
afflict	לְהִתְעַנּ֖וֹת le.hit.'a.Not	H6031	to depress literally or figuratively · preposition + verb, hithpael infinitive construct
before	לִפְנֵ֣י lif.Nei	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
God	אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ 'e.lo.Hei.nu	H430	gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix
seek	לְבַקֵּ֤שׁ le.va.Kesh	H1245	to search out (by any method · preposition + verb, piel infinitive construct
right	יְשָׁרָ֔ה ye.sha.Rah	H3477	straight (literally or figuratively) · adjective, feminine singular absolute
way	דֶּ֣רֶךְ De.rekh	H1870	a road (as trodden) · noun, common both genders singular absolute
ones	וּלְטַפֵּ֖נוּ u.le.ta.Pe.nu	H2945	a family (mostly used collectively in the singular) · conjunction + preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
substance	רְכוּשֵֽׁנוּ re.khu.She.nu	H7399	property (as gathered) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

2 Chronicles 20:3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
Joel 1:14 Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and c…
1 Samuel 7:6 And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sin…
Isaiah 30:21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to th…
Jonah 3:5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
Leviticus 16:29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do…
Leviticus 23:29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.
Psalms 107:2-8 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ezra 8:21-23

Ezra has procured Levites to go along with him; but what will that avail, unless he have God with him? That is therefore his chief care. In all our ways we must acknowledge God, and in those particularly wherein we are endeavouring to serve the interest of his kingdom among men. Ezra does so here. Observe, I. The stedfast confidence he had in God and in his gracious protection. He told the king (Ezr 8:22) what principles he went upon, that those who seek God are safe under the shadow of his wings, even in their greats dangers, but that those who forsake him are continually exposed, even when they are most secure. God's servants have his power engaged for them; his enemies have it engaged aga…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezra 8:21

A FAST PROCLAIMED. (Ezra 8:21-36) Then I proclaimed a fast there--The dangers to travelling caravans from the Bedouin Arabs that prowl through the desert were in ancient times as great as they still are; and it seems that travellers usually sought the protection of a military escort. But Ezra had spoken so much to the king of the sufficiency of the divine care of His people that he would have blushed to apply for a guard of soldiers. Therefore he resolved that his followers should, by a solemn act of fasting and prayer, commit themselves to the Keeper of Israel. Their faith, considering the many and constant perils of a journey across the Bedouin regions, must have been great, and it was re…

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Adam Clarke on Ezra 8:17

At the place Casiphia - The most judicious commentators are agreed that by Casiphia, the Caspian mountains, between Media and Hyrcania, are intended; where, probably, the Nethinim were employed in working silver mines: כסף keseph, from which the word comes, signifies silver.

John Gill on Ezra 8:21

Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava,.... After the messengers to Iddo were returned with those they brought with them: that we might afflict ourselves before our God; humble themselves before him for their sins, confess them, and declare their repentance of them, and ask forgiveness for them: to seek of him a right way for us; to take from thence towards Jerusalem, to be directed by him in it: either by a prophet, or by a vision in a dream, as Eben Ezra; or rather by the guidance of his providence; this they sought in prayer by the river side, where it had been usual with them, and since has been, to perform religious exercises, see Ezekiel 1:1, hence Tertullian (z) calls th…

The Church Fathers

And I proclaimed there a fast, etc. An example of fasting and praying, when we want to commence something of great virtue: and because the faithful hope in the Lord never fails, nor can it happen that we do not obtain what we justly seek from a pious and just helper through abstinence and prayers with faith. But we must carefully observe that fasting is prescribed first, and thus prayer is subsequently instructed. For first he says, And I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before the Lord. And then he adds: And we asked for a straight way for us and our children, etc., up to the conclusion of the sentence: But we fasted, and we prayed to our Lord for this, and it turned out well for us. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that whoever enters to beseech the mercy of the Lord should first live more abstinently, to show themselves worthy to be heard; and thus, praying to the Lord, they should not doubt that what they request will turn out well for them.
— Bede, Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Ahava — Water, the river (Ezra 8:21) by the banks of which the Jewish exiles assembled under Ezra when about to return to Jerusalem from Babylon. In all probability this was one of the streams of Mesopotamia…
Ezra — Help. (1.) A priest among those that returned to Jerusalem under Zerubabel (Neh. 12:1). (2.) The “scribe” who led the second body of exiles that returned from Babylon to Jerusalem B.C. 459, and…
Fast — The sole fast required by the law of Moses was that of the great Day of Atonement (q.v.), Lev. 23:26-32. It is called “the fast” (Acts 27:9). The only other mention of a periodical fast in the Old…
Ahava · A river of Babylon — A river of Babylon
Ezra · .Appoints a fast — .Appoints a fast
Fasting · UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO — UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO
Humiliation And Self-Affliction · ENJOINED — ENJOINED
Prayer, Answers To · Exemplified: Ezra — Exemplified: Ezra

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Ezra 8:21

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ezra 8:21-23

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezra 8:21

Adam Clarke on Ezra 8:17

John Gill on Ezra 8:21

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Ezra 8:21

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ezra 8:21-23

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezra 8:21

Adam Clarke on Ezra 8:17

John Gill on Ezra 8:21

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Ezra 8:15–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Ezra 8:21

Rashi on Ezra 8:21