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. read more
Dwelt in their cities - They all went to those cities which belonged originally to their respective families. 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 arrival. After the muster-roll, as described to us in Ezra 2:1-67 of this chapter, the next thing, naturally, is the expedition itself. In the present instance, however, this is disposed of in a couple of syllables. "They came." In these modern days—so some one has noticed—in consequence of the great comparative ease and rapidity of the means of locomotion, we speak rather of arriving at than of travelling to our destinations. There is something parallel here. Nothing is related of... read more
Social and spiritual gradations. The company that came out of Babylonian captivity was by no means a disorderly or unorganized multitude. It was well officered, and was divided and subdivided into ranks. It probably marched in regular order. Under the "Tirshatha" Zerubbabel, Jeshua the high priest, and Mordecai (probably the honoured deliverer), with other natural leaders, came ( Ezra 2:70 ), priests, Levites (a singularly and disproportionately small number of these), the people... read more
In their cities. Not in Jerusalem only, but in the neighboring towns also, e.g. Bethlehem, Anathoth, Ramah, Gaba, Michmash, Bethel, Ai, Nebo, and Jericho (see above, comment on Ezra 2:1 ). All Israel. Ezra very determinately puts forward this aspect of the return—that it was participated in by all the tribes (see Ezra 2:2 ; Ezra 3:1 ; Ezra 6:16 , Ezra 6:17 ; Ezra 7:13 ; Ezra 8:29 , Ezra 8:35 , etc.). He does not, however, exclude the other aspect, that it was... read more
All Israel - That the Israelites of the ten tribes returned to Palestine with Zerubbabel is apparent:(1) from 1 Chronicles 9:3;(2) from the enumeration of twelve chiefs (Nehemiah 7:7; Nehemiah 1:0 Esd. 5:8); and(3) from various expressions in Ezra Ezra 2:2, Ezra 2:59; Ezra 3:1. read more
Ezra 2:70. And all Israel in their cities In the cities which their families had inhabited before their captivity. As to those who could not prove themselves Israelites by any genealogical register, they probably settled in those lands which were not claimed, or followed handicraft employments, of one sort or other, in the cities. Although their cities were out of repair, yea, in a ruinous state, yet, because they were their cities, such as God had assigned them, they were content to... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezra 2:64-70
Here is, I. The sum total of the company that returned out of Babylon. The particular sums before mentioned amount not quite to 30,000 (29,818), so that there were above 12,000 that come out into any of those accounts, who, it is probable, were of the rest of the tribes of Israel, besides Judah and Benjamin, that could not tell of what particular family or city they were, but that they were Israelites, and of what tribe. Now, 1. This was more than double the number that were carried captive... read more