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 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... read more
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... read more
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. read more
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... read more
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... read more
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 Gussetius F23 ... read more
The children of Solomon ' s servants - The Nethinim, and others appointed to do the meaner services of the holy house. read more
The Tirshatha - This is generally supposed to be Nehemiah, or the person who was the commandant; see Nehemiah 8:9 ; Nehemiah 10:1 , for the word appears to be the name of an office. The Vulgate and Septuagint write it Atershatha, the Syriac and Arabic render it the princes of Judah. Some suppose the word to be Persian, but nothing like it of the same import occurs in that language at present. If, as Castel supposed, it signifies austerity, or that fear which is unpressed by the... 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