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Ezra 2:1-70 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

1 Now these are the children H1121 of the province H4082 that went up H5927 out of the captivity, H7628 of those which had been carried away, H1473 whom Nebuchadnezzar H5019 the king H4428 of Babylon H894 had carried away H1540 unto Babylon, H894 and came again H7725 unto Jerusalem H3389 and Judah, H3063 every one H376 unto his city; H5892

2 Which came H935 with Zerubbabel: H2216 Jeshua, H3442 Nehemiah, H5166 Seraiah, H8304 Reelaiah, H7480 Mordecai, H4782 Bilshan, H1114 Mispar, H4558 Bigvai, H902 Rehum, H7348 Baanah. H1196 The number H4557 of the men H582 of the people H5971 of Israel: H3478

3 The children H1121 of Parosh, H6551 two thousand H505 an hundred H3967 seventy H7657 and two. H8147

4 The children H1121 of Shephatiah, H8203 three H7969 hundred H3967 seventy H7657 and two. H8147

5 The children H1121 of Arah, H733 seven H7651 hundred H3967 seventy H7657 and five. H2568

6 The children H1121 of Pahathmoab, H6355 of the children H1121 of Jeshua H3442 and Joab, H3097 two thousand H505 eight H8083 hundred H3967 and twelve. H8147 H6240

7 The children H1121 of Elam, H5867 a thousand H505 two hundred H3967 fifty H2572 and four. H702

8 The children H1121 of Zattu, H2240 nine H8672 hundred H3967 forty H705 and five. H2568

9 The children H1121 of Zaccai, H2140 seven H7651 hundred H3967 and threescore. H8346

10 The children H1121 of Bani, H1137 six H8337 hundred H3967 forty H705 and two. H8147

11 The children H1121 of Bebai, H893 six H8337 hundred H3967 twenty H6242 and three. H7969

12 The children H1121 of Azgad, H5803 a thousand H505 two H8147 hundred H3967 twenty H6242 and two. H8147

13 The children H1121 of Adonikam, H140 six H8337 hundred H3967 sixty H8346 and six. H8337

14 The children H1121 of Bigvai, H902 two thousand H505 fifty H2572 and six. H8337

15 The children H1121 of Adin, H5720 four H702 hundred H3967 fifty H2572 and four. H702

16 The children H1121 of Ater H333 of Hezekiah, H3169 ninety H8673 and eight. H8083

17 The children H1121 of Bezai, H1209 three H7969 hundred H3967 twenty H6242 and three. H7969

18 The children H1121 of Jorah, H3139 an hundred H3967 and twelve. H8147 H6240

19 The children H1121 of Hashum, H2828 two hundred H3967 twenty H6242 and three. H7969

20 The children H1121 of Gibbar, H1402 ninety H8673 and five. H2568

21 The children H1121 of Bethlehem, H1035 an hundred H3967 twenty H6242 and three. H7969

22 The men H582 of Netophah, H5199 fifty H2572 and six. H8337

23 The men H582 of Anathoth, H6068 an hundred H3967 twenty H6242 and eight. H8083

24 The children H1121 of Azmaveth, H5820 forty H705 and two. H8147

25 The children H1121 of Kirjatharim, H7157 Chephirah, H3716 and Beeroth, H881 seven H7651 hundred H3967 and forty H705 and three. H7969

26 The children H1121 of Ramah H7414 and Gaba, H1387 six H8337 hundred H3967 twenty H6242 and one. H259

27 The men H582 of Michmas, H4363 an hundred H3967 twenty H6242 and two. H8147

28 The men H582 of Bethel H1008 and Ai, H5857 two hundred H3967 twenty H6242 and three. H7969

29 The children H1121 of Nebo, H5015 fifty H2572 and two. H8147

30 The children H1121 of Magbish, H4019 an hundred H3967 fifty H2572 and six. H8337

31 The children H1121 of the other H312 Elam, H5867 a thousand H505 two hundred H3967 fifty H2572 and four. H702

32 The children H1121 of Harim, H2766 three H7969 hundred H3967 and twenty. H6242

33 The children H1121 of Lod, H3850 Hadid, H2307 and Ono, H207 seven H7651 hundred H3967 twenty H6242 and five. H2568

34 The children H1121 of Jericho, H3405 three H7969 hundred H3967 forty H705 and five. H2568

35 The children H1121 of Senaah, H5570 three H7969 thousand H505 and six H8337 hundred H3967 and thirty. H7970

36 The priests: H3548 the children H1121 of Jedaiah, H3048 of the house H1004 of Jeshua, H3442 nine H8672 hundred H3967 seventy H7657 and three. H7969

