Nehemiah 9:2 “And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.”
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This separation from strangers was a separation from the foreign gods and the foreign worship practices of their neighbors.
Marriages to women who worshipped foreign gods may have even been ended as well. Certainly, there was a pulling away from the customs and cultures of the heathens around them.
This had been a long-standing problem for Israel, in captivity, and apparently in their return to the land. They assimilated, rather than reflecting the attributes of the One True God.
Israel confessed their sins. The reading of the law would have reminded them of how they were missing the mark.
They confessed the iniquities of their fathers. Those iniquities may have been part of the reason for their troubles through the years, but they were actions they may have justified, or even made their own.
It was clear the people were turning from a life far from God and coming back to Him. In following verses they praise Him and glorify His name. They are privileged to belong to such a loving and longsuffering God.
Nehemiah 9:2 “And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.”