Ezra 8 Study Notes
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8:1-14 Almost eighty years before Ezra came to Jerusalem, Zerubbabel and Jeshua led the first return of the Babylonian exiles to the land of their forefathers (chap. 2). The list of returnees at that time (2:2-61) numbered more than 40,000 men (2:64) while the list here involves only about 1,500 men. In chap. 2 the list records the laity, the priests, and then the Levites. In chap. 8 the priests are mentioned first (v. 2a), followed by those of royal lineage (vv. 2b-3a), and then the laity (vv. 3b-14).
8:2a Gershom and Daniel represented the two branches of the Aaronic priesthood. Gershom traced his ancestry through Phinehas (Ex 6:25), the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron. Ezra himself was from this priestly lineage.
8:2b-3 Hattush’s royal lineage from King David would certainly have been important to the postexilic community in Jerusalem. First Ch 3:19-22 gives his genealogy as: Zerubbabel/Hananiah/Shecaniah/Shemaiah/Hattush.
8:14 Mentioning two names (Uthai and Zaccur) for a family leader is unusual. The Hebrew text describes 70 men literally “with him” (sg.), suggesting some minor textual confusion. Probably the original text read “Uthai son of Zaccur,” a reading supported by the apocryphal 1 Esdras 8:40.
8:15 The term river (Hb nahar) can mean either “river” or “canal.” It appears there were not enough priests to carry the gold and silver donated to the temple (vv. 24-30) and that the Levites were needed for this task. Ezra also wanted his group of returnees to be representative of the nation as a whole, where each major group took part in the return to the land of their ancestors.
8:16 The list of leaders and teachers is unusual in that it mentions three individuals named Elnathan who are not differentiated by a genealogical description, such as “son of X.” The term teacher (Hb mevinim) can be understood as a title (teacher, instructor) or as a descriptor (who were wise, men of understanding).
8:17 The distinguished entourage was sent to ask Iddo for Levites to join the exiles in their return to the land. Their request was significant, asking people to leave their homes and family on short notice for a difficult nine-hundred-mile journey.
8:18-20 Since the gracious hand of our God is literally “according to the good hand of our God.” It occurs also in Ezr 7:9 and Neh 2:8. The will of the Lord was responsible for the willingness of the Levites to come with Ezra.
tsom
| Hebrew pronunciation | [TSOAM] |
| CSB translation | fast |
| Uses in Ezra | 1 |
| Uses in the OT | 26 |
| Focus passage | Ezra 8:21 |
The noun tsom means fast, as does the verb tsum (21x, Ezr 8:23). Fasting was associated with grieving and often included wearing sackcloth and confessing sins (Neh 9:1-2). David fasted for defeated Israel (1Sm 31:13) partly because defeat signaled prior national sin (Dt 28:25). Fasting marked recognition of sin and attended the forsaking of idols (1Sm 7:2-6). People also fasted to plead with God for some request (Est 4:16), humbling themselves to pursue his mercy (1Kg 21:27-29), protection (Ezr 8:21), or healing (Ps 35:13). Yet others might scorn these people (Ps 69:10). Self-humbling anticipated divine responsiveness to petitions, but fasting needed to further his purposes (Is 58:4-6), being done for him (Zch 7:5). God’s refusal to respond signaled judgment (Jr 14:12). God (Jl 2:12) and kings (2Ch 20:3) called for fast days, and recurring official fast days followed the exile (Zch 8:19).
8:21 The term dependents (Hb taph) refers to those unable to walk on the journey, such as the elderly, the infirm, and young children.
8:22-23 The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him is literally “the hand of our God is upon all who seek him for good.” Seeking God involves dependence on him alone through prayer and worship. Note the opposite is to abandon him.
8:24-25 Ezra appointed twelve priests and twelve Levites to bring their treasure to Jerusalem, both the gifts from those joining Ezra on the journey and those given by King Artaxerxes and his officials.
8:26-27 24 tons is literally “650 talents.” The amount seems excessive. Some would suggest a textual error has occurred, and “talents” should be “minas.”
8:28-30 Ezra charged the twelve priests and twelve Levites entrusted with the treasure to recognize their status before God and the community. Both they and the offerings had been made holy, or set apart to God, dedicated to the Lord and his worship.
8:31 The actual departure for Jerusalem took place on the twelfth day of the first month, not the first day of the first month (probably April 8, 458 BC) as originally planned because of the need to find Levites to join the returnees (vv. 15-20).
8:32-34 Meremoth is probably the same person mentioned in Neh 3:4, where he is referred to as “Meremoth son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz” (also Neh 3:21). Here in v. 34 Ezra notes that everything was verified by number and weight. Because Ezra came to Jerusalem bearing huge financial gifts from the king, he would need to provide verification to Artaxerxes that these gifts arrived at the temple.
8:35-36 The first-person narrative by Ezra is interrupted by these two verses in which the author or editor describes the response of the returnees to God’s goodness. The emphasis on the number twelve and its multiples probably reflects the theological emphasis of all Israel being represented in the return to the land.