| Ezra 9 | |
|---|---|
 "Ezra Reads the Law to the People", one of Gustave Doré's illustrations for La Grande Bible de Tours | |
| Book | Book of Ezra |
| Category | Ketuvim |
| Christian Bible part | Old Testament |
| Order in the Christian part | 15 |
Ezra 9 is the ninth chapter of the Book of Ezra in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible,[1] or the book of Ezra-Nehemiah in the Hebrew Bible, which treats the book of Ezra and book of Nehemiah as one book.[2] Jewish tradition states that Ezra is the author of Ezra-Nehemiah as well as the Book of Chronicles,[3] but modern scholars generally accept that a compiler from the 5th century BCE (the so-called "Chronicler") is the final author of these books.[4] The section comprising chapters 7 to 10 mainly describes the activities of Ezra the scribe and the priest.[5] This chapter and the next deal with the problem of intermarriage, starting with the introduction of the crisis, then Ezra's public mourning and prayer of shame.[5] J. Gordon McConville suggests that this chapter is central to the Book of Ezra because it draws a sharp contrast between what the people of God ought to be and what they actually are.[6]
- ^ Halley 1965, p. 233.
- ^ Grabbe 2003, p. 313.
- ^ Babylonian Talmud Baba Bathra 15a, apud Fensham 1982, p. 2
- ^ Fensham 1982, pp. 2–4.
- ^ a b Grabbe 2003, p. 317.
- ^ McConville 1985, p. 60.