II.

THE CHRONICLER HISTORY

(I, II CHRONICLES – EZRA - NEHEMIAH)
THE REASONS FOR WRITING CHRONICLER HISTORY
 People were losing their special sense of identity of a covenant people and slowly drifting into pagan
marriage, which cost many their faith. This led to the rereading of their way of life as the chosen people of
JHWH.
 The opposition of the governors of nearby Provinces kept the people of Israel from finishing the walls around
the city rejuvenated their confidence in JHWH and pushed them to look at their past history from the prism of
the Davidic Covenant.
THE STEPS TAKEN
1. Rewriting of Israel’s historical tradition in I, II Chronicles
2. Ezra & Nehemiah, the two important Jewish leaders in Persia, who were sent by the Persian kings helped to
rebuild the desolate and deserted country of Israel.
NATURE OF CHRONICLER HISTORY
- The post-exilic life of Israel is narrated in the books of I & II Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah.
- It demonstrates how a small community in Judah adapted itself to the new way of life that no longer depended
on king or national freedom to survive.
- It stresses the roles of Cult, Prayer, Worship and Ritual Purity as new way of life.
- It speaks of the shift toward “separateness” of the people of Israel.
- Holy things are reserved to Levites, Priest etc.
- Marriages with gentiles were forbidden.
- Loyalty to Torah in its written form of the Pentateuch becomes mandatory.
- The emphasis is the sense of exclusive status by completing the walls of Jerusalem and forcing people to live
within the city & treats Jerusalem as the centre of Jewish hopes.
1. BOOKS OF CHRONICLES (PRE HISTORY – 539 B.C.)
(I, II CHRONICLES)
TITLE
 The books were previously named as paraleipomenon which means “things left out”.
 The Hebrew title is “dibre hayyamim”, meaning “the affairs of the days” (i.e., “daily matters’, or “daily
deeds”), which is to be understood as “annals” or “chronicles”. The phrase “dibre hayyamim” occurs 33 times
in I, II Chronicles, usually translated as “annals”.
 The English title is from Jerome: “the chronicle of the whole of sacred history”.
 In Septuagint the books follow immediately after II Kings and preceded are the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
But the Hebrew canon has it in the section on “Writings”.
 The order of the original Hebrew canon set by Jews in Jamnia conference (90 A.D.) ends with Chronicles
(divided into two books), making them the last books of the Bible.
AUTHORSHIP
The author is anonymous. Talmud (Baba Bathra 15a) proposes Ezra as the possible author. Some others suggest
that a Levite or a member of the musicians’ guild of Asaph wrote the work.
SOURSES AND DATE
 It is a revisionist history written in the period after the rebuilding of the Temple (second Temple) by the
returned Jews (i.e., from 500 to 200 B.C).
 The mention of the names of Jeconiah (Jehoiachin) and Zerubbabel in I Chr 3:17-24, would place the writing
of these books no sooner than in the early fifth century B.C. (early 450 to 500 B.C.).
 The sources used by the Chronicler include large portions of the Deuteronomical history (I Sam 31 – II Kings
25). There are also a number of other lost sources such as, “the records of the seer Samuel, the records of the
prophet Nathan, and the records of the seer Gad” (I Chr 29:29).
PURPOSE
 The changed world of Israel after Exile revealed the need of updating the version of Israel’s history, with the
special emphasis on the Davidic Covenant, the proper place of worship, and the certainty of God’s
punishment.#
 To explain the proper role of the kings over Israel in the past.
 To establish the link between the ideal worship community of David’s reign and the community of the time
the book was written. It affirms that the present community of Israel is only the continuation of the one created
by David and Solomon.
 To legitimize the author’s community and its priesthood.
NATURE
 50% of I, II Chronicles is the same material as found in I, II Samuel and I, II Kings.
 Simon De Vries, a Biblical scholar, comments “I regard Chronicles as one of the richest mines of spirituality
in all the Scripture”.
 The final words of Chronicles are from the degree of Cyrus allowing the exiles to return to Palestine. That
means it ends with a promise for the future and a hope for restoration of relationship with JHWH.
 The period from Adam to the death of Saul is told simply through the recitation of genealogies. The books
thus emphasize that the starting point for Israel’s history is the reign of David and the designation of Jerusalem
as the religious and political capital of the monarchy.
 In order to place greater emphasis on cultic rather than political motives and to cleanse from the text the
scandalous behaviour of David and his court, the Deuteronomic narrative of Samuel – Kings is rearranged. For
example,
1) The story of David’s unclothed dance before the ark as it enters Jerusalem and the confrontation with
Michal (II Sam 6:14-23) are omitted in the parallel story in I Chr Ch.16.
2) David’ s adultery with Bathsheba, the rebellion of his son Absalom and David’s fight are left out.
3) It also does not narrate David’s deathbed instruction to kill all his enemies.
4) It changes the title for David’s sons from “priests” to “chief officials” (II Sam 8:18; I Chr 18:17) in order
to maintain the ideology that only descendants of Levi and Aaron could serve as priests.
5) It adds Satan’s temptation as reason for taking census.
6) David was a holy and dedicated leader who followed JHWH faithfully.
7) Solomon is portrayed as simply carrying out the work of his father David would have don had he been
