The books of Ezra and Nehemiah hold much confusion for Biblical scholars, as far as chronology is concerned. Some conclude Ezra and Nehemiah were contemporaries, while others believe Ezra arrived in Jerusalem over 50 years after Nehemiah’s ministry. Actually, the chronology of the books is very simple, IF, and only if, one decides with Jesus’ conclusion that scripture cannot or must not be read in a manner that forces it to contradict itself (John 10:35). In other words, one must labor to find a way in which two or more passages of scripture will not contradict. If this is done successfully, one would probably hold the truth of the matter in mind. How is this so, or why must this be done? It is because names of places have changed; sometimes people are known by more than one name; indeed, worldviews change from one age to another, so how one looks at something said in the scriptures triggers a different context of understanding than the original. Therefore, if one labors to understand the original meaning of the text, vis-à-vis what it meant to the original audience, one may very well be rewarded with the truth.
Reading genealogies is so boring; isn’t that true? Yet, from time to time, depending on the context of one’s study, they are very revealing. For example, none of the names that we find written in Ezra 8:1-14 are recorded in either the Book of Ezra or the Book of Nehemiah as having assisted in the rebuilding projects of either the Temple of God or the walls surrounding Jerusalem. That should come as a surprise for anyone who believes that the Decree of Artaxerxes had anything to do with either building project, and there are Biblical scholars who believe the decree permitted the building project to continue to its conclusion. Nevertheless, if none of the folks that Artaxerxes released to rebuild the Temple or the city are found to have participated in that labor, how can anyone conclude the Decree of Artaxerxes had anything to do with the Seventy Weeks Prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27?
The labor of building the Temple began with Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, and Joshua, the high priest. It was they and those with them who rebuilt the Altar of God on the Feast of Trumpets, immediately following their coming to Jerusalem after being released by Cyrus from their captivity in Babylon (Ezra 3:1-3), and the Seventy Weeks Prophecy begins there. Moreover, the project of rebuilding the Temple continued from the second month of the second year, after being released from Babylon (Ezra 3:8). Additionally, the text claims that, after both the leaders and the rest of the men who came out of the captivity, vis-à-vis the folks listed in the genealogy found in chapter two of the Book of Ezra, laid the foundations of the Temple, they paused to celebrate the fruit of their labor (Ezra 3:8-13). Nevertheless, after about a year or two, and after no little frustration created by the Samaritans, the labor ceased by the order of Cambyses, king of Persia (Ezra 4:1-6).
It didn’t begin again until the coming of Nehemiah, and it is reveled in his account that the building project included the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls (Nehemiah 4:1-7). Moreover, those who took part on this building project included the folks of the generation that was born in Judah after the children of the captivity returned to Jerusalem from Babylon, and they are listed in chapter three of the Book of Nehemiah! In each case, the name mentioned lists his father/grandfather as being one of those who returned to Jerusalem from Babylon with Zerubbabel, the governor, and Joshua, the high priest.[1] Genealogies are boring to read, but they are important to show some very important things, including the timeframe, showing when certain events occurred, and who was involved. So, let me repeat, none of the names listed in Ezra 8:1-14 who returned with Ezra in the seventh year of Artaxerxes, the king of Persia (cp. Ezra 7:7), participated in the building project at Jerusalem. What can we conclude from this point? The conclusion of the matter is that Ezra and company arrived after the building project was over. The Temple was already completed, and its dedication was celebrated a year prior to the release of Ezra (Ezra 6:15-18). Moreover, the city and its walls were also complete, and Ezra and company arrived in Jerusalem just in time (a few weeks prior), to participate in the celebration of dedicating the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 12:27, 35-36).
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[1] For example, Eliashib, the officiating high priest during the days when Nehemiah was in authority over the building project at Jerusalem, helped build the wall beginning at the Sheep Gate (Nehemiah 3:1). He was the grandson of Joshua the high priest, who had come up from the captivity (Nehemiah 12:10; cp. Ezra 2:2). Meremoth built the wall near the Fish Gate (Nehemiah 3:3), and he was the son of Urijah (Nehemiah 3:4), the son of Koz (cp. Ezra 2:61), and so on.
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146 responses to “The Chief Men Who Returned with Ezra”
The chosen Cohen people began with the brit cut between the pieces. The revelation of the Torah further defines the meaning and purpose of avodat HaShem, Jewish cultural and customs which define the behavior and social interactions of the chosen cohen nation – in an ideal sense. Obviously the ideal and the practical – a gap forever separates the one from the other. Like a persons’ potential and the same persons’ actual accomplishments.
