Commentary - Ezra 2:36-39

Bird's-eye view

In this section of Ezra chapter two, we are presented with what might appear to the modern reader as a dry and dusty list of names and numbers. But we must resist the temptation to let our eyes glaze over. This is not some ancient census report, accidentally bound up with Holy Scripture. This is the Word of God, and it is profitable. What we are reading is a roll call of God's faithfulness. After seventy years of exile, a judgment richly deserved, God has kept His promises and is bringing a remnant home. This chapter is the evidence. Central to the life of this restored community was the restoration of true worship, and central to that worship was a legitimate priesthood. These verses, then, are the muster roll for the men who would stand before the Lord on behalf of the people. This is the list of God's chosen instruments, the sons of Aaron, who were returning to rebuild the altar and offer sacrifices according to the Law. It is a record of grace, a testimony to God's preservation of His covenant people, and a foundational document for the re-establishment of Israel's life around the presence of God in the Temple.

The specificity of the names and the precision of the numbers are crucial. This is not mythology; it is history, grounded in verifiable lineages. God knows His people by name. The four priestly families listed here, Jedaiah, Immer, Pashhur, and Harim, represent the authorized leadership returning to their holy task. Their presence in this list is a declaration that the worship about to be re-established in Jerusalem will not be an ad hoc, man-made affair. It will be the continuation of the worship ordained by God through Moses and administered by the line of Aaron. This list is a vital link in the chain of redemption, demonstrating that the God who called Aaron is the same God who is now restoring His people after exile, and is the same God who would one day send the great High Priest, Jesus Christ, from the midst of this same people.

Outline

Context In Ezra

Ezra chapter 2 is a pivotal chapter in the book and in the history of redemption. Chapter 1 records the stunning decree of Cyrus, king of Persia, moved by God to permit and even fund the return of the Jews to their homeland to rebuild the Temple. This was a direct fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy that the exile would last seventy years. Chapter 2, then, is the direct response to this decree. It is the official register of those who took God and Cyrus at their word and made the arduous journey from Babylon to Judah. This list, which is nearly identical to the one found in Nehemiah 7, serves as a foundational document for the restored community. It establishes who belongs to the covenant people. The immediate context for our passage is the section of this list dedicated to the clergy. After listing the lay families, Ezra turns to the priests, then the Levites, and other temple personnel. This order is significant. Before the walls could be rebuilt (Nehemiah's task), the altar had to be re-established and the worship of God restored. The priests were absolutely essential for this, and so their lineage and numbers are recorded with divine care right after the general populace.

Key Issues

God's Bookkeeping

We serve a God who counts things. He counts the stars and calls them by name. He counts the hairs on our heads. And here, He counts the priests returning to Jerusalem. These lists are in the Bible to teach us that God's redemptive plan is not a vague, abstract idea. It unfolds in real history, with real people, in real families. Lineage mattered immensely under the Old Covenant, particularly for the priesthood. A man could not simply decide he wanted to be a priest; he had to be a son of Aaron. After seventy years in a foreign land, with all the disruption and potential for intermarriage and lost records that entailed, the question of who was a legitimate priest was paramount. This list is God's answer. It is a declaration that He has preserved the line of Aaron, just as He preserved the line of David, all in preparation for the coming of Christ.

These are not just names; they are declarations of identity. To be a son of Jedaiah or Immer was to have a specific, God-given role in the life of the nation. It was to be set apart for the service of the sanctuary. For us, who live under the New Covenant, our identity is not found in our family tree, but in our union with the great High Priest, Jesus. We are a royal priesthood, not by tracing our bloodline back to Aaron, but by faith, which grafts us into the family of God. Nevertheless, the principle remains: God knows who are His. There is a book of life, and the names in it are more significant than any name found in this chapter.

