The themes of return and restoration continue to be important here. It is often asserted that there are numerical contradictions between ezra and nehemiah. The final books of the hebrew bible are the books of chronicles and ezra nehemiah. Chapter 5 nehemiah rebukes the people for being selfish and full of greed and shows them his own example of sacrifice that they might follow in his way. These two books were originally a single work, and most commentaries treat them together. Watch our overview video on the prophetic books of ezra and nehemiah, which breaks down the literary design of each books flow of thought. The census of ezra 2 and nehemiah 7 is the bible inerrant. A literary investigation of ezra nehemiah reveals that editors of that book incorporated nehemiah s story, but subtly corrected it, whether by reframing his actions in terms of the work of community as a whole and the torah neh 10, neh 12. If the bible is inerrant, then why are there discrepancies in ezra 2 and nehemiah 7. Life after destruction goes on in ezra and nehemiah. On the detail of the number of singers, all of the textual evidence is in agreement. Why are the statistics in ezra 2 and nehemiah 7 different. While ezra is concerned with the restoration of the temple and the people, nehemiah s focal point is the restoration of the city and the people. Ezra reads the law of moses aloud to the people, and the nation rededicates to obeying god.
The contradictions of genre in the nehemiah memorial dukespace. The fact that ezranehemiah was translated into greek by the mid2nd century bc suggests that this was the time by which it had come to be regarded as scripture. They asked ezra the scribe to bring out the book of the law of moses, which the lord had commanded for israel. The books of ezra and nehemiah differ in their definition of the repatriates from. The book of ezra was written by the spiritual leader ezra the scribepriest. Together ezra and nehemiah describe the complexity of the homecoming and the struggle to. At some very early point in nehemiahs transmission, a scribes eye has jumped from the 200 of verse 67, to the 200 of verse 68. The books in the bible devoted to those historical events are named for these brave and mighty men and women. Why are the numbers in ezra so different from those in nehemiah. It focuses, not on the restoration of jerusalem, but rather on events happening in persia when ahasuerus, better known to us by his greek name, xerxes, was king 485465 bc. Two of the discrepancies differ by 1, one differs by 4, two by 6, two differ by 9, another differs by 11, another two by 100, another by 201, another differs by 105, a further family differs by 300, and the largest difference is the figure for the sons of azgad, a difference of 1,100 between the accounts of ezra.
Remarkably, we find two lists of israelites that returned from babel to jerusalem and judea in the time after the exile. Jun 16, 2004 1 this outline is adapted through my own study from the analyses of gleason l. Since ezranehemiah are shorter than most biblical books, levering conveniently includes the full text of the book s set off by italics for his chapterbychapter analysis, although he doesnt designate verse numbers, so youll need an english translation beside you in order to follow him. The problem is that there are many similarities and differences between these lists. They were called 1 and 2 ezra or esdras, the greek transliteration of ezra. With the books of ezra and nehemiah, the continuous historical narrative of the old testament comes to a close. Ezra erred by 12,542, and nehemiah erred by 11,271. Ezra, the first to return, set out to restore true worship in jerusalem by reminding the people of gods teaching, what it meant for them, and how it should shape their lives. Before continuing to the two lists of families, it is important to note that both ezra and nehemiah are describing the same group of people those who returned from exile to their own homelands. Top 5 commentaries on the books of ezra and nehemiah. Biblical literature ezra, nehemiah, and chronicles britannica. This book is of course not inspired by god unless you believe that god can do mistakes. The final books of the hebrew bible are the books of chronicles and ezra nehemiah, which once formed a unitary history of israel from adam to the 4th century bce, written by an anonymous chronicler.
The two books are so closely related that at one time they were treated as a single book. They disagree as to the numbers involved in some clans and tribes. An inquiry concerning the books of ezra and nehemiah jstor. The supposed contradictions are differences between two recorded sets of numbers of those that returned from captivity in babylon. Three other books should be read in connection with this study. Chapter 4 nehemiah continues the project and overcomes wrath and contempt, conspiracy and the continued discouragement of friends by placing his trust in god. Books of ezra and nehemiah, two old testament books that together with the books of chronicles formed a single history of israel from the time of adam.
Numerical differences between ezra and nehemiah follow in truth. Ezra, a descendant of aaron, arrives in jerusalem later and instills gods laws to the postexile jewish generation. The events in the book of esther transpired during those years in 482473 b. In this section, he deals with the books of ezra, nehemiah, esther, ruth and daniel. Ezra chapter 2 and nehemiah chapter 7 both give a list of groups returning to jerusalem from their exile in babylon. These two sets of lists can be found in the book of ezra chapter 2 and the book of nehemiah chapter 7. Of these 33 family units listed in ezra and nehemiah, nineteen of the family units are. In english bibles, they are usually split into two, with the book of nehemiah appearing as a separate book from ezra, but in the hebrew tradition, they are one book, entitled ezra, and nehemiah is simply the second part of ezra.
At first glance, this would seem to make reconciling the two lists impossible, but it turns out to be just the opposite. In the record of those who returned to jerusalem under the leadership of zerubbabel as recorded in ezra, there are 32 family units identified and numbered. Analysis with the book of ezra and the book of nehemiah, the historical survey from adam to the rebuilding of the temple in the postexilic period is nearly complete and includes the words of many different authors who lived at. In 18 of these instances, the numbers in ezra are exactly the same as those found in nehemiah 7. Ezra and nehemiah are a single book in the jewish canon. Nehemiah was one of the most underrated heroes in the bible, cupbearer to the powerful persian king artaxerxes i longimanus. Second, it is also possible that ezra and nehemiah compiled their lists at different. Nehemiah, the next to arrive, exchanged his royal cupbearers robes for coveralls and got to work rebuilding the wall.
However, it is misleading to claim there is a contradiction solely on the fact the numbers are different. The intermarriage crisis in ezra and nehemiah the hebrew. The book of ezra the books of ezra and nehemiah and esther cover about 100 years, closing the old testament historical books. These postexile books record the return from babylon after. It was treated as a single book in the hebrew, greek and old latin manuscripts. The babylonian talmud identifies ezra the scribe as the chronicler of 1 and 2 chronicles and ezra nehemiah 19. The two books universally considered canonical, ezra and nehemiah lines 1 and 2 of the table above, were originally one book titled ezra esdras. Ezra and nehemiah, books of jewish virtual library. Ezra and nehemiah discrepancies third millennium ministries. The books of samuel, kings, and chronicles closed with the southern kingdom judah going into captivity.
The book of nehemiah closes with an account of nehemiah s second visit to jerusalem after an interval of twelve years. Ezra nehemiah is a book in the hebrew bible found in the ketuvim section, originally. Zerubbabel and nehemiah both play a part in restoring gods temple, while zerubbabel takes charge over governing affairs, and nehemiah rebuilds the walls of jerusalem. The twin hebrew canonical works of ezra and nehemiah at various times considered as one work are critical as both historical sources and insight into jewish thought and practice in the several centuries after return from the babylonian captivity, initiated by the sympathetic king cyrus in 538 b. The books of ezra and then nehemiah record the last events, chronologically, in the old testament. Nehemiah s primary mission was the rebuilding of the walls of jerusalem.
The following are five of the most helpful commentaries on ezra nehemiah. Origen, at the beginning of the third century, proposed that ezra comprised a double book, so as to bring it in line with the other double historical books of samuel, kings and chronicles. Finally, after ezra had come into existence through the combination of ezra 16 with ezra 710, the accounts of the repopulation and dedication of the city and the friction between temple and torah were added to produce the final book of nehemiah. Now, lets turn our attention to nehemiah and the book named after him, although ezra is still present in this second book. New testament writers do not quote the book of ezra. In the second section, nehemiah and ezra bring spiritual revival to jerusalem. In the hebrew bible, ezra nehemiah form one book and so it is to be considered one in. The intermarriage crisis in ezra and nehemiah the foundational premise for almost every current study of persian period or postexilic society is that it was dichotomous, split between the returnees and the people of the land 1. The books of ezra and nehemiah are the only completely historical books in the third section of the hebrew bible, the ketuvim writings. Apr 06, 2019 the book of nehemiah is the last of the historical books of the bible, originally part of the book of ezra, but split off into its own volume by the church in 1448. Many scholars believe that the person who compiled the book of ezra also compiled or wrote 1 and 2 chronicles and nehemiah. Ezra was the great religious reformer who succeeded in establishing the torah as the. Yet the story of ezra stands on its own, as does even more so the story of nehemiah. Its a realistic story about religious leaders who are unable to realize their dreams because of the impossible paradox of the human condition.
Solving the ezra nehemiah controversy grace thru faith. As other answers have noted, there are a number of discrepancies between the lists of ezra 2 and nehemiah 7 which are, largely, duplicate passages. The book covers the period from the fall of babylon in 539 bc to the second half of the 5th century bc, and tells of the successive missions to jerusalem of zerubbabel, ezra, and nehemiah. For the moment, its worth reflecting on the fact that the book of ezra nehemiah is a profound statement about leadership, but not the kind thats popular on. Ezra is so called from the author and principal character, the name meaning help.
Although the book of ezra contains some material that is written as a firstperson memoir see ezra 79, we do not know who ultimately combined this material with the rest of the narrative. Contradictory lists about israelites that returned from babel. Numerical differences between ezra and nehemiah follow. In the 20th year of artaxerxes i 445 or 444 bc, nehemiah was cupbearer to the king. Roman catholics long associated the two, calling the. Biblical literature biblical literature ezra, nehemiah, and chronicles. Jerusalem had a temple but there was no protection for the city from further attack. The contradictions of genre in the nehemiah memorial. In the hebrew bible, the books of ezra and nehemiah were a single book. Book of ezra overview insight for living ministries. Learning that the remnant of jews in judah were in distress and that the walls of jerusalem were broken down, he asked the king for permission to return and rebuild the city, around 20 years after ezra s arrival in jerusalem in 468 bc. Packer has written a wonderful book about nehemiah entitled, a passion for faithfulness, published by crossway books.