The Talmud teaches in the opening pages of mesechta avoda zarah that all Goyim abandoned the oath brit faith. Torah precedents: the Tower of Bavl, the floods of Noach, and the destruction of Sodom serve as direct Torah precedents from which Talmudic common law in mesechta avoda zarah reached its posok halachic ruling.
A communist atheist has his own personal belief system just as do all Xtians and Muslims who worship avoda zarah foreign Gods. The Mishna teaches that a Jew who contemplates about God, better that that Jew should never have been born!
The prophetic mussar commanded by Moshe addresses the struggle of the Yatzir Ha’Rah within the bnai brit Heart. In Hebrew the Torah mispells Heart as לבב rather than לב. Rabbi Yechuda the Head of the Great Sanhedrin Court teaches: why spell heart as לבב? His understanding: that the heart houses the opposing spirits known as the Yatzir Ha’Tov and the Yatzir Ha’Rah: the good and evil inclinations.
Prophets do not predict the future. That’s a tumah form of witchcraft. Prophets command prophetic mussar that applies to all generations of the Jewish people living regardless of the generation which they live. A subtle distinction which discerns the understanding of Like from Like.
Latter days a bad translation of all future born generations! Translations suck. The prophetic mussar known as G’lut/exile, opens with the expulsion of Adam from the Garden, the exile of Noach within his Ark, the oath that the future born seed of Avram would endure exile in a foreign land. The story of the salvation from Egyptian slavery etc etc etc. The theme of g’lut Xtian theologians failed to grasp. The assumed that Jews, having killed god – who was a historic man – must wonder the Earth like the sin imposed upon Caine. Their apostle Paul perverted Oral Torah which teaches the prophetic mussar of g’lut/exile. His replacement theology substituted “Original Sin” guilt trip. Man must believe in JeZeus who atones for “Original Sin” of Adam…. He died for you!
The 2nd commandment learns from the precedent of the Golden Calf. In the Golden Calf Israel translated the revelation of the Spirit Name to the word אלהים/Gods. The abomination of Xtian & Muslim avoda zarah likewise translates the revelation of the Spirit Name in the 1st Sinai commandment to Lord or Allah etc. Xtianity and Islam both worship Golden Calves other Gods. They have no clue how to pronounce the Name of HaShem which the Cohen Ha’Gadol/High Priest pronounced on Yom Kippor achieving a tohor time oriened commandment which Creates the World from Nothing!
The word אלהים applies to Judicial Justices. But your translation of Tehillem פב:א fails to grasp this subtle distinction which separates Like from Like.
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Greetings Mosckerr, good talk! :-)
Whether ideal or practical, the idea is to reach out to the nations/goyim. You don’t, but Christians do! You despise us for being “unclean” or some other repulsive thought. Jonah was your most successful prophet. The Assyrians listened to him, but he objected. He wanted to see them die. The Lord, however, was willing to show mercy to them, because of their ignorance (Jonah 4:11),
So… how are you innocent? Jerusalem was destroyed twice, and the Temple twice. Was this because you were so faithful? Since the rebellion in Eden, mankind is prone to do evil, whether Goyim or Jew. There is no one innocent here.
I’m missing something here, because I don’t get your logic. “A Jew who contemplates about God, better that that Jew should never have been born!” Really? If we can’t contemplate about God, what he does, what he’s like etc., how could we ever become ‘like’ him (Genesis 1:27)? Jonah reluctantly obeyed God, but he wasn’t “like” him. He preached but he didn’t know why, because he wasn’t able to see the Lord’s mercy in his command to preach to the Ninevites.
As for non-Jews worshiping foreign gods, we have different worldviews, and you’re preaching yours.
I’m more inclined to think that the copyist hiccupped. :-)
It seems to me that Bar Kokhba took Baalim seriously, and Rabbi Akiva believed he was the Messiah. Jeremiah predicted the Jews would be ruled by Babylon for 70 years, after which Babylon would be judged. In what way was that for Jews of every generation?
Really? Does the Tanakh suck? It is a translation too! The Jewish Publication Society translates the phrase as “the end of days” at Deuteronomy 31:29, and the same phrase is used by Jacob in Genesis 49:1, and the JPS translates it the same way. I don’t think there is much difference in the translation of the JPS to English than any of the Christian translations. It appears to me that you believe only Jews can translate Hebrew, but even Jews (JPS) differ from the Tanakh and are more like the goyim translations for this Hebrew phrase/word.
Who are you quoting from? While I admit that some “scholar” may have said that about the Jews, but certainly not every one of them. I think you are cherry picking here. I may be wrong, but it certainly appears like you are.
Gotta love the skeptic satire here. There is absolutely nothing in any of the four Gospel narratives that you could point to that would make Jesus out to be like the Greek’s Zeus, but you’re not the first Jew who used that on me, and I doubt you’ll be the last.
