Ezra

9

v. 8 “a nail in His holy place”

            The NIV puts this verse slightly different.  ‘Though we are slaves, our God has not deserted us in our bondage.  He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.’

            The word nail is also used in the form of pins or cords taken from the art of tent making where they were used to fasten the tent together.  Here it appears to be a metaphor related to fixedness as opposed to being constantly changed or moved.  ‘His holy place’ refers either to the Holy land as the land of Judah was known (Zechariah 2:12) or Jerusalem which was known as the Holy city (Daniel 9:24).  The temple was located in Jerusalem and could well be what is referred to in this verse by Ezra.  It is thought that this verse is referring to the fact that while constant upheaval has dogged the nation of Israel, the temple provided a nail which fastened the country together (tent) and gave them hope for the future.