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Ezra

Ezrachapter 8

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A.The chief men who went up with Ezra from Babylonvv. 1-14

1 These are the family heads and genealogical records of those who returned with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes: 2 from the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom; from the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel; 3 from the descendants of David, Hattush of the descendants of Shecaniah; from the descendants of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him were registered 150 men; 4 from the descendants of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men; 5 from the descendants of Zattu, Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 men; 6 from the descendants of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men; 7 from the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men; 8 from the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him 80 men; 9 from the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men; 10 from the descendants of Bani, Shelomith son of Josiphiah, and with him 160 men; 11 from the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him 28 men; 12 from the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men; 13 from the later descendants of Adonikam, these were their names: Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men; 14 and from the descendants of Bigvai, both Uthai and Zaccur, and with them 70 men.

B.No Levites at the river, so ministers are sought and foundvv. 15-20

15 Now I assembled these exiles at the canal that flows to Ahava, and we camped there three days. And when I searched among the people and priests, I found no Levites there. 16 Then I summoned the leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan. 17 And I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message for him and his kinsmen, the temple servants at Casiphia, that they should bring to us ministers for the house of our God. 18 And since the gracious hand of our God was upon us, they brought us Sherebiah—a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel—along with his sons and brothers, 18 men; 19 also Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah, from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and their sons, 20 men. 20 They also brought 220 of the temple servants, all designated by name. David and the officials had appointed them to assist the Levites.

C.A fast at Ahava, because we were ashamed to ask for soldiersvv. 21-23

21 And there by the Ahava Canal I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for an escort of soldiers and horsemen to protect us from our enemies on the road, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all who forsake Him.” 23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He granted our request.

D.Silver weighed out: you are holy, and so are these vesselsvv. 24-30

24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, together with Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers, 25 and I weighed out to them the contribution of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites there had offered for the house of our God. 26 I weighed out into their hands 650 talents of silver, articles of silver weighing 100 talents, 100 talents of gold, 27 20 gold bowls valued at 1,000 darics, and two articles of fine polished bronze, as precious as gold. 28 Then I told them, “You are holy to the LORD, and these articles are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers. 29 Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the LORD in Jerusalem before the leading priests, Levites, and heads of the Israelite families.” 30 So the priests and Levites took charge of the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.

E.The hand of our God upon us all the way to Jerusalemvv. 31-36

31 On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem, and the hand of our God was upon us to protect us from the hands of the enemies and bandits along the way. 32 So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested there for three days. 33 On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out the silver and gold and sacred articles into the hand of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him, along with the Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui. 34 Everything was verified by number and weight, and the total weight was recorded at that time. 35 Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, and a sin offering of 12 male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD. 36 They also delivered the king’s edicts to the royal satraps and governors of the region west of the Euphrates, who proceeded to assist the people and the house of God.

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Chapter summary

The genealogies of those who went up with Ezra, and the gap he found reviewing them at the river Ahava: no sons of Levi among them, so he sent for ministers for the house of God.

Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾

The genealogies of those who went up with Ezra, and the gap he found reviewing them at the river Ahava: no sons of Levi among them, so he sent for ministers for the house of God. Then the fast ('that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek of him a straight way for us') because he was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen, having already told him, 'The hand of our God is upon all them that seek him, for good.' He weighed out silver, gold, and vessels to twelve chief priests as holy things; God delivered them from the enemy on the road, and they arrived and weighed it all in.

Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary and John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament.

Context

History · Ezra — Ezra overview

  • A. 1–14 The chief men who went up with Ezra from Babylon
  • B. 15–20 No Levites at the river, so ministers are sought and found
  • C. 21–23 A fast at Ahava, because we were ashamed to ask for soldiers
  • D. 24–30 Silver weighed out: you are holy, and so are these vessels
  • E. 31–36 The hand of our God upon us all the way to Jerusalem
Top cross-references8 chapters ▾
  • Ezra 212 verses
    • Ezra 2:1Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar its king. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town,
    • Ezra 2:3the descendants of Parosh, 2,172;
    • Ezra 2:4the descendants of Shephatiah, 372;
    • Ezra 2:6the descendants of Pahath-moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab), 2,812;
    • Ezra 2:7the descendants of Elam, 1,254;
    • Ezra 2:11the descendants of Bebai, 623;
    • Read Ezra 2: 6 more there →
  • Nehemiah 710 verses
  • Ezra 88 verses
    • Ezra 8:13from the later descendants of Adonikam, these were their names: Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men;
    • Ezra 8:15Now I assembled these exiles at the canal that flows to Ahava, and we camped there three days. And when I searched among the people and priests, I found no Levites there.
    • Ezra 8:18And since the gracious hand of our God was upon us, they brought us Sherebiah—a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel—along with his sons and brothers, 18 men;
    • Ezra 8:21And there by the Ahava Canal I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.
    • Ezra 8:22For I was ashamed to ask the king for an escort of soldiers and horsemen to protect us from our enemies on the road, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all who forsake Him.”
    • Ezra 8:30So the priests and Levites took charge of the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.
    • Read Ezra 8: 2 more there →
  • Ezra 76 verses
    • Ezra 7:7So in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes, he went up to Jerusalem with some of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants.
    • Ezra 7:8Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king.
    • Ezra 7:9He had begun the journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was upon him.
    • Ezra 7:14You are sent by the king and his seven counselors to evaluate Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand.
    • Ezra 7:21I, King Artaxerxes, decree to all the treasurers west of the Euphrates: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, it must be provided promptly,
    • Ezra 7:28and who has shown me favor before the king, his counselors, and all his powerful officials. And because the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, I took courage and gathered the leaders of Israel to return with me.
    • Read Ezra 7 →
4 more chapters this one speaks with
  • 1 Chronicles 64 verses
  • Nehemiah 103 verses
  • Nehemiah 22 verses
    • Nehemiah 2:8And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house I will occupy.” And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.
    • Nehemiah 2:11After I had arrived in Jerusalem and had been there three days,
    • Read Nehemiah 2 →
  • Ezra 12 verses
    • Ezra 1:8Cyrus king of Persia had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.
    • Ezra 1:9This was the inventory: 30 gold dishes, 1,000 silver dishes, 29 silver utensils,
    • Read Ezra 1 →

Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.