37 The children H1121 of Immer, H564 a thousand H505 fifty H2572 and two. H8147

38 The children H1121 of Pashur, H6583 a thousand H505 two hundred H3967 forty H705 and seven. H7651

39 The children H1121 of Harim, H2766 a thousand H505 and seventeen. H7651 H6240

40 The Levites: H3881 the children H1121 of Jeshua H3442 and Kadmiel, H6934 of the children H1121 of Hodaviah, H1938 seventy H7657 and four. H702

41 The singers: H7891 the children H1121 of Asaph, H623 an hundred H3967 twenty H6242 and eight. H8083

42 The children H1121 of the porters: H7778 the children H1121 of Shallum, H7967 the children H1121 of Ater, H333 the children H1121 of Talmon, H2929 the children H1121 of Akkub, H6126 the children H1121 of Hatita, H2410 the children H1121 of Shobai, H7630 in all an hundred H3967 thirty H7970 and nine. H8672

43 The Nethinims: H5411 the children H1121 of Ziha, H6727 the children H1121 of Hasupha, H2817 the children H1121 of Tabbaoth, H2884

44 The children H1121 of Keros, H7026 the children H1121 of Siaha, H5517 the children H1121 of Padon, H6303

45 The children H1121 of Lebanah, H3838 the children H1121 of Hagabah, H2286 the children H1121 of Akkub, H6126

46 The children H1121 of Hagab, H2285 the children H1121 of Shalmai, H8073 the children H1121 of Hanan, H2605

47 The children H1121 of Giddel, H1435 the children H1121 of Gahar, H1515 the children H1121 of Reaiah, H7211

48 The children H1121 of Rezin, H7526 the children H1121 of Nekoda, H5353 the children H1121 of Gazzam, H1502

49 The children H1121 of Uzza, H5798 the children H1121 of Paseah, H6454 the children H1121 of Besai, H1153

50 The children H1121 of Asnah, H619 the children H1121 of Mehunim, H4586 the children H1121 of Nephusim, H5300 H5304

51 The children H1121 of Bakbuk, H1227 the children H1121 of Hakupha, H2709 the children H1121 of Harhur, H2744

52 The children H1121 of Bazluth, H1213 the children H1121 of Mehida, H4240 the children H1121 of Harsha, H2797

53 The children H1121 of Barkos, H1302 the children H1121 of Sisera, H5516 the children H1121 of Thamah, H8547

54 The children H1121 of Neziah, H5335 the children H1121 of Hatipha. H2412

55 The children H1121 of Solomon's H8010 servants: H5650 the children H1121 of Sotai, H5479 the children H1121 of Sophereth, H5618 the children H1121 of Peruda, H6514

56 The children H1121 of Jaalah, H3279 the children H1121 of Darkon, H1874 the children H1121 of Giddel, H1435

57 The children H1121 of Shephatiah, H8203 the children H1121 of Hattil, H2411 the children H1121 of Pochereth of Zebaim, H6380 the children H1121 of Ami. H532

58 All the Nethinims, H5411 and the children H1121 of Solomon's H8010 servants, H5650 were three H7969 hundred H3967 ninety H8673 and two. H8147

59 And these were they which went up H5927 from Telmelah, H8528 Telharsa, H8521 Cherub, H3743 Addan, H135 and Immer: H564 but they could H3201 not shew H5046 their father's H1 house, H1004 and their seed, H2233 whether they were of Israel: H3478

60 The children H1121 of Delaiah, H1806 the children H1121 of Tobiah, H2900 the children H1121 of Nekoda, H5353 six H8337 hundred H3967 fifty H2572 and two. H8147

61 And of the children H1121 of the priests: H3548 the children H1121 of Habaiah, H2252 the children H1121 of Koz, H6976 the children H1121 of Barzillai; H1271 which took H3947 a wife H802 of the daughters H1323 of Barzillai H1271 the Gileadite, H1569 and was called H7121 after their name: H8034