Books of ezra and nehemiah old testament britannica. Is there a numerical contradiction between ezra and nehemiah. Originally written together as a single book in the jewish scriptures, ezra and nehemiah document the fulfillment of gods promise that israel will return home after 70 years of exile in babylon and restore their ruined dwellings again. Ezra is also responsible for leading the jews back to proper behavior and worship of the god of israel, though this is not really complete until the last chapter of nehemiah. The people who remained in the land, the rural folk, are seen as a source of conflict within judah and a challenge to the identity of the returnees and these assumptions became entrenched because the books of ezra and nehemiah blamed the intermarriage of the returnees with the people of the land as a serious threat to the survival of the. Keywords jews, bible, inhabitants, continuously, contradictions. Jps tanakh 1917 all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the broad place that was before the water gate.
Congruent ethos in the second temple literature of the old testament. Key personalities include nehemiah, ezra, sanballat, and tobiah. Origen 184253 ad, an early christian scholar, was the first to divide the book into two separate books. Contradictory lists about israelites that returned from. The titles of the books of ezra and nehemiah come from the primary characters in the story. At one time, however, ezra and nehemiah followed 1 and 2 chronicles and were generally considered to be the work of one and the same author known as the chronicler. Ezra is most likely the author of both ezra and nehemiah, which might have originally been one book. The book of nehemiah problems common to the combined books ezra nehemiah have been pointed out in the introduction to the book of ezra. May 24, 2010 in the hebrew bible, ezra nehemiah form one book and so it is to be considered one in cases of exegesis. Ezra and nehemiah were formerly counted as one book and contain the account of the restoration of the exiles to jerusalem and the re establishment of their worship. That these books constituted a single workreferred to as the chroniclers history, in distinction to the.
D uring the time of ezra and nehemiah in the bible and even the book of esther, we can find some very complex issues that were dealt with by the hebrew people. From the books of ezra and nehemiah themselves you can see that their work was, to some extent at least, going on in the same generation. A popular handbook on bible difficulties wheaton, ill victor books, 1992. So how can this book, which has obvious simple math contradictions, be followed. Roman catholics long associated the two, calling the second esdras alias nehemias in the. Since the history is so closely related, and even overlapped, this overview and summary of the books of ezra and nehemiah are. The contrasting leadership roles of ezra and nehemiah. Fensham, the books of ezra and nehemiah, the new international commentary on the old testament, grand rapids. Zerubbabel, the political leader, and jeshua, the high priest, lead the community.
The book of ezra tells us that ezra is a scribe who knew the law of moses and also had access to the king. One possible approach is to understand the apparent contradiction of. You can find the best commentary on ezra nehemiah for you using the tools on the right side. The books of ezra and nehemiah originally a single literary work, hence. Of these 33 family units listed in ezra and nehemiah, nineteen of the family units are identical, while fourteen show discrepancies in the number of members within the family units. I was surprised to see that it adds up to only 31089. Unfortunately, most christian apologetic sites and b. Although ezra never states his authorship, internal arguments favor him strongly. Proposed solutions that are inadequate copyist errors.
The prophetic writers ezra and nehemiah didnt see any contradiction in these texts and neither do we. The book of ezra the last four books of the hebrew canon are ezra, nehemiah, and 1 and 2 chronicles, in that order. Jan 02, 2021 it is often asserted that there are numerical contradictions between ezra and nehemiah. The achievements of the two men were complementary. By adding ezras 494 to nehemiahs total, and nehemiahs 1765 to ezras, you find that they will both add up to 31,583, with every name being on both lists. These books ezra and nehemiah are tightly packed with spiritual messages waiting to be extracted.
The two principal differences to explain between these two lists are. In recent years, however, the question of the authorship of ezra and nehemiah is seen to be more complex. Nehemiah and ezra work together to restore the people in the land. A literary investigation of ezra nehemiah reveals that editors of that book incorporated nehemiahs story. Subtracting this from 42,360 leaves a difference of 10,777. Book of nehemiah overview insight for living ministries. There is no textual evidence to support treating these numbers as other than original to each. Nehemiah wrote it to records the events of returning to jerusalem and rebuilding the walls in 445 b.
The book of ezra nehemiah viewed by jewish tradition as a single book, to be called en chronicles some of the final episodes of the biblical era. Feb 20, 2017 nehemiah also restores economic justice in the land, admonishing the wealthy for taking advantage of their less fortunate brothers neh 5. In faithfulness to gods word, in faithfulness to one another, with hope for the future. The earliest christian commentary on ezranehemiah is that of bede in the early 8th century. The book of esther tells the story of one curious episode during the era depicted in ezra and nehemiah. Early readers of nm responded to these contradictions. Second, we should remember that the books of ezra and nehemiah. This book is of course not inspired by god unless you. Nehemiah is so called from the principal character, whose name means jehovah comforts. The books of ezra and nehemiah new international commentary.
1205 1277 311 953 479 1042 541 493 696 1239 282 486 601 366 368 565 572 69 731 1462 715 853 671 1192 512 185 256 1603 923 78 214 1473 896 251 604 1489 744