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Texts -- Ezra 8:12-36 (NET)

Context
8:12 from the descendants of Azgad , Johanan son of Hakkatan , and with him 110 men ; 8:13 from the descendants of Adonikam there were the latter ones. Their names were Eliphelet , Jeuel , and Shemaiah , and with them 60 men ; 8:14 from the descendants of Bigvai , Uthai , and Zaccur , and with them 70 men .
The Exiles Travel to Jerusalem
8:15 I had them assemble at the canal that flows toward Ahava , and we camped there for three days . I observed that the people and the priests were present, but I found no Levites there . 8:16 So I sent for Eliezer , Ariel , Shemaiah , Elnathan , Jarib , Elnathan , Nathan , Zechariah , and Meshullam , who were leaders , and Joiarib and Elnathan , who were teachers . 8:17 I sent them to Iddo , who was the leader in the place called Casiphia . I told them what to say to Iddo and his relatives , who were the temple servants in Casiphia , so they would bring us attendants for the temple of our God . 8:18 Due to the fact that the good hand of our God was on us, they brought us a skilled man , from the descendants of Mahli the son of Levi son of Israel . This man was Sherebiah , who was accompanied by his sons and brothers , 18 men, 8:19 and Hashabiah , along with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari , with his brothers and their sons , 20 men, 8:20 and some of the temple servants that David and his officials had established for the work of the Levites – 220 of them . They were all designated by name . 8:21 I called for a fast there by the Ahava Canal , so that we might humble ourselves before our God and seek from him a safe journey for us, our children , and all our property . 8:22 I was embarrassed to request soldiers and horsemen from the king to protect us from the enemy along the way , because we had said to the king , “The good hand of our God is on everyone who is seeking him, but his great anger is against everyone who forsakes him.” 8:23 So we fasted and prayed to our God about this , and he answered us. 8:24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests , together with Sherebiah , Hashabiah , and ten of their brothers , 8:25 and I weighed out to them the silver , the gold , and the vessels intended for the temple of our God – items that the king , his advisers , his officials , and all Israel who were present had contributed . 8:26 I weighed out to them 650 talents of silver , silver vessels worth 100 talents , 100 talents of gold , 8:27 20 gold bowls worth 1,000 darics , and two exquisite vessels of gleaming bronze , as valuable as gold . 8:28 Then I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord , just as these vessels are holy . The silver and the gold are a voluntary offering to the Lord , the God of your fathers . 8:29 Be careful with them and protect them, until you weigh them out before the leading priests and the Levites and the family leaders of Israel in Jerusalem , in the storerooms of the temple of the Lord .” 8:30 Then the priests and the Levites took charge of the silver , the gold , and the vessels that had been weighed out, to transport them to Jerusalem to the temple of our God . 8:31 On the twelfth day of the first month we began traveling from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem . The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from our enemy and from bandits along the way . 8:32 So we came to Jerusalem , and we stayed there for three days . 8:33 On the fourth day we weighed out the silver , the gold , and the vessels in the house of our God into the care of Meremoth son of Uriah , the priest , and Eleazar son of Phinehas , who were accompanied by Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui , who were Levites . 8:34 Everything was verified by number and by weight , and the total weight was written down at that time . 8:35 The exiles who were returning from the captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel – twelve bulls for all Israel , ninety-six rams , seventy-seven male lambs , along with twelve male goats as a sin offering . All this was a burnt offering to the Lord . 8:36 Then they presented the decrees of the king to the king’s satraps and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates , who gave help to the people and to the temple of God .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Temple

    [nave] TEMPLE. Solomon's Called also Temple of the Lord, 2 Kin. 11:10; Holy Temple, Psa. 79:1; Holy House, 1 Chr. 29:3; House of God, 1 Chr. 29:2; 2 Chr. 23:9; House of the Lord, 2 Chr. 23:5, 12; Jer. 28:5; Father's House, John 2...

  • THERAS

    [isbe] THERAS - the'-ras (Thera): The river by which the company assembled in preparation for the march to Jerusalem under Ezra (1 Esdras 8:41,61). In Ezr 8:21,31 the name of the river is Ahava. Possibly the place is represented by...

  • SOLOMON'S SERVANTS

    [isbe] SOLOMON'S SERVANTS - ('adbhedhe shelomoh; douloi Salomon): "The children of Solomon's servants" constituted a company or guild of the Jewish exiles who returned with Zerubbabel from Babylonia to Jerusalem in 537 BC, pursuant...

  • SAMAIAS

    [isbe] SAMAIAS - sa-ma'-yas (Samaias): (1) One of the "captains over thousands" prominent at the Passover of Josiah (1 Esdras 1:9) = "Shemaiah" in 2 Ch 35:9. (2) One of the heads of families of the sons of Adonikam who returned wit...

