Ezra 9 · a question people ask
The report was about others. Why does Ezra say "we"?
The chapter doesn't give his reason. It does show who the report names and what Ezra says. The report names "the people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites" (9:1) and "the princes and rulers" (9:2); chapter 9 doesn't say that Ezra himself had done what they report. Ezra begins, "My God, I am ashamed" (9:6), and goes straight on to "our iniquities" and "our guiltiness" (9:6). His "we" reaches further than the report: "Since the days of our fathers we have been exceedingly guilty to this day; and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands" (9:7). Other prayers in the Bible speak the same way. Nehemiah prays, "while I confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against you. Yes, I and my father’s house have sinned" (Nehemiah 1:6), and Daniel prays, "we have sinned, and have dealt perversely, and have done wickedly" (Daniel 9:5).
The verses
“Now when these things were done, the princes came near to me, saying, “The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, following their abominations, even those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy offspring have mixed themselves with the peoples of the lands. Yes, the hand of the princes and rulers has been chief in this trespass.””
“and I said, “My God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have increased over our head, and our guiltiness has grown up to the heavens. Since the days of our fathers we have been exceedingly guilty to this day; and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.”
“let your ear now be attentive and your eyes open, that you may listen to the prayer of your servant which I pray before you at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel your servants, while I confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against you. Yes, I and my father’s house have sinned.”
“we have sinned, and have dealt perversely, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even turning aside from your precepts and from your ordinances.”