Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezra 8:17
And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say unto Iddo, [and] to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God.
17. And I sent them with commandment ] R.V. And I sent them forth. Marg. another reading is I gave them commandment. The A.V. combines the two readings.
The variety of reading arises from the uncertainty felt as to the true rendering of the previous verse. The rendering ‘then sent I for’ in that verse requires in this verse the reading ‘And I sent them forth’ (C’thib). The rendering ‘then sent I’ could be followed by either ‘I sent them forth’ or ‘I gave them commandment’ (K’ri), the latter being less a repetition of the previous sentence.
Supposing that “I gave them commandment” was the original reading, we can see that, when the Hebrew idiom in Ezr 8:16 ‘then sent I’ (the object expressed by a preposition) dropped out of sight and the literal translation seemed to be “then sent I for”, a reason was given for the very slight alteration, by which “I gave them commandment” was altered to “I sent them forth” (LXX. ). This accounts for the existence of the two readings, and for the prevalence of that accepted in the R.V. text. But the R.V. margin seems preferable. It gives a natural sense and agrees well with what precedes and follows. On the other hand the alternative reading “I sent them forth” represents a word of great frequency in the sense of ‘bring forth or out’ (e.g. Ezr 1:7, Ezr 10:3; Ezr 10:19; Neh 9:7; Neh 9:15): it denotes ‘deliverance’, ‘dismissal’, ‘removal’, ‘utterance’: but is not at all suited to the description of the mission. It occurs very often in the O.T., but it may be questioned whether it is ever elsewhere rendered “send forth”.
unto Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia ] Lit. ‘Iddo the head’. Iddo clearly exercised some position of authority over the Jews, and particularly over the Levites and Nethinim settled at Casiphia. We may conjecture that Iddo was a Levite presiding over a college of young Levites and Nethinim, and who might be ready to send young men to Ezra’s aid.
Casiphia ] which some of the older commentators used to identify with the ‘Caspian’, was probably some village in the neighbourhood of Babylon. The LXX. rendered the word from the similarity of the first part of the word to the Hebrew ‘ceseph’ (silver), .
and I told them what they should say ] Lit. ‘And I put words in their mouth to speak’. The general charge comprised verbatim instructions. On the phrase “put words in mouth”, cf. Exo 4:15; Num 23:16; Deu 31:19.
unto Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims ] R.V. unto Iddo and his brethren the Nethinim. Marg. ‘The text as pointed has, Iddo, his brother.’ The text is here corrupt. The uncertainty as to Iddo’s position, and the unlikelihood that a man of such influence would have been one of the Nethinim, has increased the doubtfulness of the true reading, ( a) Adopting the pointed text, and supposing the letter Vaw (=and) to be accidentally dropped after the name of Iddo which ends with that letter, we could render ‘unto Iddo and his brother, the Nethinim’. ( b) Altering the vowel-points and assuming the omission of the same letter, we obtain the rendering of the A.V. and R.V. “unto Iddo and his brethren the Nethinim” (cf. Ezr 3:2, Jeshua and his brethren the priests). ( c) Supposing a second similar omission to have taken place, we have “unto Iddo and his brethren (i.e. Levites) and the Nethinim”.
Of these alternative renderings ( c) appears to be the most probable. The appeal is made to Iddo and to his brethren the Levites. As the response (18 20) comes from Levites and Nethinim, we conclude that Iddo presided over the Nethinim as well as over the Levites. Just as a High-priest himself a priest, would preside over priests and Levites, so Iddo himself a Levite would preside over Levites and Nethinim. The Nethinim may have been more numerous and influential than the Levites. At any rate it is not likely that Iddo himself belonged to this inferior class.
ministers ] A very general word in the original, to include Levites and Nethinim. Cf. 1Sa 2:11. The LXX., misreading a letter, renders “singers” ( ).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Casiphia – Its situation is wholly unknown; but it cannot have been far from Ahava.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 17. At the place Casiphia] The most judicious commentators are agreed that by Casiphia, the Caspian mountains, between Media and Hyrcania, are intended; where, probably, the Nethinim were employed in working silver mines: keseph, from which the word comes, signifies silver.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
I sent them with commandment; which he might do, partly by virtue of that authority which he had over them by his priesthood; and partly by that authority which he either had received or could easily procure from the king to that purpose.
Iddo the chief; the head of the rest, either by ecclesiastical order or government, which the Persian kings allowed to the Jews; or by some grant or commission from the king.
