Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Ezra 2:1,2
Introductory Material (Ezra 2:1).
The listing reproduced in this chapter is of male Jews ‘in the administrative district/province' who returned from Babylonia.
‘All these did Sheshbazzar bring up, when they of the captivity were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem, and these are the males (sons) of the province/administrative district, who went up out of the captivity of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, every one to his city, who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah.'
Putting these three verses together brings out why Sheshbazzar's name is not mentioned in Ezra 2:2. Sheshbazzar has already been mentioned in Ezra 1:11. It was he who brought them all up out of the captivity, commencing with the other leaders, and then going on to the full details of the whole. Ezra 1:11 clearly links with Ezra 2:1. Note the repetition of ‘the captivity'; the ‘bringing up' and the ‘coming up'; and the reference to being ‘brought up from Babylon', having been ‘carried away to Babylon'. There is a deliberate linking of the two verses.
The list that follows is a list of those who were brought up by Sheshbazzar from Babylon to Jerusalem. It is an open question whether ‘the province' mentioned is the province from which they came in Babylonia, or the province to which they came in Palestine. The list is a list and numbering of the adult males of those who had returned from exile in Babylon, (to which they had been taken by Nebuchadnezzar), and had taken up residence in their own cities, taking possession of their own land. They would be sharing these cities with those who had not gone into captivity who would mainly be syncretistic in their worship.
‘The administrative district/province' may refer to the province from which they came, that is, Babylonia, for while both Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel are called ‘governor' it is questionable what they governed. For they appear only to have taken responsibility for the returnees, and not for all the people who lived in Judah, the large proportion of whom were tainted by idol worship. There must have been a good number of such people living there prior to the return.
‘Who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah.'
The comparable list in Nehemiah 7:7 is ‘Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah.' With the exception of Nahamani, where the names differ it would appear to be due to alternative names. Variations in names were a common feature of life in those days, where names were seen to express what a person was. The names are closer in Hebrew than in English. Thus sryh (Seraiah) compares with ‘zryh (Azariah); r‘lyh (Reeliah) compares with r‘myh (Raamiah), mspr (Mispar) compares with msprth (Mispereth) the ‘th' being a feminine ending; rhm (Rehum) compares with nhm (Nehum). Such changes might well have been made shortly after returning in order to emphasise a new beginning. Both Seraiah and its replacement Azariah are well attested names and comparison between 1 Chronicles 9:11 and Nehemiah 11:11 demonstrates a similar substitution. It would appear that Seraiah and Azariah were interchangeable. The replacing of ‘n' by ‘r' (Nehum/Rehum) is also well attested (compare Nebuchadrezzar/Nebuchadnezzar). Thus suggesting copying errors should be a last resort although they undoubtedly occurred.
Some of the names occur elsewhere, Seraiah in Nehemiah 10:2; Bigvai in Ezra 8:14; Rehum in Nehemiah 3:17; Nehemiah 10:25; Nehemiah 12:3; and Baanah in Nehemiah 10:27, although not necessarily referring to the same people. Nehemiah and Mordecai were well known Jewish names. Thus only Reelaiah, Bilshan and Mispar (or Mesapper) in the list in Ezra are names which are unattested elsewhere.
As suggested above, if we include Sheshbazzar in the Ezra list, (omitted by the writer as having already been mentioned in Ezra 1:11 as ‘bringing up to Jerusalem' those who were named), the number of leaders comes to twelve. It is possible that he died within months of arrival with the result that Nahamani (see Nehemiah 7:7) replaced him in the list in order to maintain the twelve as representing the twelve tribes of Israel. His early death, after having laid the foundation stone of the Temple (Ezra 5:16), may indeed partly explain why work on the new Temple did not progress. It was he who had directly received the charge to build the Temple.
Zerubbabel certainly at some early stage took over from Sheshbazzar (although not necessarily at that stage officially), for it is he who was responsible for the building of a new altar (Ezra 3:2), which must have been early on, almost certainly during the first year of the return, and who was prominent when the work of building the new Temple recommenced for a short while in the second year of their return (Ezra 3:8). He was later described as ‘governor' when the prophesying of Haggai and Zechariah resulted in the final rebuilding of the Temple, but we do not know when the appointment was made, nor over precisely what he governed. Some therefore see Sheshbazzar as an alternative name for Zerubbabel. But while for a Jew to have two names, a Jewish one and a Babylonian one, was common, for one Jew to have two Babylonian names was not.
