Ezra 2:36-58

4. Also important enough to be mentioned were certain people connected with the Temple and religious worship.

TEXT, Ezra 2:36-58

36

The priests: the sons of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua, 973;

37

the sons of Immer, 1,052;

38

the sons of Pashhur, 1,247;

39

the sons of Harim, 1,017.

40

The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah, 74.

41

The singers: the sons of Asaph, 128.

42

The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, in all 139.

43

The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,

44

the sons of Keros, the sons of Siaha, the sons of Padon,

45

the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub,

46

the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shalmai, the sons of Hanan,

47

the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah,

48

the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam,

49

the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai,

50

the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephisim,

51

the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur,

52

the sons of Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha,

53

the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah,

54

the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.

55

The sons of Solomon's servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Hassophereth, the sons of Peruda,

56

the sons of Jaalah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel,

57

the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of Ami.

58

All the temple servants, and the sons of Solomon's servants, were 392.

COMMENT

The priests (Ezra 2:36-39) are the first in rank among those connected with the Temple. Of the four clans or households which follow, three are identifiable as being among the twenty-four courses appointed in David's time to serve in rotation at the altar: 1 Chronicles 24:7-8; 1 Chronicles 24:14 mention Jedaiah, Immer, and Harim. (Pashur may have been a replacement for one of the other groups, or an alternative name of one of them; it is identified with the priesthood elsewhere.)

This gives a clue to the source of the names in this list; it is possible that many are the names of clans, or family names, going back to the time of David and the organization of the Kingdom of Israel. We may wish for names more easily identified, which can be traced to specific tribes; but that may not be necessary since all the priests would be of the tribe of Levi, and since we have been told previously (Ezra 1:5) that the other returnees were of the tribe of Judah and Benjamin, at this time.

Jeshua, the high priest, is identified with the clan of Jedaiah (Ezra 2:36). More extensive mention of him is made by Haggai (Ezra 1:1) and by Zechariah (Ezra 3:1): both spell his name Joshua. He was the priest whose leadership, along with the governor Zerubbabel'S, brought about the reconstruction of the Temple.

Ezra 2:40. Of the Levities in addition to the priests, only seventy-four are mentioned. The Jeshua in this verse is apparently a second man by that name, rather than the priest mentioned previously. It is likely that the Levites, not being as directly involved in religious duties as the priests, were not as a group as excited about returning. It is also possible that, since Ezekiel 44:9-16 predicts the demotion of the Levites from some of their responsibilities because of their previous sins, this reduction of their size is a consequence. It is further possible that, since their functions were primarily teaching instead of ministry through ritual, many of them would remain in Persia to furnish needed instruction to the majority of their brethren who remained there.

Singers (Ezra 2:41) are mentioned next. These would be important to ancient worship, as attested by Egyptian plaques found at Megiddo in Israel.[15] The name of Asaph in this list also goes back to the organization of the worship in David's time (1 Chronicles 15:17; 1 Chronicles 15:19). The name, either of the individual or his descendants, is identified with the authorship of twelve of the Psalms (50, 73-83).

[15] J. B. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Texts, p. 263.

The sons of the gatekeepers (Ezra 2:42) may not have had a lofty calling, but they had their significance. A holy man once expressed his preference to stand at the threshold of my God, Than dwell in the tents of wickedness (Psalms 84:10).

The temple servants (Ezra 2:43-54) would have even a humbler task. Perhaps these would include descendants of people whom Israel had subjected either by war or by treaty; two examples are given in Numbers 31 (Midianites) and Joshua 9 (Gibeonites); note especially Joshua 9:27.

Solomon's servants (Ezra 2:55-57) were apparently a similar group added later to the temple servants, with whom they are classed (Ezra 2:58). Solomon's activities (1 Kings 9:20-21) reduced some of Canaan's former tribesmen to servitude. If the pattern set in Numbers 31 was followed, then a percentage of these also, along with other war captives added from time to time, ended up in the service of the Temple, and their descendants would be included among the voluntary returnees from captivity.

Does this seem ironic, that many free citizens of Israel now choose to stay in the land of their captivity, while some who had been enslaved by Israel are now freely choosing to return to the land which had enslaved them? This speaks well of the treatment they had received from Israel, and of the Spiritual appeal of service in the Temple, that they still want to maintain their identity with them though it began as forced servitude. There are surely parallels today among children compelled to attend religious services against their will, or of young lovers enduring religious obligations to be near the object of their affections, and then finding something in the services which calls them to full voluntary dedication to the things of God.

5. There follows a list of those whose ancestral records had been lost.

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!