Ezra 2:5

_THE CHILDREN OF ARAH, SEVEN HUNDRED SEVENTY AND FIVE._ The children of Arah, seven hundred seventy and five. The number is stated in Nehemiah 7:1 to have been only 652. It is probable that all mentioned as belonging to this family repaired to the general place of rendezvous, or had enrolled their names at first as intending to go; but in the interval of preparation some died, others were prevented by sickness or insurmountable obstacles, so that ultimately no more than 652 came to Jerusalem....

1-35 An account was kept of the families that came up out of captivity. See how sin lowers a nation, which righteousness would exalt!...

EXPOSITION THE NUMBER OF THOSE WHO RETURNED FROM CAPTIVITY WITH ZERUBBABEL, AND THE NAMES OF THE CHIEFS (Ezra 2:1). It has been argued that the whole of this chapter is out of place here, and has been transferred hither from Nehemiah (Nehemiah 7:6), where it occupies its rightful position (Bishop A. Hervey). According to this view, the list is one embodying the results of the census made by Nehemiah, not a list of those who returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel But it seems strange that such a theory should ever h

Ezra 2:3....

CHAPTER 2 _ 1. The leaders (Ezra 2:1)_ 2. The names of the returning exiles (Ezra 2:3) 3. The priests (Ezra 2:36) 4. The Levites and singers (Ezra 2:40) 5. The porters and Nethinim (Ezra 2:42) 6. Solomon's servants (Ezra 2:55) 7. Those of doubtful descent (Ezra 2:59) 8. The number of the whole company ...

A LIST OF THE EXILES WHO RETURNED UNDER ZERUBBABEL. See the Greek Ezra (1 Esdras) Esther 5:7 and Nehemiah 7:6_ a_, where this list also occurs, though with some variations. Ezra 2:1 a. province: Heb. _medinah,_ equivalent to the Persian satrapy. It refers here to the tract of country, with Jerusalem as its centre (_cf._ Ezra 5:8; Nehemiah 1:3; Nehemiah 11:3), over which Zerubbabel was governor, the province of Judah. ZERUBBABEL: seed of Babel; according to

Names of households or families. Many of these names occur again in other lists, e.g. Ezra 8:1-14; Ezra 10:18-44; Nehemiah 10:1-27, and in connexion with much later events in the lifetime of Ezra and Nehemiah. These names therefore are not to be regarded as the names of the leading men of the various families who accompanied Zerubbabel, but as the _titles_of the families or clans into which the people were divided. These titles were probably taken from the founders of the families and were many of them of great antiquity. The mention of the same names of the -families" at the return of Ezra (Ezra 8:1-14) merely shows that, thou

2. The list really begins with laymen, simply men of the people of Israel. TEXT, EZRA 2:2Ezra 2:2 2b The number of the men of the people of Israel: 3 the sons of Parosh, 2,172; 4 the sons of Shephatiah, 372; 5 the sons of Arah, 775; 6 the sons of Pahath-moab of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812; 7 the sons of Elam, 1,254; 8 the sons of Zattu, 945; 9 the sons of Zaccai, 760; 10 the sons of Bani, 642; 11 the sons of Bebai, 623; 12 the sons of Azgad, 1,222; 13 the sons of Adonikam, 666; 14 the sons of Bigvai, 2,056; 15 the sons of Adin, 454; 16 the sons of Ater of Hezekiah, 98; 17 the sons of Bezai, 323; 18 the sons of Jor

THE NAMES AND NUMBER OF THOSE WHO RETURNED 1. The province] i.e. the Persian province of Judæa (Ezra 5:8). HAD CARRIED AWAY] in 597 b.c. and 586 b.c. EVERY ONE UNTO HIS CITY] i.e. to the provincial towns. This process can only have taken place very gradually....

THE *JEWS RETURN TO JERUSALEM EZRA _ROBERT BRYCE_ CHAPTER 2 In the Book of Ezra, there are many names. Some of these people were leaders. However, Ezra also refers to many people who were not well-known. They lived many years ago, but they were important to God. God cares about all sorts of people. And he is pleased when they obey him. When Ezra records some of the names, he also mentions their families. Families were very important to the *Jews. V1 These are the people from the district who returned from *exile. (Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylonia, had taken their families into *exile.) The people returned to Jerusalem and Judah. Each person went back to his home town. V2 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah....