Ezra 2:2

2. Zerubbabel: Jeshua These were the two chief fathers and guides of the people who returned. Both seem to have been born in Babylon, and the name Zerubbabel has this signification, from זרוע , Zerua, sown, that is, begotten, and בבל , Babel, Babylon. Zerubbabel is called by our author the son of Shealtiel, (Ezra 3:2; Ezra 3:8; Ezra 5:2;) so also in Nehemiah 12:1; Haggai 1:1; Haggai 1:12; Haggai 1:14; Haggai 2:2; Matthew 1:12; and Luke 3:27; but according to 1 Chronicles 3:19 he was the son of Pedaiah and nephew of Shealtiel, or Salathiel. How to explain this difference is doubtful. There seems to be no corruption or confusion in the text of Chronicles. Perhaps Shealtiel died childless, and Pedaiah married his widow, and, according to levirate custom, his children were reckoned to his brother. Genesis 38:8: Deuteronomy 25:5-6. At any rate he succeeded Shealtiel in the genealogy as the head of the house of David during the exile, and he was popularly called the son of Shealtiel, and no one disputed his title or authority. Jeshua was the son of Jozadak, the high priest, (Ezra 3:2; Haggai 1:1;) who was carried off among the exiles. 1 Chronicles 6:15. He is associated with Zerubbabel, as if they were the leading spirits and main promoters of the rebuilding of the temple. Ezra 3:2; Ezra 3:8; Ezra 4:3; Ezra 5:2. In two of the symbolical prophecies of Zechariah, (Ezra 3:1-10; Ezra 7:11-15,) Jeshua stands as head and representative of the Jewish people. The regal and priestly offices, as represented by these two men, are called in Zechariah 4:14 “the two anointed ones that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” Though Zerubbabel was a descendant of David, and Jeshua of Aaron, neither the monarchy nor the priesthood was fully restored after the exile. From that time the heart of all Israel began to yearn after Messiah, who should satisfy the noblest ideal of both king and priest.

Nehemiah Not the distinguished individual whose history is given in the Book of Nehemiah. Nearly all the individuals whose names occur in this list are otherwise unknown.

This verse contains the names of the chief leaders and elders of the returning exiles. The differences of form between some of the names in this list and that of Nehemiah vii are shown in the margin. Nehemiah’s list contains one name not found in this, namely, Nahamani. Nehemiah 7:7. This, with the rest, makes twelve persons who appear as the heads of the new community, and in this number there was, perhaps, a reference to the twelve tribes. The returned exiles thus cultivated the feeling that they somehow represented all the people of Israel, the “remnant” of all the ancient tribes. Comp. Ezra 6:17.

The rest of the list proper, which embraces Ezra 2:8-63, may be divided into five parts: 1) The men of the people of Israel, 3-35; 2) The priests, 36-39; 3) The Levites, 40-42; 4) The Nethinim and the children of Solomon’s servants, 43-58; 5) Persons unable to show lawful genealogy, 59-63. The following table will show at a glance the differences, especially of numbers, between Ezra and Nehemiah:

Ezra. Nehemiah Children of Parosh 2,172 2,172 “ Shephatiah 372 372 “ Arah 775 652 “ Pahath-moab of the children of Jeshua and Joab 2,812 2,818 “ Elam 1,254 1,254 “ Zattu 945 845 “ Zaccai 760 760 “ Bani, (Nehemiah, Binnui) 642 648 “ Bebai 623 628 “ Azgad 1,222 2,322 “ Adonikam 666 667 “ Bigvai 2,056 2,067 “ Adin 454 655 “ Ater of Hezekiah 98 98 “ Bezai 323 324 “ Jorah (Nehemiah, Hariph) 112 112 “ Hashum 223 328 “ Gibbar (Nehemiah, Gibeon) 95 95 “ Beth-lehem 123 (Nehemiah men of Beth-lehem and Netophah) 188 Men of Netophah 56 “ Anathoth 128 128 Children of Azmaveth, (Nehemiah, Beth-Azmaveth) 42 42 “ Kirjath-arim, Chephirah and Beeroth 743 743 “ Ramah and Gaba 621 621 Men of Michmas 122 122 “ Beth-el and Ai 223 123 Children of Nebo, (Nehemiah, men of the other Nebo.) 52 52 “ Magbish, (Nehemiah, no corresponding name) 156 “ the other Elam 1,254 1,254 “ Harim 320 320 “ Lod, Hadid, and Ono 725 721 “ Jericho 345 345 “ Senaah 3,630 3,930 “ Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua 973 973 “ Immer 1,052 1,052

“ Pashur 1,247 1,247 “ Harim 1,017 1,017 “ Jeshua and Kadmiel of… Hodaviah, (Nehemiah, Hodevah.) 74 74 “ Asaph (singers) 128 148 “ the porters 139 138 Nethinims and children of Solomon’s servants 392 392 Children of unregistered ancestors 652 642 Sum of the numbers in each list 2,9818 3,1089 Whole congregation 42,360 42,360 Man servants and maid servants 7,337 7,387 Singing men and women 200 245 Horses 736 736 Mules 245 245 Camels 435 435 Asses 6,720 6,720 In the above tables we observe that the numbers in Ezra’s list amount to 29,818, and in Nehemiah’s to 31,089, and yet according to both lists the entire congregation numbers 42,360. Ezra 2:64 comp. with Nehemiah 7:66. The probability is, that neither list is meant to be a perfect enumeration of all the families that returned from exile, but only of such families of Judah and Benjamin as could show an authentic genealogy of their father’s house, while the 42,360 includes many persons and families belonging to other tribes who in their exile had lost all certain record of their genealogy, but were, nevertheless, true descendants of some of the ancient tribes. Here is evidence that with the exile the different tribe distinctions, especially in the northern kingdom, became lost, and that multitudes of real Israelites, both among those who returned from exile and those who did not return, thenceforth lost all record of their tribal lineage.

It is also noticeable that Ezra’s list mentions 494 persons not recognised in Nehemiah’s list, and Nehemiah’s list mentions 1,765 not recognised in Ezra’s; but if we add the surplus of Ezra to the sum of Nehemiah, (494+31,089=31,583,) we have the same result as by adding Nehemiah’s surplus to the sum of Ezra’s numbers, (1,765+29,818=31,583.) Hence it may be plausibly supposed that 31,583 was the sum of all that could show their father’s house; that the two lists before us were drawn up independently of each other; and that both are defective, though one supplies the defects of the other. “In some cases,” says Wordsworth, “the author of the list in Ezra seems to have had fuller returns of the families to which the people belonged; in other cases, the returns in Nehemiah are more complete. This was natural, but the coincidences show that the one list confirms the other. It is not surprising that the members of the constituencies of the several families do not always tally in the two lists. By means of levirate marriages, or adoptions, the same persons might indifferently belong to two different father’s houses; and if women are reckoned, they might be ranged under the house of their father on one list, and of their husband on another.”

In several instances we have the names of places instead of men; as children of Gibeon, and Beth-lehem, (Ezra 2:20-21.) and men of Netophah, Anathoth, Beth-el, etc. The reason of this is not apparent, but the meaning is, that the place named was either the ancestral home of the children or men whose numbers are given, or else it was the place to which they were assigned on their return from exile.