New International Version
Ezra 2:1
1Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive to Babylon (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to their own town,
Ezra 2:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Now these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city;
- English Standard Version (ESV)Now these were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried captive to Babylonia. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now these are the people of the province who came back from the captivity, of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his own city.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Here is the list of the Jewish exiles of the provinces who returned from their captivity. King Nebuchadnezzar had deported them to Babylon, but now they returned to Jerusalem and the other towns in Judah where they originally lived.
Context of Ezra 2:1
Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive to Babylon (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to their own town, 2in company with Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah): The list of the men of the people of Israel: 3the descendants of Parosh 2,172
Read all of Ezra 2Ezra 2:1 word by word
וְאֵ֣לֶּה׀ בְּנֵ֣י הַמְּדִינָ֗ה הָֽעֹלִים֙ מִשְּׁבִ֣י הַגּוֹלָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֶגְלָ֛ה נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֥ר מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֖ל לְבָבֶ֑ל וַיָּשׁ֛וּבוּ לִירוּשָׁלִַ֥ם וִֽיהוּדָ֖ה אִ֥ישׁ לְעִירֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
- of the provinceמְדִינָהmedîynâh · provinceH4082
- that went upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
- out of the captivityשְׁבִיshebîy · captivityH7628
- of those which had been carried awayגּוֹלָהgôlâh gôlâh · captivityH1473
- whom Nebuchadnezzarנְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר, נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּרנבוּכדרא צּור נבוּכדראצּר · NebuchadnezzarH5019
- the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- of Babylonבָּבֶ֫ל, בָּבֶלbâbel · BabylonH894
- had carried awayגָּלָהgâlâh · to reveal: removeH1540
- and came againשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
- unto Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
- and Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
- every oneאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
- unto his cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
Cross-references for Ezra 2:1
- Ezra 5:8The king should know that we went to the district of Judah, to the temple of the great God. The people are building it with large stones and placing the timbers in the walls. The work is being carried on with diligence and is making rapid progress under their direction.
- Ezra 6:2A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it: Memorandum:
- Nehemiah 7:6These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town,
- Esther 1:1This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush:
- Esther 8:9At once the royal secretaries were summoned—on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan. They wrote out all Mordecai’s orders to the Jews, and to the satraps, governors and nobles of the 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush. These orders were written in the script of each province and the language of each people and also to the Jews in their own script and language.
- Acts 23:34The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia,
- 2 Kings 24:14He carried all Jerusalem into exile: all the officers and fighting men, and all the skilled workers and artisans—a total of ten thousand. Only the poorest people of the land were left.
- 2 Kings 25:11Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon.
- 2 Chronicles 36:1And the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.
- Jeremiah 39:1In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege to it.
- Jeremiah 52:1Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah.
- Lamentations 1:3After affliction and harsh labor, Judah has gone into exile. She dwells among the nations; she finds no resting place. All who pursue her have overtaken her in the midst of her distress.
- Lamentations 4:22Your punishment will end, Daughter Zion; he will not prolong your exile. But he will punish your sin, Daughter Edom, and expose your wickedness.
- Zephaniah 2:7That land will belong to the remnant of the people of Judah; there they will find pasture. In the evening they will lie down in the houses of Ashkelon. The Lord their God will care for them; he will restore their fortunes.
Commentaries on Ezra 2:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1These are the children of the province - That is, of Judea; once a kingdom, and a flourishing nation; now a province, subdued, tributary, and ruined! Behold the goodness and severity of God! Some think Babylon is meant by the province; and that the children of the province means those Jews who were born in Babylon. But the first is most likely to be the meaning, for thus we find Judea styled, Ezra 5:8. Besides, the province is contradistinguished from…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1The province - Judaea was no longer a kingdom, but a mere “province” of Persia. “The children of the province” are the Israelites who returned to Palestine, as distinct from those who remained in Babylonia and Persia. Every one unto his city - That is, to the city whereto his forefathers had belonged. Of course, in the few cases where this was not known Ezra 2:59-62, the plan could not be carried out. Two other copies of the following list have come down…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The numbers that returned. (1-35) The numbers of the priests and Levites. (36-63) The offerings for the temple. (64-70) Verses 1-35 An account was kept of the families that came up out of captivity. See how sin lowers a nation, which righteousness would exalt!Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-70This chapter is Ezra's first major digression from the main story. The returning exiles needed to identify true Jews to maintain their community identity and theological purity. This helped them know whom they could marry and who could worship at the temple. This list is not the initial list of all Jews who returned to Jerusalem (compare Nehemiah 7:6–73). Instead, it is a slightly later list, created after Sheshbazzar died, of people who had settled in…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-701. children of the province--that is, Judea (Ezr 5:8), so called as being now reduced from an illustrious, independent, and powerful kingdom to an obscure, servile, tributary province of the Persian empire. This name is applied by the sacred historian to intimate that the Jewish exiles, though now released from captivity and allowed to return into their own land, were still the subjects of Cyrus, inhabiting a province dependent upon Persia. came again…Read the comment
In the dictionaries
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
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Commentaries