Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezra 8:2
Of the sons of Phinehas; Gershom: of the sons of Ithamar; Daniel: of the sons of David; Hattush.
2. The Priestly and Royal houses. The numbers from these houses are not given. They are placed in a position of honour at the head of the list.
Of the sons of Phinehas; Gershom ] R.V. Of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom. The punctuation is corrected throughout 2 14.
The family of Phinehas (son of Eleazar, son of Aaron) is represented by Gershom. To his ‘house’ Ezra must have belonged (cf. Ezr 7:1-5).
Daniel ] represented the line or family of Ithamar, Aaron’s younger son, and gave his name to a house (see Neh 10:6). His name appears as Gamael in 1Es 8:29 . From this mention of “the sons of Ithamar we gather that the priesthood was not, as Ezekiel required (Eze 43:19, Eze 45:15) limited to the line of Zadok.
That Gershom and Daniel were not the only two priests, but heads of two ‘fathers’ houses’, is shown by Ezr 8:24.
of the sons of David; Hattush ] According to 1Ch 3:22, the words “Of the sons of Shechaniah” (Ezr 8:3) belong to the genealogy of Hattush. “And the sons of Shechaniah (query, Zerubbabel’s grandson); Shemaiah: and the sons of Shemaiah; Hattush and Igal.” Hattush was therefore the grandson of Shechaniah, and (?) the great-great-grandson of Zerubbabel. The line of David was represented by the house of Shechaniah, which was represented by Hattush.
1Es 8:29 has “Of the sons of David, Lettus the son of Sechenias”, which in conjunction with the rest of the list seems to show that our text should run “Of the sons of David, Hattush, the son of Shechaniah”. This Hattush of the lineage of David must therefore not be confounded with the priest of the same name mentioned Neh 10:4; Neh 12:2.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Punctuate as follows:
Ezr 8:2. … of the sons of David, Hattush of the sons of Shechaniah.
Ezr 8:3. Of the sons of Pharosh, Zechariah ….
Hattush, the descendant of David, was the grandson of Shechaniah (see marginal reference).
Most of these names Ezr 8:2-14 occur also as those of heads of families in the list of the Jews who returned with Zerubbabel Ezr 2:3-15. The Septuagint and Syriac versions supply omissions in Ezr 8:5, Ezr 8:10.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 2. Gershom] One of the descendants of Phinehas, son of Eliazar.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Of the sons of Phinehas; Gershom: of the sons of Ithamar; Daniel,…. Not Daniel the prophet, he was of the royal blood, and of the tribe of Judah; this was a priest, a descendant of Ithamar, as Gershom was of Eleazar in the line of Phinehas:
of the sons of David; Hattush; perhaps the same with him in 1Ch 3:22, who was a descendant of David the king; these three men seem to have come alone without any of their families, at least they are not mentioned, nor their numbers given, as the rest that follow be.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(2, 3) According to 1Ch. 3:22, Huttush was a descendant of David, and grandson of Shechaniab. The difficulty of the text therefore may probably be best solved by punctuating thus: Of the sons of David. Hattush of the sons of Shechaniab. Of the sons of Pharosh, Zechariah.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2. Phinehas, the grandson, and Ithamar, the son of Aaron were represented by a body of descendants whose number is not here given, for Gershom and Daniel were evidently not the only priests that went up with Ezra. In Ezr 8:24 mention is made of twelve of the chief priests who were set apart to take charge of the vessels and other freewill offerings to be carried up to Jerusalem, and these priests must have been descendants of either Phinehas or Ithamar. Hence we understand that the Gershom and Daniel here named were representatives of these ancient priestly houses, and were accompanied by many others of the same genealogy. Possibly the number has fallen out of the text. It is here worthy of remark that, notwithstanding the curse pronounced on the house of Eli, (1Sa 2:33-36,) descendants of Ithamar still remained.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The whole number is fourteen hundred ninety and six, beside the heads of the houses themselves. A goodly company! How sweet is the gospel proclamation, when made successful to win souls unto Christ. Was it not in allusion to this, both in the Jewish and gospel church, that the prophet cried out, The Lord shall make an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt. Isa 11:16 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Ezr 8:2 Of the sons of Phinehas; Gershom: of the sons of Ithamar; Daniel: of the sons of David; Hattush.
Ver. 2. Of the sons of Phinehas ] The son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, that renowned zealot, with whom, and his seed after him, God gave a covenant of peace, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, Num 25:12-13 .
Daniel
Of the sons of David
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Phinehas: 1Ch 6:3, 1Ch 6:4-15, 1Ch 24:1-6
David: 1Ch 3:1, 1Ch 3:22
Reciprocal: Ezr 8:15 – and found
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Ezr 8:2. Of the sons of Phinehas of Ithamar By the sons, he means the families of these two persons, two of which he particularly names, those of Gershom and Daniel: not Daniel the prophet, but some eminent person of Ithamars line.