Ezra 2, On to Jerusalem!

The Jews in Babylon have been given permission to rebuild the temple.

Ezra 2: 1-2a, Returnees

Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive to Babylon (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, in company with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah): 

In typical Old Testament fashion, we will keep track of the details of this return. These lists are especially common in 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, possibly due to the same author, Ezra.

This material almost duplicates Nehemiah 7: 6-7. In Nehemiah, the names Seraiah, Reelaiah, 

Mispar and Rehum are replaced by Azariah, Raamiah,  Mispereth, and Nehum and the name Nahamani is added. Are these differences corrections and updates by the author of Nehemiah? Surely some differences are either the common used of different names (Judean vs. Babylonian?) for the same people or possibly a consonant change by a scribe, Rehum vs. Nehum, for example. (Yamauchi writes that "Rehum" means "God has been compassionate"  and that "Nehum" in Nehemiah's account represents a scribal error in copying the name "Rehum". (The name Rehum turns up in Ezra 4: 8 as an opponent of the Jews; that is probably a different person.)

Ezra also records the descendants who returned to Israel:

Ezra 2: 2b-35, Twenty thousand men

The list of the men of the people of Israel:
   the descendants of Parosh 2,172
   of Shephatiah 372
   of Arah 775
   of Pahath-Moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab) 2,812
   of Elam 1,254
   of Zattu 945
   of Zaccai 760
   of Bani 642
   of Bebai 623
   of Azgad 1,222
   of Adonikam 666
   of Bigvai 2,056
   of Adin 454
   of Ater (through Hezekiah) 98
   of Bezai 323
   of Jorah 112
   of Hashum 223
   of Gibbar 95
   the men of Bethlehem 123
   of Netophah 56
   of Anathoth 128
   of Azmaveth 42
   of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth 743
   of Ramah and Geba 621
   of Micmash 122
   of Bethel and Ai 223
   of Nebo 52
   of Magbish 156
   of the other Elam 1,254
   of Harim 320
   of Lod, Hadid and Ono 725
   of Jericho 345
   of Senaah 3,630

In excess of 20,000 men will return to Jerusalem.  Surely almost all of them were born in Babylon.

The parallel account in Nehemiah 7: 8-38, has numerous small changes from this one, both in names and numbers. The few name changes probably represent a person with different names or a variant spelling, for example, Jophar here becomes Hariph in Nehemiah, Gibbar becomes Gibeon.  Some of the conflicts in numbers are surely a result of a misprint: Azgad's 1222 becomes 2322. But the various number differences, along with a few swaps of lines, might suggest that Nehemiah has an updated list. I find the long list tedious -- it is not particularly relevant to a Gentile 2500 years later! -- but I find the differences interesting and so I list below the names and numbers in Nehemiah 7 that are different than those above. Nehemiah 7 gives the following (I've removed true duplicates):

Arah 652, Zattu 845, Binnui 648, Bebai 628, Azgad 2,322, Adonikam 667, Bigvai 2,067, Adin 655, Hashum 328, Bezai 324, Hariph 112, Gibeon 95, the men of Bethlehem and Netophah 188, Anathoth 128, Beth Azmaveth 42, Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth 743. Ramah and Geba 621, Mikmash 122, Bethel and Ai 123, the other Nebo 52, Lod, Hadid and Ono 721, Senaah 3,930.

These extensive lists indicate that numerous Jews living in Babylon have kept, for seventy years, a record of their genealogy along with the knowledge of their ancestral lands. This is impressive for a people dispersed throughout Babylon for seventy years.  One reason for these lists would be to document the peoples' right to return to this land.  The lists may have also been used (suggests Yamauchi) to demonstrate to Cyrus that there were enough people to make this renewal project feasible.

Yamauchi notes that many of these names have meaning, they represent a Hebrew phrase. For example, 

• Shephatiah means "YHWH has judged",
• Arah means "wild ox,
• Pahath-moab means "governor of Moab",
• Bani is short for Benaiah: "YHWH has built",
• Bebai means "pupil of the eye",
• Azgad means "Gad is strong",
• Adonikam means "my Lord has risen",
• Adin means means "voluptuous",
• Ater means means "lefty",
• Jorah means means "autumn rain",
• Hasum  means "broad nose",
• Gibbar means "strong man", etc.

Ezra 2: 36-39, Four thousand priests

  The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua) 973
   of Immer 1,052
   of Pashhur 1,247
   of Harim 1,017

There are people distinguished as priests, presumably the descendants of priests. Here the Nehemiah report agrees.

Ezra 2: 40-58, Hundreds of temple workers

The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel (through the line of Hodaviah) 74

   

The singers: the descendants of Asaph 128
   

The gatekeepers of the temple: the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita and Shobai 139

The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, Keros, Siaha, Padon, Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub, Hagab, Shalmai, Hanan, Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah, Besai, Asnah, Meunim, Nephussim, Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, Barkos, Sisera, Temah, Neziah and Hatipha.

The descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda, Jaala, Darkon, Giddel, Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth-Hazzebaim and Ami. The temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon 392

Along with the priests came hundreds of people identified as temple servants.

Ezra 2: 59-67, People without clear connections to Israel

The following came up from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer, but they could not show that their families were descended from Israel:

    The descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda 652

    And from among the priests: The descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name). 

These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.

The governor ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there was a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim. 

The whole company numbered 42,360, besides their 7,337 menservants and maidservants; and they also had 200 men and women singers. They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

In addition to all those whose ancestry was clear, there were lots of Israelites whose ancestry was unclear or unproven.

The ancient use of the Urim and Thummim, from the high priest's robe, reappears here.

Ezra 2: 68-69, Freewill offerings

When they arrived at the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families gave freewill offerings toward the rebuilding of the house of God on its site. According to their ability they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 drachmas of gold, 5,000 minas of silver and 100 priestly garments.

Those with some wealth donated to help support the rebuilding of the temple. This is an enthusiastic group of people!

Ezra 2: 70, Settling onto the land

The priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers and the temple servants settled in their own towns, along with some of the other people, and the rest of the Israelites settled in their towns.

We now have a large contingent ready to rebuild the land. This is the beginning of the Second Temple period. Of all the nations displaced by Assyria and Babylon, one nation has enthusiastically returned to its land and renewed its worship.