Ezra 10:40
New International Version
Maknadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

New Living Translation
Macnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

English Standard Version
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

Berean Standard Bible
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

King James Bible
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

New King James Version
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

New American Standard Bible
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

NASB 1995
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

NASB 1977
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

Legacy Standard Bible
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

Amplified Bible
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

Christian Standard Bible
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

American Standard Version
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

English Revised Version
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

International Standard Version
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

NET Bible
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

New Heart English Bible
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

Webster's Bible Translation
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
Majority Text Translations
Majority Standard Bible
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

World English Bible
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Machnadbai, Shashai, Sharai,

Young's Literal Translation
Machnadbai, Shashai, Sharai,

Smith's Literal Translation
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Mechnedebai, Sisai, Sarai,

Catholic Public Domain Version
and Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

New American Bible
of the descendants of Zachai: Shashai, Sharai,

New Revised Standard Version
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Makizab, Shishai, Sharai,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Mekizab and Shishay and Saray.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Machadnabu, Sesei, Sariu,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Those Guilty of Intermarriage
39Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,…

Cross References
Nehemiah 13:23-27
In those days I also saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. / Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or of the other peoples, but could not speak the language of Judah. / I rebuked them and called down curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God and said, “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves! ...

Deuteronomy 7:3-4
Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, / because they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and He will swiftly destroy you.

1 Kings 11:1-2
King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh—women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women. / These women were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your hearts after their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to these women in love.

Malachi 2:11
Judah has broken faith; an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the LORD’s beloved sanctuary by marrying the daughter of a foreign god.

Exodus 34:15-16
Do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you, and you will eat their sacrifices. / And when you take some of their daughters as brides for your sons, their daughters will prostitute themselves to their gods and cause your sons to do the same.

2 Corinthians 6:14-17
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? / What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? / What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” ...

1 Corinthians 7:12-14
To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If a brother has an unbelieving wife and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. / And if a woman has an unbelieving husband and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. / For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his believing wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.

Joshua 23:12-13
For if you turn away and cling to the rest of these nations that remain among you, and if you intermarry and associate with them, / know for sure that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become for you a snare and a trap, a scourge in your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that the LORD your God has given you.

Judges 3:5-6
Thus the Israelites continued to live among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. / And they took the daughters of these people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

Nehemiah 10:30
We will not give our daughters in marriage to the people of the land, and we will not take their daughters for our sons.

1 Kings 16:31
And as if it were not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he even married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he then proceeded to serve and worship Baal.

2 Kings 17:33-34
They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods according to the customs of the nations from which they had been carried away. / To this day they are still practicing their former customs. None of them worship the LORD or observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom He named Israel.

2 Chronicles 19:2
Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to confront him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is upon you.

2 Chronicles 21:6
And Jehoram walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done. For he married a daughter of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD.

2 Chronicles 36:14
Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people multiplied their unfaithful deeds, following all the abominations of the nations, and they defiled the house of the LORD, which He had consecrated in Jerusalem.


Treasury of Scripture

Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

Machnadebai.

Jump to Previous
Jump to Next
Ezra 10
1.
Ezra encouraged to reform the strange marriages
6. Ezra assembles the people
9. The people repent, and promise amendment
15. The care to perform it
18. The names of them which had married strange wives














Machnadebai
The name Machnadebai appears in the context of the list of those who had married foreign women and were resolving to put away these wives in obedience to the law. This reflects the post-exilic community's commitment to re-establishing their identity as God's chosen people, distinct from surrounding nations. The name itself is not widely mentioned elsewhere in the Bible, suggesting that Machnadebai was likely a lesser-known figure among the returned exiles. The emphasis on individual names in this chapter underscores the personal responsibility and communal effort in returning to covenant faithfulness.

Shashai
Shashai is another individual listed among those who had taken foreign wives. The inclusion of such names highlights the widespread nature of the issue within the community. This period was marked by a strong emphasis on purity and adherence to the Mosaic Law, as the Israelites sought to avoid the idolatry and cultural assimilation that had led to their previous exile. The act of putting away foreign wives was seen as a necessary step to prevent the influence of pagan practices and to ensure the community's spiritual integrity.

Sharai
Sharai, like the others mentioned, represents the personal and communal repentance required to restore the covenant relationship with God. The listing of names serves as a public acknowledgment of sin and a commitment to reform. This reflects the broader biblical theme of repentance and restoration, which is echoed in other scriptures such as Nehemiah 9 and Daniel 9, where communal confession and a return to God's commandments are central. The actions of these individuals can be seen as a type of Christ's call to repentance and holiness, emphasizing the need for personal and collective transformation in the pursuit of righteousness.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Ezra
A scribe and priest who led the second group of exiles back to Jerusalem. He was instrumental in the spiritual and religious reform of the Jewish people.

2. The Exiles
The Jewish people who returned from Babylonian captivity to rebuild Jerusalem and restore their covenant relationship with God.

3. Jerusalem
The central place of worship for the Jewish people, representing their spiritual and national identity.

4. The Covenant
The agreement between God and the Israelites, which they had broken by intermarrying with foreign nations.

