Lexical Summary sheroshu or sheroshi: banishment Original Word: שְׁרשׁוּ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance banishment (Aramaic) from a root corresponding to sharash; eradication, i.e. (figuratively) exile -- banishment. see HEBREW sharash NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origin(Aramaic) from a root corresponding to that of shoresh Definition uprooting, banishment NASB Translation banishment (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs שרשו Kt (i.e. שֹׁרְשׁוּ K§ 61, 4, 5), Qr שְׁרשִׁי noun feminine uprooting, figurative banishment; — absolute Ezra 7:26. Topical Lexicon Occurrence and ContextStrong’s Hebrew 8332 (שְׁרשׁוּ) is found once, in Ezra 7:26. There, King Artaxerxes empowers Ezra to enforce obedience to “the Law of your God and the law of the king” by four escalating penalties: death, banishment, confiscation of goods, or imprisonment. Banishment stands immediately below capital punishment, highlighting its seriousness in Persian jurisprudence and its compatibility with Israel’s covenant principle of removing persistent evil from the community. Historical and Legal Significance in Ezra’s Commission Ezra reached Jerusalem in 458 BC with priestly and scribal authority. The right to expel offenders protected corporate holiness after decades of compromise. Banishment removed defiant transgressors without taking life, allowing space for repentance and the possibility of return. The provision illustrates God’s sovereignty: a pagan monarch issues a decree that bolsters fidelity to the Torah, mirroring Deuteronomy’s demand to “purge the evil from your midst.” The Concept of Banishment in Scripture • Cain: “You will be a restless wanderer on the earth” (Genesis 4:12). Throughout Scripture, exclusion safeguards holiness, deters rebellion, and—when linked to repentance—prepares the way for restoration. Theological Themes 1. Holiness of the assembly: unchecked sin defiles the whole (Joshua 7; 1 Corinthians 5). Practical Ministry Implications • Church discipline should mirror Ezra’s balance of firmness and hope, aiming at repentance (Matthew 18:15–17; 2 Corinthians 2:6–8). Related Scriptural Echoes Ezra 7:26 — “Whoever does not comply with the law of your God and the law of the king, may judgment be executed upon him swiftly, whether unto death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.” Deuteronomy 17:12 — “So you must purge the evil from Israel.” 2 Samuel 14:14 — “God devises means so that His banished one is not expelled from Him.” Hebrews 13:13 — “Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.” Banishment, therefore, operates in Scripture as both a stern warning and a merciful gateway to repentance, ultimately pointing to the One who was Himself “outside the camp” so that the exiled might be brought near (Ephesians 2:13). Forms and Transliterations לִשְׁרֹשִׁ֔י לשרשי liš·rō·šî lishroShi lišrōšîLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezra 7:26 HEB: [לִשְׁרֹשׁוּ כ] (לִשְׁרֹשִׁ֔י ק) הֵן־ NAS: or for banishment or KJV: or to banishment, or INT: death or banishment or confiscation 1 Occurrence |
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