Zerubbabel (a grandson of Jehoiachin - 1 Chronicles 3:9) and Jeshua (Joshua the High Priest - Zechariah 3:1) are well known to us as a result of their future prominence (Ezra 3:2; Ezra 4:3; Ezra 5:2; Haggai 1:1; Haggai 1:12; Haggai 1:14; Haggai 2:2; Haggai 2:4; Haggai 2:21; Haggai 2:23; Zechariah 3:1; Zechariah 4:6), but the remainder are unidentifiable on the basis of the information we have. Familiar names like Nehemiah, Seraiah and Mordecai simply indicate the popularity of those names in Jewish circles. They do not refer to those known to us by those names. Bigvai would appear to be a Persian name, but Jews in exile undoubtedly took foreign names, and it may simply indicate that for certain purposes, such as trading with Persia, he had found it useful. Apart from Zerubbabel and Jeshua we have no means of knowing their tribal connection as by the time of the earlier destruction of Jerusalem Judah contained families from all twelve tribes. But the fact that this information is not given suggests that it was not seen as important in context.
‘The number of the men of the people of Israel.'
This heading probably covers Ezra 2:3, being subsequently followed by further headings, ‘The Priests' (Ezra 2:36); ‘the Levites' (verse Ezra 2:40) etc. Note that the number given is ‘the number of the men of the people of Israel', which probably indicates the mature males (those over twenty years of age as in Exodus 30:14). It is probable that the sum total in Ezra 2:64 (of 42,360) also includes women, which would explain why it is so much higher than the sum of the ages given (in Ezra amounting to 29,818). In view of the numbering of female slaves and female singers, and even of domestic animals, the women of the assembly could hardly have been excluded.
‘The men of the people of Israel' is a proud claim. It is stressing that they saw themselves as the ‘true Israelites', in contrast with those who were still in the land. It may, however, be that those of the Israelites who were still in the land who could demonstrate their genuine loyalty to YHWH and their true genealogy were incorporated in their number (compare Ezra 6:21).
Enrolled By Family Association.
Some submitted their numbers in terms of their family name. Those named were probably heads of families who had lived centuries before, to whom the particular group looked back with respect and awe (compare the descent from Immer (Ezra 2:37) in Nehemiah 11:13), and there are indications elsewhere (e.g. Ezra 3:9 with Ezra 2:40; and in the names in the list of those who sealed the sure covenant of Nehemiah in chapter 10), that there was a tendency for prominent returnees to take the names of their ancestors in order to stress the continuity of the old Israel. Others, mainly Benjamites, were described in terms of their domicile. The list begins with those who were described in terms of family association. Many of these names reoccur in later lists. See, for example, Ezra 8; Nehemiah 10.
Ezra 2:3 ‘The sons of Parosh, two thousand, one hundred and seventy two.'
A further group of this clan/family returned under Ezra (Ezra 8:3). Some of the family were among those who would have foreign wives (Ezra 10:25). One descendant, Pedaiah, helped to rebuild the city walls (Nehemiah 3:25). One of their number, along with others, "sealed" the covenant of Nehemiah as ‘chiefs of the people' (Nehemiah 10:1; Nehemiah 10:14)
Ezra 2:4 ‘The sons of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy two.'
A well attested Jewish name meaning "Yah has judged". See 2Sa 3:4; 1 Chronicles 3:3; 1 Chronicles 9:8; 1 Chronicles 12:5; 1 Chronicles 27:16; 2 Chronicles 21:2; Ezra 2:57; Nehemiah 7:59; Nehemiah 11:4; Jeremiah 38:1. A further group of this family would return under Ezra (Ezra 8:8).
Ezra 2:5 ‘The sons of Arah, seven hundred and seventy five.'
For the name compare 1 Chronicles 7:39; Nehemiah 6:18. In Nehemiah 7 the number given is six hundred and fifty two. This might suggest that some had returned to their fellow-Jews in Babylon, or that one hundred and twenty three men had died prematurely, possibly through pestilence or violence, requiring an adjustment to be made in the list used in Nehemiah. The exactness of the difference suggest that the submitter in this case calculated the numbers accurately.
