The verse stands in the closing part of the book written by Ezra the priest in the time of Artaxerxes Longimanus. That book records the experiences of the Jews at Jerusalem, including their backsliding, their humility, their seeking of God, and the faithful reproofs given to them. Within that close it belongs to the detailed account of the people's practical separation from forbidden foreign alliances before they could be taught the law.
The chapter gives clear counsel from God in love and mercy about marriage. That counsel must be carefully and prayerfully consulted and cheerfully obeyed in order to escape bitter anguish of heart and painful regret for long years. The duties of marriage must be studied before entering that honorable estate, and marriage must be only in the Lord. So studied and so entered, it avoids frequent disappointment and a repentance that comes at once too soon and too late.
The verse stands in the closing part of the book written by Ezra the priest in the time of Artaxerxes Longimanus. That book records the experiences of the Jews at Jerusalem, including their backsliding, their humility, their seeking of God, and the faithful reproofs given to them. Within that close it belongs to the detailed account of the people's practical separation from forbidden foreign alliances before they could be taught the law.
The chapter gives clear counsel from God in love and mercy about marriage. That counsel must be carefully and prayerfully consulted and cheerfully obeyed in order to escape bitter anguish of heart and painful regret for long years. The duties of marriage must be studied before entering that honorable estate, and marriage must be only in the Lord. So studied and so entered, it avoids frequent disappointment and a repentance that comes at once too soon and too late.