Ezra 9:5

At the evening offering, I got up from my humiliation with my tunic and cloak torn, and I fell on my knees, spread out my hands to the LORD my God,

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Ezra addresses the LORD during the evening offering, rising after sitting in horror until that time. He speaks to God while the exiles' unfaithfulness is being confronted by those who trembled at His words.

The words — The phrase מִתַּעֲנִיתִי (mitta'aniti) literally means "from my humiliation," marking the shift from passive grief to active prayer. Ezra's tearing of his בִגְדִי (bigdi, "my tunic") and מְעִילִי (me'ilí, "my cloak") physically enacts the distress detailed in the preceding verse.

The thread — The posture of spreading out hands in prayer recurs in Solomon's dedication prayer at 1 Kings 8:22, 38, and 54. Both accounts use identical physical gestures to frame corporate confession before the altar.

Why it lands — The text demands tangible acknowledgment of guilt before prayer can begin. It calls the reader to abandon personal comfort and adopt a posture of submission when confronting corporate sin.

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

וּבְמִנְחַ֣תu./ve./min.Chatand/ at/ [the] offering of הָעֶ֗רֶבha./'E.revthe/ evening קַ֚מְתִּיKam.tiI arose מִתַּֽעֲנִיתִ֔יmi./ta.'a.ni.T/ifrom/ humiliation/ my וּבְקָרְעִ֥יu./ve./ka.re.'/Iand/ in/ tearing of/ my בִגְדִ֖יvig.D/igarment/ my וּמְעִילִ֑יu./me.'i.L/iand/ robe/ my וָֽאֶכְרְעָה֙va./'ekh.re.'A/hand/ I bowed down/ !עַל־'al-on בִּרְכַּ֔יbir.Ka/iknees/ my וָאֶפְרְשָׂ֥הva./'ef.re.Sa/hand/ I spread out/ !כַפַּ֖יkha.Pa/ipalms/ my אֶל־'el-to יְהוָ֥הYah.wehYahweh אֱלֹהָֽי׃'e.lo.Ha/iGod/ my

King James Version

And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God,

Cross-references

1 Kings 8:22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven,
1 Kings 8:38 then may whatever prayer or petition Your people Israel make—each knowing his own afflictions and spreading out his hands toward this temple—
1 Kings 8:54 Now when Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and petition to the LORD, he got up before the altar of the LORD, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven.
Exodus 9:29 Moses said to him, “When I have left the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s.
Exodus 9:33 Then Moses departed from Pharaoh, went out of the city, and spread out his hands to the LORD. The thunder and hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured down on the land.
2 Chronicles 6:13 Now Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high and had placed it in the middle of the courtyard. He stood on it, knelt down before the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven,
Psalms 95:6 O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
Psalms 141:2 May my prayer be set before You like incense; my uplifted hands, like the evening offering.
Psalms 143:6 I stretch out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a parched land. Selah
Ephesians 3:14 ... for this reason I bow my knees before the Father,