Ezra 2:2-20

2. The list really begins with laymen, simply men of the people of Israel.

TEXT, Ezra 2:2Ezra 2:2

2b

The number of the men of the people of Israel:

3

the sons of Parosh, 2,172;

4

the sons of Shephatiah, 372;

5

the sons of Arah, 775;

6

the sons of Pahath-moab of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812;

7

the sons of Elam, 1,254;

8

the sons of Zattu, 945;

9

the sons of Zaccai, 760;

10

the sons of Bani, 642;

11

the sons of Bebai, 623;

12

the sons of Azgad, 1,222;

13

the sons of Adonikam, 666;

14

the sons of Bigvai, 2,056;

15

the sons of Adin, 454;

16

the sons of Ater of Hezekiah, 98;

17

the sons of Bezai, 323;

18

the sons of Jorah, 112;

19

the sons of Hashum, 223;

20

the sons of Gibbar, 95;

COMMENT

Just one comment on this section: the term, sons of, could also be translated descendants of, Emphasis here, as usual in the O.T., is on the social unit, the family, rather than the individual.

WORD STUDIES

ZERUBBABEL: a seed of Babylon: a reminder that God preserved a seed of His people through the Babylonian Captivity, from which His nation would once again spring to life,

TEMPLE SERVANTS (Ezra 2:43): literally, the Nethinim: those given. The word is a plural form; it comes from the word Nathan. These were the persons given to the priests to assist with the menial tasks of preparing for sacrifice and worship.

JESHUA, or its variant, JOSHUA: Jehovah is Salvation, or Salvation from Jehovah. This is the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek name, Jesus.

MINA: the basic meaning is to divide out, or measure out, or number. Money originally had to be measured, or weighed, at each transaction. This is the word Mene in the handwriting on the wall, in Daniel 5:25 f. Note that the consonants are the same as those in our word money, and in reverse order, the first two consonants in number. Can you find the two letters hidden in the denomination of a bill? In numismatics? Now you are looking at the building blocks of language!