So, Noah was exiled in the ark for about a year (give or take). The seed of Abraham were exiled in Egypt for about 400 years (give or take). Most of Israel had to endure being scattered throughout the nations after the Lord “divorced” Israel and Judah, but a remnant returned after 70 years (give or take). Yet, the tragedy of 70 AD lasted for nearly 2000 years, and that’s called an exile? Moreover, after being in the land for nearly 100 years, you still haven’t rebuilt your Temple–the House of your Covenant God. Not only so, but most Jews are still wandering in the lands of the goyim. What’s that all about? The Diaspora have existed for nearly 3000 years (give or take). When does this “exile” end, or will it?
I’m not a Jew (at least I don’t know of any ancestors who were Jews), and the Islamic folks aren’t Jews, so in our specific languages we’ve come up with a word that makes sense. The word “Lord” offers at least some respect to God when speaking of him. Allah, I’ll have to leave that to the Islamic folks to tell us why they use it. You use HaShem or “The Name”. Yet, no one, not any of us or even you, a Jew is able to say the Name of God. You can blow through as many shofars as you would like, but unless you blow through a shofar when you swear by the name of God (Jeremiah 12:16), you aren’t really **saying** his name. No one can **say** it. It is breath, the wind, spirit.
I’m lost here. I don’t know what this refers to. Maybe I should, but I can’t recall mentioning this.
[[[the idea is to reach out to the nations/goyim. You don’t, but Christians do!]]] Your imaginary man told the Samaritan woman that he did not come to assist her. John 4:1-26.
[[You despise us for being “unclean” or some other repulsive thought. ]] No. We Jews “despise” that Goyim condemn Jews over words whose meanings they do not in the least wise understand. The Hebrew term תומא/tumah does not mean “unclean” or “impure”. Your reliance upon corrupt and evil translations so utterly sophomoric.
Quoting from a sealed Prophetic text amounts to the same thing as tumah translated as unclean! What mussar does the Book of Yonah command the generations of Israel? This basic fundamental question Xtian avoda zarah never asks.
[[So… how are you innocent? Jerusalem was destroyed twice, and the Temple twice. Was this because you were so faithful?]] The T’NaCH does not concern Goyim. They exist as but mere props in the background. T’NaCH commands mussar. Only Jews search for the hidden treasure gems of T’NaCH mussar. Avoda zarah could care a less about T’NaCH mussar. Proof that Goyim exist merely as only props, like the cardboard structures of a play.
[[how are you innocent? Jerusalem was destroyed twice, and the Temple twice.]] A Xtian theology of innocent? This has nothing to do with Torah common law. Justice focuses upon the courts making a fair compensation for damages inflicted by a Jew upon another Jew. Innocent a completely foreign and alien substitute theology.
The destruction of the 2 Temple teaches the mussar touching t’shuva for avoda zarah. King Shlomo copied the culture and customs popular among Goyim/Props (((a double blind test in science. A double-blind test is a scientific experiment or study in which neither the test subjects (participants) nor the administrators (researchers) know which individuals belong to the control group (usually receiving a placebo or standard treatment) and which belong to the experimental group (receiving the new treatment or intervention))).
[[[ If we can’t contemplate about God, what he does, what he’s like etc., how could we ever become ‘like’ him (Genesis 1:27)?]]]
The Torah directly states nothing in the Stars Seas or Earth like unto HaShem. This alien avoda zarah of being like HIM. Falls back on צלם אלהים/image of God. Brain-dead literal translations. אלהים as previously mentioned understood as judicial justices. The ideal of Divine justice and Human justice both being tohor and righteous defines “image of God” bad translations.
[[[As for non-Jews worshiping foreign gods, we have different worldviews, and you’re preaching yours.]]] G’lut Jews, prior to the Shoah, did not teach Torah to Goyim. My wife rebuked my communications with you.
But as a Torah judge myself, it seems to me that Israel has left the curse of g’lut. Now the shoe of g’lut worn by guilty Goyim, like the Palestinians for example. On the fast of the 9th of Av, where g’lut Jews mourn the destruction of the 2 Temples I hold a festive holiday! Rejoice Jewish avoda zara of assimilating to the foreign culture and customs of building Catholic like Cathedrals utterly destroyed!!! Whoooooooooop rejoice jump up and down and sing and dance!
Israelis like myself no longer in cursed g’lut. Now we seek to address our Torah oath brit alliance to rule this land with righteous lateral common law Sanhedrin courtrooms. I sat on the Sanhedrin courts small and Great. Alas my rabbinic peers still confuse cursed statute law with blessed common law and the Sanhedrin attempt failed in the early 2000s.
