EXPOSITIO:N. THE ?\7JMBER OF THOSE WHO WENT UP TO "Oft_hc sons of Zattu, Shechaniah, the son of JERUSALDI WITH EzRA, AND THE NAMES J aha.z1el." Zattu is mentioned in cli. ii. 8. OF THE CII!EF ?,!EN (eh. viii. 1-14). This ye~. 10.-Here again there is a similar list is parallel "ith that of eh. ii. 3-ll?, and om1ss~on of a n:ime, which the Septuagint supphe~ by rcadmg, " Of the sons of Bani, repeats for the most part the same family Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah." Bani names, though not quite in the same order. appears as the head of a family in eh. ii. 10. The numbers are in each case very much Ver. 13.-The last sons of Adonikam are smaller, never amounting to one-third, and probably his younger sons, whose descend- sometimes falling below one-twelfth. At ants returned with Ezra, their elder brethren's families having returned with Zerubba.bel. the utmost, three new families are mentioned as furnishing colonists-those of Shecha.niah DETAILS OF EZRA'S JOURNEY FR0ll BADY• (ver. 5), Shelomith (ver. 10), and Joab (ver. LON TO JERUSALEM (eh. viii. 15-31). We 9) ; but in t\',O of these cases the reading is gather from scattered statements in this doubtful Altogether, we may say that Ezra passage-I. That Ezra, with his companions, was accompanied to Jernsalem by members after a journey of nine days' duration, reached of the same families as Zerubbabel, but by Ahava from Babylon on the ninth day of fewer families, and by fewer members of each. the first month; 2. That he rested three Thus Ezra's list is much shorter than Zerub- days at Ahava, and proclaimed a fast; babel's. It contains, however, more names 3. That he was there joined by a small of chiefs, eighteen such names being given, number of Levites and a considerable body whereas in Zerubbabel's list there are, in- of Nethinims from the immediate neigh- cluding Zerubbabel himself, only eleven. bourhood; 4. That, on the twelfth day of The entire number of adult male colonists the first month, he resumed his journey, who accompanied Ezra was, including Levites and, thongh threatened by some opposition and Kethinim, 1773. Connting five to a npon the way, arrived safely at his destina- family, this would give a total of nearly tion fourteen weeks after he quitted Ahava, 9000 souls. Among the chief men, there is and exactly four months after he had started no name that is remarkable, excepting that from Babylon. The only other important of Hattush. " Hattush, of the sons of She- fact mentioned is, that at Ahava twelve of chaniah," is, beyond all reasonable doubt, the principal priests were selected by Ezra, the descendant of David mentioned in and the royal offering of silver, gold, and 1 Chron. iii. 22, who was a son of Shemaiah, vessels handed over to them for safe custody, and Zerubbabel's great-great-grandson. after having been carefully weighed. The weights are recorded with Ezra's usual exact- Yer. 1.-0n the €xpression chief of the fathers see comment on eh. ii 68. ness in vers. 26, 27. Ver. 3.--0f the sons of Shechaniah. This Ver. 15.-l gathered them together to clause should be attached to the preceding the river that runneth to Ahava. The verse, since it refers to Hattush, who was " river that runneth to Ahava" is now Shechaniah's grandson ; and ver. 3 should generally identified with the Is of Herodotus hegin with the words, " Of the sons of (i. 179), a small stream flowing into the Pharosh, Zechariah." Euphrates from the east, at a point where Ver. 5.-A name has fallen out either stood a city of the same name, distant (ac- between '' Shechaniah " and '' the son of cording to Herodotus) eight days' journey J ahaziel," or between '' of the sons " and from Babylon. The city appears to be men- "of Shechaniah." The Septuagint has, tioned under the slightly variant forms of CH, VIII, 1-20.] 'l'HE BOOK OF EZRA. 123
Ava. (11'}:.') and Ivo.h (l'I')~) in the Second Book Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims. of Kings (xvii. 24 ; xix. 18). It is called Afa, The "and" here is rightly BUpplied. It has or Abo., by tho LXX. ; lhi in the To.lmud ; fallen out in consequence of the word lddo Aei by Isiu.oro of Charax. The modern ending with the same ~etter. Iddo, though no.me is Hit. The town has o.lways been the head man of the village under the Per- one of some importance in connection with sians, belonged by descent to the compam- the bitumen springs of the neighbourhood. ti vely low grade of the N ethinims. Ezra's re~son for selecting the place as a Ver. 18.-By the good hand of our God halting-point seems to have been the fact upon us. This is Ezra's usual mode of ac- that many Jews were settled in the district' knowledging the good providence and favonr (see ver. 17). We abode in tents. A large of Almighty God (see eh. vii. 6, 9, 27; and caravan, like Ezra's, even when it reached a eh. viii. 31). Similar expressions occur also town, would pitch its tents outside, and in Nehemiah (ii. 8, 18), but not elsewhere in remain in them rather than scatter itself Scripture. A man of understanding. In among the khans and caravanserais. The the Hebrew lah-aekel, which some take for phrase is therefore to be understood literally. a proper name, but without any necessity. I viewed the people. Rather, " I looked No such name is known to have existed; and among the people"-I looked to see whether the real name of "the man of understand- there were any Levites or no. (" Qumsivi ing" appears to have been "Sherebiah," in populo et in sacerdotibus defilii,s Levi." - who is mentioned more than once in Nehe- Vulg.) And found there none of the sons of miah (eh. viii. 7 ; ix. 4, 5) as a chief Levite. Levi It is difficult to account for the fact ; And Sherebiah should be simply "Shere- but there seems certainly to have been a biah." The preposition "and" (Heb. j) special disinclination to return to J ernsalem has been inserted by a careless copyist. on the part of the Levites. Only seventy- Ver. 20.-The Nethinims, whom David four went up with Zerubbabel, when the and the princes he.d e.ppointed. We learu priests who returned were 4289 (eh. ii 36- this fact from the pres~nt passage only; 40); and now there was not a ;single one m since neither in Kings nor Chronicles is the whole of Ezra's band. Did the jealous there any mention made of Daviu's adding spirit of Korah (Num. xvi. 8-10) still to the hieroduli, or temple servants. It is, animate the great body of the tribe ? however, quite in accordance with his other Ver. 17.-lddo, the chief at the place atTangements that he should have done so. Casiphia. Not "the Caspian" certainly; The original Ncthinims were the Gibeonitcd nor even " Casvin," which is at least 400 (Josh. ix. 23). All . .. were expressed by miles from Hit by the nearest route, but name. lddo sent to Ezra e. list of the Ne- some Babylonian village in the vicinity of thinims, which, however, he does not think Ahava, not otherwise known to us. Unto it necossary to insert.