Ezra 2:1-2

Ezra 2:1-2

[1] Now these are the children  of the province  that went up  out of the captivity,  of those which had been carried away,  the king  of Babylon  had carried away  unto Babylon,  and came again  unto Jerusalem  and Judah,  every one  unto his city;  [2] Which came  with Zerubbabel:  Jeshua,  Nehemiah,  Seraiah,  Reelaiah,  Mordecai,  Bilshan,  Mispar,  Bigvai,  Rehum,  Baanah.  The number  of the people  of Israel: 

What does Ezra 2:1-2 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The "province" referred to was probably Judah, [1] rather than Babylonia, [2] in view of the context. Zerubbabel was the grandson of King Jehoiachin and the nephew of Sheshbazzar, the leader of this return ( 1 Chronicles 3:17-19). Zerubbabel assumed leadership later in Judah. Evidently Sheshbazzar was the official Persian governor and Zerubbabel the popular leader (cf. Ezra 3:8-11). [3] Sheshbazzar may have been about55 to60 years old at this time and Zerubbabel about40. [4] Jeshua was the high priest ( Zechariah 3:1) who later led in the Revelation -establishment of temple worship. This Nehemiah must have been a different person from the Nehemiah in the book that bears that name. The second Nehemiah did not return to Judah until almost100 years later, in444 B.C. ( Nehemiah 2:9). Likewise, this Mordecai was not Esther"s cousin ( Esther 2:5), since the latter Mordecai remained in Susa, one of the capitals of the Persian Empire, and lived about50 years later than this Mordecai.