Ezra 2:1

Translations

Modern

Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar its king. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town,

Traditional

Now these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city;

Literal

And these are the sons of the province who came back from the captivity of the exiles, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each man to his city,

Latin

Hi sunt autem provinciæ filii, qui ascenderunt de captivitate, quam transtulerat Nabuchodonosor rex Babylonis in Babylonem, et reversi sunt in Jerusalem et Judam, unusquisque in civitatem suam.

Original

Hebrew

English

Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar its king. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town,

Notes

Ezra 2:1–70

This chapter is Ezra's first major digression from the main story. The returning exiles needed to identify true Jews to maintain their community identity and theological purity. This helped them know whom they could marry and who could worship at the temple. This list is not the initial list of all Jews who returned to Jerusalem (compare Nehemiah 7:6–73). Instead, it is a slightly later list, created after Sheshbazzar died, of people who had settled in their towns.

Theme notes and profiles

Esther Zerubbabel

Related verses

2 Kings 25:11
Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon and the rest of the population.
2 Kings 24:14–16
He carried into exile all Jerusalem—all the commanders and mighty men of valor, all the craftsmen and metalsmiths—ten thousand captives in all. Only the poorest people of the land remained.
Nehemiah 7:6–73
These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar its king. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town,
Jeremiah 52:1–34
Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah.
Ezra 5:8
Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. The people are rebuilding it with large stones and placing timbers in the walls. This work is being carried out diligently and is prospering in their hands.
Jeremiah 39:1–18
In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army and laid siege to the city.
Esther 1:11
…to bring Queen Vashti before him, wearing her royal crown, to display her beauty to the people and officials. For she was beautiful to behold.
Esther 1:1
This is what happened in the days of Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces from India to Cush.
Lamentations 4:22
O Daughter of Zion, your punishment is complete; He will not prolong your exile. But He will punish your iniquity, O Daughter of Edom; He will expose your sins.
Esther 1:8
By order of the king, no limit was placed on the drinking, and every official of his household was to serve each man whatever he desired.
Esther 8:9
At once the royal scribes were summoned, and on the twenty-third day of the third month (the month of Sivan), they recorded all of Mordecai’s orders to the Jews and to the satraps, governors, and princes of the 127 provinces from India to Cush—writing to each province in its own script, to every people in their own language, and to the Jews in their own script and language.
Lamentations 1:3
Judah has gone into exile under affliction and harsh slavery; she dwells among the nations but finds no place to rest. All her pursuers have overtaken her in the midst of her distress.

Parallels

Nehemiah 7:4–69

People

Judah: Israelite tribe, kingdom, and province Nebuchadnezzar: Emperor of Babylon who conquered Judah

Places

Babylon: Ancient Mesopotamian city, capital of Babylonian Empire, site of the Tower of Babel Jerusalem: The capital of Israel, a holy city for three religions

Glossary

Book of Ezra Census First Book of Esdras Genealogy

Topics

Captivity: Jews Return From Zerubbabel: Leads the Emancipated Jews Back from Babylon

Ezra 2:1

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