Ezra 8:22

For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
ashamed	בֹ֗שְׁתִּי Vo.she.ti	H954	properly · verb, qal perfect, 1st person common singular
require	לִשְׁא֤וֹל lish.'ol	H7592	to inquire · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
king	הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ ha.Me.lekh	H4428	a king · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
soldiers	חַ֣יִל Cha.yil	H2428	probably a force · noun, common masculine singular absolute
horsemen	וּפָרָשִׁ֔ים u.fa.ra.Shim	H6571	a steed (as stretched out to a vehicle · conjunction + noun, common masculine plural absolute
help	לְעָזְרֵ֥נוּ le.'a.ze.Re.nu	H5826	to surround · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct + pronominal suffix
enemy	מֵאוֹיֵ֖ב me.'o.Yev	H341	hating · preposition + verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
way	בַּדָּ֑רֶךְ ba.Da.rekh	H1870	a road (as trodden) · preposition with the article + noun, common both genders singular absolute
spoken	אָמַ֨רְנוּ 'a.Mar.nu	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · verb, qal perfect, 1st person common plural
king	לַמֶּ֜לֶךְ la.Me.lekh	H4428	a king · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
saying	לֵאמֹ֗ר le.Mor	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
hand	יַד yad-	H3027	a hand (the open one (indicating power · noun, common both genders singular construct
God	אֱלֹהֵ֤ינוּ 'e.lo.Hei.nu	H430	gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix
good	לְטוֹבָ֔ה le.to.Vah	H2896	good (as an adjective) in the widest sense · preposition + noun, common feminine singular absolute
seek	מְבַקְשָׁיו֙ me.vak.Shav	H1245	to search out (by any method · verb, piel active participle, masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
power	וְעֻזּ֣וֹ ve.'u.Zo	H5797	strength in various applications (force · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
wrath	וְאַפּ֔וֹ ve.'a.Po	H639	properly · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
forsake	עֹזְבָֽיו 'o.ze.Vav	H5800	to loosen · verb, qal active participle, masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular

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

1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do…
Psalms 33:18-19 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towa…
Psalms 34:15-16 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
Lamentations 3:25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
2 Chronicles 15:2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and…
Psalms 34:22 The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

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 8:22

I was ashamed to require - a band - He had represented God, the object of his worship, as supremely powerful, and as having the strongest affection for his true followers: he could not, therefore, consistently with his declarations, ask a band of soldiers from the king to protect them on the way, when they were going expressly to rebuild the temple of Jehovah, and restore his worship. He therefore found it necessary to seek the Lord by fasting and prayer, that they might have from Him those succours without which they might become a prey to their enemies; and then the religion which they professed would be considered by the heathen as false and vain. Thus we see that this good man had more a…

Dictionary and topics

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…
Anger Of God, The · Against: Those who forsake him — Against: Those who forsake him
Courage · without a guar — without a guar
Fasting · UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO — UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO
Forsaking God · Brings down his wrath — Brings down his wrath
Humiliation And Self-Affliction · ENJOINED — ENJOINED
Power Of God, The · The wicked: Have against them — The wicked: Have against them
Prayer, Answers To · Exemplified: Ezra — Exemplified: Ezra
Seekers · 16:11;22:19;28:9; — 16:11;22:19;28:9;
Seeking God · Ensures: His protection — Ensures: His protection

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 8:22

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 8:22

Dictionary and topics

Ezra 8:22

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 8:22

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Ezra 8:22

Keil & Delitzsch on Ezra 8:15–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Ezra 8:22

Rashi on Ezra 8:22