And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass.
They shook hands as a promise that they would divorce their wives, and because they felt guilty about their wrongdoing, they offered a ram from their flock as a sacrifice for their sin.
The men made a formal promise to end their marriages and offered a sacrifice to God because they knew they had done wrong.
📚 Historical Context
In the Book of Ezra, the Jewish people had returned from exile in Babylon and were working to rebuild their community when they discovered that many men had married foreign women, violating God's commands in the Law of Moses to preserve the nation's spiritual purity. As part of a widespread repentance movement led by Ezra, these men publicly pledged to divorce their wives and offered sacrifices to atone for their sin. This event highlighted the cultural emphasis on covenant faithfulness and the seriousness of maintaining separation from influences that could lead the people astray from God's ways.
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