John Gill Commentary Ezra 10

Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping ,
&c.] Had confessed the sins of the people in prayer and supplication, with many tears:

and casting himself down before the house of God ;
in the outward court before the temple, his face turned towards it, where he lay prostrate:

there assembled to him out of Israel a very great congregation of men,
and women, and children ;
it was quickly spread abroad, both in Jerusalem and places adjacent, that such a great man, a commissioner from the king of Persia, and a priest of the Jews, was in the utmost distress, rending his garments, and plucking off his hair, and was crying and praying in a vehement manner; which brought a great concourse of people, who concluded some great sins were committed, and sore judgments were coming upon them:

for the people wept very sore ;
being affected with his confessions, cries, and tears, and fearing wrath would come upon them for their sins.

And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam,
answered and said to Ezra
This man seems to be one of those that now came with Ezra from Babylon, see (Ezra 8:3Ezra 8:5) ,

we have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the
people of the land ;
not that he had taken any himself, being but just come into the land, nor is his name in the list of thosethat had; but inasmuch as many of the nation, of which he was a part, and his own father, and several of hisuncles had, (Ezra 10:26) , he expresses himself in this manner:

yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing ;
of a reformation of this evil, and of pardon for it.

Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God
Renew our covenant with him, and lay ourselves under fresh obligation by promise and oath, and unanimously agree

to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them ;
he means all the strange wives, such marriages being unlawful; and such wives might the more easily be put away, since bills of divorce were in frequent use with the Jews, and the children of such also being illegitimate; and the rather they were to be put away, lest they should corrupt other children, or get into the affections of their fathers, which might lead on to receive their mothers again, and especially this was to be done as a punishment of their sin: though no doubt but a provision was to be made, and was made, for the maintenance both of wives and children:

according to the counsel of my Lord ;
either of Ezra, whom he honours with this title, being a ruler under the king of Persia; or of the Lord God, according to his will declared in his words, which is his counsel:

and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God ;
feared to break it, and dreaded the effect of such a breach; and who no doubt would follow the counsel of the Lord, and join in their advice to act according to the proposal made:

and let it be done according to the law ;
as that directs in such cases.

Arise
From the ground, where he lay prostrate:

for this matter belongs to you ;
as a priest and scribe of the law, well versed in it, and therefore could direct what was to be done according to it; and as a ruler under the king of Persia, and a commissioner of his, to inquire whether the law of God was observed by the Jews, (Ezra 7:14) and so had authority to put the law in execution:

we also will be with you ;
to help and assist in the reformation of this evil:

be of good courage, and do it ;
do not despair of going through it, though there may be some opposition to it; begin, and doubt not of succeeding.

Then arose Ezra
From the ground where he lay:

and made the chief priests, and the Levites, and all Israel, to swear
that they should do according to this word :
he took an oath of all that were present to do what was proposed, namely, to put away strange wives and their children:

and they swore ;
by means of which they were kept to their word of promise, an oath being a solemn, sacred, thing.