Ezra 1:5-11
Summary for Ezra 1:5-6: 1:5-6 a As he had done with the heart of Cyrus (1:1 b), God stirred the hearts of Israel’s leaders.• Very few priests and Levites actually responded (see 2:36-42 c). Most of the people who did respond were from two tribes, Judah and Benjamin. Persian documents show that many Jews stayed in Babylon, where they had homes, businesses, and relatives. A dangerous four-month trip back to the desolate city of Jerusalem, now inhabited by foreigners, was not an inviting choice compared to their comfortable life in Babylon. It was much easier to give many valuable gifts and voluntary offerings to those who did return.
1:7 d Many articles ... from the Lord’s Temple had been taken to Babylon (see 2 Chr 36:7 e; Dan 1:2 f). By putting these items in his pagan temple, Nebuchadnezzar had attempted to show his god’s power over the Hebrew God. However, God had promised the return of all the stolen items (see Jer 27:16-22 g). The items from the Temple were holy utensils, acceptable to God for worship and very valuable to the returning worshipers.
1:8 h Sheshbazzar was the Persian-appointed governor of Judah who laid the foundation of the Temple (5:14-16 i). Some believe that Zerubbabel (3:2 j, 8 k) was the same person with a new name (cp. Dan 1:7 l). However, both names are Babylonian, so it is more likely that these two leaders worked together on the Temple foundation and that Zerubbabel later took over as governor when Sheshbazzar died.
Summary for Ezra 1:9-11: 1:9-11 m 5,400 articles of gold and silver: The numbers listed total only 2,499 items. A parallel account, in the apocryphal book 1 Esdras 2:13-15, lists 5,469 items, while a list in the Jewish historian Josephus’s Antiquities 11.15 lists 5,220 objects. Ezra’s shortened list illustrates the kind of items included but does not include every item. Keeping track of consecrated utensils reduced the possibility of confusing these sacred items with the pagan utensils used in the worship of other gods.
Ezra 2
Summary for Ezra 2:1-70: 2:1-70 n This chapter is the first of Ezra’s major digressions from the main story line. The returning exiles needed to keep track of who the true Jews were so that the community could maintain its identity (by knowing whom they could marry) and theological purity (by knowing who could worship at the Temple). This list is not an initial list (cp. Neh 7:6-73 o) of all the Jews who returned to Jerusalem but a slightly later list (after Sheshbazzar had died) of people who had settled in their towns.2:2 p Jeshua (a variant spelling of Joshua), son of Jehozadak (3:2 q, 8 r), from the line of Aaron, was the high priest (Hag 1:1 s; Zech 3:1 t). The Nehemiah mentioned here is not the person who later built the walls of Jerusalem, nor is this Mordecai the famous relative of Esther.
Summary for Ezra 2:3-20: 2:3-20 u The family of: In the ancient Near East, an individual’s identity was closely connected to the question, “Who are your father and your family?” Ultimately, the priests were identified as the sons of Aaron. If this link could not be verified, they were barred from service (2:61-62 v). Others were identified by a well-known elder in their group.
Summary for Ezra 2:21-35: 2:21-35 w The people of ... The citizens of: Some of the returnees were identified by their towns of origin. Apparently, not all knew their genealogical histories or had large families with renowned leaders. Most of the cities mentioned were concentrated in a relatively small area in the vicinity of Jerusalem.
Summary for Ezra 2:36-42: 2:36-42 x the priests ... the Levites: Only seventy-four Levites returned to Jerusalem—a very low number. Ezra later worked hard to get thirty-eight more to come with him (see study note on 8:18).
Summary for Ezra 2:41-42: 2:41-42 y The singers played instruments and sang for worship at the Temple (1 Chr 25:1-31 z; Pss 73–83 aa) while the gatekeepers regulated the Temple gates and storehouses (1 Chr 9:26-27 ab; 2 Chr 23:19 ac; Neh 12:25 ad).
• Asaph was one of the three Levites David had appointed to conduct music at the Temple (1 Chr 16:5 ae, 7 af), and he wrote a collection of psalms (Pss 50 ag, 73–83 ah). His family carried on his work (1 Chr 25:1-7 ai).
Summary for Ezra 2:43-54: 2:43-54 aj The Temple servants were probably descendants of the Gibeonites (Josh 9:23-27 ak). They assisted the Levites (8:20 al) by carrying water and wood and by sweeping floors.
Summary for Ezra 2:55-58: 2:55-58 am The descendants of the servants of King Solomon are connected with the Temple servants (2:43-54 an). Their names might indicate their responsibilities: e.g., Hassophereth (“the scribe”) probably kept inventories, and Pokereth-hazzebaim (“gazelle-hunter”) likely hunted game.