Ezra 2:6 ‘The sons of Pahath-moab, of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand, eight hundred and twelve.'
The sons of Pahath-Moab (‘governor of Moab') were divided into two families, those of Jeshua and Joab who had possibly been actual sons of Pahath-Moab. Both names were common in Israel/Judah. The ancestor of these returnees had seemingly been governor of Moab when it was under Israel's jurisdiction. Further members of the clan would return with Ezra (Ezra 8:4), while Hashub, a "son of Pahath-moab," is named among the repairers of both the wall and the "tower of the furnaces" at Jerusalem (Nehemiah 3:11). Pahath-Moab is the name of one of the signatories who sealed the "sure covenant" of Nehemiah 9:38 (Nehemiah 10:14), although the signatory may have signed in the name of the clan. Some of the sons of Pahath-Moab would take "foreign wives" (Ezra 10:30)
In Nehemiah 7 the number given is two thousand, eight hundred and eighteen. The increase is explicable in terms of sons coming of age in the period between the two lists, possibly as set off against some who had died. Alternately a few members of the family may have returned in a party which arrived after this first list was made, a party that was mainly made up of members of the family of Azgad.
Ezra 2:7 ‘The sons of Elam, one thousand, two hundred and fifty four.'
The name as such is attested elsewhere in Israel in 1 Chronicles 8:24; 1 Chronicles 26:3; Nehemiah 12:42. Further members of the family returned with Ezra (Ezra 8:7). Others were involved with foreign wives (Ezra 10:26), and one of their number, Shecaniah, was prominent in dealing with the matter (Ezra 10:2). An Elam connected with the family was a sealant of the sure covenant of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 10:14).
Further on in the list Elam Acher (or ‘the other Elam') is mentioned (Ezra 2:31), although there it appears to represent a town. Coincidentally the number returning there is also one thousand, two hundred and fifty four, and this is repeated in Nehemiah 7 demonstrating that if it is incorrect the error occurred very early on prior to the lists being used in Ezra and Nehemiah. But such remarkable coincidences have occurred in history so the number may well be correct. However, the Greek versions have a larger number in Ezra 2:31. On the other hand this may simply have been influenced by their not being willing to accept the coincidence. There are a number of possible explanations:
1). That it is simply a remarkable coincidence 2). That the compiler of the list wanted to enter the same clan/family in two places, one under family name and the other under district, indicating that he had done this by using the term ‘the other'. (The numbers were not intended to be added up). 3). That the compiler had asked for lists from both the family of Elam and from the town of Elam, with the submitter achieving this either by numbering the Elamites and halving the total, applying one half to the family and the other half to the town, or by submitting the same total in respect of each. 4). That a copy of the list was made very early on (prior to its use in these records) with the copyist consulting the original list and in one case selecting the wrong total as his eye ran down looking for Elam.
Ezra 2:8 ‘The sons of Zattu, nine hundred and forty five.'
Sons of Zattu were involved in marrying foreign wives (Ezra 10:27) and one was a signatory to Nehemiah's covenant (Nehemiah 10:14). In Nehemiah 7 the number is eight hundred and forty five. Once again this may be the consequence of some becoming disillusioned and returning to a securer life in Babylon, or the result of deaths by pestilence or violence. The round ‘one hundred' might suggest that in this case the one who submitted the alteration used ‘a hundred' in the regular way of signifying a fairly large group, without being exact (compare Exodus 18:25; Deuteronomy 1:15), this being subtracted from the original total.
Ezra 2:9 ‘The sons of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty.'
This may be the same as the family of Zabbai (qere Zaccai) in Nehemiah 3:20, relating to the repairing of the wall, and the family of Bebai, one of whose sons was named Zabbai, who were involved with foreign wives in Ezra 10:28.
Ezra 2:10 ‘The sons of Bani, six hundred and forty two.'
The name is used of one of David's mighty men, a Gadite (2 Samuel 23:36); of a Levite whose son was appointed for service in the tabernacle in David's time (1 Chronicles 6:46); of a Judahite whose descendant lived in Jerusalem after the captivity (1 Chronicles 9:4); of one of the builders in Nehemiah 3:17 who was named Rehum, the son of Bani; of one who helped the people to understand the Law in Nehemiah 8:7; of a Levite involved in worship in Nehemiah 9:4 ff.; of a Levite who sealed the sure covenant of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 10:13); of a chief of the people who did the same (Nehemiah 10:14); and of one whose son was an overseer of the Levites at Jerusalem (Nehemiah 11:22). It was thus a popular name.
