Now these [are] the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city; Ver. 1. _Now these are the children of the p... [ Continue Reading ]
Which came with Zerubbabel: Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel: _Ver 2. That came with Zerubbabel_] That famous prince of Judah, Ezra 1:8, governor of Judah, Haggai 1:1, who was born in Babylon, and ac... [ Continue Reading ]
The children of Parosh, two thousand an hundred seventy and two. Ver. 3. _The children of Parosh_] Question is here made by some, whether this and other like Chapter s, that are nothing but names and numbers, should be read in course, since they may seem to be of no great use to us? To this Chrysos... [ Continue Reading ]
The Nethinims: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth, Ver. 43. _The Nethinims_] _i.e._ _Deodati,_ men given to God, devoted to the service of his house. These were those Gibeonites that, having saved their lives by a lie, were made drawers of water to the temple fo... [ Continue Reading ]
The children of Solomon's servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Peruda, Ver. 55. The children of Solomon's servants] These also were strangers, that had been employed by Solomon, and becoming proselytes, were incorporated into the commonwealth of Israel. God is... [ Continue Reading ]
And these [were] they which went up from Telmelah, Telharsa, Cherub, Addan, [and] Immer: but they could not shew their father's house, and their seed, whether they [were] of Israel: Ver. 59. _And these were they which went up from Telmelah, Telharsa, Cherub, &c._] Places in Chaldaea where these Jew... [ Continue Reading ]
And of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai; which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name: Ver. 61. _And was called after their name_] After the name of his wife's father, that noble Gi... [ Continue Reading ]
These sought their register [among] those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood. Ver. 62. _But they were not found_] They could not prove themselves to be of the seed of Aaron; and were therefore worthily turned off. So s... [ Continue Reading ]
And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim. Ver. 63. _And the Tirshatha said unto them_] _i.e._ Zerubbabel, the chief magistrate, a man of great power and no less courage, who would not be guilty of pas... [ Continue Reading ]
The whole congregation together [was] forty and two thousand three hundred [and] threescore, Ver. 64. _Forty and two thousand_] Ten or twelve thousand whereof seem to be of the ten tribes that were first carried captive, and, together with Judah and Benjamin, made up that Dωδεκαφυλον St Paul speake... [ Continue Reading ]
Beside their servants and their maids, of whom [there were] seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and [there were] among them two hundred singing men and singing women. Ver. 65. _Beside their servants, &c._] Their masters' necessary instruments, και ολως εκεινων, saith Aristotle, and wholl... [ Continue Reading ]
And [some] of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the house of the LORD which [is] at Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in his place: Ver. 68. _And some of the chief_] And but some. All were not alike enlarged or enabled.... [ Continue Reading ]
They gave after their ability unto the treasure of the work threescore and one thousand drams of gold, and five thousand pound of silver, and one hundred priests' garments. Ver. 69. _They gave after their ability_] Men must take heed they stretch not beyond the staple, and so mar all. But few are h... [ Continue Reading ]
So the priests, and the Levites, and [some] of the people, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities. Ver. 70. _And some of the people_] For not half of them, as may be probably thought, returned; but condemned the rest of rashness an... [ Continue Reading ]