Now for a little moment grace has been shown from Yahweh our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and revived us a little in our bondage.
Parallel Translations
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Now for a little moment grace has been shown from Yahweh our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and revived us a little in our bondage.
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And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.
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And now for a little moment grace hath been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in His holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.
Cross-references (31)
Passages linked to Ezra 9:8 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Psalms 13:3 Behold, and answer me, Yahweh, my God. Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death;
- Romans 11:5-6 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
- Hosea 6:2 After two days he will revive us. On the third day he will raise us up, and we will live before him.
- Psalms 85:6 Won’t you revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?
- Isaiah 57:15 For the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, says: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
- Ezekiel 37:11-14 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost. We are completely cut off.’ Therefore prophesy, and tell them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, my people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. You will know that I am Yahweh, when I have opened your graves, and caused you to come up out of your graves, my people. I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live. Then I will place you in your own land; and you will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken it and performed it,” says Yahweh.’ ”
- Habakkuk 3:2 Yahweh, I have heard of your fame. I stand in awe of your deeds, Yahweh. Renew your work in the middle of the years. In the middle of the years make it known. In wrath, you remember mercy.
- Nehemiah 9:31 “Nevertheless in your manifold mercies you didn’t make a full end of them, nor forsake them; for you are a gracious and merciful God.
- Job 33:30 to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of the living.
- Psalms 34:5 They looked to him, and were radiant. Their faces shall never be covered with shame.
- Psalms 138:7 Though I walk in the middle of trouble, you will revive me. You will stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies. Your right hand will save me.
- Ecclesiastes 12:11 The words of the wise are like goads; and like nails well fastened are words from the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
- Isaiah 1:9 Unless Yahweh of Armies had left to us a very small remnant, we would have been as Sodom. We would have been like Gomorrah.
- Isaiah 22:23-25 I will fasten him like a nail in a sure place. He will be for a throne of glory to his father’s house. They will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, every small vessel, from the cups even to all the pitchers. “In that day,” says Yahweh of Armies, “the nail that was fastened in a sure place will give way. It will be cut down and fall. The burden that was on it will be cut off, for Yahweh has spoken it.”
- Isaiah 56:5 I will give them in my house and within my walls a memorial and a name better than of sons and of daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.
- Jeremiah 42:2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please let our supplication be presented before you, and pray for us to Yahweh your God, even for all this remnant; for we are left but a few of many, as your eyes see us;
- Jeremiah 44:14 so that none of the remnant of Judah, who have gone into the land of Egypt to live there, will escape or be left to return into the land of Judah, to which they have a desire to return to dwell there; for no one will return except those who will escape.’ ”
- Ezekiel 6:8-9 “ ‘ “Yet I will leave a remnant, in that you will have some that escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered through the countries. Those of you that escape will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I have been broken with their lewd heart, which has departed from me, and with their eyes, which play the prostitute after their idols. Then they will loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.
- Ezekiel 14:22 Yet, behold, there will be left a remnant in it that will be carried out, both sons and daughters. Behold, they will come out to you, and you will see their way and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought on Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought on it.
- Zechariah 8:6 Yahweh of Armies says: “If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my eyes?” says Yahweh of Armies.
- Zechariah 8:12 “For the seed of peace and the vine will yield its fruit, and the ground will give its increase, and the heavens will give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things.
- Zechariah 10:4 From him will come the cornerstone, from him the nail, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler together.
- Romans 9:27 Isaiah cries concerning Israel, “If the number of the children of Israel are as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant who will be saved;
- Revelation 3:12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will go out from there no more. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God, and my own new name.
- 1 Samuel 14:27 But Jonathan didn’t hear when his father commanded the people with the oath. Therefore he put out the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes brightened.
- 1 Samuel 14:29 Then Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. Please look how my eyes have brightened, because I tasted a little of this honey.
- 2 Kings 19:4 It may be Yahweh your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which Yahweh your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’ ”
- 2 Kings 19:30-31 The remnant that has escaped of the house of Judah will again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem a remnant will go out, and out of Mount Zion those who shall escape. Yahweh’s zeal will perform this.
- Ezra 9:9 For we are bondservants; yet our God has not forsaken us in our bondage, but has extended loving kindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to set up the house of our God, and to repair its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
- Ezra 9:13-15 “After all that has come on us for our evil deeds, and for our great guilt, since you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such a remnant, shall we again break your commandments, and join ourselves with the peoples that do these abominations? Wouldn’t you be angry with us until you had consumed us, so that there would be no remnant, nor any to escape? Yahweh, the God of Israel, you are righteous; for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before you in our guiltiness; for no one can stand before you because of this.”