Summary for Ezra 2:59-60: 2:59-60 ao Some returnees believed in Israel’s God but had no genealogical records to prove that they were Israelites. Without this information, the other Israelites did not know whether to treat them as brothers and intermarry with them or to treat them as outsiders. The genealogies in 1 Chr 1–9 ap illustrate how carefully many family histories were kept.
Summary for Ezra 2:61-63: 2:61-63 aq were not found: The lack of a genealogy was problematic for three families (2:61-62 ar). They were excluded from priestly privileges or responsibilities until the high priest received divine direction through the use of the Urim and Thummim to determine the will of God (see Exod 28:30 as; Num 27:21 at). Although using the Urim and Thummim resembled throwing dice or drawing straws, when done by the priest, the result was a divine decision rather than blind chance.
Summary for Ezra 2:64-66: 2:64-66 au 42,360 people: This number, which does not match the total of individuals (28,774) listed in 2:3-42 av, might include children.
• The large number of servants and animals shows that some of the Jews who returned were wealthy.
Summary for Ezra 2:68-69: 2:68-69 aw As when the Tabernacle was built (Exod 25:2-7 ax; 35:4-9 ay) and the Temple was renovated (2 Kgs 12:1-21 az), the people gave voluntary offerings to finance this effort. These funds supplemented the provincial grant by Darius (Ezra 6:8 ba) and gifts from Israelites who stayed in Babylon (1:6 bb). Each gave as much as he could based on his resources.
2:69 bc Each of the gold coins (Hebrew darics) was worth a month’s wages for a professional soldier.
• 6,250 pounds (Hebrew 5,000 minas): Each mina weighed 20 ounces and was equal to 60 shekels of silver; each shekel was worth an average worker’s monthly wages.
Ezra 3:1-6
Summary for Ezra 3:1-4:5: 3:1–4:5 bd After resettling in various towns in Judah, the community turned to restoring the worship of God at Jerusalem. They quickly rebuilt the altar and began regular sacrifices in time to celebrate the Jewish festivals (3:4 be), and then they began the more difficult task of rebuilding the Temple itself (3:8 bf). Soon they faced opposition from local foreigners (4:1-5 bg). 3:1 bh Festivals in early autumn (literally in the seventh month) included the Festival of Trumpets (see Lev 23:23-25 bi), the Day of Atonement (see Lev 16 bj), and the Festival of Shelters (see Lev 23:34-36 bk).3:2 bl Jeshua (Hag 1:1 bm; Zech 3:1 bn) was the high priest (Neh 12:1 bo). However, Ezra never used this title (Ezra 2:2 bp; 3:2 bq; 4:3 br; 5:2 bs), which suggests that the title was given after the Temple was completed (6:15 bt).
• Zerubbabel served as the Persian-appointed governor of Judah (Hag 1:1 bu), most likely after the death of Sheshbazzar (see study note on Ezra 1:8). He was the grandson of King Jehoiachin of Judah (1 Chr 3:17 bv).
3:3 bw The local residents were foreigners resettled from abroad by the Assyrian king Esarhaddon (680–669 BC) after the people of the northern kingdom of Israel were exiled in 722 BC (2 Kgs 17:24-40 bx). Some had moved into the Jerusalem area during Judah’s seventy-year exile. A pagan altar might have been erected on the site, and it needed to be torn down before the new one, dedicated to the Lord, could be built.
• at its old site (Literally on its foundations): It was important to place the altar at the exact sacred spot where Solomon’s altar had been to connect with the authentic worship carried on before the Exile.
• Daily morning and evening sacrifices (see Exod 29:38-42 by; Num 28:3-8 bz) dedicated the day to God.
3:4 ca The seven-day Festival of Shelters ... prescribed in the Law (Lev 23:33-36 cb; Num 29:12-38 cc; Deut 16:13-16 cd) reminded the people of God’s guidance and care during the forty years the nation spent in tents during the wilderness journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. This festival was especially significant to those who had just experienced a similar journey from a foreign land, living in tents as they walked to the Promised Land.
Summary for Ezra 3:5-6: 3:5-6 ce The catalog of sacrifices, offered even before the Temple’s foundation was laid, showed the people’s enthusiasm for faithfully worshiping God at every opportunity. They did everything exactly as they were instructed in the law.
• The new moon celebrations took place on the first day of every Hebrew month; the sacrifices and blowing of trumpets reminded the people of God’s covenant with them (Num 10:10 cf; 28:11-15 cg).
• Voluntary offerings were such gifts as money for building the Temple (Exod 35:29 ch; 36:3 ci). The Hebrew term can also refer to peace offerings of meat or bread that were eaten to celebrate fellowship with God (Lev 7:11-21 cj).
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