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 . read more
The list may be divided into ten parts:— 1. Enumeration of the leaders (verse 2). 2. Numbers of those who returned, arranged according to families (verses 3-19). 3. Numbers of those who returned, arranged according to localities (verses 20-35). 4. Numbers of the priests, arranged according to families (verses 36-39). 5. Numbers of the Levites, arranged similarly (verses 40-42). 6. Families of the Nethinim (verses 43-54). 7. Families of "Solomon's servants"... read more
The muster-roll. The last chapter gave us a catalogue of the sacred vessels returned. In that portion of the present chapter which concludes with the above verses we have a similar catalogue of the sacred people returned (see Lamentations 4:2 ). The first verse seems to show us where this catalogue was made out, viz; in the land of their exile, where Judaea was constantly spoken of as "the province" (comp. Ezra 5:8 ; Nehemiah 1:3 ; Nehemiah 11:3 ). If the nearly identical... read more
Spiritual significances. What signifies to us, it may be asked, the exact number of the children of Parosh and Shephatiah ( Ezra 2:3 , Ezra 2:4 )? What does it signify to us that the heads of the returning families bore such and such a name? Why record this? What is— I. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS RECORD OF NAMES AND NUMBERS ? The pains which the children of Israel took to keep a strict record of their families in Persia may have been (a) an act of faith : it... read more
Men forsaking the worldly life. We regard the people returning from Babylon as typical of men going out of the worldly life into the life and work of the kingdom of God. Observe— I. THAT MEN FORSAKE THE WORLDLY LIFE FROM CHOICE . Cyrus compelled no man to leave the land of captivity. The Jews left Babylon in the exercise of their own free will. Israel as a nation went out of Egypt; but as individuals they come out of Babylon. Heaven compels no man to forsake sin. 1. ... read more
The Levites . The non-priestly Levites are divided into three classes:— 1. Ordinary Levites ( Ezra 2:40 ); 2. Choral Levites ( Ezra 2:41 ); and Levites descended from those who had had the charge of the temple gates ( Ezra 2:42 ). Compare 1 Chronicles 24:20-31 ; 1 Chronicles 25:1-31 ; and 1 Chronicles 26:1-19 . Of the first class, only two families seem to have returned—those of Jeshua and Kadmiel, both of which traced their descent to a certain Hodaviah, or Judah ( ... read more
The singers, the children of Asaph. See 2 Chronicles 25:1 . It is remarkable that no descendants of either Heman or Jeduthun ( ibid. ) took part in the return. read more
The porters . Six families of doorkeepers returned; three of which bear old names, those of Shallum, Talmon, and Akkub ( 1 Chronicles 9:17 ), while the other three have names that are new to us. One hundred and thirty-nine . The smallness of this and the two preceding numbers is remarkable. While the returning priests numbered 4289, the returning Levites of all classes were no more than 341 (350, Nehemiah). It would seem as if some jealousy of the priests, like that which animated Korah... read more
Click image for full-size version1:1-2:70 ZERUBBABEL’S RETURNCyrus had been ruler of Persia for some time before he conquered Babylon in 539 BC. His policy was, when he conquered a nation, to allow any people held captive by that nation to return to their homeland. Therefore, soon after he conquered Babylon (i.e. in his first year as the Jews’ new ruler) he gave permission for the Jews to return to Jerusalem (1:1-4). Jeremiah’s prophecy made seventy years earlier had come true: the Jews were... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezra 2:36-63
Here is an account, I. Of the priests that returned, and they were a considerable number, about a tenth part of the whole company: for the whole were above 42,000 (Ezra 2:64), and four families of priests made up above 4200 (Ezra 2:36-39); thus was the tenth God's part?a blessed decimation. Three of the fathers of the priests here named were heads of courses, 1 Chron. 24:7, 8, 14. The fourth was Pashur, Ezra 2:38. If these were of the posterity of that Pashur that abused Jeremiah (Jer. 20:1),... read more