Names of Ezra 2

7/31/2019 Names of Ezra 2

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The Names of Ezra 2

This study deals only with the genealogies in the second chapter of Ezra. More genealogical information in later chapters

and in Nehemiah warrants investigation.

Introduction(much personal opinion)

Ezra 1:5 says, Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with

all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LOR D which is in Jerusalem.

The second chapter of Ezra proceeds with a litany of names who rose up to return to Judah to rebuild Yahvehs

house that call for close examination. Many of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi did indeed return. Mixed in with them,

however, were a num ber of unsavory characters such as Nethinims, non-priests who could nevertheless not prove

Israelite genealogy, and false priests who could not prove Levitical genealogy.

The table below attempts to sort out peoples an d places. Given the fact that Nebuchadnezzar gave D aniel himself

a Babylonian name, it would come as no surprise that some true Israelites bore foreign names. Som e wordsidentified as people or places can double as both, and educated guesses are g iven from context. Many instances of

person refer to a fam ily patriarch.

Jeremiah gives few concrete clues as to how m any children of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi, as well as the ever-

present inhabitants of Jerusalem, went into captivity.

Jeremiah 52:15 says, Then Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captive certain of the poor of the

people, and the residue of the pe ople that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of

Babylon, and the rest of the multitude. A total of 4,600 more were carried off in subsequent sieges per verses 28-

30 of the same chapter.

Per Ezra 2:64-65, 49,697 nam ed and unnam ed people returned to the then province of Judah in the Persian

kingdom. A hodge-podge mix seem s to have gone into captivity, and a hodge-podge mix came out. Given theambiguity of the numbers w ho went into captivity, ones mind might ponder the possibilities of some who did not

return to Judah and migrated elsewhere.

Name meanings come primarily from The Strongs Exhaustive Concordance of the B ible, but when it provided no

definition, som etimes Smiths Bible Dictionarydid. Names from S miths are only included if Strongs had no

definition.

Finally, some interesting trivia gleaned from this study:

*The porters name m eanings are, on the whole, particularly morose

*The number of the children of Adonikam who returned was 6 66

*The Nethinims, combined with Solomons servants, numbered only 392. That was a sm all percentage of the

group that returned, but their names are given in great detail. Other non-Israelites are not called out in such

extensive detail.

*There are two Elam s mentioned, one in verse 7, and the other Elam in verse 31. Both list identical numbers of

1,254 returning.

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Who Returned

Verse Name Strongs Number Name Meaning Number of

People

Notes

1 Nebuchadnezzar 5019 of for. der.; Smiths Nebothe mighty not listedfor

numbering

purposes

king

2 Zerubbabel 2216 descended of (that is,

fro m) Ba bylon, that is ,

born there; Babylon894

confusion

not listed

for

numbering

purposes

person;

Zerubbabel

was seed

royal of

Judah

Jeshua 3442 he will save not listed

for

numbering

purposes

person;

helper to

Zerubbabel

and among

the chief of

the fathers of

Israel (Ezra

4:3)

Nehemiah 5166 consolation of Yah not listed

for

numbering

purposes

person; a

prince of

Judah

Seraiah 8304 Yah has prevailed not listed

for

numbering

purposes

person; the

Azariah of

Nehemiah

7:7

Reelaiah 7480 made to trem ble (that is,

fea rful) o f Yah

not listed

for

numbering

purposes

person

Mordecai 4782 of for. der.; Smiths little

ma n

not listed

for

numbering

purposes

person;

either the

bad apple in

Esther, or a

different

Mordecai

Bilshan 1114 of uncert. der.; Smiths

eloquent

not listed

for

numbering

purposes

person

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Hezekiah 3169 strengthened of Yah 98 person

17 Bezai 1209 domineering 323 person

18 Jorah 3139 rainy 112 person

19 Hashum 2828 enriched 223 person

20 Gibbar 1402 pro p. a v ali ant m an or

warrior; gen. a person

simply

95 person

21 Beth-lehem 1035 house of bread 123 place; city in

Judah?

22 Netophah 5199 distillation 56 place

23 Anathoth 6068 answer 128 place; priest

city in

Benjamin

(Joshua21:18)

24 Azmaveth 5820 strong one of death 42 place

25 Kirjath-arim 7157 city of forests; OR city of

towns

place

Chephirah 3716 the village (always with

the art.)

place

Beeroth 881 wells 743 place

26 Ramah 7414 a height (as a seat of

idolatry)

place

Gaba 1387 a hillock 621 place; same

as Geba

an d

Gibeah, in

Benjamins

territory

27 Michmas 4363 hidden 122 place

28 Beth-el 1008 house of God place

Ai 5857 a ruin (as if overturned) 223 place

29 Nebo 5015 pro b. of for . d er.; Smiths

pro jec t

52 place

30 Magbish 4019 stiffening 156 place

31 Elam (other Elam) 5867 hidden, i.e. distant 1,254 place

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32 Harim 2766 snub-nosed 320 person

33 Lod 3850 fro m an unuse d roo t of

uncert. sig.

place

Hadid 2307 a peak place

Ono 207 strong 725 place

34 Jericho 3405 its month OR fra grant 345 place

35 Senaah 5570 thorny 3,630 place

36 Jedaiah 3048 Yah has known priests; I

Chronicles

24:11; head

of the ninth

course

Jeshua 3442 he will save 973 priests

37 Immer 564 talkative 1,052 priests; head

of the

sixteenth

course; I

Chronicles

24:14

38 Pashur 6583 liberation 1,247 priests; I

Chronicles

9:11;

probably

belonging to

the fifthcourse as son

of Ma lchijah;

also see

Pashurs in

Jeremiah

39 Harim 2766 snub-nosed 1,017 priests; of

the third

course; I

Chronicles

24:8

Per Bullinger (see note on 2:39), these four priests were subdivided into six each, m aking the twenty-fourcourses.

