Matthew Poole and continuators on Ezra 2

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 ;

i. e. The Israelites, called the children of the province, either 1. Of Babylon, of which Province we oft read, as ch. 7. 16. Dan. 2▪ 48. & 3. 1, 12, 30. called the Province by way of eminency; of which they are called children, because of their Birth and Habitation in it for a long time, it being usual to call the Inhabitants of any City or place its Children. Or rather 2. Of Iudaea, called a Province, ch. 5. 8. And he calls it thus emphatically to mind himself and his Brethren of that sad change which their sins had made among them, that from an illustrious, independent, and sormidable Kingdom were faln to be an obscure, servile, and contemptible Province, first under the chaldeans, and now under the Persians.

Either unto those Cities or Towns which belonged to their several Ancestors. Or rather, to those which were now allotted to them▪ and from this time possessed by them. For their former Cities were either demolished, or possessed by other persons, which they were not now in a capacity of disturbing.

Marginal references: Neh. 7. 6. &c.

2 Which came with Zerubbabel : Jeshua, Nehemia, Serajah, Reelajah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah: the number of the men of the people of Israel.

As for this Catalogue it differs in some names and numbers from that Neh. 7. which might be from divers causes, partly because several names given to one and the same person; and partly because of the many changes which might happen in the same families between the time of the first making of this Catalogue by Ezra, and the making of it anew so many years as that Catalogue Nehem. 7. was made after the former.

Marginal references: Or, Azaria, Neh. 7. 7.

3 The children of Parosh , two thousand an hundred seventy and two.

i. e. The Posterity, as that word is for the most part, if not constantly, taken in this Catalogue.

That descended either from Parosh, or from that Family whereof Parosh was the chief. And so for the rest.

5 The children of Arah, seven hundred seventy and five .

In Nehem. 7. 10. they were only 652. It seems 775 marched out of Babylon, or gave in their names that they would go; but some of them died, others changed their Minds, others were hindred by the sickness, or other casualties, happening to themselves or near Relations; and so there came only 652 to Ierusalem. And the like is to be said in the like differences: which it suff[illegible: 1+ letters]es to hint once for all.

6 The children of Pahath-moab, of the children of Jeshuah, and Joab , two thousand eight hundred and twelve.

Or, of Ieshuah-Ioab, as the former was Pahath-moab.

Marginal references: Neh. 7. 11▪

16 The children of Ater of Hezekiah k, ninety and eight.

h Of Ater the son of Hezekiah, not the King, but another famous person so called.

21 The children of Beth-lehem , an hundred twenty and three.

Either of a Man called Bethlehem, or the Bethlehemite by way of eminency. Or, of the place so called. And so these were the remainders of the Inhabitants of that City. And the like may be said of the two following names, Netophah and Anathoth, or others of the like Nature.

25 The children of Kirjath-arim , Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty and three.

Or, Kiriath-jearim, as it is Neh. 7. 29.

31 The children of the other Elam , a thousand two hundred fifty and four.

For one Elam was mentioned before, v. 7.

Marginal references: See [illegible: 1 word]. [illegible: 1+ letters].

39 The children of Harim , a thousand and seventeen.

The Head of one of the Twenty four courses which David appointed, 1 Chr. 24. 8. Of all which courses some observe here are not above four or five that returned. There is another Harim mentioned above, v. 32. but that was no Priest as this was, v. 36.

Marginal references: 1 Chr. 24▪ [illegible: 1+ letters].

43 The Nethinims : the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth,

The persons devoted to the inferiour Services of the Priests and Levites: of whom see 1 Chr. 9. 2.

55 The children of Solomons servants : the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Peruda,

Either of those Strangers and Proselytes, whom Solomon used in the building of the Temple, 1 King. 9. 21. to the service of which, as some add, he devoted them▪ as there should be occasion hereafter. Or, others who had lived in Solomons Family, and after his death, called themselves and their Families by that name, as esteeming it a great honour to them that they had been Servants to so great a Prince.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 span]

59 And these were they which went up from Telmelah, Tel-harsa , Cherub, Addan, and Immer : but they could not shew their fathers house, and their seed, whether they were of Israel:

The names of the places whence they came, and where they had lived in the time of their Captivity.

The names either of the Heads of the Families living in the places last mentioned; or of other places where the persons here understood had dwelt.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 word]

61 And of the children of the Priests: the children of Habajah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai: (which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name .)

To wit, Barzillai. Which name he preferred before that of his own Family, accounting it, as it seems, a greater Honour to be allied to so noble a Family than to be a Priest of the Lord. But by this ambition he deprived himself of the honour and advantage of the Priesthood, as it is here noted, v. [illegible: 1+ letters]2.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 word]. 17.

62 These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy , but they were not found: therefore were they as polluted, put from the priesthood.

The Jews were generally very exact and careful in their Genealogies, partly from their own choice and Interest, that they might preserve the distinctions of the several Tribes and Families, which was necessary both to make out their claims or titles to Offices or inheritances, which might belong to them by death, or otherwise, as here we see, and to govern themselves thereby in the matter of Marriages, and some other things wherein the practice of some Laws required the knowledge of these things: and partly by the special Providence of God, that so it might be certainly known of what Tribe and Family the Messiah was born. For as they took care of all their Families, so doubtless they took a more punctual and singular care about the Royal Family, upon which all their hopes depended.

Marginal references: Heb. they were polluted from the priesthood.

63 And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim .

i. e. The Governour, to wit Zerubbabel. Whence Nehemiah also is so called, Neh. 8. 9. & 10. 2.

That this point which could not be found out by any humane skill or Industry might be determined by divine direction. Hereby it appears that the Urim and Thummim were lost in the destruction of the City and Temple, though the Jews sed themselves with hopes of recovering them, but in vain. Of the Urim and Thummim, see Exod. 28. 30. Numb. 27. 21. 1 Sam. 23. 9.

Marginal references: Or, [illegible: 1 word] ▪; Ex. 28. 30.

64 The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore :

The particular summs here recited come only to 29818. Unto whom are added in this total summ 12542. Which either were of the other Tribes beside Iudah and Benjamin: or were such as were supposed by themselves and others to be Israelites, but could not prove their pedigree by their genealogies, and therefore could not be so punctually and particularly described, as the former.

Marginal references: Heb. as one, ch. 3. 9.; Neh. 7. 66.

65 Besides their servants, and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and there were among them two hundred singingmen and singing-women .

For Women as well as Men were devoted to, and employed in this exercise in the Temple-Service, as appears from 1 Chr. 25. 5, 6. And the Parents of these Persons had taken care to instruct and exercise them as far as they could in this Art, both for Gods service, and for their own benefit, when Ierusalem and the Temple should be rebuilt; which they knew would be done after Ieremiahs 70 years were expired.

68 And some of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the house of the LORD that is at Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in his place.

i. e. To the ruines of the house; or to the place where that House stood.

69 They gave after their ability unto the treasure of the work, threescore and one thousand drams of gold , and five thousand pound of silver, and one hundred priests garments.

A dram of Gold is supposed to be of the weight of the fourth part of a shekel and of the value of a French Crown.

Marginal references: 1 Chr. 2[illegible: 1+ letters]. 20.