2 Chronicles 2
Ezra 2 is the chapter that records the list of the people of Israel who returned from their exile in Babylon to Jerusalem and Judea. This list shows in detail the members of the returning community and their numbers. As the account of the first large-scale return after the Babylonian exile, it allows you to see how those who had been taken into exile and their descendants returned.
1verseNow Solomon decided to build a house for the LORD’s name, and a house for his kingdom.
2verseSolomon counted out seventy thousand men to bear burdens, eighty thousand men who were stone cutters in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.
3verseSolomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, “As you dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build him a house in which to dwell, so deal with me.
4verseBehold, I am about to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him, to burn before him incense of sweet spices, for the continual show bread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, on the new moons, and on the set feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel.
5verse“The house which I am building will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.
6verseBut who is able to build him a house, since heaven and the heaven of heavens can’t contain him? Who am I then, that I should build him a house, except just to burn incense before him?
7verse“Now therefore send me a man skillful to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue, and who knows how to engrave engravings, to be with the skillful men who are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.
8verse“Send me also cedar trees, cypress trees, and algum trees out of Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. Behold, my servants will be with your servants,
9verseeven to prepare timber in abundance for me; for the house which I am about to build will be great and wonderful.
10verseBehold, I will give to your servants, the cutters who cut timber, twenty thousand cors of beaten wheat, twenty thousand baths of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.”
11verseThen Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, “Because the LORD loves his people, he has made you king over them.”
12verseHuram continued, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given to David the king a wise son, endowed with discretion and understanding, who would build a house for the LORD and a house for his kingdom.
13verseNow I have sent a skillful man, endowed with understanding, Huram-abi,
14versethe son of a woman of the daughters of Dan; and his father was a man of Tyre. He is skillful to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in iron, in stone, in timber, in purple, in blue, in fine linen, and in crimson, also to engrave any kind of engraving and to devise any device, that there may be a place appointed to him with your skillful men, and with the skillful men of my lord David your father.
15verse“Now therefore, the wheat, the barley, the oil, and the wine which my lord has spoken of, let him send to his servants;
16verseand we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as you need. We will bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa; then you shall carry it up to Jerusalem.”
17verseSolomon counted all the foreigners who were in the land of Israel, after the census with which David his father had counted them; and they found one hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred.
18verseHe set seventy thousand of them to bear burdens, eighty thousand who were stone cutters in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred overseers to assign the people their work.
Structure and Flow
- Verses 1-2: An overall introduction to the returnees and a list of the leaders (Zerubbabel, Joshua, etc.)
- Verses 3-35: The number of the people of Israel who returned by each family (each clan)
- Verses 36-39: Lists and numbers of the priests
- Verses 40-42: Lists of the Levites, the singers, and the gatekeepers
- Verses 43-54: Lists of the Nethinim who worked at the temple and the descendants of Solomon’s servants
- Verses 55-63: Mentions of those whose ancestry was uncertain and candidates for the priesthood
- Verses 64-67: Totals of the entire number of returnees, and numbers of livestock and animals
- Verses 68-70: Offerings for rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem, and the settlement of the people
The Overall Meaning of Chapter 2
Ezra 2 carries more meaning than just a simple list. The specific names and numbers prove that the returning community truly existed and show that God’s promises came to pass in reality. It also emphasizes that everyone who returned was individually important. The fact that people of different social levels (leaders, priests, ordinary people, temple workers, and so on) returned together becomes a symbol of the community’s diversity and unity.
Points for Reflection
- The fact that God knows each person’s name and remembers them is also important for us today.
- The way the returning community begins anew together in each person’s own place makes us reflect again that, in the community we belong to, each person has a calling assigned to them.
Applying It to Me
Through Ezra chapter 2, I can reflect on the truth that God remembers and calls me as I am in my own life. In the community that God has established, I can thoughtfully consider my role and responsibilities, and apply this to a life of living by respecting and helping one another.
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