Questions tagged [ezra]

Questions about the book of Ezra, or the prophet himself.

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1st Esdras, Ezra-Nehemiah, 3rd Esdras, etc

According to the article 1 Esdras & The Canon Of Hippo, Carthage, & Trent, there are 2 and a half chapters from 1st Esdras (LXX end of 4th century, Council of Hippo/Carthage, 2nd Esdras = Ezra/...
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Did Malachi soften the policy of Ezra on the question of Divorce? (Ezra 10, Malachi 2)

In the Book of Ezra, Jews who intermarried with foreign wives responded to Ezra's message by determining to divorce their wives and also to send away any children produced by the marriage: Ezra 10 We ...
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Why can't both Artaxerxes I and Artaxerxes II be included in the chronology of Ezra 1-7?

Who is the Artaxerxes from Ezra 4 that stopped the building of the temple? on the Artaxerxes of Ezra 4, and Who is the Artaxerxes of Ezra 7? on the Artaxerxes of Ezra 7 are helpful, but should not be ...
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What is the context of Ashurbanipal being mentioned in Ezra 4:10?

Ezra 4:10 details the introductory greetings of a letter to Achaemenid emperor Artaxerxes, including: and the other people whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the city ...
mwolfe 11's user avatar
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Why were the ancient men who had seen the 1st house weeping with a loud voice?

[Ezra 3:12-13 KJV] 12 But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, [who were] ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, ...
Kevin D. Robinson 's user avatar
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Does the "Urim and Thummim " decide who is a real priest just by a "yes" and "no" lot , in Ezra 2:63, or is it more complicated than this?

These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. The governor ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there ...
ray grant's user avatar
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Did Ephraim(Northern Kingdom) Return To The Land After the Babylonian Captivity?

I have a question that I have a hard time answering. Did a remnant of Northern Kingdom return to the land after the Babylonian captivity and if so, did their tribal allotment originally in the book of ...
Servant's user avatar
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Why were Artaxerxes and Nebuchadnezzar called "king of kings"?

Ezekiel26:7 YLT For, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am bringing in unto Tyre Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, From the north -- a king of kings, With horse, and with chariot, and with horsemen, Even ...
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Is there a mathematical contradiction in Ezra 1:9-11?

Ezra 1:9-11 (ESV): And this was the number of them: 30 basins of gold, 1,000 basins of silver, 29 censers, 30 bowls of gold, 410 bowls of silver, and 1,000 other vessels; all the vessels of gold and ...
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Is the Nehemiah in Ezra 2:2 the one who wrote the book of Nehemiah?

Ezra 2:2 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel: Is this the same ...
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Does 4 Ezra (2 Esdras) teach the divinity of Ezra?

The following question has been initially posted by user44810 on Judaism.SE, where it was closed for lying outside the community's defined scope. In an article by the University of St. Andrews about ...
Lucian's user avatar
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Did Pharisees use Ezra 6:11-12 to condemn Jesus in Mark 14:58?

Ezra 6:11-12 provides terms of punishment for anyone who attempts to tear down the 2nd Temple : [Ezra 6:11] "I also issue an order that whoever alters this decree shall have a beam removed from his ...
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Were the אוּרִ֥ים Urim & תֻמִּֽים Thummim ever returned (after the Babylonian exile) to fulfill Ezra 2:63?

In Ezra 2:63, invalid kohanim could not eat at the second temple until אוּרִ֥ים Urim & תֻמִּֽים Thummim approved their meals with valid levites : "The Tirshatha ordered them not to eat of the ...
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How did Ezra the Scribe prepare his heart to seek the law of the LORD?

Ezra 7:10: For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments. How exactly did Ezra the Scribe go about manifesting this? A ...
יהודה's user avatar
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How old was Ezra when he came to Jerusalem?

1Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, 2 The son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 3 The ...
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Why do Bible commentators not regard the Darius (the Mede) in the book of Daniel and the Darius in the book of Ezra as same person?

I believe it is the same Darius, do you agree? If not - can you let me know why providing Biblical evidence. Daniel 11:1, Daniel 6:28, Daniel 9:1 and Ezra 4:5, Ezra 4:24, Ezra 5:5-7, Ezra 6:1, Ezra 6:...
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Reason for old men weeping in Ezra 3

In Ezra 3 verses 12-13, old men who had seen the first temple are described as having “wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many [others] shouted ...
Lilias Carmichael's user avatar
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What is meant by Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD?

What is meant by... For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments. (Ezr 7:10) I am specifically interested to understand ...
Pieter Rousseau's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
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How much is a dram and talent during Medo-Persian period?

We find in Ezra: KJV Ezra 8 27 Also twenty basons of gold, of a thousand drams; and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold. How much is a dram? Was there a change in the measure of talent ...
One Face's user avatar
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Who is the 'king of Assyria' referred to in Ezra 6:22? [duplicate]

EDIT NOTE: This question has not been satisfactorily answered previously. Neither : Fleishman's 'literary didactic ploy' nor Williamson's 'no fully satisfactory explanation' nor Blenkinsop's '...
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Why did Daniel not return to Jerusalem according to the decree of Cyrus in Ezra 1?