  • Priest

    [nave] PRIEST. Before Moses Melchizedek, Gen. 14:18; Heb. 5:6, 10, 11; 6:20; 7:1-21. Jethro, Ex. 2:16. Priests in Israel before the giving of the law, Ex. 19:22, 24. Called angel, Eccl. 5:6. Mosaic Ex. 28:1-4; 29:9, 44; Num....

  • MERARI

    [isbe] MERARI - me-ra'-ri (merari, "bitter"; Mararei): (1) The 3rd son of Levi, his brothers, Gershon and Kohath, being always mentioned together with him (Gen 46:11; Ex 6:16 ff). He was among those 70 who went down to Egypt with J...

  • Liberality

    [nave] LIBERALITY. Ex. 22:29, 30 Ex. 13:2, 12. Ex. 23:15 Ex. 34:20. Ex. 25:1-8; Ex. 35:4-29; Ex. 36:3-6; Ex. 38:8; Lev. 19:5 Lev. 22:29; Num. 35:8. Deut. 12:11, 12, 17-19; Deut. 14:27-29; Deut. 15:7-18; Deut. 16:10, 17; Deut. 18:1...

  • Levites

    [nave] LEVITES The descendants of Levi. Set apart as ministers of religion, Num. 1:47-54; 3:6-16; 16:9; 26:57-62; Deut. 10:8; 1 Chr. 15:2. Substituted in the place of the firstborn, Num. 3:12, 41-45; 8:14, 16-18; 18:6. Religious ...

  • LAW IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

    [isbe] LAW IN THE OLD TESTAMENT - || I. TERMS USED 1. Torah ("Law") 2. Synonyms of Torah (1) Mitswah ("Command") (2) `Edhah ("Witness," "Testimony") (3) MishpaTim ("Judgments") (4) Chuqqim ("Statutes") (5) Piqqudhim ("Precepts") II...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • Integrity

    [nave] INTEGRITY. Gen. 18:19; Ex. 18:21; Deut. 16:19, 20; Job 10:7; Job 13:15, 18; Job 16:17; Job 27:4-6; Job 29:14; Job 31:1-40; Psa. 7:3-5, 8; Psa. 15:1-5; Psa. 17:3; Psa. 18:20 2 Sam. 22:21. Psa. 24:3-5; Psa. 26:1-3; Psa. 69:4;...

  • HASHABNEIAH

    [isbe] HASHABNEIAH - hash-ab-ne-i'-a (chashabhneyah; the King James Version Hashabniah, hash-ab-ni'a). (1) Father of one of the builders of the wall (Neh 3:10). (2) A Levite mentioned in connection with the prayer preceding the sig...

  • Gold

    [nave] GOLD Exported from Havilah, Gen. 2:11, 12. From Ophir, 1 Kin. 9:28; 10:11; 1 Chr. 29:4; 2 Chr. 8:18; Job 22:24; Tarshish, 1 Kin. 22:48; Parvaim, 2 Chr. 3:6; Sheba, 1 Kin. 10:10; 2 Chr. 9:9; Psa. 72:15; Uphaz, Jer. 10:9. Re...

  • Genealogy

    [nave] GENEALOGY, Num. 1:18; 2 Chr. 12:15; Ezra 2:59; Neh. 7:5; Heb. 7:3. Of no spiritual significance, Matt. 3:9; 1 Tim. 1:4; Tit. 3:9. From Adam to Noah, Gen. 4:16-22; 5; 1 Chr. 1:1-4; Luke 3:36-38; to Abraham, Gen. 11:10-32; ...

  • GENEALOGY, 8 part 2

    [isbe] GENEALOGY, 8 part 2 - I. Primeval Genealogies (1 Chronicals 1:1-54). To show Israel's place among the nations; follows Genesis closely, omitting only the Cainites; boldly, skillfully compressed, as if the omitted facts were ...

  • Fast

    [ebd] The sole fast required by the law of Moses was that of the great Day of Atonement (q.v.), Lev. 23:26-32. It is called "the fast" (Acts 27:9). The only other mention of a periodical fast in the Old Testament is in Zech. 7:1-7...

  • CAPTAIN

    [isbe] CAPTAIN - kap'-tin: In the King James Version there are no fewer than 13 Hebrew words, and 4 different Greek words, which are rendered by this one English word. In the Revised Version (British and American) some of these are...

  • Blessing

    [nave] BLESSING For blessing before eating, See: Prayer, Thanksgiving Before Taking Food. See also Benedictions. Responsive Blessings of the Law Deut. 28:1-14 For the responsive Curses of the law, See: Curse. Divine, Contingent...

  • Ahava

    [ebd] water, the river (Ezra 8:21) by the banks of which the Jewish exiles assembled under Ezra when about to return to Jerusalem from Babylon. In all probability this was one of the streams of Mesopotamia which flowed into the Eu...
    [isbe] AHAVA - a-ha'-va ('ahawa'): The river in Babylonia on the banks of which Ezra gathered together the Jews who accompanied him to Jerusalem. At this rendezvous the company encamped for three days to make preparation for the di...
    [smith] (water), a place, (Ezra 8:15) or a river, Ezra 8:21 On the banks of which Ezra collected the second expedition which returned with him from Babylon to Jerusalem. Perhaps it is the modern Hit, on the Euphrates due east of Dama...
    [nave] AHAVA, a river of Babylon, Ezra 8:15, 21, 31.