permitted to do so by circumstances and by God’s command (II Chr 6:7-9, 14-17; 7:17-18).
8) As was the case with the chronicle of David’s reign, there is no mention of Solomon’s apostasy (I Kings
11:1-13) or any other unfavourable aspect of his administration (II Chr 9:22-31).
9) In Chronicles “Israel” refers to “Judah”, not the northern tribes (II Chr 19:8).
10) The kings who were righteous are singled out by Chronicler and are given longer treatment than in I, II
kings. Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah and Josiah all are pictured as reformers and faithful kings who ordered the
people to return to proper worship. Josiah is singled out as the best king since David.
THE OUTLINE OF THE BOOKS OF I, II CHRONICLES
I Genealogies (I Chr Ch. 1-9)
Introduction: Adam to Israel (I Chr. 1:1 – 2:2)
The Tribe of Judah (I Chr 2:3 – 4:43)
Transjordan (I Chr Ch. 5)
The Tribe of Levi (I Chr 6:1 - 81; Mt 5:27-6:66)
 Northern Tribes (I Chr 7:1 – 9:1a)
Postexilic Jerusalem and the Line of Saul (I Chr 9:1b – 44)
II David: A Great Leader (I Chr 10-31)
The death and Burial of Saul (I Chr Ch. 10)
David’s Rise (I Chr Ch. 11-12)
David, the Ark and the Cult (I Chr Ch. 13-16)
The Davidic Covenant (I Chr Ch. 17)
David’s Wars (I Chr Ch. 18-20)
A Place for the Temple (I Chr 21:1 - 22:1)
David’s Preparation for Temple Building (I Chr 22:2 – 19)
David’s Organization of the Leaders of Israel 9I Chr Ch. 23-27)
David’s Last Words and Solomon’s Ascension (I Chr Ch. 28-29)
III Solomon: David’s Successor (II Chr 1-9)
Solomon’s Greatness (II Chr Ch. 1)
The Building of the Temple (II Chr 2:1 – 5:1)
The Dedication of the Temple (II Chr 5:2 – 7:22)
Solomon’s Genealogies (II Chr 8:1-9:28)
Solomon’s Epitaph (II Chr 9:29-31)
IV Kings of Judah (II Chr 10-36)
Rehobaom’s Reign (II Chr Ch. 10-12)
Abijah’s Reign (II Chr 13:1 - 14:1; MT 13:1-23)
Asa’s Reign (II Chr 14:2 - 16:14; MT 14:1-16:14)
Jehoshaphat’s Reign (II Chr 17:1-21:1)
Jehoram’s Reign (II Chr 21:2-20)
Ahaziah’s Reign (II Chr 22:1-9)
Athaliah’s Reign (II Chr 22:10-23:21)
Joash ‘s Reign (Chr Ch. 24)
Amaziah’s Reign (II Chr Ch. 25)
Uzziah’s Reign (II Chr Ch. 26)
Jotham’s Reign (II Chr Ch. 27)
Ahaz’s Reign (II Chr Ch. 28)
Hezekiah’s Reign (II Chr Ch. 29-32)
Manasseh’s Reign (II Chr 33:1-20)
Amon’s Reign (II Chr 33:21-25)
Josiah’s Reign (II Chr Ch 34-35)
The End of the Kingdom of Judah (II Chr 36:1-21)
Cyrus’s Edict of Return (II Chr 36:22-23)
THE THEOLOGY OF I, II CHRONICLES
The Books of Chronicles contain not mere history. They are the products of the reflections of the post-exilic people
on the past history: their life pattern, their religion, their politics, their religious customs and practices, their attitude
towards the overlords and foreigners, their hope, their future life, their faith experience etc.
1. The Unity of God’s People: All Israel:
Even several years after the Babylonian Exile and the total disappearance of the northern kingdom, the author of
Chronicles assures of the unity among the people of Israel. For him “all Israel, both north and south” is still a viable
entity.
 For him not only the tribe of Judah, but all the twelve tribes came to anoint David as king at Hebron (I Chr
11:3,4,10). But II Sam 2:1-4 mention that it was only the tribe of Judah came to Hebron to anoint David.
 Jehoshaphat is spoken as gathering people “from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them
back to the Lord” (II Chr 18:4). But Jehoshaphat lived only in Jerusalem and he appointed Levites, priests and
heads of Israelite families to judge in Jerusalem (II Chr 19:8).
 Hezekiah is reported to have invited “all Israel and Judah” to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover (II
Chr 30:1, 6, 10). All those who came from the northern kingdom when they went back to their land, they
destroyed the pagan cult sites and apparatus (II Chr 31:1).
 Josiah’s reform is extended even to the towns of Ephraim, Manasseh, Simeon and Naphtali
The term all Israel occurs at least 105 times in Hebrew Bible. Almost 40 times it occurs in the books of Chronicles.
14 of its occurrences appear in Chapters 10-36 of II Chronicles after the death of Solomon, when Israel was no
longer a political entity at all.
2. Davidic Kingship:
The Chronicles have David and Davidic dynasty as the central theme or motif. “The person and dynasty of David
forms the heartbeat of all the Chronicler’s theology” says P.R. Ackroyd. Chronicles provide the new information
concerning David that we do not find elsewhere: it includes the list of the supporters of David (I Chr Ch. 12),
combined Psalms of 96,105 and 106 (I Chr 16:4-42), details of David’s preparations for building the Temple,
instructions for musicians, gatekeepers, keepers of treasuries, officers, Judges and other officials and David’s last
words to Solomon and his people; the picture of David that emerges in I Chronicles is one of a true “man after
God’s own heart” (I Sam 13:13:14; Acts 13:22); the notice of his death shows him to have had a full and
honourable life (I Chr 29:28,30). The books of Chronicles also emphasize the Davidic Covenant (I Chr Ch. 17;
compare II Sam 7), which remains the base for the theology of the messianic kingship in the later texts of the Bible.
It also underlines the eternal aspect of the Davidic Covenant (I Chr 22:6-10; 28:2-10; 2 Chr 6:15-17; 7:17-18).
3. The Temple and Worship:
The Temple and the rituals connected with the worshiping in the Temple are prominent in I, II Chronicles. The
Temple symbolized the presence of God with the people. It is modelled after Tabernacle, which was the symbol of
God’s presence (I Chr 23:25). The Hebrew word for “Tabernacle” is miŠkān, which also means, “dwelling place”. It
was the sole legitimate place of worship (II Chr 6:6; 33:7; see also 30:3,11; 3614). Jerusalem was the capital, the centre,
the focus of all of the land of Israel and Judah. The ark was the specific place of God’s dwelling within the Temple.
It was God’s very throne (I Chr 13:6; I Sam 4:4; II Sam 6:2), the actual place where God would meet His people
and from which He would speak to them (Ex 25:22). The ark contained three items: 1) the Ten Commandments, 2)
a pot of Manna, and 3) Aaron’s Rod (Ex 25:16; 40:20; Deut 10:1-5; Heb 9:5). All the good kings in Judah are
commended for their activities in purging the land of idolatry and re-instituting true worship. In the cases of five
kings they are specially said to have rebuilt or repaired the Temple.
Asa repaired the altar of the Lord in front of the Temple (II Chr 15:8).
Joash restored the Temple (II Chr 24:4-14)
Jotham built the upper gate of the Temple (II Chr 27:3).
Hezekiah repaired, cleansed, and rededicated the Temple (II Chr Ch. 29-31).
Josiah repaired the Temple and celebrated the Passover (II Chr 34:8-35:19).
4. Reward and Punishment:
One of the theological motifs in I, II Chronicles is that of God’s reward for obedience and punishment for sin. The
theme is especially prominent in II Chr Ch. 10-36 (after the split in the kingdom). Explicit expression of this idea is
given in David’s words to Solomon in I Chr 28:9: “If you seek, he will be found; but if you forsake him, he will
reject you forever.” (the same words are spoken to Rehoboam - II Chr 12:5; Asa – II Chr 15:2; the people in
Joash’s day – II Chr 24:20). There are also several examples of people suffering for their sins reported in the Books
of Chronicles: Saul’s death is attributed to the unfaithfulness and his consulting a medium (I Ch 10:13); Uzziah’s
leprosy is attributed to his offering incense illegitimately in the Temple (II Chr 26:16); Josiah’s death is attributed
to his not listening to God’s words spoken through the Egyptian Pharaoh Neco II (II Chr 35:22). Raymond Dillard
points out that II Chr 7:14 is the key verse for the whole history of Israel: “If my people, who are called by my
name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from
heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land”. The words, “humbling oneself”, “seeking God”, “turning”,
and “healing” occur frequently and at critical junctures in the books of Chronicles. The antonyms of these words,
such as “abandon”, “forsake”, “be unfaithful”, “rebellious”, are applied to the wicked in the books of Chronicles.
Generally, through-out the Books of Chronicles the acts of piety and obedience are rewarded with 1) success and
prosperity, 2) building programmes, 3) victory in warfare, 4) progeny, 5) popular support, and 6) large armies.
Disobedience and unfaithfulness are seen bringing 1) military defeat, 2) disaffection of the population, and 3)
illness. Not every attack on Judah is seen due to its sins (II Chr 16:1; 25:13; 32:1). Punishment occasionally is
delayed until the prophets had time to confront kings and offer chances for repentance (II Chr 12:5). Whenever
suffering and punishment are linked the Chronicles go in the line of the tradition of Deuteronomy and whenever
suffering is linked with punishment the Chronicles go in the tradition of Job and Habakkuk.
5. Attitudes of heart:
The term “heart” occurs about 850 times in the OT. It occurs 63 times in I, II Chronicles: 19 times in I Chronicles
and 44 times in II Chronicles. Roddy Braun sees “the disposition of the heart” as one of the themes in I, II
Chronicles. He also notes that the phrase “with a perfect heart” or “with all the heart” which occur 21 times in I, II
Chronicles have the parallel only three times in I, II Kings. This demonstrates the special interest of the Chronicles
in this idea. We find a special emphasis on the concept of a properly disposed heart in the account of Hezekiah’s
reign: the term heart occurs 11 times in II Chronicles 29-32. But none of these occurrences has parallel in II Kings,
which again shows the Chronicler’s special interest in this idea. The attitudes of the heart are paramount
importance in relating to God: a proud heart has unacceptable to God, while a humble, willing, and whole heart
was what pleased God.
6) Prayer:
Prayer plays an important role in I, II Chronicles. There are five major prayers found in these books. These prayers
are all by good kings – David (David’s prayer of response - I Chr 17:17-27; David’s prayer of dedication - 29:10-
19), Solomon (Solomon’s prayer of dedication - II Chr 6:12-42), Jehoshaphat (Jehoshaphat’s prayer - II Chr
20:5-12), and Hezekiah (Hezekiah’s prayer - II Chr 30:18-19). There are at least two reasons for their inclusion in
Chronicles: first, they are to give a positive picture of the kings who pray; second, they provide us with rich
insights into God Himself and His desires for His people. The noun “prayer” occurs twelve times in II Chronicles
(6:19 –twice, 20, 21, 24, 26, 32, 34, 38; 7:1, 14; 30:18; 32:20, 24; 33:13). The verb “to pray” comes fifteen time in
the two books of Chronicles: 1Chr 17:25; 2 Chr 6:19, 20, 21, 24, 26, 32, 34, 38; 7:1, 14; 30:18; 32:20, 24; 33:13).
7) The Authority of Scripture:
The Chronicler held high regard for Scripture. He took great pains to reconcile or harmonize the Pentateuch with
the historical works he was dealing with. His task was to find the continuities in passages that stood in tension with
each other, bringing them into some degree of meaningful and legitimate harmony. He used the canonical books of
I, II Samuel and I, II Kings as his primary sources and supplemented them with many other canonical sources. He
used these Scriptures as springboards for addressing the needs of his own day.

________________________________
 2. EZRA (458 – 445 or 398 B.C.) & NEHEMIAH (445 – 433 B.C.)
TITLE
- The two books are the memories of both Ezra and Nehemiah
- Ezra – shortened form of Azariah, meaning Yah(weh) helps
- Nehemiah – meaning Yah(weh) comforts
- Sheshbazar – The first group of returnees under the leadership of Sheshbazar, the prince of Judah, who was
the first governor of Judah, came to Jerusalem (1)
- Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel – The second group of returnees under the leadership of Zerubbabel came to
Jerusalem (2). The total number of Returnee were 42360.
- Nehemiah – The third group of returnees under the leadership of Nehemiah came to Jerusalem (3)
- Ezra – The fourth group of returnees under the leadership of Ezra came to Jerusalem (4)
PURPOSE
- To present the life of God’s people as it is unfolded in the postexilic period, both immediately after the exile
and many years later
- The temple & religious ceremonies became the dominant elements
- The trauma of exile – No Temple, No sacrifices, the very existence of God’s people was in question – became
the main concern of the post-exilic period. It led to the unity and purity of God’s people.
- The books show that God is still faithful and gracious to his people and the people of God are still alive
and continue to live according to the faithful traditions laid down by Moses
CANON
 Always appear together, Ezra first & Nehemiah following in all lists & manuscript traditions.
 English versions have them after I + II Chronicles, as part of historical books – Ref. Josephus + Septuagint.
Such arrangements have the chorological sequencing, since the events in Ezra & Nehemiah follow those in I &
II Chronicles.
 In the Hebrew Canon, these books are found in the “Writings”
UNITY OF THE BOOKS
 Originally considered as one book.
 Until 15th Century A.D. both the books appeared in all Hebrew manuscript as one book.
 Masoretes, Jewish scribes gave one total word count for both the books at the end of Nehemiah. There
was no gap in the Masoretic manuscript tradition between Ezra (10 th chapter) and Nehemiah (1st
chapter). They were treated as parts of one text.
 Christian tradition gave the division to this book. Origin (185-253A.D.) was the first to distinguish between
the two books. Jerome, 4th century AD, divided them into two in his vulgate. The divisions in the Hebrew Bible
come in the Middle Ages because of the influence of the Christian tradition.
I & II ESDRAS & EZRA - NEHEMIAH CONNECTION
 Several non-canonical books have Ezra’s name. Some of them have parallel biblical materials. But others do
not have. The 2 most commonly known are 1 & 2 Esdras in English versions.
 I Esdras - It reproduces the substance of II Chronicles (35-36), all of Ezra and part of Nehemiah (7:38-8:12).
It emphasizes the contributions of Josiah, Zerubbabel & Ezra to the reform of Israelite worship. It is in Greek
(9 chapters). It duplicates the biblical materials of the above-mentioned books but with differences.
 Josephus made use of 1 Esdras to write the history of Jewish people instead of Ezra & Nehemiah.
 Septuagint names 1 Esdras as Esdras Alpha.
  II Esdras – It is different from 1 Esdras. It is an Apocalyptic book. We find only one Apocalyptic book in
Apocrypha. It denounces the wickedness of Rome (Babylon) and wrestles with the question of theodicy
(Vindication of God’s Justice).
 Latin Vulgate names Ezra & Nehemiah as I & II Esdras while it names 1 Esdras as III Esdras and the II
Esdras as IV Esdras. IV Esdras is also known in Vulgate as the Apocalypse of Ezra.
AUTHERSHIP
 Talmud (Baba Bathra 15 a) – Ezra, the author of both I & II Chronicles and Ezra – Nehemiah.
 It is assumed that the author of I & II Chronicles wrote Ezra & Nehemiah and it is not Ezra the author of
these books of Chronicler history.
 Author of I + II Chronicles is different from the author of Ezra & Nehemiah.
 Ezra & Nehemiah have many sections written in 1st person (Ezra 7:27-28; 8:1-34; 9:1-15; Neh 1:1-7:5;
12:27-43; 13:4-31 (3:1-31). It leads us to say that Ezra & Nehemiah could have written these books?
 In Nehemiah Chapters 8-10, Ezra is the major figure.
MAJOR SOURCES

A historical review (Ezra 1-6) I (Events in 539-515 B.C. – Return & Rebuilding the Temple)
Ezra’s memoirs (Ezra 7-10) I Ezra - 458 B.C.

Nehemiah’s memoirs (Neh 1-7) II

Nehemiah - 445 B.C.
Ezra’s memoirs (Neh 8-10) II Ezra - 458 B.C.
Nehemiah’s memoirs (Neh 11-13) II Nehemiah – 445 B.C.

Ezra ministry (458-445 B.C.) – 13 years; Nehemiah ministry (445-433 B.C.) – 12 years
Nehemiah - Governor of Judah and Ezra – Priest during the reign of Artaxerxes I (465-424 B.C.)
There is also a possibility of Ezra – Priest having come after Nehemiah and during the reign of Artaxerxes II (404-
359 B.C.)?

The Chronology of the Post -exilic Syrian Kings

559-530 – Cyrus II (the great)

530-522 – Cambyses
522-486 – Darius I
486-465 – XERXES (Ahasuerus)
465-423 – Artaxerxes I
423-404 – Darius II Nothus
404-359 – Artaxerxes II Mnemon

The Historical Dates according to the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah

Capturing Babylon (Cyrus II) – 539 B.C.

Cyrus issued degree – the Edict of Toleration (Ezra 1:1) – 538 B.C.
Jews return to Palestine (Ezra 2) – 538/37 B.C.
Altar rebuilt (Ezra 3:2) – 538/37 B.C.
Foundation for the Temple laid (Ezra 3:8-10) – 536 B.C.
Opposition encountered (Ezra 4:1-5-5:24) 536-520 B.C.
The Edict of Toleration was found at Ecbatana – 520 B.C.
Temple completed (Hag 1:14-15; Ezra 6:15) 520-515 B.C.
Opposition to Jews in Jerusalem during the reign of Xerxes or Ahasuerus (Ezra 4:6) 485?
Esther & Mordecai rise in the Persian court 484-465 B.C.
Further opposition to Jews in Jerusalem during the reign of Artaxerxes I (Ezra 4:7) 463 B.C.?
Ezra returned to Jerusalem (Ezra 7:1-8) 458 B.C.
Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem (Neh 2:1) 445 B.C.
Nehemiah visited Babylon & returned to Jerusalem (Neh 13:6-7) 433 B.C.
EZRA AFTER NEHEMIAH?
Not during the reign of Artaxerxes I (464-423 B.C.), i.e., 458 B.C. Ezra could have come in the 7 th year of
Artaxerxes II (404-359 B.C.) – 398 B.C.?
The reasons are the following:
1. If Ezra & Nehemiah are contemporaries then the books should have shown them as associates in their
mission. But there are only 2 references which bring both of them together in these books (Neh 8:9; 12:26).
But all the information that we get in these two references are that Ezra was a religious figure (priest &
scribe) and Nehemiah was administrator and Governor)
2. When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem he found the walls destroyed (Neh 1:3; 2:13,17). Whereas Ezra
thanked God for a “Wall of protection in Judah & Jerusalem” (Ezra 9:9). Was it the actual wall (hômāh) of
Jerusalem or it was simply a Metaphor (Wall = Gādēr in Ezra not hômāh) in Ezra?
3. Ezra & Nehemiah deal the mixed marriages of Jews (Ezra 9-10; Neh 13:23-28). The date of Nehemiah doing
this could be dated, i.e., after he returned from his visit to Babylon to meet the king Artaxerxes I (433 B.C.).
But we do not have a definite date of Ezra’s dealing the mixed marriages (458 B.C.?)
The conclusions could be:
* Ezra was a great leader. If the traditional date of Ezra (458 B.C.) is accepted then it is meant to say that the
ministry of Ezra was a failure and there was a need of Nehemiah to work further after Ezra in that area. So Ezra
(398 B.C.) could be placed after Nehemiah (445 B.C.).
* It is more logical to think of the harsher remedies of Ezra could have come later than Nehemiah’s more gentle
remedies with human touch. In that case, Ezra (398?) could have come only after Nehemiah (445 B.C.).
COMPOSITION
Kidener (Chronicles’ specialist) dates the composition of the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah during the time of
Darius II (423-404 B.C.).
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
The stories happened during the Persian Empire (539 –333 B.C.)
The period is the Post exilic (immediate & later)
The people who were not exiled and lived in the territories of Judah and Israel were called the “People of the land”
(Ez 4:1-5). These people mingled with those who were brought and resettled in Samaria (Ez 4:10,17) by
Esarhaddon (668-669 B.C.) after the Assyrian captivity. Ref. in Ezra 4:1-5. We have also another reading telling
that it was Shalmaneser V (726-722) who brought people from Mesopotamia – II Kings 17:24-26. The Samaritans
here mean only those live in the city Samaria and not the Samaritans (race) of 1st cent B.C. and Jesus time.

A. EZRA (458 -445 or 398 B.C.)

NAME
 Priestly lineage, Zadok, Priest of David’s and Solomon’s days, from the line of Aaron
 Ezra, from Babylon (not from Persia – Ezra 7:6)
 He had royal authorization to teach the law of the Jews & to take all necessary steps to re-institute the
sacrificial system (Ezra 7:11-26)
 Scribe (well versed in the Law of Moses – Ezra 7:6)
 Devoted himself to the study & observances of the Law of the Lord & to teaching its decrees & Law in
Israel (Ezra 7:10).
 The priest and teacher, A man learned in matters concerning the commands and decrees of the Lord of Israel
(Ezra 7:11)
 Great figure in post biblical Judaism placed on a par with Moses and credited along with the men of Great
synagogue.
THE DIVISION OF THE BOOK OF EZRA
Zerubbabel’s Return from Exile (Ezra Ch. 1-2)
Zerubbabel Rebuilding the Temple (Ezra Ch. 3-6)
Ezra’s return (Ezra Ch.7-8)
Ezra’s Reform (Ezra Ch. 9-10)
REFORMS
1 The problem of marriages to foreigners.
2 His commission as teaching the Law (Neh 8-10)
1) Inter Marriages with foreigners
 God JWHW forbidding the people of Israel to marry the people of the land of Canaan and to take the
daughters of the foreigners as wives (Ref. Ex 34:11-16; Deut 7:1-4).
i) It polluted Israel’s faith & religion (IKgs 3:1; 11:1-8).
 But we have the record of the Patriarchs have entered into intermarriages
Abraham - Hagar (Egyptian -Gen 16:3)
Joseph - Asenath (Egyptian - Gen 41:45)
Moses - Zipporah (Midianite -Ex 2:21); Cushite woman (Num 12:1)
Boaz - Ruth (Moabite Ruth 4
David - Maachah, Geshurite (II Sam 3:3)
 The foreigners are listed in various places in the Bible. They are the following
Ezra 9:1 - Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, Amorites
Deut 7:1- Hittites, Giragashites, Hivites, Jebusites, Perizzites, Canaanites, and Amorites
Ex 34:11 – Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites
ii) Holy race (holy seed) has been polluted
Israel as holy nation (Ex 19:6)
Godly seed (Mal 2:15; Is 6:13)
Fasting & tearing out his own hair (Ezra 9:3-5). With distress and mourning the heart felt prayer &
confession (9:6-15)
List of offenders is given (Ezra 10:18-43)
Religious officials (Ezra 10:18-24)
Laity (Ezra 10:25-43)
There was a list of 27 Clergymen and 84 laymen totaling 111 persons violating the Law of Marriage.
2) Teaching the Book of the Law
Ezra presents the Law in its positive aspects as an enlightening force (Neh 8:8). He also explains that the Law of
Moses to be the witness to God as liberator & provider (Neh 8:9-18).
B. NEHEMIAH (445 – 433 B.C.)
NEHEMIAH, THE PERSON
 Nehemiah returned to Judah with the commission to do the civil duty and not religious duty.
 He was King’s Cup - bearer (Neh 1:11)
 He was assigned to rebuild the city (Neh 1:7-8).
 He was a gifted administrator.
 He was well prepared and equipped for his tasks (Neh 1:4,11; 2:6-8). He asked for several specifics from the
king: amount of time for the projects, as well as authorization for passage to Judah and for materials to be
provided.
 He was full of self-confidence as well as confident in God. His self-confidence is seen by his response to
the men who married foreign women. He cursed, beaten, tore out their hair (Neh 13:25).
 Ezra tore out his own hair (Ezra 9:3). He did everything after praying to God – We prayed to our God and
posted a guard day & night to meet the threat (Neh 4:9; also 2:4-5; 4:14, 20)
 A transparent man (Neh 5:10). He revealed that he and his household have been engaged in lending
practices that imposed hardship on people. He advised the rich Jews to stop such practices.
 A late Intertestamental writing mentions of a Library founded by Nehemiah (II Mac 2:13).
DIVISION OF THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH
Nehemiah’s Return to Jerusalem (Neh Ch 1-2)
Wall Rebuilding begun (Ch. 3-4)
Internal and External Problems (Neh Ch 5:1-7:3)
Covenant Renewal (Neh Ch. 8-10)
Internal Problems (Neh Ch 11-13)
REFORM
1. Rebuilding the city walls (Neh Ch. 2-6)
i. He surveyed the damaged city walls (Neh 2:11-16)
ii. He organized rebuilding (Neh Ch. 3)
iii. He countered opposition against rebuilding (Neh Ch. 4 & 6)
2. Reading the Law in collaboration with Ezra
Nehemiah participated with Ezra in reading of the Law, celebration of the feast of Tabernacles, separation of
foreigners & confession of sins (Neh 8:1-10:27)
3. Nehemiah instituted religious reforms on 3 occasions (Neh 5:1-19; 10:28-39; 13:1-31)
a) Neh 5:1-19 – Advising the rich Jews to give back the property of the poor got for mortgage.
i. Starving & no resources to purchase food (Neh 5:2)
ii. Life threatening due to famine. People were mortgaging their property to buy food (Neh 5:3)
iiii. People also have to mortgage their property and had to sell their children in order to pay the tax to the
king (Neh 5:5)
The lending of money at interest per se is seen here not from the point of view of its legality, but from the
point of view of Justice, the spirit of the law. His advice to the wealthy Jews was that they should do
financial sacrifice: to give up legally obtained properties voluntarily and with no compensation. He himself
sacrificed the beneficiaries entitled to him as governor (Neh 5:14-18).
b) Neh 10:28-39 - Participated with Ezra in reading the Law & in a Covenant commitment ceremony. The
people unanimously decided to obey both the letter and spirit of the law.
i. People decided to separate themselves from foreigners & all of them forswore the mixed marriages (Neh
10:28-30)
ii The problems of Sabbath (Neh 10:31). When the foreigners were selling something on the Sabbath day
the Jews were forbidden to buy them. They also reaffirm the provisions of the Sabbath day (Ex 21:2-6;
23:10-11).
iii. Temple tax for support of the Temple and its ceremonies (Neh 10:32-3)
iv. Wood offering for the altar (Neh 10:34; also ref. Lev 6:12-13; MT Lev 6: 5-6)
v. Supporting the Temple personal, priests, Levites (Neh 10:35-39)
“We will not neglect the house of our God” (Neh 10:39c) was the expression of their basic
commitment to the law.
c) Neh 13:1-31 - Purification of any contamination, establishment of correct worship and provision of all
things (13:30-31).
i. The foreigners are barred from being admitted into the assembly of God (Neh 13:1-3)
ii. The Temple premise was not used as apartment. Tobiah was removed by the order of Nehemiah when the
priest Eliashib offered him a space in the storerooms in the absence of Nehemiah (Neh 13:4-9).
iii. When the Levites and the Temple singers were forced to work in the field in order to survive, Nehemiah
ordered the people to bring their tithes and set up treasurers of storehouses to assure a regular flow of
distribution to the Temple personnel (Neh 13:12-13).
iv. He ensured that the Sabbath observance is not neglected both by Jews and the foreigners (Neh 12:15-22).
 v. Nehemiah’s attitude towards the mixed marriages with the foreigners was initially aggressive and strong
than Ezra (Ezra 9:3-5). But the text does not say that the foreigners were sent away, but rather he asked
the people to swear not to take foreign wives any more (Neh 13:25).
vi. Even to the family of High Priest, Nehemiah was strict as far as the Intermarriage is concerned (Neh
12:28-29). Nehemiah chased the offenders away.
THEOLOGY OF EZRA – NEHEMIAH
1. God’s people
This theme has three aspects
a. Second Exodus
 Since the people of God after exile are the descendants of the people before exile the
promises given to them are also applicable to the people after exile. This thinking is essential because the exile
has made the people to question the presence of God with them and the future of the people of God. In that case
Exodus from Babylon & return home to Jerusalem as found in Ezra could be compared to the exodus from
Egypt and the first entry into the Promised Land – Exodus people. For example, the returnees were provided
many valuable articles by their neighbours for their trip back (Ezra 1:6), which echoes the Egyptians doing the
similar thing (Ex 12:35-36)
 Many elements in Ezra and Nehemiah suggest a strong concern to do things in
accordance with the Mosaic Law. It shows people’s faithfulness to the Law of Moses. Moses himself is
referred to ten times in the two books, each time in connection with the law (Ezra 3:2; 6:18; 7:6; Neh 1:7, 8;
8:1, 14; 9:14; 10:29; 13:1). Some people could not eat the sacred foods until a priest was present with the Urim
and Thummim (Ezra 2:63; Also ref. Ex 28:30; Lev 8:8; Num 27:1).