Verse by Verse Commentary

36 The priests: the sons of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua, 973;

The text now moves from the general population to the specific ministers of the sanctuary. The priests are listed first among the temple personnel because their function was primary. Without priests, there could be no sacrifices, no atonement, no mediation at the altar. The first family named is Jedaiah, and they are further identified as being "of the house of Jeshua." This Jeshua is likely the same high priest who is a central figure alongside Zerubbabel in the books of Haggai and Zechariah. He was the grandson of the last high priest before the exile, Seraiah, who was executed by Nebuchadnezzar. This detail anchors the returning priesthood firmly in the pre-exilic line. This is not a new priesthood, but a restored one. The number is significant: nine hundred and seventy-three men. This is a substantial group, demonstrating that even in exile, God had preserved a large contingent of men qualified for the holy service. God always provides the means for His worship.

37 the sons of Immer, 1,052;

The second priestly family is that of Immer. We know from 1 Chronicles 24 that when David organized the priests into twenty-four courses, or divisions, to serve in the temple, Immer was the head of the sixteenth course. The fact that this family name survived the exile and that over a thousand of its sons returned shows the remarkable continuity of God's covenant administration. The exile was a severe judgment, a corporate death and burial, but it was not an annihilation. God kept the seeds of His people, and particularly the seeds of the priesthood, alive in the soil of Babylon, ready to be replanted in the land of promise. This large number also indicates the scale of the work to be done. A new temple would require a full complement of priests to lead the nation in worship.

38 the sons of Pashhur, 1,247;

The third group, the sons of Pashhur, is the largest of the four. This name might ring a bell for students of the prophet Jeremiah. A man named Pashhur, a chief official in the temple, was the one who had Jeremiah beaten and put in the stocks for prophesying judgment against Jerusalem (Jeremiah 20). It is a sobering reminder that being in the right family, having the right priestly credentials, is no guarantee of a righteous heart. The priesthood was a mixed bag before the exile, and it would be a mixed bag after. And yet, God in His common grace preserved this family line and brought them back. This is a picture of the visible church in all ages. It contains both wheat and tares, true believers and hypocrites. But the institution itself, the priesthood, was ordained by God, and He would not allow it to fail, even when individual priests were unfaithful. The return of 1,247 sons of Pashhur is a testimony to God's faithfulness to His institution, even in the face of man's unfaithfulness.

39 the sons of Harim, 1,017.

The final priestly family listed is Harim. Like Immer, Harim was the head of one of the twenty-four priestly courses established by David, in this case, the third course (1 Chronicles 24:8). Their return, over a thousand strong, completes this picture of a robust and ready priesthood. In total, these four families accounted for 4,289 priests. This was a formidable group, ready to undertake the monumental task of restoring the sacrificial system and teaching the law of God to the people. God did not bring back a skeleton crew; He brought back an army of ministers. This was a statement of intent. The worship of God was not to be a small, private affair. It was to be the glorious, public center of the nation's life once again. God's glory was the point of the restoration, and He provided the men necessary to ensure that He would be glorified rightly.

Application

It is easy for us to read a list like this and think it has little to do with our lives as New Covenant believers. But the principles here are timeless. First, we see that God is meticulously faithful to His promises. He promised to preserve a people and a priesthood, and this list is the historical proof that He did so. We can therefore trust Him to be faithful to the promises He has made to us in Christ. He will preserve His church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.

Second, this passage underscores the absolute centrality of true worship. The first order of business for the returning exiles was not to establish a political state or a thriving economy. It was to rebuild the altar and the Temple. The priests were listed with such care because right worship, conducted by qualified ministers, was the foundation of their restored life with God. For us today, this is a potent reminder that the church is not primarily a social club or a political action committee. It is the house of God, the pillar and buttress of the truth, where the worship of the Triune God is central. We must take our worship as seriously as they took their priesthood, ensuring it is grounded in God's Word, not human invention.

Finally, we see a picture of the church's leadership. These priests were the men set apart to minister the old covenant. Today, God has given the church pastors and teachers, men qualified to minister the Word of the new covenant. Just as it was vital for these priests to have a legitimate lineage, so it is vital for our ministers to be legitimately called and qualified according to the standards of Scripture. This ancient list reminds us that God has always ordered His house with care, and we are called to honor that order. We are all part of a royal priesthood in Christ, but God has still provided specific offices for the good of His church. Let us thank God for them, pray for them, and follow their lead as they point us to our great High Priest, Jesus.