At the place Casiphia; not a place near the Caspian Lake, as some guess from the likeness of the names; for that was at too great a distance for his present purpose; but some other place not far from Ahava, where he knew that there was a college or considerable company of Levites together.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the chief, at the place Casiphia,…. Not a place by the Caspian sea, and near the Caspian mountains, as Munster, which was too far off to go and return in the time they must, see Ezr 7:9, but, as Jarchi, a place in Babylon so called, a village near it, or a parish or street in it, where Ezra knew lived many of the Levites and Nethinims, and where Iddo was the chief of the Levites, and over them both:
and I told them what they should say unto Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia; but Iddo was not one of the Nethinims; for he was chief of the Levites, and by his authority many of them were sent as well as of the Nethinims; but none of the latter were over the Levites, for they were servants to them, Ezr 8:20, but, according to Jarchi, the Nethinims are not at all intended in this clause, who reads the words,
to Iddo and Achim, (the name of a man with him; perhaps it may be better rendered, “to Iddo and his brother”,)
who were appointed, or settled, in the place Casiphia; and with him De Dieu agrees, and so the Syriac version,
who dwelt in Casiphia: that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God; both Levites to be singers and porters there, and the Nethinims to wait on them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(17) The place Casiphia.Evidently near Ahavah, and a colony of Jews presided over by Iddo, one of the humble race of the Nethinims, but at present chief under the Persians. Ezra was aware of their existence in these parts.
Ministers.A term obviously including Levites and Nethinims.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
17. Iddo the chief This person was evidently the head man of a community of the Nethinim descendants of the Gibeonites given to the service of the temple, (see 1Ch 9:2,) who were dwelling at the place Casiphia. This place is now unknown, but seems, from the short time occupied in obtaining men from there, to have been not very far from Ahava.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Ver. 17. Casiphia It is not easy to guess what place this was. The text calls it Casiphia the place. Some have taken it for the Caspian mountains situate between Media and Hyrcania, in the mines of which these captive Nethinims are supposed to have been sent to work; if so, it is no wonder that they should be so ready to embrace the benefit of the king’s decree. The LXX render it a place of silver; for keseph signifies silver.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Ezr 8:17 And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say unto Iddo, [and] to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God.
Ver. 17. At the place Casiphia ] Where it may seem that there was a college of Levites, and Iddo was their president.
And to his brethren the Nethinims
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Casiphia. Not identified. Probably near Babylon.
Nethinims. These were the ministers of the Levites. Originally Gibeonites. See note on Ezr 2:43.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Casiphia: Casiphia is supposed to denote the Caspian mountains, between Media and Hyrcania, near the Caspian Sea. It is evident, from a comparison of Ezr 7:9, with Ezr 8:31, that Casiphia could not be far from Ahava.
I told them: Heb. I put words in their mouth, Exo 4:15, Deu 18:18, 2Sa 14:3, 2Sa 14:19, Jer 1:9, Jer 15:19
the Nethinims: Ezr 2:43, Ezr 2:58, Ezr 7:7
ministers: Num 8:22-26, Num 18:6, 1Ch 23:3-6, 1Ch 23:26-32, Tit 1:5
Reciprocal: Ezr 8:20 – Nethinims
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Ezr 8:17. And I sent them unto Iddo the chief Chief among the Levites, who dwelt at the place here mentioned, and there had the free exercise of their religion, as this and many other passages in this book plainly enough prove. For we find the people resorting to Ezekiel in their captivity, and him preaching to them the word of God, in many places of his book, particularly Eze 33:30-31, &c. And Ezra, in all likelihood, was an instructer among them, as Joiarib and Elnathan also were, and Iddo, to whom these were sent. By which means many proselytes were made, who left their own country, and came with them to Jerusalem when they returned, Ezr 6:21. At the place Casiphia It is not easy to guess what place this was. The text calls it Casiphia the place. Some have taken it for the Caspian mountains, situate between Media and Hyrcania. But certainly these must have been at too great a distance from the road he was taking. Perhaps it was in Parthia, where was a city called Caspi, known to the ancient geographers. The LXX. render it, a place of silver, for , keseph, signifies silver. That they should bring us ministers for the house of our God The furnishing of Gods house with good ministers is a good work, and which will redound to the comfort and credit of all that have any hand it.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
8:17 And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the {d} chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say unto Iddo, [and] to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God.
(d) He was the chief teacher of the law to the Levites.