Nehemiah 9:2

“And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, etc.] Such as were genuine Israelites, of the seed of Abraham, who had married wives of the Gentiles, strangers to the commonwealth of Israel, either before the reformation by Ezra, not being then discovered, or had fallen into this evil since; but now, on the reading of the law, were convinced of it, and so separated themselves from such wives, which was a proof of the truth of their repentance: and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers: particularly their taking of strange wives, which their fathers had also done, and set them a bad example, which they had followed; of standing and confessing,…”

“confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers--Not only did they read in their recent sufferings a punishment of the national apostasy and guilt, but they had made themselves partakers of their fathers' sins by following the same evil ways.”

“Separated - From all unnecessary society with the Heathens, and particularly from those strange women whom some of them had married. For though Ezra had done this formerly, yet, it seems, there were some criminals, without his knowledge, or, these were some new delinquents, that since that time had fallen into the same error, and shewed the truth of their repentance by forsaking their beloved sins, and dearest relations. Nehemiah 9:3”

“9:2 Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners as they confessed their own sins: This sentence might allude to the problem of intermarriage with foreigners, as narrated in Ezra 9–10.”

“the seed: Neh 13:3, Neh 13:30; Ezr 9:2, Ezr 10:11 strangers: Heb. strange children, Psa 144:7, Psa 144:11; Isa 2:6; Hos 5:7 confessed: Neh 1:6; Lev 26:39, Lev 26:40; Ezr 9:6, Ezr 9:7, Ezr 9:15; Psa 106:6, Psa 106:7; Dan 9:3-10, Dan 9:20; Jo1 1:7-9 Nehemiah 9:3”