Ezra 10:26Of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Elijah.
The setting
Jerusalem, 458 BC. Public reading of divorce proceedings. Men forced to divorce foreign wives and children they love to preserve Jewish identity after Babylonian exile.
The emotion here: heavy-hearted duty while recording painful community trauma
The original word
nashim (נָשִׁים) — wives, but here specifically foreign wives being divorced
Why it matters
These divorces included sending away children - entire family units destroyed
Read with care
What most readers miss in Ezra 10:26
Each name represents a man losing his wife and children forever
Common misconceptionPeople see this as just a boring list, but it's actually a record of hundreds of families being torn apart for religious purity. Each name represents a personal tragedy.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Ezra 10:26
Bible Genome reading
Ezra 10:26 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Ezra 10:26 comes from the book of Ezra, written during the Post-Exile period. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is grieving, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the genealogy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include covenant faithfulness, separation, restoration. Notable phrases: sons of Elam.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same grieving
“By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you…”
— Genesis 3:19
“Jesus wept.”
— John 11:35
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?”
— Psalms 22:1
“They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.”
— Psalms 22:18
“for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;”
— Romans 3:23
Your reflection
What does Ezra 10:26 mean to you, today?
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