40 Jeshua 3442 he will save Levites; I

Chronicles

24:11 records

a Levite

Jeshua

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Kadmiel 6934 pre sence of Go d Levites; no

other record

of Levite

Kadmiel

Hodaviah 1938 majesty of Yah 74 Levites; no

other recordof Levite

Kadmiel

41 Asaph 623 collector 128 singers;

other two

branches of

Levite

singers,

Jeduthun &

Heman not

represented

in this list

42 Shallum 7967 a requital, i.e. (secure)

retribution, (venal) a fee

porters

Ater 333 maimed porters

Talmon 2929 oppressive porters

Akkub 6126 insidious porters

Hatita 2410 explorer porters

Shobai 7630 captor 139 porters

Nethinims seem to have originated in Numbers after Israel defeated the Midianites, and the practice continuedinto the times when the Temple was built. According to Numbers 31:47, Yahveh appears to have approved of

the practice. He certainly would not approve if they assumed duties beyond w hat they were g iven.

Num 31:47 Even of the children of Israel's half, Moses took one portion of fifty, both of man and of beast, and

gave them un to the Levites, which kept the charge of the tabernacle of the LOR D; as the LOR D commanded

Moses. [These were defeated Midianites.]

Deceptive Gibeonites became hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation in Joshua 9:21.

I Chronicles 9:2 clearly separates the N ethinims from the Israelites: Now the first inhabitants that dweltin their

possessions in their cities [after the captivity] were, the Israelites, the priests, Levites, and the N ethinims.

Ezr 8:20 Also of the Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites, twohundred and twenty N ethinims: all of them were expressed by n ame.

43 Ziha 6727 drought Nethinims

Hasupha 2817 nakedness Nethinims

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Tabbaoth 2884 rings Nethinims

Keros 7026 ankled Nethinims

Siaha 5517 congregation Nethinims

Padon 6303 ransom Nethinims

45 Lebanah 3838 pro p. (th e) white, i.e . th e

moon

Nethinims

Hagabah 2286 locust Nethinims

Akkub 6126 insidious Nethinims

46 Hagab 2285 locust Nethinims

Shalmai 8073 clothed Nethinims

Hanan 2605 fav or Nethinims

47 Giddel 1435 stout Nethinims

Gahar 1515 lurker Nethinims

Reaiah 7211 Yah has seen Nethinims

48 Rezin 7526 delight (espec. as shown) Nethinims

Nekoda 5353 distinction Nethinims

Gazzam 1502 devourer Nethinims

49 Uzza 5798 strength Nethinims

Paseah 6454 limping Nethinims

Besai 1153 domineering Nethinims

50 Asnah 619 of uncert. der. Nethinims

Mehunim 4586 a residence Nethinims

Nephusim 5304 expansions Nethinims

51 Bakbuk 1227 a bottle (from the gurgling

in emptying)

Nethinims

Hakupha 2709 crooked Nethinims

Harhur 2744 inflammation Nethinims

52 Bazluth 1213 a peeling Nethinims

Mehida 4240 junct ion Nethinims

Harsha 2797 magician Nethinims

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53 Barkos 1302 of uncert. der. Nethinims

Sisera 5516 of uncert. der.; Smiths

battle-array

Nethinims

Thamah 8547 of uncert. der. Nethinims

54 Neziah 5335 conspicuous Nethinims

Hatipha 2412 robber Nethinims

55 Sotai 5479 roving children of

Solomons

servants

Sophereth 5618 a scribe (prop. female) children of

Solomons

servants

Peruda 6514 dispersion children of

Solomonsservants

56 Jaalah 3279 an ibex (as climbing) children of

Solomons

servants

Darkon 1874 of uncert. der. children of

Solomons

servants

Giddel 1435 stout children of

Solomons

servants

57 Shephatiah 8203 Yah has judged children of

Solomons

servants

Hattil 2411 flu ctu ati ng children of

Solomons

servants

Pochereth of

Zebaim

6380 trap of gazelles children of

Solomons

servants

Ami 532 skilled, i.e. an architect[like 542 ]

children ofSolomons

servants

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58 Nethinims +

Solomons

servants =

39 2

Ezr 2:59 And these were they which went up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsa, Cherub, Addan, an dImmer: but they

could not shew their father's house, and their seed, whether they were of Israel:

59 Tel-melah 8528 mound of salt place

Tel-harsa 8521 mound of workmanship place

Cherub 3743 of uncert. der.; a cherub or

imaginary figure

place

Addan 135 firm place

Immer 564 talkative place; also a

genuine

priest by this

name inverse 37

60 Delaiah 1806 Yah has delivered person

Tobiah 2900 good ness of Yahveh person

Nekoda 5353 distinction 652 person;

perhaps the

same as the

Nethinims of

verse 48

Ezr 2:61 And of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai;

which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their nam e:

Ezr 2:62 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.

Ezr 2:63 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.

The real Barzillai was especially kind to and dear to D avid (II Samuel 19). Gilead was in Ma nassehs territory,

and a priest who loved Yahveh would not have m arried a daughter of Manasseh.

*Tirshatha was a Persian title for governor and refers here to Nehemiah .

61 Habaiah 2252 Yah has hidden false priests

Koz 6976 a thorn false priests

Barzillai 1271 iron hearted false priests

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64 whole congregation 42,360 This number

reflects some

unnamed

people. See

Bullingers

note on this

verse.

65 servants, maids 7,337,

including

200 singing

men &

singing

women

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Names of Ezra 2