The Register of the Return Chap. 2. contains the register or list of those who returned to Jerusalem, with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and their companions. The register gives the names in the following order, (1) -the men of the people of Israel" (3 35), (2) the Priests (36 39), (3) the Levites, Singers,... [ Continue Reading ]
_Now these_are _the children of the province_ -Now", as in chap. Ezra 1:1: the beginning of a new document. -The province" here and in Nehemiah 1:3; Nehemiah 11:3, is the same as -the province of Judah" (Ezra 5:8), i.e. the particular district of which Jerusalem was the centre and of which Zerubbabe... [ Continue Reading ]
_which came with Zerubbabel:_ Better punctuate as R.V. - _with Zerubbabel_,". Those referred to are the main subject of Ezra 2:1, -the children of the province, &c.", and are here described as coming with Zerubbabel and his companions. _Zerubbabel_ (i.e. -begotten in Babylon", or -the seed of Babylo... [ Continue Reading ]
_The children of Parosh_ A strange proper name, meaning a -flea". A special branch of this family, called after Shechaniah, returned with Ezra (Ezra 8:3). Members of the family are mentioned as having married -strange wives" (Ezra 10:25) and as assisting in the rebuilding of the walls (Nehemiah 3:25... [ Continue Reading ]
Names of households or families. Many of these names occur again in other lists, e.g. Ezra 8:1-14; Ezra 10:18-44; Nehemiah 10:1-27, and in connexion with much later events in the lifetime of Ezra and Nehemiah. These names therefore are not to be regarded as the names of the leading men of the variou... [ Continue Reading ]
_The children of Pahath-moab, of the children of Jeshua_and _Joab_ Pahath = ruler of. We must suppose that the founder of this family had exercised rule over some portion of the Moabite territory. We learn from 1 Chronicles 4:22 that certain members of the tribe of Judah -had the dominion in Moab".... [ Continue Reading ]
_Elam_ Some would identify with the Elam mentioned 1 Chronicles 8:24 a Benjamite.... [ Continue Reading ]
_The children of Azgad, a thousand two hundred twenty and two_ The most serious discrepancy in the list (Neh. gives 2322, Esdras 3222), arising from error in the transcription of numbers. The smallest figure is intrinsically the most probable. The highest figure, given in 1 Esdr., attempts to combin... [ Continue Reading ]
_Adonikam_ This name appears in Nehemiah 10:16 as Adonijah.... [ Continue Reading ]
_The children of Ater of Hezekiah_ i.e., the family of Ater was represented by one branch called by the name of Hezekiah, cf. Ezra 2:6.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Jorah_ called in Nehemiah (Ezra 7:24; Ezra 10:19) Hariph, with which may be compared Hareph (1 Chronicles 2:51) of the sons of Caleb. The interchange of names is the more strange when we remember that the Hebrew word -Joreh" means -autumn-rain" while the Hebrew -Horeph" means -the autumn-season".... [ Continue Reading ]
_Gibbar_ Nehemiah 7:25 -Gibeon" (for which our text is probably an early error), the famous scene of Joshua's victory (Joshua, 10), of the battle between David's and Ishbosheth's men (2 Samuel 2), of Joab's murder of Amasa (2 Samuel 20:8), the abode of the tabernacle (1 Kings 3:4; 1Ch 16:39; 1 Chron... [ Continue Reading ]
Names of towns and places. It is possible that the register dealt first with the dwellers in Jerusalem. The inhabitants of the towns and places nearest to Jerusalem and best known are mentioned next: last of all, the inhabitants of the less known or more remote places. The numbers are much smaller t... [ Continue Reading ]
_Beth-lehem_ or -the house of bread": sometimes called Bethlehem of Judah to distinguish it from the Bethlehem in Zebulon (Joshua 19:15). Its name implies the fruitfulness of the soil. The name of Ephrath or Ephratah by which it was known in earlier times has also the meaning of plenty (cf. Genesis... [ Continue Reading ]
_Netophah_ According to 1 Chronicles 9:16 a town inhabited by priests, the birthplace of two of David's heroes, Mahari and Haled, 2 Samuel 23:28-29, and of Seraiah, one of Gedaliah's supporters, 2 Kings 25:23; Jeremiah 40:8 (Ephai). It has been identified by some with Beit Nettîf, 20 miles W. of Bet... [ Continue Reading ]
