Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Ezra 2:21

Clarke's Commentary

Verse 21. The children of Beth-lehem — The inhabitants: see before.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

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1:1-2:70 ZERUBBABEL’S RETURN

Cyrus had been ruler of Persia for some time before he conquered Babylon in 539 BC. His policy was, when he conquered a nation, to allow any people held captive by that nation to return to their homeland. Therefore, soon after he conquered Babylon (i.e. in his first year as the Jews’ new ruler) he gave permission for the Jews to return to Jerusalem (1:1-4). Jeremiah’s prophecy made seventy years earlier had come true: the Jews were released from Babylon’s power to return to Palestine and rebuild their nation (Jeremiah 25:1,Jeremiah 25:12; Jeremiah 29:10).

Although all had permission to return, many chose to remain in Babylon. They were reasonably well settled and secure in Babylon, and did not want to face the risks and hardships of a new life in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, they assisted those who returned by giving them money and goods. Cyrus also gave some assistance, giving back the temple treasures and handing over a gift of money from the royal treasury to help finance the reconstruction of Jerusalem (5-11; see also 3:7; 6:4).

At first the leader of the returning exiles was Sheshbazzar (see 1:8, 5:14), but for some reason not recorded he was soon replaced by the joint leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua (see 3:2; 5:2; Haggai 1:1; Haggai 2:2). Alternatively, Sheshbazzar may have been another name for Zerubbabel.

The record of those who returned to Jerusalem begins by listing the chief men who were to assist Zerubbabel and Joshua (2:1-2). (The person named Nehemiah in this list is not the person we meet later in the book of Nehemiah.) The total number who returned was about 50,000. Some were classified according to their families (3-19), others according to the towns their families originally came from (20-35). The priests, Levites and temple servants were all listed separately (36-58). Others could not be fitted into any category (59-63). On arrival in Jerusalem, some made offerings of money towards the building of the temple. All the people were then settled in and around Jerusalem (64-70).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

A LIST OF WHAT MAY BE CALLED "THE LAITY"

"The number of the men of the people of Israel: the children of Parosh, two thousand a hundred seventy and two. The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy and two. The children of Arah, seven hundred seventy and five. The children of Pahath-moab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve. The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four. The children of Zattu, nine hundred and forty and five. The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and threescore. The children of Bani, six hundred forty and two. The children of Babai, six hundred twenty and three. The children of Azgab, a thousand two hundred twenty and two. The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty and six. The children of Bigvai, two thousand fifty and six. The children Adin, four hundred fifty and four. The children of Ater, of Hezekiah, ninety and eight. The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and three. The children of Jorah, one hundred twelve. The children of Hashum, two hundred twenty and three. The children of Gibbar, ninety and five. The children of Bethlehem, a hundred twenty and three. The men of Netophah, fifty and six. The men of Anathoth, a hundred twenty and eight. The children of Azmaveth, forty and two. The children of Kiriath-arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty three. The children of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty and one. The men of Michmas, a hundred twenty and two. The men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred three. The children of Nebo, fifty and two. The children of Magbish, a hundred fifty and six. The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four. The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty. The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty and five. The children of Jericho, three hundred forty and five. The children of Senaah, three thousand and six hundred and thirty."

"The children of Bethlehem, a hundred twenty and three" "Thus without any warning or transition, the list ceases to identify families by ancestors and begins to identify them by hometowns."Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 3, p. 436. "Why this was done remains most uncertain."Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Vol. 16, p. 34.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 2

So here they are returning to Jerusalem, as I said, some fifty thousand. And in chapter two it gives you the names of the people and the families that came and the numbers that came with them. Beginning in, or in verse thirty-six to thirty-nine, you have the priests that returned. Then beginning with verse forty, the Levites that returned. Then Solomon's servants that returned.

Now in verse sixty-one, there were some of the Levites that were returning who could not find their names in the register. Among those that were reckoned by genealogy, they just could not find their names there. That is, they could not accurately trace their family history. They could not trace themselves back to the tribe of Levi.

Therefore they were as polluted, and they were put out of the priesthood ( Ezra 2:62 ).