[[I’m more inclined to think that the copyist hiccupped.]] A far fetched idea. Something like the Muslims who say that the Jews changed the Torah. They argue that Ishmael Avraham offered on the altar and not Yitzak. Yet fail to define how the Torah understands the term korbanot/sacrifices! Utterly lame.
The Goyim reject to this very day the revelation of the Torah. The Xtian bible or Muslim koran avoda zarah abominations never once bring the Name of HaShem. Only their Golden Calf word translations! So why should Jews waste our time speaking with Goyim who reject the revelation of the Torah in the first place?
My wife asked me this very question as we swam in our pool and relaxed together at the end of the day. Forbidden to teach Torah to Goyim. Why? Because Goyim by definition reject the revelation of the Torah at Sinai. I said to my wife, that I do not teach your PARDES logic but rather only Talmudic conclusions reached the result of PARDES logic. The latter Oral Torah, not the former – despite its label as “Oral Torah”. The Talmud Bavli codified in about 450 CE simply not the Oral Torah revelation at Horev. Obviously. The PARDES logic system by which the sages reached their halachic opinions DEFINITELY from the revelation of the 13 middot revealed to Moshe at Horev. Goyim do not have the slightest clue how this PARDES logic works, and its not my place to teach Goyim this logic format.
Isaiah מד:כח referred to Cyrus the Great as the Messiah!!!! This term Moshiach not limited to the טיפש פשט of Xtian literalism. This term based upon korbanot which require a defined dedication. The kings of Israel, both Yechuda and Israel, “anointed” (that’s what the word Moshiach literally means) for the purpose of pursuing the faith of seeking justice among our people. David the ideal, failed in the matter of the baal of Bat Sheva. All the other kings, mostly experienced “bad hair days”.
Rabbi Akiva anointed Bar Kochba to drive out the Romans. But the general failed when his army did not pursue and destroy the Roman legions stationed in Damascus! Furthermore the general did not make his war against Rome together with the Jews of Alexandria Egypt. A critical error in his strategic planning.
All translations made on the T’NaCH “sucks”. The translation “the end of days” refers to prophetic mussar which applies straight across the board to all generations of Israel. Proof that translations suck.
[[[ It appears to me that you believe only Jews can translate Hebrew]]] Just because a Jew fluent in Hebrew does not mean shit. The classic Aramaic targum/translations made by the top scholars of the generations not by some Yid to translates words limited to a literal interpretation. PARDES logic takes a lifetime to master, and even then most Jewish scholars including myself bearly scratch the surface. Hence this PARDES logic called the Ein Sof or infinity.
[[[Who are you quoting from? While I admit that some “scholar” may have said that about the Jews, but certainly not every one of them. I think you are cherry picking here. I may be wrong, but it certainly appears like you are.]]] Catholic theologians said the Jews are cursed and must wander the earth as despised exiles for 2000 years in virtually all generations up to the disputed 2nd Vatican Council.
[[[There is absolutely nothing in any of the four Gospel narratives that you could point to that would make Jesus out to be like the Greek’s Zeus, ]]] Both this and that revisionist history mythology. Xtianity like a gold idol has to have a historic physical Jesus. Just as the Greek Gods on Mt. Olympus the Greeks believe a physical literal location. Like as do the silly Xtians believe that the Universe created in 6 days.
[[[the tragedy of 70 AD lasted for nearly 2000 years, and that’s called an exile?]]] Yes. That’s called exile.
[[[Moreover, after being in the land for nearly 100 years, you still haven’t rebuilt your Temple–the House of your Covenant God.]]] G-d forbid that Jews behave like dogs and return and eat our own vomit. The Temples a disgrace upon the Jewish people for all eternity. My generation has yet to restore the Torah as the Constitution of the Republic and the Federal lateral common law Sanhedrin Federal court system. But we work to achieve this vision of faith. Justice Justice Pursue!!!!
The Torah commands the mussar of the Golden Calf, Israel translated the Spirit Divine Presence revelation Name to WORDS. Goyim to this very day worship Golden Calves.
[[[ Yet, no one, not any of us or even you, a Jew is able to say the Name of God. You can blow through as many shofars as you would like, but unless you blow through a shofar when you swear by the name of God (Jeremiah 12:16), you aren’t really **saying** his name. ]]] Another example of a טייפש פשט literalism. Its not the shofar that blows the Spirit of the Divine Presence Name but the heart of the Bnai Brit Jew. The Shofar only functions as a prop. Just as Goyim only function as a Prop. Just that simple.
[[[I’m lost here. I don’t know what this refers to. Maybe I should, but I can’t recall mentioning this.]]] Tehillem 82:1. The Tehillem counts by means of the Hebrew number system not the Roman number system.
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