Ezra 8:17

And I sent them with commandment R.V. And I sent them forth. Marg. another reading is I gave them commandment. The A.V. combines the two readings.

The variety of reading arises from the uncertainty felt as to the true rendering of the previous verse. The rendering -then sent I for" in that verse requires in this verse the reading -And I sent them forth" (C'thib). The rendering -then sent I" could be followed by either -I sent them forth" or -I gave them commandment" (K'ri), the latter being less a repetition of the previous sentence.

Supposing that "I gave them commandment" was the original reading, we can see that, when the Hebrew idiom in Ezra 8:16 -then sent I" (the object expressed by a preposition) dropped out of sight and the literal translation seemed to be "then sent I for", a reason was given for the very slight alteration, by which "I gave them commandment" was altered to "I sent them forth" (LXX. ἐξήνεγκα). This accounts for the existence of the two readings, and for the prevalence of that accepted in the R.V. text. But the R.V. margin seems preferable. It gives a natural sense and agrees well with what precedes and follows. On the other hand the alternative reading "I sent them forth" represents a word of great frequency in the sense of -bring forth or out" (e.g. Ezra 1:7; Ezra 10:3; Ezra 10:19; Nehemiah 9:7; Nehemiah 9:15): it denotes -deliverance", -dismissal", -removal", -utterance": but is not at all suited to the description of the mission. It occurs very often in the O.T., but it may be questioned whether it is ever elsewhere rendered "send forth".

unto Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia Lit. -Iddo the head". Iddo clearly exercised some position of authority over the Jews, and particularly over the Levites and Nethinim settled at Casiphia. We may conjecture that Iddo was a Levite presiding over a college of young Levites and Nethinim, and who might be ready to send young men to Ezra's aid.

Casiphia which some of the older commentators used to identify with the -Caspian", was probably some village in the neighbourhood of Babylon. The LXX. rendered the word from the similarity of the first part of the word to the Hebrew -ceseph" (silver), ἐν ἀργυρίῳ τοῦ τόπου.

and I told them what they should say Lit. -And I put words in their mouth to speak". The general charge comprised verbatim instructions. On the phrase "put words … in mouth", cf. Exodus 4:15; Numbers 23:16; Deuteronomy 31:19.

unto Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims R.V. unto Iddo and his brethren the Nethinim. Marg. -The text as pointed has, Iddo, his brother." The text is here corrupt. The uncertainty as to Iddo's position, and the unlikelihood that a man of such influence would have been one of the Nethinim, has increased the doubtfulness of the true reading, (a) Adopting the pointed text, and supposing the letter Vaw (=and) to be accidentally dropped after the name of Iddo which ends with that letter, we could render -unto Iddo and his brother, the Nethinim". (b) Altering the vowel-points and assuming the omission of the same letter, we obtain the rendering of the A.V. and R.V. "unto Iddo and his brethrenthe Nethinim" (cf. Ezra 3:2, Jeshua and his brethren the priests). (c) Supposing a second similar omission to have taken place, we have "unto Iddo and his brethren (i.e. Levites) and the Nethinim".

Of these alternative renderings (c) appears to be the most probable. The appeal is made to Iddo and to his brethren the Levites. As the response (18 20) comes from Levites and Nethinim, we conclude that Iddo presided over the Nethinim as well as over the Levites. Just as a High-priest himself a priest, would preside over priests and Levites, so Iddo himself a Levite would preside over Levites and Nethinim. The Nethinim may have been more numerous and influential than the Levites. At any rate it is not likely that Iddo himself belonged to this inferior class.

ministers A very general word in the original, to include Levites and Nethinim. Cf. 1 Samuel 2:11. The LXX., misreading a letter, renders "singers" (ᾄδοντας).