_Anathoth_ One of the towns assigned to the priests (Joshua 21:18; 1 Chronicles 6:60), the dwelling-place of Abiathar the high-priest (1 Kings 2:26) and of the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:1; Jeremiah 29:27). See Isaiah 10:28; Isaiah 10:30. It is situated about 4 miles N.E. of Jerusalem, the modern... [ Continue Reading ]
_Azmaveth_ Cf. Nehemiah 12:29: called Beth-Azmaveth Nehemiah 7:28; has been conjecturally identified with El-Hizmeh, a height N. of Anathoth. The name of Azmaveth occurs in the register of the tribe of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 8:36).... [ Continue Reading ]
_Kirjath-arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth_ Gibeonite cities, see Josh, Joshua 9:17 -Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim" (R.V.) -Kirjath-arim" ( KIRIATH-ARIM R.V.) called in Nehemiah 7:29 Kiriath-jearim, or -the city of the woods". The spelling in our verse is pr... [ Continue Reading ]
_Ramah_ the dwelling-place of Samuel (1 Samuel 7:17) and afterwards a frontier-fortress on the borders of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms (1 Kings 15:17; 1 Kings 15:22); the modern Er-râm about 6 miles N. of Jerusalem. _Gaba_ R.V. GEBA. One of the priestly towns in the tribe of Benjamin (cf. Josh... [ Continue Reading ]
_Michmas_ in the tribe of Benjamin, on a hill overlooking the gorge of the same name, which was the scene of Jonathan's victory over the Philistines (1 Samuel 13:23; 1 Samuel 13:14). It was evidently a strong situation (cf. 1 Samuel 13:2; 1 Samuel 13:5; 1 Samuel 13:16). Geba was on the S., Michmash... [ Continue Reading ]
_Beth-el_ one of the most ancient towns in the country (cf. Joshua 12:9), called Luz -at the first" and famous in the history of the Patriarch Jacob (Genesis 28:19; Genesis 35:15), captured from the Canaanites by Ephraim (Judges 1:22-26), situated on the borders of Ephraim and Benjamin (Joshua 16:1;... [ Continue Reading ]
_Nebo_ not to be confused with the Moabite town (Numbers 32:3; Numbers 32:38), to distinguish it from which it is perhaps called in Nehemiah 7:33 -the other Nebo". Its situation has not been accurately determined. Some identify it with Nob, the well-known priestly town (see 1 Samuel 21:1; 1 Samuel 2... [ Continue Reading ]
_Magbish_ The name of this place is omitted in the parallel passages and does not occur elsewhere. Presumably another town in the territory of Benjamin.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the other Elam_ This title apparently refers back to the Elam mentioned in Ezra 2:7. The fact that the -Elam" of Ezra 2:7 is probably the name of a person and that the Elam here mentioned is found in connexion with the names of towns renders the expression -the other" very strange. Another strange... [ Continue Reading ]
_Harim_ not to be confounded with the Harim of Ezra 2:39. The family name mentioned in this verse occurs again in chap. Ezra 10:31. The three Ezra 2:30-32 call for special remark. (_a_) Magbish does not occur in the parallel lists: (_b_) -Elam" and -Harim" are names of people not of towns: (_c_) th... [ Continue Reading ]
_Lod, Hadid, and Ono_ These names occur also in Nehemiah 11:34-35. Lod and Ono built by Shemed a Benjamite (1 Chronicles 8:12). The name of -Lod" does not elsewhere occur in the history before the Captivity. It is the same as Lydda, familiar to us in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 9:32 &c.). It stan... [ Continue Reading ]
_Jericho_ or the city of palms (Deuteronomy 34:3; Judges 1:16; 2 Chronicles 28:15), destroyed by Joshua (Joshua 6), rebuilt by Hiel the Bethelite in the days of Ahab (1 Kings 16:34) and apparently included in the Northern Kingdom. It was the home of one of the schools of the prophets (2 Kings 2:5).... [ Continue Reading ]
_Senaah_ The name of this place occurs elsewhere only in the lists of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 3:3; Nehemiah 7:38). It was identified by Eusebius and Jerome with -Megdalsenna" or -Magdalsenna" about 5 miles N. of Jericho. _three thousand and six hundred and thirty_ Neh. gives a larger number by 300. The... [ Continue Reading ]