The sons of Bani were involved in taking foreign wives (Ezra 10:29), as were other ‘sons of Bani' (Ezra 10:34), one of those sons was named Bani and another Binnui (Ezra 10:38). Nehemiah 7 calls them the sons of Binnui and numbers them at six hundred and forty eight. The difference in name is minimal, the one being an alternative of the other. The numbered members of the family had clearly increased by six.
Ezra 2:11 ‘The sons of Bebai, six hundred and twenty three.'
Nehemiah 7 has six hundred and twenty eight, indicating another increased family, this time by five. A further group of the sons of Bebai arrived with Ezra (Ezra 8:11), while one who was named Bebai sealed the sure covenant of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 10:15). There would later be a town called Bebai (Jdt 15:4).
Ezra 2:12 ‘The sons of Azgad, one thousand, two hundred and twenty two.'
The name means "strong is Gad". Nehemiah 7 has two thousand, three hundred and twenty two, an increase of eleven hundred. This suggests that a further party of the sons of Azgad had arrived after this list in Ezra was made, but prior to Nehemiah's list. Further sons of Azgad arrived with Ezra (Ezra 8:12). Azgad was among the leaders who sealed Nehemiah's sure covenant (Nehemiah 10:15).
Ezra 2:13 ‘The sons of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty six.'
The name means "my lord has risen up". In Nehemiah 7 there is an increase of one, possibly due to someone coming of age. Further sons of Adonikam arrived with Ezra (Ezra 8:13).
Ezra 2:14 ‘The sons of Bigvai, two thousand, and fifty six.'
Compare Ezra 2:2; Nehemiah 7 has two thousand and sixty seven, an increase of eleven. Once again the increase could be through men coming of age, and/or as a result of some who had come with the later arrival of sons of Azgad. A further seventy two males would arrive later under Ezra (Ezra 8:14). Bigvai was one of those who sealed Nehemiah's sure covenant.
Ezra 2:15 ‘The sons of Adin, four hundred and fifty four.'
The name means ‘adorned'. Again in Nehemiah 7 there is an increase of one, probably as a result of a coming of age (or a combination of deaths and comings of age). A further group, led by Ebed, the son of Jonathan, arrived with Ezra (Ezra 8:6). Adin also was one of those who sealed the covenant of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 10:16).
Ezra 2:16 ‘The sons of Ater, of Hezekiah, ninety eight.'
‘Of Hezekiah' distinguishes the sons of Ater here from the sons of Ater who were gatekeepers (Ezra 2:42). We cannot identify the Hezekiah. Ater was a sealant of the covenant of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 10:17).
Ezra 2:17 ‘The sons of Bezai, three hundred and twenty three.'
Ezra Bezai was a sealant of the covenant of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 10:18). In Nehemiah 7 there is an increase of one, presumably through a coming of age, and Bezai, along with Jorah/Hariph, comes after Hashum.
Ezra 2:18 ‘The sons of Jorah, a hundred and twelve.'
In Nehemiah 7 these are given the family name of Hariph. Hariph was a sealant of the covenant of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 10:19). Jorah (‘autumn rain') was probably Hariph's (‘harvest time') alternate name.
Ezra 2:19 ‘The sons of Hashum, two hundred and twenty three.'
Nehemiah 7 gives a number of three hundred and twenty eight, an increase of one hundred and five. Possibly some had arrived with the later arrival of sons of Azgad, or they may have come in their own party. Sons of Hashum were involved with foreign wives (Ezra 10:33).
Ezra 2:20 ‘The sons of Gibbar, ninety five.'
Gibbar means ‘hero'. In Nehemiah 7 the family is called Gibeon. This may have been because of their connection with Gibeon, in which case Nehemiah 7 appears to transfer them to the list of those enrolled by domicile which now commences. But that that is not so is indicated by his continued use of ‘sons of' in this verse. (He then changes to ‘men of --').Thus Gibeon would appear to be an alternative name to Gibbar.