Commentaria in I Esdrae
Chapter 8. Synopsis of the Chapter
The Jews who returned with Esdras from Babylon into Judea are listed by families. Likewise the vessels, gifts and victims which they offered to God.
1. These are the chief of the families, and genealogy of them that came up with me in the reign of king Artaxerxes from Babylon. 2. Of the sons of Phinees, Gersom. Of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel. Of the sons of David, Hattus. 3. Of the sons of Sechenias, and of the sons of Pharos, Zacharias: and with him were numbered a hundred and fifty men. 4. Of the sons of Phahath Moab, Elioenai the son of Zarehe, and with him two hundred men. 5. Of the sons of Sechenias, the son of Ezechiel, and with him three hundred men. 6. Of the sons of Adan, Abed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty men. 7. Of the sons of Alam, Isaias the son of Athalias, and with him seventy men. 8. Of the sons of Saphatias, Zebedias the son of Michael, and with him eighty men. 9. Of the sons of Joab, Obedias the son of Jahiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen men. 10. Of the sons of Selomith, the son of Josphias, and with him a hundred and sixty men. 11. Of the sons of Bebai, Zacharias the son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight men. 12. Of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Eccetan, and with him a hundred and ten men. 13. Of the sons of Adonicam, who were the last: and these are their names, Eliphelet, and Jehiel, and Samaias, and with them sixty men. 14. Of the sons of Begui, Uthai and Zachur, and with them seventy men. 15. And I gathered them together to the river that runneth down to Ahava, and we abode there three days: and I sought among the people and among the priests of the sons of Levi, and found none there. 16. Then I sent Eliezer, and Ariel, and Semeias, and Elnathan, and Jarib, and another Elnathan, and Nathan, Zacharias, and Mosollam, chief men: and Joiarib, and Elnathan, wise men. 17. And I sent them to Eddo, who is the chief in the place of Chasphia: and I put in their mouth the words they should speak to Eddo, and his brethren the Nathinites, in the place of Chasphia, to bring us ministers for the house of our God. 18. And by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a most learned man of the sons of Moholi, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sarabias and his sons, and his brethren eighteen, 19. and Hasabias: and with him Isaias of the sons of Merari, his brethren and their sons twenty. 20. And of the Nathinites, whom David and the princes had given for the ministries of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nathinites: all these were called by their names. 21. And I proclaimed there a fast by the river Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before the Lord our God, and ask of him a right way for us, and for our children, and for all our substance. 22. For I was ashamed to ask the king for aid, and horsemen to defend us from the enemy in the way: because we had said to the king: The hand of our God is upon all that seek him in goodness: and his power, and strength, and wrath is upon all that forsake him. 23. And we fasted, and besought our God for this: and it fell out prosperously unto us. 24. And I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sarabias, and Hasabias, and with them ten of their brethren. 25. And I weighed to them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels consecrated for the house of our God, which the king had offered, and his counsellors, and his princes, and all Israel of them that were found. 26. And I weighed into their hands six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and a hundred silver vessels, and a hundred talents of gold, 27. and twenty golden bowls, that had a thousand drams, and two vessels of fine shining brass, as precious as gold. 28. And I said to them: You are the holy ones of the Lord, and the vessels are holy, and the silver and the gold, that was freely offered to the Lord the God of our fathers. 29. Watch ye, and keep them, till you weigh them before the chief of the priests, and of the Levites, and the heads of the families of Israel in Jerusalem, in the treasure of the house of the Lord. 30. So the priests and the Levites received the weight of the silver and gold and vessels, to carry them to Jerusalem into the house of our God. 31. And we departed from the river Ahava, on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was over us, and delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of them that lay in wait by the way. 32. And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days. 33. And on the fourth day, the silver and the gold, and the vessels were weighed in the house of our God, by the hand of Meremoth the son of Urias the priest, and with him Eleazar the son of Phinees, and with them Jozabed the son of Josue, and Noadaias the son of Bennoi, Levites, 34. according to the number and weight of all: and the whole weight was put down in writing at the same time. 35. Moreover they that were come out of captivity, the children of the transmigration, offered holocausts to the God of Israel, twelve calves for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, twelve he-goats for sin: all for a holocaust to the Lord. 36. And they delivered the king’s edicts to the king’s lieutenants, and to the governors beyond the river, and they set forward the people, and the house of God.
Verse 1. Who came up with me.—Hence it is plain that Esdras wrote this catalogue, and that he is the author of this book. 13. Who were the last—that is, who attached themselves last to Esdras, to return with him to Jerusalem.
Verse 17. 17. And I sent them to Eddo, who is the chief (prince) in the place of Chasphia.—“Chasphia” was a hamlet or village in Babylon, in which the Jews dwelt separated from the Chaldeans, of which hamlet or village “Eddo” was the prince.
Verse 27. 27. And twenty golden bowls that had (weight, that is, weighed) a thousand drams.—The Hebrew and the Septuagint: a thousand drachmas.
Verse 21. 21. And I proclaimed (that is, appointed and promulgated a common) fast, etc., and ask of him a right way—that is, that God would lead us safe and unharmed by the right way through so many enemies, dangers and windings to Jerusalem, and prosper all our affairs.
Verse 35. 35. They offered holocausts.—A holocaust was properly a sacrifice in which the whole victim was burnt in honour of God; but here it is taken more broadly for any victim, even one offered for sin, as follows. See what was said on Leviticus 1 and following. 36. And they set forward the people—as if to say: The satraps and prefects of the Persians exalted the Jews by their patronage, favour, help and resources, furthering the building of the temple, encouraging, assisting, supplying provisions, offering gifts, as Artaxerxes had commanded them in the preceding chapter.
Verse 23. 23. And we besought our God for this (the Hebrew and the Septuagint: for this, or on account of this, namely that on account of this fast he would direct and prosper our journey; which he also did: for) it fell out prosperously unto us.—See here how powerful with God is prayer armed with fasting, so that it seems to do violence to God to grant what is asked.