Ezra 9:11

that You gave through Your servants the prophets, saying: ‘The land that you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the impurity of its peoples and the abominations with which they have filled it from end to end.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Ezra speaks to God in prayer, recounting the command the prophets delivered before the Israelites entered Canaan.

The words — צִוִּיתָ (tzi.vi.ta) means "you commanded," and אֲשֶׁר ('a.sher) functions as the relative pronoun "which" or "that."

The thread — The warning about land pollution and foreign abominations runs through Leviticus 18:24 and Deuteronomy 12:31, while the concept of separating from uncleanness appears in Ezra 6:21.

Why it lands — It requires the reader to recognize the territory's prior defilement and to obey the command to avoid contaminating alliances with its inhabitants.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.Sherwhich צִוִּ֗יתָtzi.Vi.tayou commanded בְּיַ֨דbe./Yadby/ [the] hand of עֲבָדֶ֣יךָ'a.va.Dei./khaservants/ your הַנְּבִיאִים֮ha./ne.vi.'Imthe/ prophets לֵאמֹר֒le./Mor<to>/ saying הָאָ֗רֶץha./'A.retzthe/ land אֲשֶׁ֨ר'a.Sherwhich אַתֶּ֤ם'a.Temyou בָּאִים֙ba.'Im[are] going לְרִשְׁתָּ֔הּle./rish.Ta/hto/ take possession of/ it אֶ֤רֶץ'E.retz[is] a land of נִדָּה֙ni.Dahimpurity הִ֔יאHi'it בְּנִדַּ֖תbe./ni.Datby/ [the] impurity of עַמֵּ֣י'a.Mei[the] peoples of הָאֲרָצ֑וֹתha./'a.ra.Tzotthe/ lands בְּתוֹעֲבֹֽתֵיהֶ֗םbe./to.'a.vo.tei./Hemby/ abominations/ their אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.Sherwhich מִלְא֛וּהָmil.'U./hathey have filled/ it מִפֶּ֥הmi./Pehfrom/ mouth אֶל־'el-to פֶּ֖הpehmouth בְּטֻמְאָתָֽם׃be./tum.'a.Ta/mwith/ uncleanness/ their

King James Version

Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness.

Cross-references

Leviticus 18:24 Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves.
Ezra 6:21 The Israelites who had returned from exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to seek the LORD, the God of Israel.
Deuteronomy 12:31 You must not worship the LORD your God in this way, because they practice for their gods every abomination which the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.
Deuteronomy 18:12 For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD. And because of these detestable things, the LORD your God is driving out the nations before you.
2 Chronicles 33:2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
Ezra 9:1 After these things had been accomplished, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the surrounding peoples whose abominations are like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.
Ezekiel 36:25 I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.
2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2 Kings 21:16 Moreover, Manasseh shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end, in addition to the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, doing evil in the sight of the LORD.