Ezra 2 Study Notes

2:2 The Nehemiah listed here is a different person from the one who rebuilt Jerusalem’s walls 80 years later, and the Mordecai listed here is not the one who appears in the book of Esther.

2:2 This first list is made up of men who were leaders. The same list occurs in Nehemiah 7:7.

2:2-35 These people were from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (1:5).

2:3-35 This list is the major group of those returning, divided by families (2:3-20) or by cities (2:21-35). Verse 36 begins listing priests, Levites, and other Temple servants.

2:59-63 Genealogies were very important credentials to the Hebrew people. If they could not prove they had descended from Abraham, they were not considered true Jews and were excluded from full participation in Jewish community life. In addition, some privileges were restricted to members of certain tribes. For example, only descendants of Levi (Abraham’s great-grandson) could serve in the Temple.

2:63 The “Tirshatha” mentioned here was probably the governor, Zerubbabel. The sacred lots were probably the Urim and Thummim, two objects originally carried in the garment worn by the high priest. They were used to determine God’s will in important matters. (For more on the Urim and Thummim, see the note on Leviticus 8:8.) The “most holy things” was the priests’ allotted portion of meat that was sacrificed on the altar.

2:68, 69 As the Temple reconstruction progressed, everyone contributed freewill offerings according to his or her ability. Some were able to give huge gifts and did so generously. Everyone’s effort and cooperation were required, and the people gave as much as they could. Often we limit our giving to 10 percent of our income. The Bible, however, emphasizes that we should give from the heart all that we are able (2 Corinthians 8:12; 9:6). Let your gift be decided by God’s call to give generously, not by the amount you have left over.

2:69 The money given was enough to start rebuilding the Temple. The people put what resources they had to their best use. They were enthusiastic and sincere, but this Temple would never match the splendor of Solomon’s. The amount of money David gathered to start the building of Solomon’s Temple was a thousand times more (1 Chronicles 22:14). Some people wept as they remembered the glorious Temple that had been destroyed (3:12).