Commentary - Ezra 2:70

Bird's-eye view

Ezra 2:70 is a summary statement, a concluding seal set upon the long genealogical record that precedes it. After meticulously counting and naming the families who returned from the Babylonian exile, this verse declares that the restoration has begun in earnest. It is a statement of arrival and settlement, but it is much more than a simple census update. This verse signifies the re-establishment of a covenant people in their covenant land, organized around the central task of rebuilding the worship of God. Every category of person mentioned, from priest to temple servant, has a role defined by the sanctuary. The verse shows us a community reconstituting itself, not randomly, but in an orderly, divinely-structured fashion. It is the beginning of a great work of reformation, where God's people, having been disciplined in exile for their unfaithfulness, are now being graciously replanted by God to be a holy nation once more. This is the first step in rebuilding the ruins, not just of a city, but of a people.

The emphasis on "their cities" is crucial. This is not a land grab; it is a homecoming. God is restoring His people to their appointed inheritance, fulfilling His ancient promises. The verse serves as a bridge between the list of the redeemed community (Ezra 2:1-69) and the narrative of their first corporate act of worship: the rebuilding of the altar (Ezra 3). The settlement described here is the necessary prerequisite for the covenant renewal that is to follow. They are home, they are organized, and now they can get to the main business, which is the business of worship.

Outline

Context In Ezra

This verse concludes the second chapter of Ezra, a chapter that is almost entirely dedicated to listing the returning exiles. Chapter 1 details the decree of Cyrus, stirred by God to release the Jews and to fund the rebuilding of the Temple. It is a sovereign act of God, using a pagan king to accomplish His redemptive purposes. Chapter 2 then provides the "muster roll" of God's army of rebuilders. It is a long and, to our modern minds, perhaps tedious list of names and numbers. But its length and detail underscore the value God places on each individual and family within His covenant. Verse 70 is the capstone of this list. It transitions the reader from the "who" of the return to the "what" and "where." Having established the identity of the remnant, the narrative is now prepared to move into their actions, which begin immediately in chapter 3 with the construction of the altar and the restoration of sacrificial worship, even before the Temple foundation is laid. This verse, therefore, is the pivot point from preparation to action, from list to life.

Key Issues

The Muster Roll of Grace

Before we dive into the verse itself, we must appreciate what has come before it. Chapter two of Ezra is a list. It is a genealogy, a census, a registry. In our day, we tend to skip such lists. We want to get to the action. But in the biblical world, such lists are freighted with theological significance. To be on this list meant you were part of God's great work of restoration. It meant your family line had not been extinguished in the judgment of exile. It meant you were a recipient of God's covenant faithfulness.

This is the muster roll of those whom God had stirred from their relative comfort in Babylon to undertake a hard and dangerous task. This was not a move to a more prosperous suburb. It was a move to a pile of rubble. Their names are recorded here because they answered the call. This list is a testament to the fact that God's covenant is not an abstract thing; it is worked out through particular people in particular families. And now, at the end of this long list, we are told what they did. They settled in. The grace that called them now plants them.

Verse by Verse Commentary

70 So the priests and the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.

The verse can be broken down into its constituent parts, each one revealing a facet of this great restoration work.

First, we have the subjects: "So the priests and the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants..." Notice the order. The priests and Levites are mentioned first. This is not accidental. The entire purpose of this return is the re-establishment of right worship, and so the ministers of the sanctuary are given pride of place. This whole project is God-centered, which means it is worship-centered. Before there can be a restored nation, there must be a restored altar. The singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants (the Nethinim) are all likewise personnel whose roles are defined by the Temple. Their function is to support and facilitate the worship of God. Only after these are mentioned do we get to "some of the people," or as the parallel in Nehemiah 7:73 puts it, "the rest of Israel." The leadership of the community is liturgical. The foundation of this new society is to be the worship of Yahweh.

Second, we have the action: "lived in their cities." The word for "lived" here is the common Hebrew word for dwelling or settling. After the long journey from Babylon, they have arrived and are now taking up residence. This is an act of faith. They are settling in a land that is largely desolate and surrounded by suspicious and potentially hostile neighbors. But they are acting on the promise of God. And where do they live? In "their cities." This is a claim of rightful inheritance. These are not just any cities; they are the cities given to their forefathers by God Himself. The exile was a temporary dispossession, a disciplinary removal. This return is a repossession. They are coming home. This is the reversal of the curse. God is replanting His people in His land.

Third, we have the summary statement: "and all Israel in their cities." This final clause broadens the scope and drives the point home. It wasn't just the Temple personnel who settled; it was "all Israel." This is a corporate reality. The remnant that returned constitutes the true Israel of that time. They are the seed of the future. The phrase emphasizes their unity and their comprehensive claim to the land as God's covenant people. Despite being a small and vulnerable group, in God's economy they are "all Israel." They are the continuation of the covenant line that stretches back to Abraham. Their settlement is not just a collection of individual families finding places to live; it is a nation re-inhabiting its God-given territory. This is the first fruits of a national resurrection.

Application

There are several points of direct application for us in this simple, summary verse. First, we must see that all true reformation begins with the restoration of right worship. The first thing the people of God do when they come back from a spiritual exile is to get the worship right. They put the priests and Levites first. In our own lives, and in the life of the church, our first question must always be about worship. Is it biblical? Is it God-centered? Is it reverent? Everything else flows from this. A church that is not rightly ordered in its worship will be disordered in everything else.

Second, we are reminded that our God is a God of order, not chaos. The people settled in "their cities." There was a structure, an organization, an inheritance. The Christian life is not a free-for-all. God has given us roles, responsibilities, and places to be. We are members of a body, citizens of a heavenly city. We have a place to dwell, a function to perform. We are called to live out our faith in an orderly way, within the structures God has ordained: family, church, and community.

Finally, we see the profound importance of corporate identity. It was "all Israel" that dwelt in their cities. We are saved as individuals, but we are not saved into individualism. We are saved into a people, a holy nation, the church of Jesus Christ. Our identity is found not just in our personal relationship with God, but in our membership in His covenant community. Just as this remnant was the visible manifestation of Israel in their day, so the faithful church is the visible manifestation of the kingdom of God today. We are being built together into a holy temple in the Lord, a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Like the exiles, we are called to settle in, to inhabit the places God has given us, and to get on with the central task of worship, knowing that we do so not as scattered individuals, but as the unified people of God.