62 These sought H1245 their register H3791 among those that were reckoned by genealogy, H3187 but they were not found: H4672 therefore were they, as polluted, H1351 put from the priesthood. H3550

63 And the Tirshatha H8660 said H559 unto them, that they should not eat H398 of the most H6944 holy things, H6944 till there stood up H5975 a priest H3548 with Urim H224 and with Thummim. H8550

64 The whole congregation H6951 together H259 was forty H702 H7239 and two thousand H505 three H7969 hundred H3967 and threescore, H8346

65 Beside their servants H5650 and their maids, H519 of whom there were seven H7651 thousand H505 three H7969 hundred H3967 thirty H7970 and seven: H7651 and there were H428 among them two hundred H3967 singing men H7891 and singing women. H7891

66 Their horses H5483 were seven H7651 hundred H3967 thirty H7970 and six; H8337 their mules, H6505 two hundred H3967 forty H705 and five; H2568

67 Their camels, H1581 four H702 hundred H3967 thirty H7970 and five; H2568 their asses, H2543 six H8337 thousand H505 seven H7651 hundred H3967 and twenty. H6242

68 And some of the chief H7218 of the fathers, H1 when they came H935 to the house H1004 of the LORD H3068 which is at Jerusalem, H3389 offered freely H5068 for the house H1004 of God H430 to set it up H5975 in his place: H4349

69 They gave H5414 after their ability H3581 unto the treasure H214 of the work H4399 threescore H8337 H7239 and one thousand H505 drams H1871 of gold, H2091 and five H2568 thousand H505 pound H4488 of silver, H3701 and one hundred H3967 priests' H3548 garments. H3801

70 So the priests, H3548 and the Levites, H3881 and some of the people, H5971 and the singers, H7891 and the porters, H7778 and the Nethinims, H5411 dwelt H3427 in their cities, H5892 and all Israel H3478 in their cities. H5892

Commentary on Ezra 2 John Gill's Exposition of the Bible


Introduction

INTRODUCTION TO EZRA 2

This chapter contains a list of those that went up from Babylon to Jerusalem, of their leaders, their chief men, princes and priests, Ezra 2:1 of the people, described by their families, towns, and cities, and number of persons, Ezra 2:3, of the priests, Levites, and Nethinims, Ezra 2:36, and of those that could not make out their genealogy, people and priests, Ezra 2:59, and then the sum total of the whole congregation is given, Ezra 2:64, besides men and maidservants, singing men and women, and cattle of divers sorts, Ezra 2:65, and the chapter is closed with an account of the freewill offerings of the principal men towards the building of the temple, and of the settlement of the people in their respective cities, Ezra 2:68.


Verse 1

Now these are the children of the province,.... Either of the province of Babylon, as Aben Ezra, where they were either born, or had dwelt for many years; or else rather, according to Jarchi, of the province of Judea, as it is called, Ezra 5:8 once a flourishing kingdom, but reduced to a province of the Babylonian monarchy, now in the hands of the Medes and Persians, of which province they and their fathers originally were:

that went out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon; who either in person, or in their parents, were carried captive by him, and who were the tribes of Judah and Benjamin; and they are only mentioned, because they were the principal that returned, though there were some of the other tribes that also came up with them:

and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, everyone unto his city; that he dwelt in before, or was now assigned to him by lot, see Nehemiah 11:1, &c.


Verse 2

Which came with Zerubbabel,.... The head of them, the prince of Judah; and the chief that came with him are the ten following; Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah; the first of these, Jeshua, was Joshua the high priest, the son of Josedech, Haggai 1:1. Dr. LightfootF19Works, vol. 1. p. 127. So Broughton, Works, p. 258. thinks that Nehemiah is the same, whose name the following book bears; and that Mordecai is he who was uncle to Esther, so Aben Ezra; but, if so, they must both return again; for that Nehemiah came to Jerusalem in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, Nehemiah 1:1, and that Mordecai brought up his niece in the city of Shushan, in the times of Ahasuerus, is certain; and this, with respect to both, is denied by othersF20Vid. Rainold. de Libr. Apocryph. Praelect. 111, 117, 148. , who take them to be different men of the same name; and the same writer is of opinion that Seraiah, and who is called Azariah, Nehemiah 7:7 is the same with Ezra, who therefore must and did return, since he went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of Artaxerxes, Ezra 7:1, as for the others, we know nothing more of them than their names:

the number of the men of the people of Israel; either of the principal of them before named, or of the common people, which next follows.