They were not allowed to minister or to function as a priest or to receive the offerings, the tithes, or the dues that were given to the priests in those days, because they could not prove their pedigree. They could not trace their names in the records. And they were kept out of the priesthood until such a time as they could find a priest with the Urim and the Thummim in order that they might inquire of the Lord and determine if these men really belonged to the priesthood or not.

Now the Urim and the Thummim are the thing that the high priest wore upon his chest, and the words mean light and perfections. Just what they were, we really don't know. But they would use the Urim and the Thummim to inquire of the will of God. Now the common theory is that it was a little pouch with a black stone and a white stone. And they would ask a question and the priest would say, "Lord, give us a perfect lot." You know, and he would reach in to the little bag and pull out a stone. If it was the black stone, then the answer was no. If it was the white stone, the answer was yes. And they used this method to ascertain the will of God in certain things. Keep asking questions, keep pulling out the stones, and if you pulled out the white stone, that answer yes. If you pulled out the black stone, the answer no. And so this is what some have theorized the Urim and the Thummim to be. Just what it was, we don't know. It was a method by which the high priest received God's answer for the people and God's directions for the people. It was some type of device by which divine guidance was given to the people.

Now, though we don't know exactly what it was, I do know exactly what it wasn't. It wasn't a pair of glasses that Joseph Smith found with the twelve golden tablets that when he put them on, he could magically decipher the hieroglyphics by putting on these glasses, which he said were the Urim and the Thummim. That is not so. During the time of Moses they didn't even know how to make glass. And it wasn't a magic pair of spectacles to read the hieroglyphics on the golden tablets. But as I say, what it was, I don't know. But I do know what it wasn't.

So there were about fifty thousand who returned at this first repatriation under Cyrus. And going back to build the temple, plus they had seven hundred and thirty-six horses, and two hundred and forty-five mules, and four hundred and thirty-five camels and all.

And some of the chief fathers, when they came to the house of the LORD which is at Jerusalem, they offered freely for the house of God to set it up in his place: and they gave after their ability unto the treasure of the work threescore and one thousand drams [or sixty-one thousand drams] of gold, five thousand pounds of silver, and one hundred priests' garments. So the priests, the Levites, and some of the people, and all the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities ( Ezra 2:68-70 ).

So they returned and they took up an offering. Some of the wealthier families and all gave as was their ability for the rebuilding of the temple there in Jerusalem. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The general population 2:2-35

The designations "sons of" and "men of" in these verses point out the two ways whereby the exiles demonstrated their Jewish ancestry: by family genealogy or by residence in Palestine. Few of the returning exiles had personally lived in the Promised Land, but many could give evidence that their ancestors had lived in a particular town and or had owned property there.

"It was not considered a compromise of one’s Jewish identity to give a child a name which was not Yahwistic, nor even of Hebrew or Aramaic stock." [Note: Coogan, p. 11.]

Scholars have explained the many differences in numbers in this list compared with the one in Nehemiah 7:7-66 several ways. [Note: See Gleason L. Archer Jr., Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, pp. 229-31.] Hebrew writers represented numbers by using certain words that had other meanings. This has resulted in some confusion in interpretation. [Note: See The New Bible Dictionary, 1962 ed., s.v. "Number," by R. A. H. Gunner.] Perhaps the translators misunderstood the numbers the writer intended. [Note: J. Carl Laney, Ezra and Nehemiah, p. 27.] Another explanation is that this list contains rough estimates and the later list in Nehemiah has the true figures. [Note: John J. Davis, Biblical Numerology, p. 33. For a detailed explanation of the differences between these lists, see H. L. Allrik, "The Lists of Zerubbabel (Nehemiah 7 and Ezra 2) and the Hebrew Numerical Notation," Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 136 (December 1954):21-27.]

