Глава 8

1–14. List of those who left Babylon with Ezra. 15–20. Invitation to the Levites and Nethinim 21–23. Preparing for the trip. 24–30. Donations to the church. 31–32. Brief description of the migrants' journey. 33–36. Arrival of Ezra in Jerusalem. 1Ezra 8:1. And here are the heads of generations and the genealogy of those who came out with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes: Listing the raschte beith-avetham, “heads of generations,” the writer further names not only their names, but also indicates the clans to which they belonged. 1Ezra 8:2. of the sons of Phinehas, Gershon; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David Hattush; Named in Art. 2 Gershon and Daniel were the heads of the priestly families. Since in 1Ezra 7 Ezra himself is counted among the descendants of Phinehas, then, obviously, mentioned in Art. 2 Gershon was the head of the family of Ezra. The writer does not indicate the number of all the priests who arrived with Ezra in Jerusalem, although he further determines the exact number of laity. However, from the mention in Art. 2 only about two priests (Girson, Daniel) does not mean that there were only two of them. According to Art. 24 The number of priests was significant, since from this number Ezra was able to separate twelve people to monitor the integrity of the donations for the needs of the church. Hattush, one of the sons of David, is mentioned back in 1 Chronicles 3.22, where he is called the son of Shechaniah. He is also spoken of in 2Ezra 8.29: Lattus, son of Sechenias (Λαττους ὁ Σεκενίου). In view of this, and also on the basis of comparison with subsequent ones, the initial words of Art. 3 of the chapter in question from the sons of Shechaniah should be attributed to the end of Art. 2, as a designation of the genealogy of Hattusha (“Hattush from the sons of Shechaniah”). 1Ezra8:3. from the sons of Shechaniah, from the sons of Parosh Zechariah, and with him, according to the genealogical list, one hundred and fifty males; 1Ezra8:4. of the sons of Pahath-Moab, Eleghenai the son of Zerah, and with him two hundred males; 1Ezra8:5. of the sons of [Zathoi] Shechaniah the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males; 1Ezra8:6. Of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males; 1Ezra8:7. Of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Aphalia, and with him seventy males; 1Ezra8:8. Of the sons of Shaphatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him eighty males; 1Ezra8:9. Of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males; 1Ezra8:10. of the sons of [Baani] Shelomith the son of Joseph, and with him one hundred and sixty males; 1Ezra8:11. of the sons of Bevai, Zechariah, the son of Bevai, and with him twenty-eight males; 1Ezra8:12. of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Gakkatan, and with him one hundred and ten males; 1Ezra8:13. the last of the sons of Adonikam, and these are their names: Eliphelet, Jeiel and Shemaiah, and with them sixty males; 1Ezra8:14. of the sons of Bigwai, Ufai and Zabbud, and with them seventy males. Specified in Art. 3–14 the numbers of those who returned generally agree with those given in 2Ezra 8.30–47. The difference concerns the sons of Adin, whose number in v. 6 is determined by the number 50, and in 2Ezd 8.32 by the number 250; sons of Joab, whom according to 9 v. there were 218, and according to 2Ezra 8.35 - 212, and, finally, the sons of Adonikam, of whom according to the 13th century. there were 60 people, and according to 2Ezd 8.39 - 70. It is difficult to say which figures in these cases should be considered accurate. As for the names of the persons listed by the writer, they are often conveyed in 2Ezra 8 in a different form (cf. 1Ezra 8.8 3evadiah, 2Ezra 8.34 - Zaraiah; 1Ezra 8.9 Obadiah, son of Jehiel, 2Ezra 8.35 Abadiyah, son of Ezil, etc.). This difference in names can most often be attributed to copyist error. But in some cases it can be recognized that more ancient readings have been preserved in 2 Ezra, "Of the sons of Shechaniah, the son of Jahaziel". In 2 Ezra 8.32 it reads instead: “of the sons of Zathoes, Secheniah the son of Ezil.” Obviously, the name of Zathos, the ancestor, in v. 5 in euros text is omitted and should be inserted. Mentioned in Art. 9 The sons of Joab in 1 Ezra 2.6 are counted among the sons of Pahath-Moab. Apparently, the Pahath-Moab clan later split into two lines - Pahath-Moab and Joab. "Of the sons of Shelomith, the son of Joseph". LXX reads: ἀπο τῶν Βαανί, Σελιμουθ ὑιος Ιωσεφία. In 2 Ezra 8.36: “Of the sons of Beni, Asalomoth the son of Jehoshaphia.” Obviously, in