Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezra 2:40
The Levites: the children of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the children of Hodaviah, seventy and four.
40. the children of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the children of Hodaviah ] The occurrence of these names in Neh 10:9 shows that, as throughout this list, we have here the titles of families, not necessarily the names of Zerubbabel’s contemporaries. In chap. Ezr 3:9 Jeshua and Kadmiel are mentioned as leading Levites.
of the children of Hodaviah ] ‘Hodaviah’ appears as ‘Judah’ in Ezr 3:9 and as ‘Hodevah’ in Neh 7:43.
Some apply these words, ‘of the children of Hodaviah’, to both Jeshua and Kadmiel, making them both branches of the more ancient but otherwise unknown family of Hodaviah: others to ‘Kadmiel’ alone, in order to distinguish this Kadmiel from others of the same name. The decision must turn upon our explanation of Ezr 3:9 (see note), and on the whole it seems best to regard the clause as belonging to Kadmiel especially, and as signifying a closer limitation of that family. Thus the Levites comprised the family of Jeshua and those members of the Kadmiel family who belonged to the Hodaviah branch.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
40 42. The Levites are here arranged in the same way as in the 1st Book of Chronicles, i.e. into (1) Levites proper (cf. 1Ch 24:20-31). (2) Singers (cf. 1 Chronicles 25). (3) Doorkeepers (cf. 1Ch 26:1-19. See Introduction, 7.
The small number (i.e. 431 in all) of the Levites is very striking by the side of the 4289 priests. Upon the backwardness of the Levites to return to Jerusalem compare note on chap. Ezr 8:15, and see Introduction.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Ver. 40-42. The Levites,…. Singers and porters, who are reckoned in this, and the two following verses, whose numbers were no more than three hundred and forty one; whereas, in the times of David, they were 38,000, 1Ch 23:3.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Levites, Nethinim, and Solomon’s servants. Comp. Neh. 7:43-60.
Ezra Neh. Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodivah 74 74 Singers: sons of Asaph 128 148 Sons of the door-keepers; sons of Shallum, Ater. Etc. 139 138 Nethinim and servants of Solomon, in all 392 392 Total 733 752
The Levites are divided into three classes: Levites in the stricter sense of the word, i.e., assistants of the priests in divine worship, singers, and door-keepers; comp. 1Ch 24:20-31, 1Ch 24:25, and 26:1-19. Of Levites in the stricter sense are specified the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel of the sons of Hodaviah ( , and of our text are evidently correct readings; and and , Keri , Neh 7:43, errors of transcription). The addition, “of the sons of Hodaviah,” belongs to Kadmiel, to distinguish him from other Levites of similar name. Jeshua and Kadmiel were, according to Ezr 3:9, chiefs of two orders of Levites in the times of Zerubbabel and Joshua. These names recur as names of orders of Levites in Neh 10:10. We do not find the sons of Hodaviah in the lists of Levites in Chronicles.
Ezr 2:41 Of singers, only the sons of Asaph, i.e., members of the choir of Asaph, returned. In Neh 11:17 three orders are named, Bakbukiah evidently representing the order of Heman.
Ezr 2:42 Of door-keepers, six orders or divisions returned, among which those of Shallum, Talmon, and Akkub dwelt, according to 1Ch 9:17, at Jerusalem before the captivity. Of the sons of Ater, Hatita and Shobai, nothing further is known.
Ezra 2:43-58 The Nethinim, i.e., temple-bondsmen, and the servants of Solomon, are reckoned together, thirty-five families of Nethinim and ten of the servants of Solomon being specified. The sum-total of these amounting only to 392, each family could only have averaged from eight to nine individuals. The sons of Akkub, Hagab and Asnah (Ezr 2:45, Ezr 2:46, and Ezr 2:50), are omitted in Nehemiah; the name Shalmai (Ezr 2:46) is in Neh 7:48 written Salmai; and for , Ezr 2:50, Neh 7:52 has , a form combined from and . All other variations relate only to differences of form. Because Ziha ( , Ezr 2:43) again occurs in Neh 11:21 as one of the chiefs of the Nethinim, and the names following seem to stand in the same series with it, Bertheau insists on regarding these names as those of divisions. This cannot, however, be correct; for Ziha is in Neh 11:21 the name of an individual, and in the present list also the proper names are those of individuals, and only the sons of Ziha, Hasupha, etc., can be called families or divisions. Plural words alone, Mehunim and Nephisim, are names of races or nations; hence the sons of the Mehunim signify individuals belonging to the Mehunim, who, perhaps, after the victory of King Uzziah over that people, were as prisoners of war made vassals for the service of the sanctuary. So likewise may the sons of the Nephisim have been prisoners of war of the Ishmaelite race . Most of the families here named may, however, have been descendants of the Gibeonites ( Jos 9:21, Jos 9:27). The servants of Solomon must not be identified with the Canaanite bond-servants mentioned 1Ki 9:20., 2Ch 8:7., but were probably prisoners of war of some other nation, whom Solomon sentenced to perform, as bondsmen, similar services to those imposed upon the Gibeonites. The sons of these servants are again mentioned in Neh 11:3. In other passages they are comprised under the general term Nethinim, with whom they are here computed. Among the names, that of (Ezr 2:57), i.e., catcher of gazelles, is a singular one; the last name, , is in Neh 7:59 .
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(40) The Levites: the children of Jeshua.Then follow the Levitical families, not priests: that is, the Levites proper, the singers, the door-keepers or porters. Of the first there were only two families, and these are both traced up to one, that of Hodaviah or Judah (Ezr. 3:9) or Hodevah (Neh. 7:43). The hereditary choristers are also few: of the families of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the first alone is represented. Nehemiah makes their number twenty more; but 1 Esdras agrees with the text of Ezra.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Enrolling Of The Levites ( Ezr 2:40 ).
Compared with 4,289 priests who returned, only 74 Levites returned, to which we might add the 128 singers and the 139 gatekeepers, making 341 in all (although it would appear that the writer of the list did not include the singers and gatekeepers as Levites). This ties in with the fact that when Ezra later gathered those who were returning with him he says, ‘I viewed the people and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi’, a situation which he set about remedying (Ezr 8:15). The Levites were clearly not enthusiastic about returning. This is partly explicable by the fact that as the Levites only assisted the priests in worship, it was something not so appealing as being a fully fledged priest (as Ezr 8:15 confirms), and partly by the fact that the priests would have been exiled in large numbers as people of importance, whilst the Levites may well have been seen as ‘the poor of the land’, and thus not exiled in large numbers. The lowly state of the Levites as compared with the priests is brought out in Eze 44:10-31. It is clear from Ezekiel 44 that the Levites bore a large part of the blame for the encouragement of idolatrous worship in pre-Exilic days.
Ezr 2:40
‘The Levites.’
Details are now given of the generality of Levites, who would assist the priests in worship, who were among those who returned. This will then be followed by the more specialist singers and gatekeepers, who may not at this time have described themselves as ‘Levites’, although they were originally. We must be careful, however, not to read too much into silence. The musicians are clearly seen as Levites in Ezr 3:10, a short while later.
Ezr 2:40
The sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah, seventy four.’
The two orders of Levites who returned are the sons of Jeshua, (the son of Azaniah – Neh 10:4) and the sons of Kadmiel, who was ‘of the sons of Hodaviah’. Neh 7:43 reads, ‘the sons of Joshua, of Kadmiel of the sons of Hodaviah’. The addition, “of the sons of Hodaviah,” is applicable to Kadmiel, in order to distinguish him from other Levites of a similar name. Kadmiel appears to be a typically Levite name. According to Ezr 3:9 Jeshua and Kadmiel were chiefs of two orders of Levites in the times of Zerubbabel and Joshua, who had oversight of the workmen of the house of God. Both played their part in the ceremony of praising God for the return (Neh 9:4-5), and in sealing the covenant of Nehemiah (Neh 10:9) and these names reoccur as names of orders of Levites in Neh 12:8. In the MT a ‘Jeshua the son of Kadmiel’ is mentioned in Neh 12:24.
With regard to Hodaviah, there is no mention of the sons of Hodaviah in the lists of Levites in Chronicles. It was, however, the name of one of the heads of the half-tribe of Manasseh on the East of the Jordan (1Ch 5:24), and of a Benjamite, who was the son of Hassenuah (1Ch 9:7). It was also the name of a son of Elioenai, and a descendant of David (1Ch 3:24). Thus it was a regular Jewish name.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
I include the whole of these in one list, for Levites, Nethinims, and the Singers, with the children of Solomon’s servants, may be summed up as bearing offices in one and the same household, though in different departments.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Ezr 2:40-42
40The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah, 74.
41 The singers: the sons of Asaph, 128.
42 The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hittite, the sons of Shobai, in all 139.
Ezr 2:40 the Levites It needs to be remembered that all priests are Levites, but not all Levites are priests. Only the descendants of the family of Aaron performed the sacrificial chores. The other Levites were to be helpers of the priests and teachers of the Law. Notice how few Levites (74) returned in comparison to priests (973). Possibly fewer of them were exiled or temple service for them was too physical and strenuous.
Ezr 2:41 the singers: the sons of Asaph From the time of David, we know that there were three groups of Levitical singers: Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun (cf. 1 Kgs. 25:1-8; 1Ch 25:1-8). We do not know what happened to the other two groups.
Ezr 2:42 the gatekeepers These specialized temple workers are mentioned in 1Ch 9:17-27; 1Ch 26:1-19. Their duties are delineated in 1Ch 9:26-27. Sometimes they are called Levites (cf. 1Ch 9:26; 2Ch 23:4; Neh 12:25), but other times they seem to be listed as a separate, yet related, group (cf. 2Ch 8:14; 2Ch 35:15; Neh 12:25).
Shallum This chief of the gatekeepers (cf. 1Ch 9:17) is also called
1. Meshelemiah, 1Ch 2:21
2. Shelemiah, 1Ch 26:14
3. Meshullam, Neh 12:25
This variety shows
1. they had several names or nicknames
2. the list is so easily corrupted in copying
3. often titles or occupations become names
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Ezr 2:40-42
Ezr 2:40-42
THE LEVITES WHO RETURNED
“The Levites: The children of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the children of Hodaviah, seventy and four. The singers: the children of Asaph, a hundred twenty and eight. The children of the porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, in all a hundred thirty and nine.”
Only 341 Levites returned to Palestine. Evidently, something important had happened during the closing years of the monarchy and during the captivity that had resulted in the wholesale discouragement and disaffection of the Levites. Rawlinson explained this as due to the, “Jealousy of the priests, like that which animated Korah (Num 16:1-10), must have grown up during the captivity.” The priestly conclave had also succeeded in reducing the importance and significance of the Levites and their office, By the times of Christ, the High Priest and his hierarchy had seized complete control over the whole nation, except that of the secular government; and shortly after the crucifixion of Christ they would rebel against Rome in their vain attempt to make their control total. Right here we can detect the tap root of that priestly conspiracy that led to the final ruin of Israel.
Why then did so few Levites return? “It was because of the decrease in their significance during this period and because of their lower status.”
E.M. Zerr:
Ezr 2:40. All priests were Levites, but not all Levites were priests. Hence the registers would be filed in separate classes. Some men who would not be permitted to act as priests, even though they were of the tribe of Levi, yet were authorized to perform certain special services; for that reason they were noted in the list.
Ezr 2:41. Smith’s Bible Dictionary says there was a school or group of musical composers that was founded by Asaph, and they are the ones meant in this verse. When the more elaborate services were formed in the days of David and Solomon, these professional singers were enlisted for the exercises.
Ezr 2:42. The porters were janitors or gatekeepers. Their work was considered necessary and they were given a place on the recorded program.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Hodaviah: Ezr 3:9, Judah, Neh 7:43, Hodevah
Reciprocal: Ezr 7:7 – the Levites
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
The Levites 2:40-42
Few Levites, only 341, chose to leave the comforts of life in Babylon. They assisted the priests. There were fewer Levites than priests, the opposite of the situation that existed before the exile.