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

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Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      1 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;   2 Which came with Zerubbabel: Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:   3 The children of Parosh, two thousand a hundred seventy and two.   4 The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy and two.   5 The children of Arah, seven hundred seventy and five.   6 The children of Pahath-moab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve.   7 The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four.   8 The children of Zattu, nine hundred forty and five.   9 The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and threescore.   10 The children of Bani, six hundred forty and two.   11 The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty and three.   12 The children of Azgad, a thousand two hundred twenty and two.   13 The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty and six.   14 The children of Bigvai, two thousand fifty and six.   15 The children of Adin, four hundred fifty and four.   16 The children of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety and eight.   17 The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and three.   18 The children of Jorah, a hundred and twelve.   19 The children of Hashum, two hundred twenty and three.   20 The children of Gibbar, ninety and five.   21 The children of Beth-lehem, a hundred twenty and three.   22 The men of Netophah, fifty and six.   23 The men of Anathoth, a hundred twenty and eight.   24 The children of Azmaveth, forty and two.   25 The children of Kirjath-arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty and three.   26 The children of Ramah and Gaba, six hundred twenty and one.   27 The men of Michmas, a hundred twenty and two.   28 The men of Beth-el and Ai, two hundred twenty and three.   29 The children of Nebo, fifty and two.   30 The children of Magbish, a hundred fifty and six.   31 The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four.   32 The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.   33 The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty and five.   34 The children of Jericho, three hundred forty and five.   35 The children of Senaah, three thousand and six hundred and thirty.

      We may observe here, 1. That an account was kept in writing of the families that came up out of captivity, and the numbers of each family. This was done for their honour, as part of their recompence for their faith and courage, their confidence in God and their affection to their own land, and to stir up others to follow their good example. Those that honour God he will thus honour. The names of all those Israelites indeed that accept the offer of deliverance by Christ shall be found, to their honour, in a more sacred record than this, even in the Lamb's book of life. The account that was kept of the families that came up from the captivity was intended also for the benefit of posterity, that they might know from whom they descended and to whom they were allied. 2. That they are called children of the province. Judah, which had been an illustrious kingdom, to which other kingdoms had been made provinces, subject to it and dependent on it, was now itself made a province, to receive laws and commissions from the king of Persia and to be accountable to him. See how sin diminishes and debases a nation, which righteousness would exalt. But by thus being made servants (as the patriarchs by being sojourners in a country which was theirs by promise) they were reminded of the better country, that is, the heavenly (Hebrews 11:16), a kingdom which cannot be moved, or changed into a province. 3. That they are said to come every one to his city, that is, the city appointed them, in which appointment an eye, no doubt, was had to their former settlement by Joshua; and to that, as near as might be, they returned: for it does not appear that any others, at least any that were able to oppose them, had possessed them in their absence. 4. That the leaders are first mentioned, Ezra 2:2; Ezra 2:2. Zerubbabel and Jeshua were their Moses and Aaron, the former their chief prince, the latter their chief priest. Nehemiah and Mordecai are mentioned here; some think not the same with the famous men we afterwards meet with of those names: probably they were the same, but afterwards returned to court for the service of their country. 5. Some of these several families are named from the persons that were their ancestors, others from the places in which they had formerly resided; as with us many surnames are the proper names of persons, others of places. 6. Some little difference there is between the numbers of some of the families here and in Nehemiah 7:5-73, where this catalogue is repeated, which might arise from this, that some who had given in their names at first to come afterwards drew back--said, I go, Sir, but went not, which would lessen the number of the families they belonged to; others that declined, at first, afterwards repented and went, and so increased the number. 7. Here are two families that are called the children of Elam (one Ezra 2:7; Ezra 2:7, another Ezra 2:31; Ezra 2:31), and, which is strange, the number of both is the same, 1254. 8. The children of Adonikam, which signifies a high lord, were 666, just the number of the beast (Revelation 13:18), which is there said to be the number of a man, which, Mr. Hugh Broughton thinks, has reference to this man. 9. The children of Bethlehem (Ezra 2:21; Ezra 2:21) were but 123, though it was David's city; for Bethlehem was little among the thousands of Judah, yet there must the Messiah arise, Micah 5:2. 10. Anathoth had been a famous place in the tribe of Benjamin and yet here it numbered but 128 (Ezra 2:23; Ezra 2:23), which is to be imputed to the divine curse which the men of Anathoth brought upon themselves by persecuting Jeremiah, who was of their city. Jeremiah 11:21; Jeremiah 11:23, There shall be no remnant of them, for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth. And see Isaiah 10:30, O poor Anathoth! Nothing brings ruin on a people sooner than persecution.