Heb. text, in Art. 9, the name Vania is missing and should be inserted. “The last of the sons of Adonikam, and these are their names.” The meaning of the word “last” (Heb. acharonim) in this verse is not entirely clear. Michaelis understood it as the writer's indication that the remaining members of the Adonikam clan returned with Zerubbabel (1Ezra 2.13). However, about other genera, parts of which also returned earlier, the writer does not use the expression latter. According to other interpreters (Rissel), with this expression the writer could mean either that the descendants of Adonikam he mentioned were later than others in deciding the issue of returning from captivity, or that they were later than other relatives in recognizing their belonging to the clan of Adonikam. From the list of returnees ending in Art. 14, it is clear that with Ezra, in addition to the priests Gershon and Daniel and the Davidian Hattusha, 12 “heads of generations” arrived in Jerusalem with their families. The total number of all returning Jews was 1486 (according to 2Ezra - 1690), except for the priests and descendants of David, whose number is not specified. 1Ezra8:15. I gathered them at the river that flows into Agave, and we stood there for three days, and when I examined the people and the priests, I found none of the sons of Levi there. The meeting place for the captives returning with Ezra was the banks of the river flowing into Agave. Art. 21 and 31 speak directly of the Agave River as a meeting place for those returning. In LXX the river is called Θερα (καὶ συνήγαγου αὐτόυς ἐπὶ τὸν λεγομενον Θερὰν ποταμόν); in 2Ezra 8.41 Feran (“and I gathered them by the river called Feran”). According to Ewald (Geschichte V. J. IV, 154), the Agave River can be identified with the river mentioned by Greek writers. Pallakopas, flowing south of Babylon. According to Rolipson, the Agave River is Is Herodotus (I, 179), called by the Babylonians, according to the Talmud, Jhi. In any case, in Art. 15 we are talking about an area close to Babylon, and under the river. The writer could only mean Agave as a tributary of the Euphrates or a canal. Accordingly, Josephus notes that Ezra gathered those returning εἰς τὸ πέραν του Εὐθράτου (Ant. Jude 11:5, 2). “And we stood there for three days.” Within three days it was discovered that there were no Levites among those returning. Obviously, an independent, prosperous life in Babylon, on the one hand, and a subordinate, dependent position in Jerusalem, on the other, kept the Levites from moving to their native country. Arrangements were made for inviting the Levites (v. 16, etc.), and other preparations were made, which took 8 days, so that the journey itself began (v. 31) on the 12th day of the month (Keil). 1Ezra8:17. And he gave them a commission to Iddo, the chief in the region of Kasifya, and put in their mouths what to say to Iddo and his brothers, the Nethinim, in the region of Kasifya, so that they would bring to us ministers for the house of our God. “And he gave them an assignment to Iddo, the chief in the area of ​​​​Kasifiye.” In LXX, instead of the proper Kasifya, the nickname is read. τόπος γαζοφολακίον. It is most natural to understand by the name Kasifya some locality either in the city of Babylon itself, or near it. The identity of Iddo and his position in Kasifya are not clearly indicated by the writer. But it is clear that Ezra gave him great influence over the Levites and that only thanks to this influence a fairly significant number of Levites agreed to return to Jerusalem. It is possible to think that the Levites and Nethinim, under the leadership of Iddo, formed a close-knit community in Kasifya, a kind of school dedicated to the study of the past destinies of the people and their law (Rissel). "To Iddo and his brothers the Nethinims". According to Art. The 20 Nethinim were servants of the Levites. They could hardly be called Iddo's brothers. Therefore, the above expression is unclear and suggests some omission. “That they may bring unto us ministers for the house” of God, i.e. Levites (1 Chronicles 6:48, 16:4) and Nethinim. 1Ezra8:18. And they brought to us, since the beneficent hand of our God was upon us, a wise man from the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, and his sons and his brothers, eighteen men; “And they brought to us... an intelligent man, from the sons of Mahlius.” “A smart person” (in LXX (Vat.) in the plural). Heb. isch schechel, standing here, according to the connection of speech, can be understood in the sense of proper. name. This is how it is understood in some Greek. texts and in our glory, where it reads “the husband of Sakhon, from the sons of Mooliev.” Mentioned in Art. 18 Sherebiah is also found in Nehemiah 8:7, 9:4, 10:12, 12:24. 