BOB – Ezra

by Stephen Rodgers

EZRA IN 10 WORDS OR LESS

“Spiritual renewal begins after the Jews return from exile.”

TITLE

In the earliest Hebrew manuscripts, Ezra and Nehemiah were considered a single book. They were later divided into two scrolls, known to the Jews as 1 Ezra and 2 Ezra, which became known as Ezra and Nehemiah in English Bibles (it is interesting to note that this diverges from the typical pattern, as they are 1 and 2 Ezra in both the Greek Septuigent (LXX) and the Latin Vulgate (Vg.)).

The book takes its name from the traditionally-held author Ezra (“Jehovah helps”), a famous scribe-priest of the time. (See AUTHOR & AUDIENCE)

AUTHOR & AUDIENCE

Jewish and Christian tradition both ascribe authorship of Ezra-Nehemiah to Ezra.  This tradition is largely independent of whether Ezra was also the author (“the Chronicler”) of 1 and 2 Chronicles. Although the author of Ezra never states his authorship, internal arguments (the use of both Aramaic and Hebrew, access to temple and Persian records, the shift from 1st person to 3rd person) favor him strongly.

We know the following about Ezra:

  • He was a capable and respected leader, as he led the second wave of exiles in their return to Israel from captivity
  • He was a godly man, and functioned as a scribe of the law (Ezra 7:10)
  • He had access to the royal archives of the Persian Empire (Ezra 1:2-4; 4:9-22; 5:7-17; 6:3-12)
  • He was a contemporary of Nehemiah (Neh 8:1-9; 12:36)

According to Jewish tradition, he was also the founder of the Great Synagogue (aka “Great Assembly”), where the OT canon was first formally recognized.

The intended audience of Ezra was the generations of Israelites who returned from exile in Babylon. The author clearly wanted his readers to recognize the power and love of God toward his chosen people and their covenant responsibilities toward Him.

DATE

Since we know that Ezra led the second return from Persia in approximately 458 BC (the first led by Zerubbabel in 538 BC and the third led by Nehemiah in 445 BC), it is likely that the completed book was written sometime in the next several decades (457-444 BC would be a likely range).

Chronologically speaking, Zerubbabel’s return (538 BC to 516 BC) is documented in Ezra 1-6, and the second return (458 BC) begins in Ezra 7:1.

BACKGROUND & SETTING

Hundreds of years prior to the time of Ezra, God had used the prophet Jeremiah to warn His people that if they broke their covenant with Him, He would allow another nations to take them into slavery (Jer 2:14-25). Israel failed to heed that warning, and God brought the Assyrians and Babylonians down upon them as punishment. Eventually the Babylonians themselves were conquered by the Persians, and the king (Cyrus) decreed that the Jews could return to Jerusalem.

That decree is where the book of Ezra begins.

HISTORICAL & THEOLOGICAL THEMES

There are two prevalent themes in the book of Ezra:

  • God’s Sovereignty. The events of Ezra show God’s sovereignty in keeping His promises, even extending to being sovereign over future events and foreign kings.
  • Restoration. In some ways, the events of Ezra parallel the events in the Pentateuch and Joshua: God makes promises to His people, frees them from slavery, provides a land for them amidst their enemies…contingent upon their obedience to Him.  Even specific events (the rebuilding of the temple) have obvious parallels, although Ezra notably does not mention that the presence of the LORD returned to occupy the temple this time.

INTERPRETIVE CHALLENGES

As with any book of the Bible, there are a number of issues that need to be resolved.  To my mind, the two most interesting are reconciling the chronologies of the post-Exilic prophets (Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi) with Ezra, as well as reconciling the chronology of Esther with Ezra.  In regards to the prophets:

  • Haggai and Zechariah prophesied during the period of Ezra 4-6 when temple construction was resumed.
  • Malachi wrote during Nehemiah’s revisit to Persia (Neh 13:66)
We’ll discuss Esther when we get to that book.

LITERARY FEATURES

The primary form of Ezra is historical narrative, specifically…

…a story that narrates the return of groups of people to their homeland after exile. But the flow of the story is interrupted by a variety of documentary material—lists of people and supplies, transcripts of official documents, the genealogy of Ezra, royal and other official letters, memoirs, and prayer. Sometimes the material tells a story; at other times it resembles a daily newspaper or modern archived material. (ESV Study Bible)

OBJECTIONS

There are three objections that are occasionally raised against the historical reliability of Ezra: one based on the language of the Persian decrees, one based on a supposed late date of Ezra, and one based on alleged discrepancies between Ezra and Nehemiah.

  • Scholars at one point doubted the authenticity of the proclamations of the Persian government (Ezra 1:1-5; 4:8-10,11-16,17-22; 5:6-17; 6:6-12; 7:11-26). They claimed that the language seemed too theological and/or didn’t follow standard Persian form. However recent discoveries of other letters from the Jewish community at Elephantine, Egypt has silenced these criticisms.
  • Some scholars have tried to assign a later date to Ezra by pointing to the geopolitical climate of Egypt during the reign of Artaxerxes II (404 BC to 359 BC) as being the only likely candidate for the events described in the book.  The reasoning goes that Persia would only be interested in strengthening their relationship with a buffer region during a time of unrest; while this may be true, it also overlooks the fact that Egypt also revolted around 459 BC and the rebellion was not put down until around 454 BC.
  • Finally, some claim that the book of Ezra is not reliable due to alleged contradictions between it and Nehemiah. However these alleged contradictions tend to rely on a skewed or suspect reading of the relevant texts. For example, the issue with Eliashib the high priest can be easily reconciled with the fact that the Eliashib mentioned in Nehemiah 3:1 and 20 is most likely Eliashib II, a later priest.

NOTABLE QUOTABLES

  • Ezra 7:10
  • Ezra 8:22

DID YOU KNOW?

  • The NT does not directly quote the book of Ezra.
  • The story of Esther fits into the interval of nearly 60 years that separates Ezra 6:22 from Ezra 7:1
  • ANE kings maintained an elaborate network of informers and spies, including those mentioned in Ezra 5:3-5

Other Works Referenced

  • Apologetics Study Bible, “Ezra Introduction”
  • Archaeological Study Bible, “Introduction to Ezra”
  • ESV Study Bible, “Introduction to Ezra”
  • MacArthur Study Bible, “Ezra”
  • NET Bible, Ezra
  • NIV Study Bible, Ezra
  • Reformation Study Bible, “The Book of Ezra”
  • The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook, “Ezra”
  • Know Your Bible
  • Driscoll, A Book You’ll Actually Read On the Old Testament
  • Knight, The Layman’s Bible Handbook