b. Unified – Community Spirit
 Unity of the people is an important motive in Ezra and Nehemiah. For example, the combined actions of the
entire community in rebuilding the Temple (Ezra Ch. 3; 6:13-18) and the walls of Jerusalem many years later
(Neh 3-4,6). The willingness of many to move to Jerusalem to repopulate the city shows the community spirit
of the inhabitants (Neh Ch. 11).
c. Separated
 The well-being of the post-exilic community rested in its remaining uncontaminated by
contact with its unbelieving neighbours. The purity of the nation and the religious practices became very
essential to emphasis the observance of the law, to identify with the pre-exilic Israel, and to bring unity in
the community. The separation from foreign wives under both men was a drastic measure to ensure the purity
of Israel’s religious practices. The main issue in the problem of foreign wives was that the Jewish children
were no longer speaking their own language (Neh 13:24). In the post-exilic period strict measures regarding
the contact with the foreigners were taken for the survival of Israel’
2. Temple Worship
 The major focus of attention in both books, especially in Ezra is the Temple and the worship.
The books interested in how the temple was built; What kind of feasts slowly entered into the worshiping in the
Temple; who took the responsibility of serving in the temple for offerings and sacrifices.
3. Importance to scripture
 The obedience to the Mosaic Law is an important motif in both books of Ezra and Nehemiah. The Mosaic
laws are prominently found in the Scripture. This led to the reading of the Scripture alongside sacrificing as an
essential part of the Jew’s religious service. The reading of the Scripture was made as a public reading (Neh
8:4-5; Ref also II Chr 6:13)). The reading of the Scripture was done on the first day of the seventh month,
which was the feast month par excellence. In this month come the day of Trumpets (Lev 23:24; Num 29:1), the
day of Atonement (Lev 16:29; 23:27; 25:9), the feast of tabernacles (Lev 23:34,39,41) and other solemn days
(Num 29:7,12ff). The reading of the Law was equaled with the building of the Temple (Neh 7:73-8:1 =
Ezra 3:1). The purpose of reading the Law was for the purpose of the people to understand. The word
understand occurs six times in Neh 8:1-12. The point emphasized here through the understanding is that the
 people confess, repent and reform. Another important aspect of reading the Scripture is that there is rejoicing
after the reading not mourning (Neh 8:9-12).
4. Prayer
 Prayer also plays an important role in Ezra and Nehemiah. Three extended prayers of
confession are recorded in these books: 1) On the occasion of Ezra discovering the mixed marriages (Ezra 9:6-
15). The prayer of Ezra in Ch. 9 is a model prayer of a leader. This prayer contains the true confession and an
attitude of repentance; 2) when Nehemiah heard about the poor conditions of Jerusalem (Neh 1:5-11). The
prayer of Nehemiah is an example of a person whose heart is attuned to God; 3) on the occasion of people
reading the Law (Neh 9: 5-37). The prayer of the people found in Nehemiah Ch. 9 is of a piece with several
psalms: Ps 78, 105, 106, 135, 136. The emphasis here is upon God’s graciousness and the people’s
rebelliousness.
 There are also short prayers found in these books. People praying for help on their journey
homeward (Ezra 8:21-23). Nehemiah is famous for his short prayers – “I prayed to God of heaven, and I
answered the king” (Neh 2:4-5). Ref. also 5:19; 6:9, 14; 13:14, 22, 29, 31.
5. God’s grace to the people
 The Lord’s graciousness to His people is an important motif in these books. The people
looked at the Persians’ benevolent policies toward their subject peoples as a sign of God’s grace (Ezra 7:6, 28;
Neh 2:8). Mighty hand or good hand of JHWH is seen as the visible sign of God’s grace. “God’s hand” is
mentioned nine times in these books
6 times in Ezra (7:6,9,28; 8:18.22.31)
Mighty hand and good hand 9 times
3 times in Nehemiah (1:10; 2:8, 18)
 It reveals that the people saw only the hand of God in the activities of Persian kings and other
people who helped the Israelites.
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