_the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua_ In the 24 Priestly houses enumerated in 1 Chronicles 24:7-18, the house of Jedaiah stands second. The words -of the house of Jeshua" have been differently explained. (_a_) It has been considered to refer to a very ancient house from which sprang two... [ Continue Reading ]
The names and numbers of the houses of the priests correspond exactly in the three registers.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Immer_ The sixteenth priestly house (1 Chronicles 24:14). Pashur, the enemy of Jeremiah, is mentioned as a member of this house (Jeremiah 20:1). See also Nehemiah 3:29.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Pashur_ This name does not occur among the 24 priestly houses. But a Pashur is mentioned 1 Chronicles 9:12; Nehemiah 11:12 as the son of Malchiah, and the name of -Malchiah" is given to the fifth priestly house (1 Chronicles 24:9). Either Pashur the son of Malchiah, a prominent man in the court of... [ Continue Reading ]
_Harim_ The name of Harim appears in 1 Chronicles 24:8 as that of the third priestly house.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the children of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the children of Hodaviah_ The occurrence of these names in Nehemiah 10:9 shows that, as throughout this list, we have here the titles of families, not necessarily the names of Zerubbabel's contemporaries. In chap. Ezra 3:9 Jeshua and Kadmiel are mentioned as l... [ Continue Reading ]
The Levites are here arranged in the same way as in the 1st Book of Chronicles, i.e. into (1) Levites proper (cf. 1 Chronicles 24:20-31). (2) Singers (cf. 1 Chronicles 25). (3) Doorkeepers (cf. 1 Chronicles 26:1-19. See Introduction, § 7. The small number (i.e. 431 in all) of the Levites is very st... [ Continue Reading ]
_The singers_ The Levitical order of singers was instituted in David's time (1 Chronicles 15:17-24). There seem to have been 24 classes of singers (1 Chronicles 25:9-31). But the three great guilds of singers were called after the names of Heman the Kohathite, Asaph the Gershomite, and Jeduthun the... [ Continue Reading ]
_the porters_ so also R.V.; although it is noteworthy that having substituted -door-keepers" for -porters" (A.V.) in 1 Chronicles 26:1, the R.V. has not for the sake of consistency made a similar alteration here, the word in Hebrew being the same in both instances. The door-keepers mentioned here an... [ Continue Reading ]
_Nethinims_ R.V. NETHINIM. The termination --im" is the sign of the plural. In the same way the R.V. corrects the inaccurate form -Cherubims" to -Cherubim" (Genesis 3:24), -Anakims" to -Anakim", -Horims" to -Horites", -Emims" to -Emim", -Zanzummims" to -Zanzummim", -Avims" and -Caphtorims" to -Avvim... [ Continue Reading ]
Nethinim. This class is mentioned in the books Ezra and Nehemiah (Ezra 2:43; Ezra 2:58; Ezra 2:70; Ezra 7:7; Ezra 7:24; Ezra 8:17; Ezra 8:20; Nehemiah 3:26; Nehemiah 3:31; Nehemiah 7:46; [ Continue Reading ]
_Siaha_ called -Sia" in Nehemiah 7:47.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Shalmai_ R.V. SHAMLAI. Called -Salmai" in Nehemiah 7:48.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Nekoda_ see the same name Ezra 2:60.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the children of Mehunim_ R.V. MEUNIM. These have been identified with the Maonites who oppressed the children of Israel in the days of the Judges (Judges 10:12). It is very possible that the Meunim were leagued with the Moabites and Ammonites against Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:1). Uzziah obtained... [ Continue Reading ]
_Bazluth_ called -Bazlith" in Nehemiah 7:54.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Sisera_ possibly from the inhabitants of Northern Canaan (cf. Judges 4:2). _Thamah_ R.V. TEMAH, possibly referring to an Arabian clan (cf. Genesis 25:15; 1 Chronicles 1:30). Whether we should look for this Tema in the N. of Arabia or identify it with Taima in the Hauran is still uncertain. See Job... [ Continue Reading ]
Solomon's servants, a class similar to the Nethinim, with whom they are also found in conjunction Nehemiah 7:60; Nehemiah 11:3. They are apparently included under the more general term Nethinim in such passages as Nehemiah 10:28. They have been traditionally understood to be the descendants of those... [ Continue Reading ]
_Sophereth_ R.V. HASSOPHERETH. The A.V. gives the name as it appears in Nehemiah 7:57. _Peruda_ appears in Nehemiah 7:57 as -Perida".... [ Continue Reading ]
_Pochereth of Zebaim_ R.V. POCHERETH-HAZZEBAIM. The name denotes -the gazelle hunter". The LXX., quite misunderstanding the title, gives two names, -the children of Pacherad, the children of Aseboim" (νἱοὶ Φαχεράδ, υἱοὶ Ἀσεβωίμ). _Ami_ appears in Nehemiah 7:59 as -Amon... [ Continue Reading ]
Israelites and Priests of uncertain genealogy 59. _Tel-melah, Tel-harsa_ R.V., TEL-MELAH, TEL-HARSHA i.e. Salthill and Forest-hill, probably names of localities in Babylonia. _Cherub, Addan_, and _Immer_ These are names not of people, but, in all probability, of three villages in one district of B... [ Continue Reading ]
_Nekoda_ See Ezra 2:48. The occurrence of the same name in two places may be accidental. But it is possible that the family of Nekoda which ranked among the Nethinim sought to establish a claim to a place among the free-born Israelites.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Habaiah_ This name appears in Nehemiah 7:63 as -Hobaiah". R.V. _Koz_ R.V. -HAKKOZ". This name appears as that of the _seventh_priestly course in 1 Chronicles 24:10. _of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite_ Barzillai, the rich and noble Gileadite who assisted David during his flight from his s... [ Continue Reading ]
_these sought their register_&c. Literally -These sought their writing (LXX. γραφὴν αὐτῶν), the enrolled", i.e. they searched for their genealogy in the priestly book, which went by the name of -The Enrolled", or as we should now call it -The Register". Compare -the writing (mrg. -register") of the... [ Continue Reading ]
_the Tirshatha_ This title is here and in Nehemiah 7:65; Nehemiah 7:70 apparently applied to Zerubbabel: Haggai his contemporary calls him -Pekhah" (Governor), see Haggai 1:1; Haggai 1:14; Haggai 2:2; Haggai 2:21. In the same way Nehemiah, who is called the Tirshatha, Nehemiah 8:9; Nehemiah 10:1, is... [ Continue Reading ]
The same total i.e. 42,360 is given in Ezra, Nehemiah and 1 Esdras. The items however fail in all three lists to produce this figure. _Ezra_ _Neh._ 1 _Esdr._ Men of the people of Israel 24,144 25,406 26,390 Priests 4289 4289 2388 Levites 74 74 74 Singers 128 148 128 Porters 139... [ Continue Reading ]
_their servants and their maids_ R.V. THEIR MENSERVANTS AND THEIR MAIDSERVANTS, which is more accurate. _and_there were _among them_ R.V. AND THEY HAD. The R.V. is certainly right. The meaning is not that singing men and women were included among the servants, but that -the whole congregation" (Ezr... [ Continue Reading ]
_horses_ The number mentioned here (736) appears in 1Es 5:43 as 7036, a fair sample of the way in which figures could easily undergo alteration by accident or intention. Before this time we do not find mention of the use of the horse among the Israelites for peaceful purposes. Hitherto the horse ha... [ Continue Reading ]
_camels_ The camel is mentioned in the O.T. chiefly as the beast of burden of nomad families and races, e.g. Ishmaelites (Genesis 37:25), Midianites and Amalekites (Judges 6:5; 1 Samuel 30:17). It would be the most serviceable of all beasts for the long journey from Babylon, on account of its great... [ Continue Reading ]
some _of the chief of the fathers_ R.V. SOME OF THE HEADS OF FATHERS" HOUSES, see note on Ezra 1:5. _when they came to the house of the Lord which_is _at Jerusalem_ i.e. on their arrival at Jerusalem, where they were to rebuild the Temple. -The house of the Lord", the site and the building are iden... [ Continue Reading ]
This passage is given in greater accuracy of detail in Nehemiah 7:70-72.... [ Continue Reading ]
_they gave_&c. There is a slight discrepancy between the sums mentioned in this verse and the sums recorded in greater detail in Nehemiah. The figures stand thus _Ezra_ Heads of fathers" houses 61,000 darics of gold 5,000 pounds of silver 100 priests" garments. _Nehemiah_ darics of gold ba... [ Continue Reading ]
This verse runs more smoothly as it appears in Nehemiah 7:73 -So the priests and the Levites, and the porters, and the singers, and some of the people, and the Nethinim, and all Israel dwelt in their cities". The verse sums up the whole list. The words -and some of the people" seem to be in the wr... [ Continue Reading ]