  • ADONIKAM

    [ebd] whom the Lord sets up, one of those "which came with Zerubbabel" (Ezra 2:13). His "children," or retainers, to the number of 666, came up to Jerusalem (8:13).
    [isbe] ADONIKAM - ad-o-ni'-kam ('adhoniqam, "my lord has risen up"): The name of a family of the returning exiles (Ezr 2:13; Neh 7:18). "The sons of Adonikam," men and women and children, numbered 666 according to the list as given...

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • The title in the English text comes from the main character in the second part of the book (chapters 7-10). In the Septuagint translation this book also bore the name of Ezra or Esdras, the Greek transliteration of "Ezra.""Ez...
  • Due to the ancient tradition that the same writer composed both parts of the book (chapters 1-6 and 7-10), many scholars believe Ezra produced all of it.5A passage in the Talmud credits Ezra with the authorship of Ezra-Nehemi...
  • The earliest historical reference in Ezra is to the decree of Cyrus that he issued in his first year on the throne (1:1), 538 B.C.12The latest historical reference was just prior to Nehemiah's first trip to Jerusalem (4:21-23...
  • I. The first return under Sheshbazzar chs. 1-6A. The return from Babylon chs. 1-21. The edict of Cyrus and its consequences ch. 12. The exiles who returned ch. 2B. The rebuilding of the temple chs. 3-61. The beginning of cons...
  • The "temple servants"were an order of Israelites that David had established to assist the Levites (8:20). The biblical writers sometimes called them the Nethinim (lit. those given, i.e., dedicated, to God). They may have been...
  • The Assyrian government encouraged its residents to move to Israel and to settle there after the fall of the Northern Kingdom in 722 B.C. This was official government policy during the reigns of the Assyrian kings Esarhaddon ...
  • "When he [the writer] discussed the problems of the building of the temple in 4:1-5, it reminded him of later similar troubles with the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem, and so 4:6-23 has been inserted, almost parenthetica...
  • "These things"(v. 1) refers to the events of the first return that the writer described in chapters 1-6.Ezra's genealogy (vv. 1-5) shows that he was a man of importance whom his fellow Jews would have respected. He was a desc...
  • The descendants of the priestly and royal families in Israel appear first in this list (vv. 2-3). Then the rest of the Jews follow. A comparison of verses 3-14 with 2:3-15 shows that Ezra's companions were mainly the relative...
  • The immigrants assembled on the banks of the Ahava waterway that flowed through the district of Babylon that bore the same name. The site is presently unknown.". . . Babylonia was crisscrossed by a network of irrigation canal...
  • As is quite clear from these verses, Ezra sensed his great need for God's help in the dangerous trip that lay before them. This moved him to seek God's favor in prayer. Verse 21 was the text of John Robinson's last sermon at ...
  • Ezra took special precautions to make sure the expensive temple utensils arrived safely and to guarantee that everyone would perceive that his handling of the precious cargo was completely honest (cf. 2 Cor. 8:20-21). The Bab...
  • The exiles had begun their journey on the first day of the first month (7:9), but they had camped by the Ahava waterway for 12 days (8:31). They arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month (7:9). God kept them sa...
  • The Book of Nehemiah records the fortification of Jerusalem and the restoration of the Jews, two essential steps that were necessary to reestablish God's people in His will and in their land.Nehemiah continued the good work t...
  • We can understand why Mordecai reacted to Haman's decree so strongly (v. 1). Undoubtedly he felt personally responsible for this decree (cf. 3:2-5). However we should not interpret Mordecai's actions in verse 1 as a sign of g...
  • This section consists of a small collection of messianic prophecies.33:14 Future days would come, the Lord promised, when He would fulfill His promises concerning the restoration of all Israel."The predicted restoration (the ...
  • The emphasis on the holiness of God that has marked this vision continues strong in this pericope and the next. God's holiness will determine who serves as priests and how they serve.44:4 The guide proceeded to take Ezekiel t...
  • 5:29 Belshazzar kept his promise (v. 16) though Daniel's honors only lasted a few hours at most, typical of the honors of this world. The king's response is surprising. We might have expected him to execute Daniel for confron...
  • Malachi was one of the three post-exilic writing prophets along with Haggai and Zechariah, and he was quite certainly the last one chronologically, even though we cannot be dogmatic about a date for his writing.The first grou...
  • 6:16 Fasting in Israel involved going without food to engage in a spiritual exercise, usually prayer, with greater concentration. Fasting fostered and indicated self-humiliation before God, and confession often accompanied it...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, the hand of our God is upon them all for good that seek Him … 23....
  • "Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them … at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord.'--Ezra 8:29.THE little band of Jews, seventeen hundred in number, returning from Babylon, had just started on that l...
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