A return to the land signals a return to the Lord.
The books of Ezra and Nehemiah recount the Jews’ long-awaited return to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile.
God’s people had been exiled from their land as a consequence of their disobedience. Most who had been taken captive died in a foreign country. New generations had been born and brought up far from their homeland. These young exiles had never set eyes on the land promised to Abraham and his descendants, and many did not consider the land of their forefathers to be their home. But like other refugees throughout history, some took up the challenge of reclaiming their heritage and rebuilding their homes and identities. Debris would be cleared, damaged infrastructure replaced, and new structures raised from the ashes of a burned-out city. Government would be reconstituted and every economic sector revived.
Among countless pressing tasks, two projects took priority, and Jerusalem’s reconstruction can be largely attributed to two men, Ezra the scribe and Nehemiah the cupbearer. The former was probably an appointed official over Jewish affairs in Persia, and the latter a confidant of the Persian king Artaxerxes I. Ezra’s primary concerns were religious and cultural; he aimed to revive worship by laying a new foundation for the temple, the center of the nation’s spiritual life. Nehemiah focused on the people’s administrative and military interests by rebuilding the wall around the city, a ring of protection broken down during the Babylonian siege. Both projects represented the people’s return not only to Judah but also to their God. The price of disobedience had been paid. Now was the time for restoration and renewal as the Lord effected a new exodus for His people.
Ezra and Nehemiah were able to pursue their civil duties because of a coalition of Persians, Medes, and Scythians that had captured Babylon in 539 B.C., bringing an end to the Babylonian empire (see “The Fall of Babylon” at Dan. 5:30, 31 and “The Persians” at Ezra 1:8). When King Cyrus of Persia issued a decree allowing the Jews to return to their homeland, most chose to remain in Mesopotamia. But many thousands made the journey home in three major waves of migration (see “The Journey Back to Jerusalem” at Ezra 2:1). Ezra returned during the second of these journeys (458 B.C.; 7:1–9), and Nehemiah led the third (444 B.C.; Neh. 2:1–9).
The similarity between the end of 2 Chronicles and the opening of Ezra suggests that the books of Ezra and Nehemiah originated as a continuation of the Book of Chronicles. Tradition credits the Book of Ezra to Ezra the scribe (see his profile at Ezra 7:1), who would have possessed both the writing ability and the access to historical records necessary to compose this account. The narrative begins with the decree of Cyrus in 536 B.C. to rebuild the temple. Due to delays caused by opposition, however, the project is not completed until after Ezra arrives on the scene in 458 B.C. The account begins in Babylon and ends in Jerusalem (see the map at “The Journey Back to Jerusalem” at Ezra 2:1).
Key People in Ezra
• Cyrus, a pagan king whom God used to bring His people home and rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:1; see also Cyrus’s profile at 2 Chr. 36:23).
• The Persians, the most humane and benevolent of Middle Eastern conquerors, especially compared to the Assyrians and Babylonians (Ezra 1:8).
• Zerubbabel, grandson of King Jehoiachin and leader of the first group of Jews to leave Babylon for Judah (Ezra 2:2).
• Artaxerxes I, the Persian ruler who issued a supplemental decree permitting Jewish repatriation and rebuilding (Ezra 4:7).
Key Events in Ezra
• Cyrus issues a decree freeing the Jews from captivity (Ezra 1:1–4).
• Ezra rebuilds the temple at Jerusalem (Ezra 3:10—6:22).
• God’s followers dissolve their marriages to pagan wives (Ezra 9–10).