Ezra 2 Study Notes

2:41 The presence of singers was important in establishing the continuity of worship as it existed before the exile. The term translated “singers” (Hb meshorrim) may be too narrow, as 1 Ch 15:16-20 suggests that it included instrumentalists and worship leaders. Perhaps “musicians” better fits the context. Asaph was from the tribe of Levi.

2:42 Like the singers, the gatekeeper’s position was established by King David (1Ch 9:18-27) and was regarded as part of the tribe of Levi (1Ch 6), although these gatekeepers are mentioned separately.

2:43-58 The temple servants were the fifth group of temple personnel (priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers), and they had the lowest status. The Hebrew term for “temple servants” is nethinim, from the Hebrew verb ntn, “to give.” They are the “given” ones, or “devoted” ones, designated to serve in the temple and its worship. Solomon’s servants were part of this same group. A majority of the names are either foreign or are nicknames, reflecting their lowly status.

2:59-63 The final groups are of questionable status: three clans of laymen who could not verify their genealogy (vv. 59-60) and three clans of priestly families who could not prove their priestly lineage (vv. 61-64). The laymen, identified according to their former residences in Babylon, presumably were allowed to remain in the Jewish community. The situation of the priests was more difficult. Because the purity of the priesthood and the temple was at stake, priests who could not prove their lineage were disqualified from their posts. This was not only a loss of status but of livelihood as well since priests were not allotted land and were dependent on the gifts given to the temple.

No mention of the use of the mysterious Urim and Thummim is found in the postexilic era. The term governor is an uncommon word for this position, appearing only five times in the OT, all in Ezra-Nehemiah. The word is tirshat’a, probably derived from the Old Persian language meaning “excellency.” The term is later used to describe “Nehemiah the governor” (Neh 8:9). Here it probably refers to Zerubbabel, although some scholars prefer Sheshbazzar.

2:64-65 The assembly (Hb qahal) described the entire worshiping community, including both men and women. The sum of the returnees in the above list is only 29,818; probably the discrepancy reflects the number of women who also returned. While some commentators regard the presence of only 12,542 women as unlikely, it may suggest that most of those who returned were unattached, single men. The 42,360 returnees did not include the slaves who were regarded as property. The singers listed here are not those who participated in the temple worship but entertainers employed by wealthy families.

2:66-67 Since horses were more expensive than donkeys, it is not surprising that far more donkeys (6,720) than horses (736) were involved in the return to the land.

2:68-70 Just as Israelites gave gold and silver toward the construction of the tabernacle in Moses’s time (Ex 35:21-29), so once again some of the people gave freewill offerings for the reconstruction of the temple. These coins (Hb darkemonim) probably refer to the Greek drachma. Verse 70 is awkward, as reflected in the Septuagint and in 1 Esdras, but its essential point is clear: both temple personnel and laymen had now returned to their cities and towns from which they or their forefathers had been exiled.