Ezra 2:63

Ezra 2:63 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)The governor ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there was a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food, until there should be a priest to consult Urim and Thummim.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And the governor said to them that they should not eat of the most holy things till a priest could consult with the Urim and Thummim.

Context of Ezra 2:63

61These priests also could not show what families they belonged to: The descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai. (This Barzillai had married one of the daughters of a man from Gilead called Barzillai. So he took Barzillai's name for himself.) 62These people tried to find their names in the lists of priests' families. But they could not find anything. So they could not serve as priests. The officer in Judah said that they could not eat the priests' special food. They must wait until there was a leader of the priests who could use the Urim and Thummim to decide the right thing to do. 64All together, 42,360 people returned to Jerusalem. 65There were also 7,337 male and female servants, as well as 200 male and female singers.

Ezra 2:63 word by word

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר הַתִּרְשָׁ֙תָא֙ לָהֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־יֹאכְל֖וּ מִקֹּ֣דֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁ֑ים עַ֛ד עֲמֹ֥ד כֹּהֵ֖ן לְאוּרִ֥ים וּלְתֻמִּֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the Tirshathaתִּרְשָׁתָאtirshâthâ' · governorH8660
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto them, that they should not eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
• of the mostקֹ֫דֶשׁqôdesh · holinessH6944
• till there stood upעָמַד‛âmad · to stand: appointH5975
• a priestכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
• with Urimאוּרִים'ûrîym · UrimH224
• and with Thummimתֻּמִּיםtûmmîym · ThummimH8550

Cross-references for Ezra 2:63

• Nehemiah 7:65The officer who ruled in Judah said that they must not eat the priests' special food. They must wait until there was a priest who could use the Urim and Thummim to decide the right thing to do.
• Nehemiah 8:9Then Ezra (the priest who studied God's Law), Nehemiah (the ruler) and the Levites who were teaching the people said to all the people, ‘Do not cry or weep. Today is a special holy day for the Lord your God.’ They said this because the people were weeping. The words of the Law had made them sad.
• Nehemiah 10:1These people put their mark of authority on the promise that they had written: Hacaliah's son, Nehemiah (the government officer), and Zedekiah.
• Leviticus 2:3The flour that he did not burn is for the priests. It is very holy. That is because it is part of an offering to the Lord.
• Leviticus 6:17The bread is for the priests because it is a holy part of a gift. It is holy, like the offerings for sin. And it is like the gifts when somebody does anything wrong.
• Leviticus 7:16The gift to God may be for a promise. The gift may be because the person loves God. That person will not have to eat it all on the same day. He can eat some of it on the next day.
• Leviticus 10:17Moses said to them, ‘This gift was for the Lord. It was a very holy gift. It was to atone for the people's sins. Why did you not take it to the holy place and eat it?
• Leviticus 22:2‘Israel's people give gifts to God. Those gifts are holy. Tell Aaron and his sons that those things are holy. Tell them that they must remember that. They must give honour to my name. I am the Lord.
• Numbers 18:9I am giving to you the parts that do not burn on the altar. A part of all these gifts will belong to you: grain offerings, sin offerings and guilt offerings. These are holy gifts and they belong to you and to your sons.
• Numbers 18:32You will not be guilty when you eat it. That is because you have offered the best part of it to God. But you must do that in the right way. The gifts that you receive from the Israelites are holy. If you do not do the right things with them, you will die.” ’
• Exodus 28:30Put the Urim and Thummim in the pocket of the breastpiece. They will also be over Aaron's heart when he goes in there to serve the Lord. The Urim and Thummim will always be there to show Aaron what the Lord is saying about the Israelites. He will carry this help over his heart all the time.
• Leviticus 8:8Moses put the breastpiece on Aaron, and he put the Urim and Thummim in its pocket.
• Numbers 27:21Eleazar the priest will use the Urim to find out from me what Joshua should do. Then Joshua can tell the people when to go out to fight, and he can lead them safely back again. He will tell all the Israelite people what they must do.’
• Deuteronomy 33:8I pray this for the tribe of Levi: Lord, your Urim and Thummim belong to your faithful servants, the Levites. You tested them at Massah. You argued with them at the springs of water at Meribah.
• 1 Samuel 28:6Saul asked the Lord what he should do. But the Lord did not answer him in any way. He did not give Saul a dream. He did not use the Urim. He did not give a message to the prophets.

Commentaries on Ezra 2:63

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 63The Tirshatha - This is generally supposed to be Nehemiah, or the person who was the commandant; see Nehemiah 8:9; Nehemiah 10:1, for the word appears to be the name of an office. The Vulgate and Septuagint write it Atershatha, the Syriac and Arabic render it the princes of Judah. Some suppose the word to be Persian, but nothing like it of the same import occurs in that language at present. If, as Castel supposed, it signifies austerity, or that fear…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 63The Tirshatha - i. e., Zerubbabel. See margin. The word is probably old Persian, though it does not occur in the cuneiform inscriptions. Some derive it from a root “to fear.” See the introduction to the Book of Ezra, first note. A priest with Urim and with Thummim - See Exodus 28:30 note. According to the rabbinical writers, the second temple permanently lacked this glory of the first. Zerubbabel, it would seem by the present passage (compare Nehemiah…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 36-63Verses 36-63 Those who undervalue their relation to the Lord in times of reproach, persecution, or distress, will have no benefit from it when it becomes honourable or profitable. Those who have no evidence that they are, by the new birth, spiritual priests unto God, through Jesus Christ, have no right to the comforts and privileges of Christians.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 61-63they could not find them: The lack of a genealogy was a problem for three families (Ezra 2:61–62). They were excluded from priestly privileges or responsibilities until the high priest received divine guidance through the Urim and Thummim to know God's will (see Exodus 28:30; Numbers 27:21). Although using the Urim and Thummim was like throwing dice or drawing straws, when done by the priest, the result was a divine decision, not random chance.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 6363. Tirshatha--a title borne by the Persian governors of Judea (see also Ne 7:65-70; 8:9; 10:1). It is derived from the Persian torsh ("severe"), and is equivalent to "your severity," "your awfulness."Read the comment

Topics related to Ezra 2:63

• Levites
• Tirshatha
• Urim and Thummim

In the dictionaries

• Captivity
• Temple, the Second
• Tirshatha
• Addus
• Adin
• Ammidioi; Ammidoi
• Attharias; Atharias
• Augia
• Baiterus
• Barodis

Commentaries on Ezra 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings