Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.
So now let's make a promise to our God to send away all the foreign wives and their children, following the advice of my lord and those who deeply respect God's commands. Let's do this according to God's law.
The writer is proposing that the people make a covenant with God to divorce their foreign wives and send away their children to obey God's law.
📚 Historical Context
This verse comes from the time when Jewish exiles had returned from Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem around 458 BC. Many Jewish men had married foreign women from surrounding nations, which violated God's law given through Moses about not intermarrying with pagan peoples who might lead them into idolatry. Ezra the priest had discovered this widespread problem and was leading the community in repentance and reform.
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