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Introduction: Chapter 8 details of the actual expedition to Jerusalem are briefly detailed, to include the companions of Ezra in verses 1-20, Ezra beseeching God’s blessing in verses 21-23, and the funds appropriated to the priests in verses 24- 30, and Ezra arriving at Jerusalem in verses 31-36.
I. Genealogy of Those Who Returned with Ezra
Ezr 8:1 These are now the chief of their fathers, and this is the genealogy of them that went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king.
Ezr 8:2 Of the sons of Phinehas; Gershom: of the sons of Ithamar; Daniel: of the sons of David; Hattush.
Ezr 8:3 Of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons of Pharosh; Zechariah: and with him were reckoned by genealogy of the males an hundred and fifty.
Ezr 8:4 Of the sons of Pahathmoab; Elihoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males.
Ezr 8:5 Of the sons of Shechaniah; the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males.
Ezr 8:6 Of the sons also of Adin; Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males.
Ezr 8:7 And of the sons of Elam; Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males.
Ezr 8:8 And of the sons of Shephatiah; Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him fourscore males.
Ezr 8:9 Of the sons of Joab; Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males.
Ezr 8:10 And of the sons of Shelomith; the son of Josiphiah, and with him an hundred and threescore males.
Ezr 8:11 And of the sons of Bebai; Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty and eight males.
Ezr 8:12 And of the sons of Azgad; Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him an hundred and ten males.
Ezr 8:13 And of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are these, Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them threescore males.
Ezr 8:14 Of the sons also of Bigvai; Uthai, and Zabbud, and with them seventy males.
Ezra lists the men (and their families) who would make the journey back to Jerusalem with him. Only men are noted, though it is clear entire families were involved from verse 8:21.
Ezr 8:21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.
The number of men noted totals 1,496 (not including their families and some presumed servants). The total migration no doubt therefore totaled well over five thousand people.
II. Ezra Sends for the Levites.
Ezr 8:15 And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there abode we in tents three days: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi.
Ezr 8:16 Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding.
Ezr 8:17 And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say unto Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God.
Ezr 8:18 And by the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen;
Ezr 8:19 And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brethren and their sons, twenty;
Ezr 8:20 Also of the Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinims: all of them were expressed by name.
The Nethinims: all of them were expressed by name. As the expedition assembled for departure, they met along the river Ahava (somewhere in the region of Babylon). They tarried to get organized for final departure, Ezra discovered that there were no Levites with them. He therefore sent word back to what evidently was a place where many Levites lived (Casiphia) and sought for volunteers to join with them.
As a result, a total of 38 Levites agreed to go. Also two 220 Nethinims (official servants of the Levite and the Temple) volunteered to go. (This was in addition to the numbers mentioned above.)
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