Ezra 2:36

2:36 The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family ¹  of Jeshua): 973;

Ezra 2:55

2:55 The descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, the descendants of Hassophereth, the descendants of Peruda,

Ezra 2:65

2:65 not counting ²  their male and female servants, who numbered 7,337. They also had 200 male and female singers

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. ³ 

Ezra 4:6

Official Complaints Are Lodged Against the Jews

4:6 ⁴ At the beginning of the reign of Ahasuerus ⁵  they filed an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. ⁶ 

Ezra 7:12

7:12 ⁷ “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a scribe of the perfect law of the God of heaven:

Ezra 7:20

7:20 The rest of the needs for the temple of your God that you may have to supply, ⁸  you may do so from the royal treasury.

Ezra 7:27

7:27 ⁹ Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, who so moved in the heart of the king to so honor the temple of the Lord which is in Jerusalem!

Ezra 8:24

8:24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, together with ¹⁰  Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers, ¹¹ 

Ezra 9:3

9:3 When I heard this report, I tore my tunic and my robe and ripped out some of the hair from my head and beard. Then I sat down, quite devastated.

Ezra 9:10

9:10 “And now what are we able to say after this, our God? For we have forsaken your commandments

Ezra 10:18

Those Who Had Taken Foreign Wives

10:18 It was determined ¹²  that from the descendants of the priests, the following had taken foreign wives: from the descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.

Ezra 10:25

10:25 From the Israelites: from the descendants of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malkijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malkijah, and Benaiah.

[2:36]  ¹ tn Heb “the house of.”

[2:65]  ² tn Heb “besides” or “in addition to.”

[3:6]  ³ tn Or “the foundation of the LORD’s temple was not yet laid.

[4:6]  ⁴ sn The chronological problems of Ezra 4:6-24 are well known and have been the subject of extensive discussion since ancient times. Both v. 5 and v. 24 describe the reign of Darius I Hystaspes, who ruled Persia ca. 522–486 b.c. and in whose time the rebuilt temple was finished. The material in between is from later times (v. 16 describes the rebuilding of the walls, not the temple), and so appear to be a digression. Even recognizing this, there are still questions, such as why Cambyses (530-522 b.c.) is not mentioned at all, and why events from the time of Xerxes (486-465 b.c.) and Artaxerxes (464-423 b.c.) are included here if the author was discussing opposition to the building of the temple, which was finished in 516 b.c. Theories to explain these difficulties are too numerous to mention here, but have existed since ancient times: Josephus, the first century Jewish historian, rearranged the account to put Cambyses before Xerxes and replacing Artaxerxes with Xerxes (for further discussion of Josephus’ rearrangement see L. L. Grabbe, “Josephus and the Reconstruction of the Judean Restoration” JBL 106 [1987]: 231-46). In brief, it seems best to view the author’s primary concern here as thematic (the theme of opposition to the Jewish resettlement in Jerusalem, including the rebuilding of the temple and restoration of Jerusalem’s walls) rather than purely chronological. In the previous verses the author had shown how the Jews had rejected an offer of assistance from surrounding peoples and how these people in turn harassed them. The inserted account shows how, in light of the unremitting opposition the Jews experienced (even extending down to more recent times), this refusal of help had been fully justified. Some of the documents the author employed show how this opposition continued even after the temple was rebuilt. (The failure to mention Cambyses may simply mean the author had no documents available from that period.) For detailed discussion of the difficulties presented by the passage and the various theories advanced to explain them, see H. G. M. Williamson, Ezra, Nehemiah (WBC), 56-60.

[4:6]  ⁵ sn Ahasuerus, otherwise known as Xerxes I, ruled ca. 486-464 b.c.

[4:6]  ⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[7:12]  ⁷ sn Ezra 7:12-26 is written in Aramaic rather than Hebrew.

[7:20]  ⁸ tn Aram “may fall to you to give.”

[7:27]  ⁹ sn At this point the language of the book reverts from Aramaic (7:12-26) back to Hebrew.

[8:24]  ¹⁰ tc The translation reads וַחֲשַׁבְיָה וְשֵׁרֵבְיָה (vÿsherevÿyah vakhashavyah, “and Sherebiah and Hashabiah”) rather than the reading חֲשַׁבְיָה לְשֵׁרֵבְיָה (lÿsherevyah khashavyah, “to Sherebiah Hashabiah”) of the MT.

[8:24]  ¹¹ tn Or “relatives”; or “colleagues” (cf. NLT “ten other priests”).

[10:18]  ¹² tn Heb “found.”