Confused Language in Ezra 10:44

What is it about?

The Hebrew text of Ezra 10:44, which is the last verse of the book of Ezra, has puzzled scholars because of its use of odd words and awkward sentence structure. This has lead many to think something went wrong in the transmission of the verse. This article, however, argues that there is good evidence to think that the author purposely crafted a convoluted sentence. The reason for this is to create a literary trope called "confused language." This trope is used to create a sense of confusion. Therefore, the end of the book of Ezra is left unresolved. Were the foreign women and their children sent away from the community? No clear answer is given in the text.

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