Verses 3-35

The children of Parosh, two thousand an hundred and seventy two. From hence, to the end of Ezra 2:35, a list is given of the captives that returned, described by the families they were of, their ancestors from whence they sprung, or the towns and cities to which they originally belonged, and by their numbers; otherwise nothing more of them is known.


Verses 36-39

The priests,.... An account of them is given in this and the three following verses, and only four families are mentioned, those of Jedaiah, Immer, Pashur, and Harim, and the number of them amounted to 4289; these, according to the Jews, were heads of four courses, which were all that returned from BabylonF21T. Hieros. Taanioth, fol. 68. 1. .


Verses 40-42

The Levites,.... Singers and porters, who are reckoned in this, and the two following verses, whose numbers were no more than three hundred and forty one; whereas, in the times of David, they were 38,000, 1 Chronicles 23:3.


Verses 43-58

The Nethinims,.... Supposed by Aben Ezra and Jarchi to be the Gibeonites, who were "given" by Joshua, as the word Nethinims signifies, to the congregation, to be hewers of wood and drawers of water; but rather were those that were given by David to assist the Levites; of these is an account from hence to the end of Ezra 2:58, together with those who descended from Solomon's servants, who seem to be the remains of the Canaanites in the land, whom Solomon made bondservants of, 1 Kings 9:20, who, and their posterity, became proselytes; or those sprung from men that were domestic servants of Solomon's, and valued themselves on that account; the number of the Nethinims and these together were three hundred ninety and two.


Verse 59

And these were they that went up from Telmelah, Telharsa,.... Places in the land of Babylon, see Isaiah 37:12.

Cherub, Addan, and Immer; but they could not show their father's house, and their seed, whether they were of Israel; these were such that professed the Jewish religion, and went for Jews in Babylon, but could not trace their pedigree, and tell what family they were of, who their ancestors, and where they had lived in Judea; they had lost their genealogical tables, if they ever had any, and could not make it out, whether their parents were Israelites or proselyted Gentiles; or they were such who had been exposed, and taken out of the streets, and their parents unknown.


Verse 60

The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, and the children of Nekoda, six hundred fifty and two. These, though their immediate parents were known, yet by their being mentioned here, it seems as if they could not carry their genealogy further, and make it clearly appear what was the house of their fathers, or what their family.


Verse 61

And of the children of the priests,.... Who could not make out their pedigree, for those that could are mentioned before:

the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai; how the latter came by this name follows:

which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name; this man married a woman that descended from the famous Barzillai the Gileadite, in the times of David; and the priesthood being in disuse, and mean and despicable, in Babylon, he chose to take the name of his wife's family, and pass for a descendant from that, and perhaps destroyed, or at least neglected, to take care of the genealogy of his own family.


Verse 62

These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy,.... To find their names written and registered there; for the Jews kept public registers of their priests, their descent, marriages, and offspring, that it might be known who were fit, and who not, to officiate as such:

but they were not found; their names were not there, nor any account taken of them:

therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood; were not suffered to attend at the altar, and offer sacrifice, and enjoy the privileges belonging to that office.


Verse 63

And the Tirshatha said unto them,.... By whom Jarchi understands Nehemiah, and observes, that their rabbins say he was so called, because the wise men allowed him to drink the wine of the Gentiles, he being cupbearer to the king; but Aben Ezra, with greater probability, takes it to be a name of honour and grandeur in the Chaldee language, as a prince or governor; and no doubt Zerubbabel is meant, the prince of the Jews, the same with Sheshbazzar, Ezra 1:8 according to GussetiusF23Ebr. Comment. p. 809. , this office was the same with that of the king's commissary in a province, delegated to carry his orders, make them known, and see them put in execution; and that this name Tirshatha is the same with Tithraustes in AelianF24Var. Hist. l. 1. c. 21. Vid. Corn. Nep. Vit. Conon. l. 9. c. 3. ; but that seems to be not the title of an office, but the personal name of a man that was a chiliarch:

that they should not eat of the most holy things; as of the shewbread, and those parts of the sin offerings, and of the peace offerings and meat offerings, which belonged to the priests, which the governor forbid these to eat of, who were rejected from the priesthood:

till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim; as yet there was not any priest that had them; they were not to be found at the return from Babylon; the governor might hope they would be found, and a priest appear clothed with them, when it might be inquired of the Lord by them, whether such priests, before described, might eat of the holy things or not; but since the JewsF25T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 21. 2. acknowledge that these were one of the five things wanting in the second temple; it is all one, as the TalmudistsF26T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 48. 2. & Gloss. in Kiddushin, fol. 60. 2. express it, as if it had been said, until the dead rise, or the Messiah comes; and who is come, the true High Priest, and with whom are the true Urim and Thummim, lights and perfections to the highest degree, being full of grace and truth; of the Urim and Thummim; see Gill on Exodus 28:30.


Verse 64

The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore. But the sums before given make no more, with Zerubbabel, and the ten principal men, than 29,829, so that there are more than 12,000 wanting; wherefore, in answer to the question, where are the 12,000? the Jews say in their chronologyF1Seder Olam Rabba, c. 29. p. 86. these are they of the other tribes, who set up the altar on its bases, and gave money to the masons, &c. Ezra 3:1, this was a much larger number than were carried captive; see 2 Kings 24:14, but not to be compared with the number that came out of Egypt, Exodus 12:37. An Arabic writerF2Abulpharag. Hist. Dynast. Dyn. 5. p. 82. makes them 50,000, but wrongly.


Verse 65

Besides their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven,.... This shows that the greater part of those that returned were of the poorer sort, since there were so few servants that belonged unto them; these came not into the above account:

and there were among them two hundred singing men and singing women; among the servants, who were kept by persons of figure for their pleasure and recreation, see Ecclesiastes 2:8, for that these were such as were employed in sacred service is not so clear, especially the latter, though some conclude it from 1 Chronicles 25:5, but rather they were such as were employed at marriages, festivals, and funerals; though Jarchi thinks they were employed by the returning captives, to make them cheerful as they travelled along; see Gill on Isaiah 55:12.


Verse 66

So that the far greatest part of them must walk on foot, since these can be thought to be little more than sufficient to carry their goods or baggage; some copies of the Vulgate Latin read six hundred and thirty six horsesF3Ed. of Sixtus V. and the Lovain in James's Contrariety of Popish Bibles, p. 295. .


Verse 68

And some of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the house of the Lord that is at Jerusalem,.... That is, when they came to the place where it formerly stood, and where were still the ruins of it:

offered freely for the house of God, to set it up in its place; to rebuild it upon the spot where it formerly stood; this they did besides the freewill offerings they brought with them from Babylon.


Verse 69

They gave after their ability unto the treasure of the world threescore and one thousand drachms of gold,.... These "darcemons or darics" were a Persian coin; one of which, according to BrerewoodF11De Pret. & Ponder. Vet. Num. ch. iii. v. , was of the value of fifteen shillings of our money, and so this quantity of them amounted to 45,750 pounds; but according to Bishop CumberlandF12Scripture Weights & Measures, ch. 4. p. 115. they were of the value of twenty shillings and four pence of our money, and so came to upwards of 61,000 pounds; these everyone, according to his ability, put into the common stock or treasury for the work of building the temple; the Vulgate LatinF13Sixtus V. Lovain & MSS. in James ut supra. (Contrariety of Popish Bibles, p. 295) reads 40,000:

and five thousand pounds of silver; and an Hebrew "mina", or pound, being of our money seven pounds, ten shillings, according to BrerewoodF14Ut supra, (De Pret. & Ponder. Vet. Num.) ch. iv. v. , amounted to 31,250 pounds: but othersF15Universal History, vol. 10. p. 183, marg. , reckoning a drachm of gold at ten shillings, and a mina or pound of silver at nine pounds, make the whole to amount only to 75,500 pounds of our money:

and one hundred priests' garments; which, as they were laid up among treasures, so were necessary for the service of the temple.


Verse 70

So the priests and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the Nethinims, dwelt in their cities,.... Which were assigned to them out of the several tribes, and in which they or their forefathers had dwelt before the captivity:

and all Israel in their cities; as those of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, so of the other ten, as many as returned and joined those who were left in the land.