Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary

Adam Clarke Commentary

And all such as had separated themselves - These were the proselytes who had embraced the Jewish religion by having mingled with the Jews in their captivity. This proves that there the poor captives had so acted according to the principles of their religion, that the heathens saw it, and walked in the light of the Lord with them. A good example is very persuasive; and particularly so when founded on pure principles.

The Biblical Illustrator

Ezra 6:21

To seek the Lord God of Israel

Seeking God

Birds are very fond of catching the last evening rays of a winter’s sun, and are often to be found in the afternoon on banks facing the west, or swinging, if there is no wind, on the topmost branch of trees.
On the mountains, too, all birds, as the sun gets low, take to the slopes to face the west, whilst in the morning they betake themselves to the eastern hanks and slopes to meet his rays. Golden plovers, in the evenings, ascend from elope to slope, as each becomes shaded by the intervening heights, until they are all collected on the very last ridge which the sun shines upon. God’s children resemble birds in seeking light, only the light they seek is the light of goodness, and truth, and righteousness which comes from God. They seek the Source of Light, and turn away from the darkness. (S. S. Chronicle.)

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity,.... The tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with some of the ten tribes mixed with them:

and all such as had separated themselves unto them, from the filthiness of the Heathen of the land, to seek the Lord God of Israel, did eat; such of the Gentiles in the dominions of Babylon, and came with the Jews from thence, who were enlightened into the knowledge and worship of the true God, and not only renounced their idolatry, here called filthiness, but were circumcised, and embraced the religion of the Jews, and so were proselytes of righteousness, as they call them; or otherwise they would not have been allowed to eat of the passover, as they did, Exodus 12:48.

Geneva Study Bible

(i) Who were of the heathen and forsook their idolatry to worship the true God.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

all such as had separated themselves … from the filthiness of the heathen of the land — that is, who had given satisfactory evidence of being true proselytes by not only renouncing the impure worship of idolatry, but by undergoing the rite of circumcision, a condition indispensable to a participation of the Passover.

Wesley's Explanatory Notes

And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, did eat,

Children of Israel — Probably some out of each of the twelve tribes.

John Trapp Complete Commentary

Ezra 6:21 And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, did eat,

Ver. 21. And the children of Israel] The whole community, of what tribe soever.

And all such as had separated themselves] Who were the better to like, because not prosperity proselytes, such as came in (not a few) in Solomon’s time; but the Jews were very careful how they received them, as Josephus relateth.

From the filthiness of the heathen] Who had filled the land from one end to the other with their uncleannesses, Ezra 9:11. Great sins do greatly pollute.

To seek the Lord God of Israel] To seek not his omnipresence (for that none need to do, since he is not far from any one of us, Acts 17:27), but his gracious presence. And such a seeker is every good soul: Psalms 24:6, This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, that is, Jacob.

Did eat] Edebant, id est, credebant, They were eating, it is, they were believing, for even Christ their passover was sacrificed for them, 1 Corinthians 5:7.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

From the filthiness of the heathen, i.e. such as had forsaken that filthy and idolatrous religion of the heathens, and were proselyted to the Jewish religion; for such were allowed to eat the passover, Exodus 12:48 Numbers 9:14.

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

21.Such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen — Blackslidden and apostate Israelites who had remained in the land when others went into exile, and had corrupted themselves by idolatry and by intermarriage with the heathen. Also, perhaps, some non-Israelitish dwellers in the land who had adopted the Jewish faith, and had become proselytes of the new community.

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments

Ezra 6:21. All such as had separated themselves unto them, &c. — Had left their country, and the superstitions and vices of it; had become proselytes to the Jewish religion, and cast in their lot with the Israel of God, professing an entire subjection to the law of Moses. Such, and only such, might eat of the passover, Exodus 12:48-49. From the manner in which the sacred writer expresses himself here, it would seem as if there were many proselytes, who forsook their heathenish customs, and were brought to the knowledge and worship of the true God, influenced, probably, by the encouragement which Cyrus and Darius had given to the Jewish religion. People of all nations, it must be observed, till proselyted, were accounted by the Jews polluted both in body and mind, because of their worshipping false gods, and not abstaining from the things which were accounted unclean by the law of Moses. The description here given of proselytes to Judaism may serve to characterize converts to the true religion in every age: they separate themselves from the filthiness of sin, and fellowship with sinners; join themselves to the Israel of God in conformity and communion, and set themselves to seek the God of Israel: and those that do so in sincerity, though strangers and foreigners, are welcome to eat of the gospel-feast, as fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.

George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

To them, becoming proselytes, and receiving circumcision, Exodus xii. 48.

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

heathen = nations.

the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.

God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged

And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, did eat,

All such as had separated themselves ... from the filthiness of the pagan - i:e., who had given satisfactory evidence of being true proselytes by not only renouncing the impure worship of idolatry, but by undergoing the rite of circumcision-a condition indispensable to a participation of the Passover.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(21) Separated themselves . . .—Not proselytes from the heathen are intended, but the remnant of the Jews in the land who had consorted with the foreign populations introduced by the conquerors. Their intermarriages and other acts of conformity are constantly referred to throughout Ezra and Nehemiah.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

all such

9:11; Numbers 9:6,7,10-14; Isaiah 52:11; Ezekiel 36:25; 2 Corinthians 6:17; 7:1

did eat

Exodus 12:47-49; Psalms 93:5