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John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

Ezra 2

Ezra 2 - Introduction

INTRODUCTION TO EZRA 2 This chapter contains a list of those that went up from Babylon to Jerusalem, of their leaders, their chief men, princes and priests, Ezra 2:1 of the people, described by their families, towns, and cities, and number of persons, Ezra 2:3, of the priests, Levites, and Nethinim... [ Continue Reading ]

Ezra 2:1

NOW THESE ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE PROVINCE,.... Either of the province of Babylon, as Aben Ezra, where they were either born, or had dwelt for many years; or else rather, according to Jarchi, of the province of Judea, as it is called, Ezra 5:8 once a flourishing kingdom, but reduced to a province of... [ Continue Reading ]

Ezra 2:2

WHICH CAME WITH ZERUBBABEL,.... The head of them, the prince of Judah; and the chief that came with him are the ten following; Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah; the first of these, Jeshua, was Joshua the high priest, the son of Josedech, Haggai 1:... [ Continue Reading ]

Ezra 2:3

Ver. 3-35. THE CHILDREN OF PAROSH, TWO THOUSAND AN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY TWO. From hence, to the end of Ezra 2:35, a list is given of the captives that returned, described by the families they were of, their ancestors from whence they sprung, or the towns and cities to which they originally belonged,... [ Continue Reading ]

Ezra 2:36

Ver. 36-39. THE PRIESTS,.... An account of them is given in this and the three following verses, and only four families are mentioned, those of Jedaiah, Immer, Pashur, and Harim, and the number of them amounted to 4289; these, according to the Jews, were heads of four courses, which were all that re... [ Continue Reading ]

Ezra 2:40

Ver. 40-42. THE LEVITES,.... Singers and porters, who are reckoned in this, and the two following verses, whose numbers were no more than three hundred and forty one; whereas, in the times of David, they were 38,000, 1 Chronicles 23:3.... [ Continue Reading ]

Ezra 2:43

Ver. 43-58. THE NETHINIMS,.... Supposed by Aben Ezra and Jarchi to be the Gibeonites, who were "given" by Joshua, as the word Nethinims signifies, to the congregation, to be hewers of wood and drawers of water; but rather were those that were given by David to assist the Levites; of these is an acco... [ Continue Reading ]

Ezra 2:59

AND THESE WERE THEY THAT WENT UP FROM TELMELAH, TELHARSA,.... Places in the land of Babylon, see Isaiah 37:12. CHERUB, ADDAN, AND IMMER; BUT THEY COULD NOT SHOW THEIR FATHER'S HOUSE, AND THEIR SEED, WHETHER THEY WERE OF ISRAEL; these were such that professed the Jewish religion, and went for Jews i... [ Continue Reading ]

Ezra 2:60

THE CHILDREN OF DELAIAH, THE CHILDREN OF TOBIAH, AND THE CHILDREN OF NEKODA, SIX HUNDRED FIFTY AND TWO. These, though their immediate parents were known, yet by their being mentioned here, it seems as if they could not carry their genealogy further, and make it clearly appear what was the house of t... [ Continue Reading ]

Ezra 2:61

AND OF THE CHILDREN OF THE PRIESTS,.... Who could not make out their pedigree, for those that could are mentioned before: THE CHILDREN OF HABAIAH, THE CHILDREN OF KOZ, THE CHILDREN OF BARZILLAI; how the latter came by this name follows: WHICH TOOK A WIFE OF THE DAUGHTERS OF BARZILLAI THE GILEADITE... [ Continue Reading ]

Ezra 2:62

THESE SOUGHT THEIR REGISTER AMONG THOSE THAT WERE RECKONED BY GENEALOGY,.... To find their names written and registered there; for the Jews kept public registers of their priests, their descent, marriages, and offspring, that it might be known who were fit, and who not, to officiate as such: BUT TH... [ Continue Reading ]

Ezra 2:63

AND THE TIRSHATHA SAID UNTO THEM,.... By whom Jarchi understands Nehemiah, and observes, that their rabbins say he was so called, because the wise men allowed him to drink the wine of the Gentiles, he being cupbearer to the king; but Aben Ezra, with greater probability, takes it to be a name of hono... [ Continue Reading ]

Ezra 2:64

THE WHOLE CONGREGATION TOGETHER WAS FORTY AND TWO THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED [AND] THREESCORE. But the sums before given make no more, with Zerubbabel, and the ten principal men, than 29,829, so that there are more than 12,000 wanting; wherefore, in answer to the question, where are the 12,000? the Jews... [ Continue Reading ]

Ezra 2:65

BESIDES THEIR SERVANTS AND THEIR MAIDS, OF WHOM THERE WERE SEVEN THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED THIRTY AND SEVEN,.... This shows that the greater part of those that returned were of the poorer sort, since there were so few servants that belonged unto them; these came not into the above account: AND THERE W... [ Continue Reading ]

Ezra 2:66

Ver. 66,67 THEIR HORSES WERE SEVEN HUNDRED THIRTY AND SIX, THEIR MULES TWO HUNDRED FORTY AND FIVE, THEIR CAMELS FOUR HUNDRED THIRTY AND FIVE, [THEIR] ASSES SIX THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND TWENTY. So that the far greatest part of them must walk on foot, since these can be thought to be little more tha... [ Continue Reading ]

Ezra 2:68

AND SOME OF THE CHIEF OF THE FATHERS, WHEN THEY CAME TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD THAT IS AT JERUSALEM,.... That is, when they came to the place where it formerly stood, and where were still the ruins of it: OFFERED FREELY FOR THE HOUSE OF GOD, TO SET IT UP IN ITS PLACE; to rebuild it upon the spot whe... [ Continue Reading ]

Ezra 2:69

THEY GAVE AFTER THEIR ABILITY UNTO THE TREASURE OF THE WORLD THREESCORE AND ONE THOUSAND DRACHMS OF GOLD,.... These "darcemons or darics" were a Persian coin; one of which, according to Brerewood k, was of the value of fifteen shillings of our money, and so this quantity of them amounted to 45,750 p... [ Continue Reading ]

Ezra 2:70

SO THE PRIESTS AND THE LEVITES, AND SOME OF THE PEOPLE, AND THE SINGERS, AND THE NETHINIMS, DWELT IN THEIR CITIES,.... Which were assigned to them out of the several tribes, and in which they or their forefathers had dwelt before the captivity: AND ALL ISRAEL IN THEIR CITIES; as those of the tribes... [ Continue Reading ]

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