- Nehemiah 1:11 Lord, I beg you, let your ear be attentive now to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants, who delight to fear your name; and please prosper your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cup bearer to the king.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (13 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain In giving us a resting place. It is a…
In giving us a resting place. It is a similitude taken of them that remain still in a place, which smite nails to hang things upon, Isa. 22:23.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Ezr 9:8 And now for a little space grace…
Ezr 9:8 And now for a little space grace hath been [shewed] from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.
Ver. 8. And now for a little space] Heb. point, or moment of time. God let loose his hand for a while, and gave them some little liberty, to make them instances of his mercy who had been objects of his wrath; but nothing would mend them and make them better.
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And to give us a nail] That is, some settlement, some subject of hope, and support of faith. He seemeth to allude to such nails as wherewith they fastened their tents to the ground (Jael drove one of those tent nails through Sisera’s temples, and laid him safe enough), or else to those nails that, driven into pales, do fasten them to their rails.
That our God may lighten our eyes] i.e. cheer up our hearts, and so clear up our eyesight; which, when the spirit is dejected, grows dim, for want of spirits. Profecto oculis animus inhabitat, saith Pliny (lib. ii. cap. 32); truly so it is, that the heart dwelleth in the eye; there it sitteth and showeth itself pleased or displeased with whatsoever occurrences. And as a looking-glass is the eye of art; so is the eye the looking-glass of nature.
And give us a little reviving in our bondage] Not light only, but heat also, by the beams of his pleased countenance, which is better than life. The life of some kind of creatures is merely in the sun; in winter they lie for dead; in summer they revive. So it is with the saints; all their comfort consists in God’s grace and favour. They look unto him and are lightened, Psa 34:5; he hideth his face, and they are troubled; their breath is taken away, they die and return to their dust, Psa 104:29. These captives in Babylon lay for that time as dead and buried, Isa 26:19. God opened their graves, and caused them to come up out of their graves, and brought them to the land of Israel, Eze 37:13. For his favour is no empty favour; it is not like the winter sun, that casts a goodly countenance when it shineth, but gives little comfort and heat. He is the Father of lights, and the God of all grace and consolation, &c., he gives all things needful to life and godliness, so that to have sinned against so good a God, to kick against such tender bowels, was a further aggravation of their sin; and so it is here used and urged.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Now for a little space: it is but a…
Now for a little space: it is but a little while since God hath delivered and restored us, and yet we are already returned to our former sin and folly. Or thus, We have enjoyed this favour but a little while, and now we are sinning it away, and shortening our own happiness.
To leave us a remnant to escape; that by his favour many of us should escape out of captivity; whom he calls but a remnant, because the far greatest part of the Israelitish nation were yet in captivity.
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To give us a nail, i.e. either,
1. A just and merciful prince of our own nation and religion; such being compared to nails or pins, as Isa 22:23. Or rather,
2. Some kind of settlement; whereas before we were tossed and removed from place to place as our masters pleased. It is a metaphor from tents, which are fastened by cords and nails, or pins. In his holy place, i.e. in this holy land, as the land of Judah is called, Zec 2:12. Or, in Jerusalem, which is called the holy city, Neh 11:1,18; Da 9:24; which is peculiarly mentioned, because of the temple, which was the nail which fastened their tents, and gave them some ground of hopes to continue in their land.
That our God may lighten our eyes, i.e. that he might revive and comfort our hearts. For as darkness is oft put for a state of sorrow and affliction, so light is put for joy and comfort.
Give us a little reviving in our bondage; for we are not quite delivered, but still wear our fetters upon us, being even here in subjection to our former lords.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And now, for a little space, grace hath been…
And now, for a little space, grace hath been showed from the Lord our God,.... It was but a small time since the Lord first began to show favour to them, so that they soon after began to revolt from him; which argued the strange propensity of their minds to that which is evil, and from which they could not be restrained by the recent goodness of God unto them:
to leave us a remnant to escape; out of captivity, from whence a small number were graciously and safely returned to their own land:
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and to give us a nail in his holy place; a fixed settlement in the land of Judea, the holy land the Lord had chosen, and in the temple, the holy place sacred to his worship; or a prince of their own, Zerubbabel, to be the governor of them, under whom they might enjoy settled happiness and prosperity, see Isa 22:23,
that our God may lighten our eyes; refresh our spirits, cheer our souls, and give us light and gladness, see Sa1 14:27
and give us a little reviving in our bondage; for they were still in some degree of bondage, being in subjection, and tributaries to the kings of Persia; but yet being returned to their own land, it was as life from the dead unto them, at least it was giving them a little life, liberty, and joy.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain A little space - It is but a little…
A little space - It is but a little while since God hath delivered us, and yet we are already returned to our sin. A remnant - The far greatest part of the Israelitish nation were yet in captivity. A nail - Some kind of settlement; whereas before we were tossed and removed from place to place as our masters pleased. It is a metaphor from tents, which are fastened by cords and nails, or pins. Holy place - In Jerusalem, called the holy city, Neh. xi, 1, 18 Dan. ix, 24, which is peculiarly mentioned, because of the temple, which was the nail that fastened their tents and gave them some hopes of continuing in their land. To lighten - That he might revive and comfort our hearts. For as darkness is often put for a state of sorrow and affliction, so light is put for joy and comfort. In bondage - For we are not quite delivered, being even here in subjection to our former lords.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 8. And now for a little space] This…
Verse 8. And now for a little space] This interval in which they were returning from servitude to their own land.