1Ezra8:19. and Hashabiah, and with him Ishaiah, of the sons of Merari, his brethren and their sons, twenty; Hashavia is mentioned in Art. 24 and Nehemiah 10:11, 12:24. 1Ezra8:20. and of the Nethinim, which David and his princes gave to serve the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinim; they are all named. Indicating the total number of Nethinim, the writer makes the remark: “all of them are named.” Obviously, the writer had in front of him a list of Nethinim, to which he refers readers. 1Ezra8:21. And I proclaimed a fast there at the Agave River, in order to humble ourselves before the face of our God, to ask Him for a prosperous path for ourselves and for our children and for all our property, “And I proclaimed a fast there by the river Agave.” Even in ancient times, fasting was considered by the Jews as a means of propitiating the Lord (cf. Joel 1:14, 2:15; Jer 36.9; 2 Chronicles 20.3). 1Ezra8:22. since I was ashamed to ask the king for troops and horsemen to protect us from the enemy on the way, for we, speaking with the king, said: the hand of our God is for all those who resort to Him, and on all those who forsake Him is His power and His wrath! “To protect us from the enemy on the way.” The danger to the caravan, to prevent which it was necessary to ask for an army, came from the Arab and Syrian robber tribes, 1Ezra8:32. And we came to Jerusalem and stayed there three days. "And we came to Jerusalem." The time of Ezra's arrival in Jerusalem, as can be seen from 1Ezra 7.9, was the first day of the fifth month (Av). Thus, the journey lasted four months after leaving Babylon and 3.5 months after leaving the river Agave (cf. 1 Ezra 7:9, 8:15-31). The distance from Babylon to Jerusalem along a straight path is, according to Rolison's calculations, 750 centuries. But troops and large caravans had to make significant detours near Karchemysh in the valley of the river. Oronta. Thanks to this, the path was extended to 1,300. However, the time taken by Ezra's caravan to travel seems too long. It is difficult to say with certainty what this duration depended on. Here, stopping to celebrate the holidays of the first and third month, collecting donations for the church and food for the journey (long stay in those places where many Jews lived, etc.) could be important. “And they stayed there three days.” Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2.11) also began his ministry three days after his arrival. 1Ezra8:33. On the fourth day we delivered a weight of silver and gold and vessels into the house of our God, into the hands of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them Jozabad the son of Joshua, and Noadiah the son of Vinnu, the Levites, 1Ezra8:34. all by counting and weight. And everything weighed is recorded at the same time. To prevent suspicion, the silver, gold and vessels were handed over to a special commission of two priests and Levites. Mentioned in Art. 33 Meremoth, son of Uriah, also appears in Nehemiah 3:4, 21, 10:5. About another priest Eleazar, the son of Phinehas, no more information is reported in the post-captivity books. The Levite Jozabad can be identified with Jozabad mentioned in 1Ezra 10.23. Noadia is not named anywhere else. 1Ezra8:35. The exiles who came from captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve goats as a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering to the Lord. The number of sacrifices made by returning captives has symbolic significance. Twelve bulls and twelve goats are offered for all Israel. The idea of ​​the twelve tribes also appears in the offering of 96 rams (96 12 x 8). The writer's remark that all this is a burnt offering to the Lord indicates that no part of the sacrifice went to dinner. 1Ezra8:36. And they gave royal commands to the royal satraps and regional governors beyond the river, and they honored the people and the house of God. “And they gave the royal commands to the royal satraps and regional governors beyond the river.” Nehemiah did the same (Neh 2.9). The position of the satraps and their relationship to the regional governors beyond the river is difficult to determine with accuracy. Probably the former were mainly military officials, and the latter civilian. According to Rawlinson, satraps were the highest commanders placed over entire Persian provinces, and trans-river governors were the commanders of small regions. You might be interested in: