Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezra 6:20
For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them [were] pure, and killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
20. The explanatory ‘for’ means that this celebration of the Passover could take place, because the priests and Levites had duly prepared themselves for it by ceremonial purification.
the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure ] R.V. the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together (Heb. as one); all of them were pure. ‘Had purified themselves’: the reflexive is the accurate rendering of the original.
together ] Lit. ‘as one’: see Ezr 2:64, Ezr 3:9.
The rendering of the R.V. represents the ceremonial purification to have been jointly performed by priests and Levites, who were therefore all ‘pure’ and capable of sacrificial acts. The only difficulty arises from the following clause. How can it be said that ‘the priests and Levites killed the passover for their brethren the priests, and for themselves?’ The words ‘for their brethren the priests’ shew that the subject of the last clause must be the Levites alone; and that the mention of the priests belongs to the two first clauses. Compare 2Ch 29:34, ‘their brethren the Levites did help them, till the work was ended, and until the priests had sanctified themselves: for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests’ (cf. 2Ch 30:3). The small number of Levites who had returned were, we must suppose, more rigid followers of the ceremonial law than their brethren the priests, numerically a far larger body.
for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves ] The triple division of the community: see Ezr 6:16.
The Levites are here represented as slaying the Paschal lamb. Three stages of custom as to the slaughter of the lamb are recorded in Scripture, ( a) Originally, the lamb was slain by the head of each household (see Exo 12:6): ( b) in the days of Hezekiah (2Ch 30:17) the Levites ‘killed the passovers for every one that was not clean’: ( c) in the days of Josiah (2Ch 35:10-14) the Levites seem to have slain all the passover lambs, and roasted them both for the people, and for the priests, and for themselves.
The object of the alteration in the custom was twofold; (1) to secure the ceremonial purity of those entrusted with the duty of slaying the passover, (2) to relieve the priests, who at the season of the feast were busied in other offerings; see 2Ch 35:14, “therefore the Levites prepared for themselves, and for the priests the sons of Aaron”.
The above is a useful illustration of the manner in which the absolute rule of the early law was modified in later times out of regard for considerations of a purely practical character (cf. Ezr 3:8, note on “twenty years old and upward”).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Some render, And the priests were purified; and the Levites, as one man, were all of them pure. A contrast is drawn between the universal purity of the Levites and the merely general purity of the priests 2Ch 29:34; 2Ch 30:3, which made it fitting that the former should undertake the slaughter of all the Paschal lambs, even of those which the priests were to consume. In later times the ordinary practice was for each head of a family to kill for himself.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 20. The Levites were purified together] They were all ready at one time to observe the proper rites and ceremonies, and had no need of having a second passover, which was appointed by the law for those who had been accidentally defiled, or were at a distance from the tabernacle. See 2Ch 30:3.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure,…. They were all to a man pure, and all purified as one man; all were of one mind to purify themselves, and took care to do it, and did it with as much dispatch as if only one man was purified; so that they were more generally prepared for service now than in the times of Hezekiah, 2Ch 29:34
and killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests and for themselves; which seems to have been done by the Levites, for themselves and for the priests, and for all the people, who were not so pure as the priests and Levites; or otherwise they might have killed it themselves, Ex 12:6, as Bochart n thinks.
n Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 50. col. 576.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(20) Purified together.This verse should be translated as follows, contrary to the present accentuation: The priests were purified; and the Levites were purified as one man: all were pure; and killed. In this fact the present Levitical and official purity of both orders surpassed that of Hezekiahs celebration (2Ch. 29:34; 2Ch. 30:3). It had come to be the practice that the Levites slaughtered all the paschal lambs.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
20. For This introduces the reason why they were able to celebrate the passover so soon after the dedication they were not obliged to wait for the purifying of the priests and the Levites.
All of them were pure They had already attended to that matter: unlike the time when Hezekiah held the passover in the second month instead of the first, because the priests had not properly sanctified themselves by ceremonial ablutions, according to the law. See 2Ch 29:34; 2Ch 30:2-3; 2Ch 30:15-18, and notes there.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Ezr 6:20 For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them [were] pure, and killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
Ver. 20. Were purified together ] Misery had framed them to unanimity. See 2Ch 29:34 .
All of them were pure
And killed the passover
For all the children
And for themselves
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
purified together: 2Ch 29:34, 2Ch 30:15-17
killed: Exo 12:21, 2Ch 35:11, Heb 7:27
Reciprocal: 2Ch 35:6 – So kill Ezr 4:1 – children of the captivity Dan 5:13 – the children
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Ezr 6:20. The priests and Levites were purified together Hebrew, , cheechad, as one man, so the word signifies. They were unanimous, both in their resolutions, and in their endeavours, to make and keep themselves ceremonially clean for this solemnity: and they joined together in their preparations, that they might help one another; so that all of them were legally pure, and, in this respect, excelled the priests and Levites in Hezekiahs time, who were many of them under blame for not purifying themselves according to the law. The purity of ministers adds much to the beauty and honour of their ministrations, as doth their unity also.