Ezra 7:9

7:9 On the first day of the first month he had determined to make ¹  the ascent from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he arrived at Jerusalem, ²  for the good hand of his God was on him.

Ezra 2:26

2:26 the men of Ramah and Geba: 621;

Ezra 2:64

2:64 The entire group numbered 42,360, ³ 

Ezra 3:6

3:6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. However, the Lord’s temple was not at that time established. ⁴ 

Ezra 10:17

10:17 and on the first day of the first month they finished considering all the men who had married foreign wives.

Ezra 3:1

The Altar is Rebuilt

3:1 When the seventh month arrived and the Israelites ⁵  were living ⁶  in their ⁷  towns, the people assembled ⁸  in ⁹  Jerusalem. ¹⁰ 

Ezra 6:20

6:20 The priests and the Levites had purified themselves, every last one, ¹¹  and they all were ceremonially pure. They sacrificed the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their colleagues ¹²  the priests, and for themselves.

Ezra 1:1

The Decree of Cyrus

1:1 ¹³ In the first ¹⁴  year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the Lord’s message ¹⁵  spoken through ¹⁶  Jeremiah, ¹⁷  the Lord stirred the mind ¹⁸  of King Cyrus of Persia. He disseminated ¹⁹  a proclamation ²⁰  throughout his entire kingdom, announcing in a written edict ²¹  the following: ²² 

Ezra 3:9

3:9 So Jeshua appointed both his sons and his relatives, ²³  Kadmiel and his sons (the sons of Yehudah ²⁴ ), to take charge of the workers in the temple of God, along with the sons of Henadad, their sons, and their relatives ²⁵  the Levites.

Ezra 10:13

10:13 However, the people are numerous and it is the rainy season. ²⁶  We are unable to stand here outside. Furthermore, this business cannot be resolved in a day or two, for we have sinned greatly in this matter.

Ezra 10:16

10:16 So the exiles proceeded accordingly. Ezra the priest separated out ²⁷  by name men who were leaders in their family groups. ²⁸  They sat down to consider this matter on the first day of the tenth month,

¹ tc The translation reads יִסַּד (yissad, “he appointed” [= determined]) rather than the reading יְסֻד (yÿsud, “foundation”) of the MT. (The words “to make” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.)

² sn Apparently it took the caravan almost four months to make the five hundred mile journey.

³ sn The same total is given in Neh 7:66, but it is difficult to understand how this number is reached, since the numbers of people listed in the constituent groups do not add up to 42,360. The list in vv. 3-60 apparently is not intended to be exhaustive, but the basis of the selectivity is unclear.

⁵ tn Or “the foundation of the LORD’s temple was not yet laid.

⁷ tn Heb “the sons of Israel.”

⁸ tn The word “living” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied. Some translations supply “settled” (cf. NAB, NIV, NLT).

⁹ tc The translation reads with some medieval Hebrew MSS and ancient versions בְּעָרֵיהֶם (be’arehem, “in their towns”), rather than the reading בֶּעָרִים (be’arim, “in the towns”) found in the MT. Cf. Neh 7:72 HT [7:73 ET].

¹⁰ tn The Hebrew text adds the phrase “like one man.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

¹¹ tn Heb “to.”

¹² map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁹ tn Heb “as one.” The expression is best understood as referring to the unity shown by the religious leaders in preparing themselves for the observance of Passover. On the meaning of the Hebrew phrase see DCH 1:182 s.v. אֶחָד 3b. See also HALOT 30 s.v. אֶחָד 5.

¹⁰ tn Heb “brothers.”

¹¹ sn In addition to the canonical books of Ezra and Nehemiah, there are two deuterocanonical books that are also called “Ezra.” Exactly how these books are designated varies in ancient literature. In the Septuagint (LXX) canonical Ezra is called Second Esdras, but in the Latin Vulgate it is called First Esdras. Our Nehemiah is called Third Esdras in some manuscripts of the LXX, but it is known as Second Esdras in the Latin Vulgate. (In the earliest LXX manuscripts Ezra and Nehemiah were regarded as one book, as they were in some Hebrew manuscripts.) The deuterocanonical books of Ezra are called First and Fourth Esdras in the LXX, but Third and Fourth Esdras in the Latin Vulgate. The titles for the so-called books of Ezra are thus rather confusing, a fact that one must keep in mind when consulting this material.

¹² sn The first year of Cyrus would be ca. 539 B.C. Cyrus reigned in Persia from ca. 539-530 B.C.

¹³ tn Heb “the word of the Lord.”

¹⁴ tc The MT reads מִפִּי (mippi, “from the mouth of”), but this should probably be emended to בְּפִי (bÿfi, “by the mouth of”), which is the way the parallel passage in 2 Chr 36:22 reads. This is also reflected in the LXX, which is either reflecting an alternate textual tradition of בְּפִי or is attempting to harmonize Ezra 1:1 in light of 2 Chronicles.

¹⁵ sn Cf. Jer 29:10; 25:11-14. Jeremiah had prophesied that after a time of seventy years the Jews would return “to this place.” How these seventy years are to be reckoned is a matter of debate among scholars. Some understand the period to refer to the approximate length of Babylon’s ascendancy as a world power, beginning either with the fall of Nineveh (612 b.c.) or with Nebuchadnezzar’s coronation (605 b.c.) and continuing till the fall of Babylon to the Persians in 539 b.c. Others take the seventy years to refer to the period from the destruction of the temple in 586 b.c. till its rebuilding in 516 b.c.

¹⁶ tn Heb “spirit.” The Hebrew noun רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) has a broad range of meanings (see BDB 924-26 s.v.). Here, it probably refers to (1) “mind” as the seat of mental acts (e.g., Exod 28:3; Deut 34:9; Isa 29:24; 40:13; Ezek 11:5; 20:32; 1 Chr 28:12; cf. BDB 925 s.v. 6) or (2) “will” as the seat of volitional decisions (e.g., Exod 35:5, 22; Pss 51:12, 14; 57:8; 2 Chr 29:31; cf. BDB 925 s.v. 7). So also in v. 5.

¹⁷ tn Heb “caused to pass.”

¹⁸ tn Heb “a voice.” The Hebrew noun קוֹל (qol, “voice, sound”) has a broad range of meanings, including the metonymical (cause – effect) nuance “proclamation” (e.g., Exod 36:6; 2 Chr 24:9; 30:5; 36:22; Ezra 1:1; 10:7; Neh 8:15). See BDB 877 s.v. 3.a.2.

¹⁹ sn For an interesting extrabiblical parallel to this edict see the Cyrus cylinder (ANET 315-16).

²⁰ tn Heb “in writing, saying.”

¹³ tn Heb “brothers.”

¹⁴ sn The name יְהוּדָה (Yehudah; cf. KJV, ASV, NASB “Judah”) is probably a variant of Hodaviah (see Ezra 2:40; cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

¹⁵ tn Heb “brothers.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “the time [is] rain showers.”

¹⁷ tc The translation reads the Hiphil singular וַיַּבְדֵּל לוֹ (vayyavdel lo, “separated for himself”) rather than the Niphal plural וַיִּבָּדְלוּ (vayyibbadÿlu, “were separated”) of the MT.

¹⁸ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers, to the house of their fathers, and all of them by name.”