Introduction to Ezra 10:44
This verse concludes the list of Israelites who had married foreign women, a central issue in Ezra’s reform movement. The syntax in this verse reflects post-exilic Hebrew style, featuring collective subjects, mixed singular/plural agreement, and a syntactically loose final clause. This lesson will focus on the interaction between collective nouns and verb agreement, and the use of mixed word order to convey summary judgments in administrative Hebrew.
כָּל־אֵ֕לֶּה נָשְׂא֣וּ נָשִׁ֣ים נָכְרִיֹּ֑ות וְיֵ֣שׁ מֵהֶ֣ם נָשִׁ֔ים וַיָּשִׂ֖ימוּ בָּנִֽים׃
Analysis of Key Words and Structures
- כָּל־אֵ֕לֶּה (kol-elleh) – “All these.”
– כָּל (“all”) governs the demonstrative plural אֵלֶּה (“these”), forming a collective subject meaning “all these (men).”
– Though syntactically singular in form, this phrase behaves as plural semantically, as seen in the following verb. - נָשְׂא֣וּ נָשִׁ֣ים נָכְרִיֹּ֑ות (nasʾu nashim nokhriyot) – “took foreign women.”
– נָשְׂאוּ is Qal perfect 3mp from נשא (“to lift, carry, take in marriage”), here with the meaning “they married.”
– נָשִׁים (“women”) + נָכְרִיֹּות (“foreign”) is a noun-adjective pair functioning as the object.
– Shows plural agreement with the collective subject. - וְיֵ֣שׁ מֵהֶ֣ם נָשִׁ֔ים (veyesh mehem nashim) – “And there are among them women…”
– Existential particle יֵשׁ (“there is/are”) + מֵהֶם (“from among them”) introduces an indefinite subset.
– נָשִׁים again appears as subject, emphasizing those foreign women who bore children. - וַיָּשִׂ֖ימוּ בָּנִֽים (vayyasimu banim) – “and they bore children.”
– וַיָּשִׂימוּ is wayyiqtol verb from שׂים in the Hifil or unusual Qal usage.
– Here, it is a non-literal idiom meaning “to produce” or “to place children,” that is, “they had children.”
– בָּנִים (“sons, children”) is the direct object.
Collective Plural Agreement and Looser Syntax in Ezraic Hebrew
The verse contains collective subjects with plural predicates, which is typical of post-exilic Hebrew narrative:
– כָּל־אֵ֕לֶּה is grammatically singular but semantically plural, governing the plural verb נָשְׂאוּ.
– This structure underscores the unity of the group while respecting their plurality of action.
The clause וְיֵ֣שׁ מֵהֶ֣ם נָשִׁ֔ים uses the existential particle יֵשׁ to highlight that only some of the foreign wives bore children. This suggests a partial implication of guilt or consequence.
The final clause וַיָּשִׂ֖ימוּ בָּנִֽים is grammatically curious:
– The verb שׂים (“to place”) is usually transitive, but here it serves as an idiom for “to have.”
– The syntactic flexibility, along with the plural subject being implicit, reflects summary prose: a concise administrative ending to a long list.
Why Ezra Uses Collective Grammar for Moral and Legal Closure
Ezra 10:44 ends a narrative of reform with compressed syntax and collective judgment. The use of כָּל־אֵלֶּה unites individuals into a single group, while the plural verbs נָשְׂאוּ and וַיָּשִׂ֖ימוּ maintain the recognition of their personal agency.
The structure of וְיֵ֣שׁ מֵהֶ֣ם introduces nuance, showing not all foreign wives bore children. This implies varying degrees of integration, guilt, or consequences.
Ultimately, the grammar conveys legal finality and theological seriousness. In a single sentence, Hebrew grammar offers a verbal verdict: identification, infraction, and implication—through subject-verb coordination and existential syntax.
Thus, in Ezra, grammar becomes a ledger—summarizing both the case and the consequence.
