עזרא, פרק י׳, פסוק י׳

Standing before the assembled nation, Ezra delivers a severe rebuke regarding the widespread sin of intermarriage, emphasizing how the actions of a few individuals can devastate the entire community. While his harsh words are directed specifically at those who have taken foreign wives [ביאור שטיינזלץ], the nature of mutual responsibility among the Israelites means that this individual guilt effectively taints the whole nation.

Ezra’s underlying goal in this public confrontation is to forge a broad national consensus against the practice. By uniting the people in agreement, he ensures that anyone who stubbornly continues to sin will be isolated from the community. Once this collective stance is established, the public will possess the legal authority, backed by the king, to impose severe punishments on the offenders, ranging from exile to execution [מלבי״ם].

The core of the accusation is that these men actively brought foreign women into their private homes and established them as their wives [מצודת דוד]. This betrayal is particularly severe because it does not happen in a vacuum. Instead, it piles on top of a long history of past transgressions, adding a heavy burden to the existing guilt that the nation has carried for generations [מצודת דוד].