And of the sons of Pashur; Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
The verse names six men of the family of Pashur — Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah — among those who had taken foreign wives. It belongs to the record of the community's effort to put away these forbidden marriages in practical separation from the surrounding heathen nations. That separation came before the people were taught the law. It was Ezra's effort to separate the Jews from the heathen and thereby prepare them spiritually for rebuilding Jerusalem.
The verse stands as part of God's clear counsel on marriage, given in love and mercy to His people to be carefully and prayerfully consulted and walked in and cheerfully obeyed. It gives important instruction and timely warning about whom to marry, teaching that marriage is to be entered only in the Lord. Its duties are to be studied before entering that honorable estate. Heeding this counsel escapes bitter anguish of heart, painful regret for long years, and the frequent disappointments of marriage.
The verse names six men of the family of Pashur — Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah — among those who had taken foreign wives. It belongs to the record of the community's effort to put away these forbidden marriages in practical separation from the surrounding heathen nations. That separation came before the people were taught the law. It was Ezra's effort to separate the Jews from the heathen and thereby prepare them spiritually for rebuilding Jerusalem.
The verse stands as part of God's clear counsel on marriage, given in love and mercy to His people to be carefully and prayerfully consulted and walked in and cheerfully obeyed. It gives important instruction and timely warning about whom to marry, teaching that marriage is to be entered only in the Lord. Its duties are to be studied before entering that honorable estate. Heeding this counsel escapes bitter anguish of heart, painful regret for long years, and the frequent disappointments of marriage.