Grace hath been showed] God has disposed the hearts of the Persian kings to publish edicts in our favour.
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To leave us a remnant to escape] The ten tribes are gone irrecoverably into captivity; a great part even of Judah and Benjamin had continued beyond the Euphrates: so that Ezra might well say, there was but a remnant which had escaped.
A nail in his holy place] Even so much ground as to fix our tent-poles in.
May lighten our eyes] To give us a thorough knowledge of ourselves and of our highest interest, and to enable us to re-establish his worship, is the reason why God has brought us back to this place.
A little reviving] We were perishing, and our hopes were almost dead; and, because of our sins, we were sentenced to death: but God in his great mercy has given us a new trial; and he begins with little, to see if we will make a wise and faithful use of it.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain The “little space” was above 60 years, counting from…
The “little space” was above 60 years, counting from the second year of Darius Ezr 4:24, or about 80 years, counting from the first year of Cyrus Ezr 1:1. This does not seem to Ezra much in the “lifetime” of a nation.
A remnant to escape - Rather, “a remnant that has escaped.” The “remnant” is the new community that has returned from the captivity.
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A nail - Compare the marginal note and reference. The metaphor is probably drawn from a tent-pin, which is driven into the earth to make the tent firm and secure.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain As a. Protestants, "for a little space, grace hath…
As a. Protestants, "for a little space, grace hath been shewed from the Lord," (Haydock) and yet we are again irritating Him! (Calmet) --- A pin, or nail, here signifies a small settlement or holding; which Esdras begs for, to preserve even a part of the people, who, by their great iniquity, had incurred the anger of God. (Challoner) --- Allusion is made to the pins which fasten down a tent, (Isaias xxxiii. 20., and liv. 2.) or hinder a ship from being carried from the shore, (Tigurin; Menochius) on which utensils are hung up, (Tournemine) referring to the magistrates, who were now of the same country. (Tirinus) (Isaias xxii. 21.) (Delrio, adag. 218.) --- Septuagint, "a support." Hebrew yathed, denotes also a walking-stick, nail, &c. (Menochius) --- Eyes, fill us with joy, in perfect security. --- Little life, free us from danger. (Calmet) --- Esdras is afraid to ask for the impunity of all, but only begs that a small part may be spared, like a nail or post from a house, which may serve to rebuild it. (Worthington)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 8. Now for a little space — From the…
8. Now for a little space — From the time of Cyrus. Yet in that short time not a few sorrows had befallen them.
Give us a nail in his holy place — The Hebrew for nail means a tent-pin, and is here used metaphorically for pitching one’s tent and abiding in a place. So these exiles had been permitted to return and settle in and about the holy city.
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Lighten our eyes — Make them shine and sparkle with hope of returning good.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 8. The period since the decree of Cyrus a…
8. The period since the decree of Cyrus a divinely appointed respite of probation.
And now for a little space] R.V. And now for a little moment. ‘For a little moment’, as in Isa_26:20 ‘Hide thyself for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast’. Ezra means that as compared with the long periods of Israel’s disobedience (Ezr_9:7), and Israel’s punishment, the interval of eighty years since Zerubbabel’s return was but a short chapter in the people’s history.
