Ezra 2:36–63

The temple workers

36 The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua) 973

37 of Immer 1,052

38 of Pashhur 1,247 

39 of Harim 1,017 

40 The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel (through the line of Hodaviah) 74 

41The singers: the descendants of Asaph 128

42 The gatekeepers of the temple:the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita and Shobai 139

43 The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, 

44 Keros, Siaha, Padon, 

45 Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub, 

46 Hagab, Shalmai, Hanan, 

47 Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah, 

48 Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam, 

49 Uzza, Paseah, Besai, 

50 Asnah, Meunim, Nephussim, 

51 Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, 

52 Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, 

53 Barkos, Sisera, Temah, 

54 Neziah and Hatipha

55 The descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda, 56 Jaala, Darkon, Giddel, 57 Shephatiah, Hattil,

Pokereth-Hazzebaim and Ami

58 The temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon 392

59 The following came up from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer, but they could not show that their families were descended from Israel:

60 The descendants of Delaiah, of Tobiah and of Nekoda 652 

61 And from among the priests: The descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name).

62 These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 63 The governor ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there was a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.

After the laypeople have been listed, various classes of temple workers are listed. According to 1 Chronicles chapter 24, David had divided the priesthood into 24 orders. It appears that representatives of only four priestly orders returned with Zerubbabel. The Levites were also rather poorly represented. This poor representation and the special call for temple workers that Ezra issues in 8:15-17 suggest that the priests and Levites were especially reluctant to leave their new homes in Babylon.

The temple servants and servants of Solomon were probably the descendants of heathen Canaanites who had been forced to perform the menial tasks needed for the temple service (Joshua 9:27; 2 Chronicles 2:17,18). If so, their preservation as part of God’s people and their willingness to return are a special demonstration of God’s grace.

Those who could not prove their ancestry were not allowed to function in the priesthood since only descendants of Aaron were eligible to serve (Exodus 29:44). If people of doubtful ancestry had been allowed to serve, the validity of the sacrifices offered by these priests would have been in doubt. The people’s confidence in their worship and in the forgiveness of their sins could have been undermined. The people of doubtful ancestry would be admitted to the privileges of the priesthood only if their ancestry was confirmed by a direct message from God. One way that such messages had been received before the exile was through the Urim and Thummim. These were objects connected in some way with the breastplate of the high priest (Exodus 28:30). We do not know exactly what they were or how they worked. The book of Ezra does not tell us whether their use was ever restored after the captivity or this remained merely a hypothetical possibility. Perhaps they had been destroyed in the fall of Jerusalem. We do not know whether any priests were restored to service by means of the Urim and Thummim.