GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
EZRA 2 Summary
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2:1 Now these were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity– of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had taken captive to Babylon. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town.
This chapter and its parallel (Nehemiah 7) present a list of the people who returned from the exile. There is also a parallel list in 1 Esdras 5. Not counting animals, there are 12 numbers in 1 Esdras that are different from those here in Ezra and 17 numbers that are different in Nehemiah. There are also six additional groups in 1 Esdras, and five names that are here that do not appear there in 1 Esdras. No names in Ezra are missing in Nehemiah, although spellings are sometimes different.
2 They came with Zerubbabel: Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel: 3 the sons of Parosh, 2,172. 4 The sons of Shephatiah, 372. 5 The sons of Arah, 775. 6 The sons of Pahath-Moab, through the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812. 7 The sons of Elam, 1,254. 8 The sons of Zattu, 945. 9 The sons of Zaccai, 760. 10 The sons of Bani, 642. 11 The sons of Bebai, 623. 12 The sons of Azgad, 1,222. 13 The sons of Adonikam, 666. 14 The sons of Bigvai, 2,056. 15 The sons of Adin, 454. 16 The sons of Ater through Hezekiah, 98. 17 The sons of Bezai, 323. 18 The sons of Jorah, 112. 19 The sons of Hashum, 223. 20 The sons of Gibbar, 95. 21 The sons of Bethlehem, 123.
I have given a more thorough examination of all of the groups of returning exiles in my comments on Nehemiah 7. Here I want to point out just two things. The list of men returning with Zerubbabel in verse 2 has ten names, while Nehemiah 7:7 adds a name, Nahamani, before Mordecai. This brings the list to twelve names in all, which suggests that Ezra wants us to see the returning group not so much a rag-tag collection of survivors drifting back to Judah, but a full group, watched over by the Lord, with his holy purpose behind the return. The number twelve recalls or foreshadows the twelve apostles, and it is also paired with the later sacrifice of “twelve bulls for all Israel” in Ezra 8:35.
It’s impossible not to notice the careful inclusion of numbers in the text. There are differences between Ezra’s totals and Nehemiah’s totals, but there are so many similarities (21 of the numbers are identical) that it cannot be a matter of counting different groups as they returned home. They must be sum totals in some way. The easiest way to account for the differences with accepting both sets of numbers as accurate is accounting for, in some cases, additional people who returned with Nehemiah who were not able to be counted by Ezra, and in other cases subtracting those people who died or failed to complete the trip from Babylon to Judah. Yet the count was made. God’s people returned to their ancestral homes, villages, communities, and cities. And all Christians are struck by the most important number in our own recognition, which is verse 21: “The sons of Bethlehem, 123.” The village where Micah foresaw the birth of Jesus (Micah 5:2) had a hundred and twenty-three men and their families return. Zerubbabel himself and his son Abiud would seem to be counted with those men of Bethlehem; they are recorded as Jesus’ ancestors in Matthew 1:13, as is another son of Zerubbabel named Rhesa, in Luke 3:27.
61 … Also, from the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, and the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and so they were called by his name). 62 They searched for their genealogical records, but they were not found there, and so, unconsecrated, they were excluded from the priesthood. 63 The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food, until there should be a priest to consult the Urim and Thummim. 64 The whole assembly together was 42,360, 65 besides their menservants and maidservants, of whom there were 7,337; and they had 200 male and female singers.
66 They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 67 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.
Some of the priests could not prove that they were priests or Levites through a genealogy leading back to the line of Aaron or any of the more recent lines of priests. Therefore they were “unconsecrated,” according to the word in verse 62. This word is a passive (pual) verb that makes a declarative statement: These men could not show that they were consecrated as priests, nor could they prove that they were Levites. Therefore, until someone (a prophet or a high priest) could come with the Word of the Lord about it, or they could make a judgment using the Urim and Thummim, those men were not able to serve in the temple, nor be allowed to eat the sacred food from the sacrifices. This meant that they would have to fend for themselves, working with flocks, farms, or in trades, according to God’s law to Moses (Exodus 29:32; Leviticus 22:10).
68 When some of the family heads came to the House of the LORD in Jerusalem, they made freewill offerings for the House of God, to rebuild it on its site, 69 according to their ability they gave to the treasury to support the work: 61,000 drachmas of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 robes for the priests. 70 The priests, the Levites, and some of the people lived in Jerusalem and its vicinity; and the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their towns, and all the rest of Israel settled in their towns.
The returning exiles arrived in Jerusalem. The walls were in ruins. The houses weren’t in much better shape. The temple of Solomon was a blackened, burned-out heap of cracked rubble. The exiles brought back money to rebuild, but money wasn’t really the main problem. Where would they find workmen and materials? How would they communicate their needs to anyone who could help?
These were problems, but the first problem was solved. They were free. They were home. God had kept his promises. Micah had foreseen: “You will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued. There the Lord will redeem you out of the hand of your enemies” (Micah 4:10). And Jeremiah said, “Babylon will be captured; Bel will be put to shame… In those days the people of Israel and the people of Judah together will go… they will ask the way to Zion and turn their faces toward it” (Jeremiah 50:2,4-5). The people were all accounted for. And this is the Gospel on display for everyone who loves their Savior. God has accounted for each and every one of us. He chose us before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), and this means that you, O Christian, have been in his heart since before you were born. You and I might not find much to think about or even to notice in a chapter of numbers like this one, but God has counted you as one of his own. He looks for you when you stray (Luke 15:4). He rejoices when he finds you again (Matthew 18:13). He loves you and me, and praises us for things we never imagined we were or had or did (Song of Solomon 1:9-10). Glorify his name forever.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
22 The men of Netophah, 56. 23 The men of Anathoth, 128. 24 The sons of Azmaveth, 42. 25 The sons of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth, 743. 26 The sons of Ramah and Geba, 621. 27 The men of Micmash, 122. 28 The men of Bethel and Ai, 223. 29 The sons of Nebo, 52. 30 The sons of Magbish, 156. 31 The sons of the other Elam, 1,254. 32 The sons of Harim, 320. 33 The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 725. 34 The sons of Jericho, 345. 35 The sons of Senaah, 3,630.
36 The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, 973. 37 The sons of Immer, 1,052. 38 The sons of Pashhur, 1,247. 39 The sons of Harim, 1,017. 40 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, through Hodaviah, 74.
41 The singers: the sons of Asaph, 128.
42 The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of Shobai, in all 139.
43 The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, 44 the sons of Keros, the sons of Siaha, the sons of Padon, 45 the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub, 46 the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shamlai, the sons of Hanan, 47 the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah, 48 the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam, 49 the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai, 50 the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephisim, 51 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, 52 the sons of Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, 53 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah, 54 the sons of Neziah, and the sons of Hatipha. 55 The sons of Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Hassophereth, the sons of Peruda, 56 the sons of Jaalah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, 57 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-Hazzebaim, and the sons of Ami. 58 All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392.
59 The following were those who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer, though they could not prove their fathers’ houses or their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: 60 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, 652.
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Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota
God’s Word for You – Ezra 2 Summary