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grace] The word in the Hebrew is practically always elsewhere in the O.T. rendered ‘supplication’ (e.g. 1Ki_8:30; 1Ki_8:38; 1Ki_8:52; 1Ki_9:3; Psa_6:9; Psa_55:1; Psa_119:170; Jer_36:7; Jer_37:20; Jer_38:26; Jer_42:9; Dan_9:20; 2Ch_6:19; 2Ch_6:29; 2Ch_6:35; 2Ch_6:39; 2Ch_33:13). The only possible exception is Jos_11:20 ‘That they might utterly destroy them, that they might have no favour’ (marg. Or, might not sue for favour). Here the word clearly means the favour or grace, for which the supplication is made.
to leave us a remnant to escape] A remnant to escape (p‘lêtah) (1) from the destruction of Jerusalem, as in Eze_14:22 ‘Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be carried forth’, (2) from the evils and degenerating influences of the captivity, as in Neh_1:3 ‘I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem’.
and to give us a nail in his holy place] R.V. marg. ‘See Isa_22:23’, ‘And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place’, referring to Eliakim. The writer makes use of a metaphor, which to us is a little obscure. The passage from Isaiah gives us the image of a nail or peg firmly fastened into a wall so that vessels could be hung from it securely. Others have derived the metaphor from camp life: upon the peg being driven into a firm soil depended the security of the tent. Cf. Isa_54:2 ‘lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy stakes’ (or nails). In either case the nail is that which holds up or supports. Its power to do so, however strong the nail may be itself, depends upon the firmness of that into which it is driven.—‘The nail’ here is neither the Temple, as some have supposed, nor the princes and priests, but the community returned from Babylon established at Jerusalem. Upon this community depended the whole hopes of Israel. Ezra acknowledges the mercy which has permitted ‘the nail’ of the new Israel to be fixed once more in the place which God had chosen.
in his holy place] i.e. in Jerusalem, and at his Temple. The phrase occurs again in Psa_24:3 ‘Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? and who shall stand in his holy place’? cf. Isa_60:13. That ‘holy place’ was the centre of the nation’s life, the witness to the Divine Presence. ‘The nail’ fixed there should bear any weight and resist all pressure; it was ‘the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, the mount Zion’ (Isa_18:7), ‘the place which the Lord shall choose’ (Deu_12:14 passim), cf. ‘the holy mountain of my God’ Dan_9:20 (16, 24), ‘the holy city’ Mat_4:5; Mat_27:53.
that our God may lighten our eyes] The period of punishment had been one of night and gloom. The new gracious period of respite had brought daylight and brightness, cf. Psa_13:3 ‘Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death’.
and give us a little reviving in our bondage] The restoration of the Jews had been a renewal of life (cf. Eze_32:1-14) out of death. Ezra says ‘a little’; for (1) the period had been short, (2) they were still subject to foreign rulers. But it was a rekindling of the vital spark—a reviving. The Hebrew word is not very common, comp. Gen_45:5 ‘God did send me before you to preserve life’ (lit. for reviving or the maintenance of life).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain And now for a little space grace hath been…
And now for a little space grace hath been showed. The "little space" must be understood relatively to the long enjoyment of Divine favour from Abraham to Zedekiah. It was a space of more than eighty years. A remnant to escape. The Hebrew has simply p"leythah, "a remnant," the "remnant" being that which had escaped the two dangers of destruction and absorption, and had returned from Babylon to Palestine. To give us a nail. "A nail" seems to mean here "a firm and sure abode," as our translators note in the margin.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 mercy from Yahweh our God has come
mercy from Yahweh our God has come
God deciding to be merciful is spoken of as if mercy were a person who could move. AT: "Yahweh our God has decided to be merciful to us and" (See: Metaphor)
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but has extended covenant faithfulness to us
The abstract noun "faithfulness" can be stated as "faithful" or "loyal." See how you translated a similar phrase in Esra 7:28. AT: "but he as been faithful to us" or "he has been loyal to us" (See: Abstract Nouns)
in the sight of the king of Persia
The king could not literally see the temple, but he did know about what was happening in Jerusalem. Here "sight" is a metonym for what a person knows. AT: "so that the king of Persia knows about it" (See: Metonymy)
God's house
the temple
could give us a wall of safety
The wall that keeps people safe is a metaphor for Yahweh protecting his people. AT: "could keep us safe" (See: Metaphor)
translationWords
mercy
Yahweh
God
holy place
covenant faithfulness
king
Persia
house of God
Judah
Jerusalem
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 9:8-9 God’s abundant grace and unfailing love should affect…
9:8-9 God’s abundant grace and unfailing love should affect how people respond to him (cp. Deut 30:1-5). After all that God had done for the remnant, it was shameful that they were so ready to betray him. • the kings of Persia to treat us favorably: Babylon and Assyria had tortured and exiled their enemies (2 Kgs 17; 25), but Persia treated exiled people kindly and returned them to their homelands (see Ezra 1:1-3). • protective wall: This phrase refers to God’s presence protecting the nation of Judah, not the physical walls of Jerusalem, which were rebuilt several years later by Nehemiah.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.