Ezra 8:24-30

Priests to Guard the Offerings

24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, together with Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers,

25 and I weighed out to them the contribution of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites there had offered for the house of our God.

26 I weighed out into their hands 650 talents of silver, ^[a] articles of silver weighing 100 talents, ^[b] 100 talents of gold, ^[c]

27 20 gold bowls valued at 1,000 darics, ^[d] and two articles of fine polished bronze, as precious as gold.

28 Then I told them, “You are holy to the LORD, and these articles are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers.

29 Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the LORD in Jerusalem before the leading priests, Levites, and heads of the Israelite families.”

30 So the priests and Levites took charge of the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.

Ezra 8:24-30 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZRA 8

In this chapter we are told who and how many went up with Ezra to Jerusalem, Ezr 8:1-14, the gathering of them together at a river, from whence he sent to Babylon for Levites to come to him, who did, Ezr 8:15-20, the proclaiming a fast for a safe and prosperous journey, Ezr 8:21-23, the delivery of the vessels and money given him into the hands of priests, to take the care and charge thereof, Ezr 8:24-30, their safe arrival at Jerusalem, where they deposited the gifts in the temple, offered sacrifices to God, and delivered the king's commissions to his lieutenants and governors, Ezr 8:31-36.

Footnotes

• [a]. 650 talents is approximately 24.5 tons or 22.2 metric tons of silver.
• [b]. 100 talents is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of silver articles.
• [c]. 100 talents is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of gold.
• [d]. Or worth 1,000 drachmas; that is, approximately 18.5 pounds or 8.4 kilograms of gold