Matthew Poole and continuators on Nehemiah 12:1

1 NOw these are the priests , and the Levites, that went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Serajah, Jeremiah, Ezra ,

i. e. The chief of the Priests, as they are called here v. 7. to wit, the heads of those Twenty four courses which David appointed by divine direction, 1 Chr. 24. And whereas there are Twenty four, and here but Twenty two, and v. 12, &c. only Twenty, the reason of this difference may possibly be this, because Two of the Twenty four courses were extinct in Babylon, or at least none of them was then returned; and two of the Persons here named, v. 2, 5. to wit, Hattush, and Maodiah, may be omitted in the account of the posterity of these persons, v. 12, &c. because they had no posterity. Possibly these were not the same courses which David had appointed, but others which Zerubbabel and Ioshua had constituted in imitation of that order as far as they could.

Either this was another Ezra, or if it were the same mentioned Ezra 7. he lived to a great Age: which may well be supposed concerning his great Sobriety, and abstinence from those evil practices which shorten Mens Lives, and his great piety to which God promised long Life, and withal the special providence of God continuing him so long in such a season wherein the Church of God did greatly need his help and counsel.

Marginal references: Ez[illegible: 1+ letters]. [illegible: 1+ letters]. [illegible: 1+ letters].