5. The Assembly
The gathering of the Israelites in Jerusalem to address the issue of intermarriage and to renew their commitment to God's laws.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Obedience
Ezra 10:40 highlights the need for obedience to God's commands, especially regarding relationships that can lead us away from Him.

Community Accountability
The assembly in Jerusalem shows the importance of community in holding each other accountable to God's standards.

Repentance and Renewal
The actions taken by the Israelites demonstrate the necessity of repentance and the renewal of one's commitment to God.

Guarding Against Compromise
The issue of intermarriage serves as a warning against compromising one's faith and values for the sake of cultural assimilation.

The Role of Leadership
Ezra's leadership was crucial in guiding the people back to faithfulness, emphasizing the importance of godly leaders in spiritual reform.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1. What is the meaning of Ezra 10:40?

2. How does Ezra 10:40 emphasize the importance of accountability in spiritual leadership?

3. What lessons on repentance can we learn from the actions in Ezra 10:40?

4. How does Ezra 10:40 connect with the theme of covenant faithfulness in Scripture?

5. How can we apply the principles of Ezra 10:40 to modern church discipline?

6. In what ways does Ezra 10:40 encourage communal responsibility in addressing sin?

7. What historical evidence supports the events described in Ezra 10:40?

8. How does Ezra 10:40 reflect the theme of repentance in the Bible?

9. What theological implications arise from the actions taken in Ezra 10:40?

10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Ezra 10?

11. What does the 10/40 Window refer to?

12. How do the measurements in Ezekiel 40:5-16 align with archaeological evidence of any actual Temple structure?

13. Ezra 10:10 - How is this command to divorce reconcileable with other biblical teachings that appear to disapprove of divorce?

14. Ezra 10:15 - Why are only a few individuals mentioned as opposing this course of action, despite its obvious moral and social implications?
What Does Ezra 10:40 Mean
Machnadebai

Ezra 10:40 records Machnadebai among those who “had married foreign women,” a personal name set forever in Scripture as evidence that God deals with individuals, not just crowds (cf. Exodus 32:31-33; Revelation 20:12).

• His appearance near the end of the list (Ezra 10:38-42) underscores that no compromise, however hidden or late-surfacing, escapes the Lord’s notice (Luke 8:17).

• The entry fulfills the earlier resolve of the people: “Now let us make a covenant with our God to send away all these wives” (Ezra 10:3). Machnadebai’s willingness to be counted shows submission to God’s clear command, first given in Deuteronomy 7:3-4 and broken in Ezra 9:1-2.

• The record also reminds modern believers that our own names are written somewhere—either “in the book of life of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:27) or not. Obedience demonstrates where we stand (John 14:23).


Shashai

• Shashai’s listing illustrates the costliness of repentance. Like the others, he “pledged to put away his wife, and being guilty, they presented a ram of the flock for their guilt” (Ezra 10:19). Genuine sorrow always moves beyond words to concrete action (2 Corinthians 7:10-11).

• Public confession was required, echoing Leviticus 5:5 and Proverbs 28:13: “He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.”

• The nation’s leaders oversaw the process (Ezra 10:14), showing that spiritual restoration happens best under godly oversight—just as Jesus outlined in Matthew 18:15-17 and Paul practiced in 1 Corinthians 5:1-5.

• Shashai’s example warns against unequal yoking (2 Corinthians 6:14) and urges every generation to guard marital and spiritual purity (Malachi 2:11-16).


Sharai

• Sharai closes the trio, yet his inclusion carries the same weight: God calls every believer, regardless of prominence, to holiness (1 Peter 1:15-16).

• By standing up and being counted, Sharai helped protect the remnant’s fragile revival. Their future worship depended on immediate obedience (Ezra 6:19-22; Psalm 24:3-4).

• His name in Scripture serves as a memorial of God’s mercy. The very chapter that exposes sin also records restoration, prefiguring Christ who “gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people of His own possession” (Titus 2:14).

• Sharai’s step models how repentance restores fellowship: sacrifice (Leviticus 6:6-7), separation (Ezra 10:11), and renewed joy (Nehemiah 8:10).


summary

Ezra 10:40 lists Machnadebai, Shashai, and Sharai to spotlight individual accountability within a community determined to return to covenant faithfulness. Each name testifies that:

• God records and remembers personal obedience.

• True repentance is public, costly, and overseen by spiritual leadership.

• Holiness safeguards worship and ensures future blessing.

Their brief appearance challenges every believer to keep short accounts with God, walk in transparent purity, and value the privilege of having our own names recorded with joy in the Lamb’s book of life.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Machnadebai,
מַכְנַדְבַ֥י (maḵ·naḏ·ḇay)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4367: Machnadebai -- an Israelite

Shashai,
שָׁשַׁ֖י (šā·šay)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 8343: Shashai -- an Israelite with a foreign wife

Sharai,
שָׁרָֽי׃ (šā·rāy)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 8298: Sharai -- an Israelite with a foreign wife


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OT History: Ezra 10:40 Machnadebai Shashai Sharai (Ezr. Ez)
Ezra 10:39
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