In Daniel 9 we find Daniel mourning & petitioning God concerning the seventy years of captivity. Daniel 9:18-19 NKJV 18 O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our ...
collen ndhlovu's user avatar
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Is there a numerical contradiction between Ezra and Nehemiah?

In Ezra 2:65 it is said that there were 200 singers. But in Nehemiah 7:67 it is said that there were 245 singers. The context is exactly the same, but the numbers are different. Isn't this a ...
tryingtobeastoic's user avatar
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1 answer
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What did “God of heaven” mean in Ezra 7:21?

In Ezra 7:21, Artaxerxes refers to God as the “God of heaven.” Is he thinking in polytheistic terms here (I.e. God as head of pantheon or a Baal-like deity)?
EJoshuaS - Stand with Ukraine's user avatar
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1 answer
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Why is the end of 2 Chronicles almost word-for-word identical with the first few verses of Ezra?

2 Chronicles 36:22-23 22 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a ...
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Why did Zerubbabel refuse an offer for help? (Ezra 4:1-3)

Ezra 4:1-3 (NRSV) "When the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of ...
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In Ezra 5:6 who were the Apharsachites?

Who were the Apharsachites in Ezra 5:6? Why do translations differ so radically on how this word is translated? "This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond ...
M.R.'s user avatar
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How can we reconcile Ezra 3:2-3 & Nehemiah 8:17?

Ezra 3:2,4 [2]Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brothers arose and built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings ...
collen ndhlovu's user avatar
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In Ezra 10:44 did they keep the children or send them away with their wives?

In Ezra 10 the Jews repent of having taken foreign wives and decide to "put them away" even if they had children by them. There seems to be a translation issue as to whether or not the children were ...
Ruminator's user avatar
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1 answer
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Are there any Architectural Similarities between Herod's and Ezekiel's Temples?

Closely Related: - In Luke, Was Jesus Dedicated in the Second Temple, or Third? NKJV, Ezekiel 43:10 - “Son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their ...
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3 votes
2 answers
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In Luke, Was Jesus Dedicated in the Second Temple, or Third?

Closely Related: - In John, how many years did it take to build the Second Temple? 1. Question : Request for Scriptural / Historical References When Jesus was dedicated in "The Temple", was it ...
elika kohen's user avatar
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1 answer
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To whom or to what does αὐτοῖς refer in Ezra 5,12?

Ἔσδρας Βʹ 5, 11 καὶ τοιοῦτο ῥῆμα ἀπεκρίθησαν ἡμῖν λέγοντες ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν δοῦλοι τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ οἰκοδομοῦμεν τὸν οἶκον ὃς ἦν ᾠκοδομημένος πρὸ τούτου ἔτη πολλά καὶ βασιλεὺς τοῦ ...
Bob Blocher's user avatar
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1 answer
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Who is the Artaxerxes from Ezra 4 that stopped the building of the temple? [duplicate]

The book of Ezra chapter 4 tells us that Artaxerxes stopped the work of the temple, and that it remained unfinished until the second year of Darius (verse 24). Who is this Artaxerxes? He is probably ...
bach's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
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Was Ezra 7:27 intended to indicate fulfillment of a prophecy from Isaiah 60:7?

Isaiah 60:7: All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you;    the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall come up with acceptance on my altar,     ...
Susan's user avatar
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2 answers
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When did Esarhaddon conquer Egypt?

Esarhaddon, son of Sennacherib, ruled the Assyrian Empire from 681 BC to 669 BC. His greatest achievement was the conquest of Egypt, and I would like to know exactly what year that happened? Also, ...
Christian Gedge's user avatar
10 votes
3 answers
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Why would Darius be called king of Assyria?

Ezra 6 begins with a letter from King Darius concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem that whatever materials or resources are needed for its completion be given, even if it means being paid out of ...
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Who is the Artaxerxes of Ezra 7?

Ezra 7:7 mentions a Persian king Artaxerxes: Some of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, musicians, gatekeepers and temple servants, also came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King ...
Soldarnal's user avatar
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1 answer
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Ezra 5:1 > Could the prophet Haggai be a prophetess?

Ezra 5:1 Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. Upon further investigation ...
Kate's user avatar
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1 answer
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Were the men in Ezra 10:3 breaking marriage covenents by divorcing their foreign wives?

In other cases, Israel was called to keep their ill-advised covenents such as the one made with the Gibeonites. Why would it be preferred to break marriage covenents in this case? They even make a ...
Reed G. Law's user avatar
10 votes
3 answers
23k views

Given the differences between Hebrew and Aramaic, how are the Aramaic sections identified?

There are a handful of Aramaic passages in the Bible; notably in Daniel and Ezra. Since the writing system of these two was the same, how are the Aramaic sections identified?
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What led to the division of Ezra-Nehemiah?

Modern consensus is that the books of Ezra and Nehemiah actually comprise a single work which was subsequently divided into two. How is it that scholars realized this was the same book (Does it have ...
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