For all its usefulness in painting the historical picture, ezranehemiah presents an exceedingly complex textual jigsaw puzzle. The books of ezra and nehemiah, treated here as one larger work, continue the. Exalting jesus in ezranehemiah christcentered exposition commentary hamilton jr. Exalting jesus in ezranehemiah is written by jim hamilton. Although the books bear different names they follow each other without paragraph and the numeration of the masorah is listed at the end of nehemiah for both books. Williamson takes a more scholarly and technical approach than fensham, making this a little bit more difficult to read.
The new international commentary on the old testament. Slightly later a second, and very different greek translation was made, in the form of 1 esdras, and initially early christians reckoned this later translation as their biblical book of ezra. Before that date, it had been included in the book of ezra. Books of ezra and nehemiah, two old testament books that together with the books of chronicles formed a single history of israel from the time of adam. His strength is in word study, background, customs and the like. Life after destruction goes on in ezra and nehemiah. He was governor of persian judea under artaxerxes i of persia 465424 bc. Ezranehemiah international standard bible encyclopedia. This was also the greek tradition, and the same greek name, esdras, was given to. They were reformers, one more on the civil side and one more on the religious side of things.
This was also the greek tradition, and the same greek name, esdras, was given to both books see below. There is not only nearconsensus on the best commentary on ezra and nehemiah, but also nearconsensus on the second bestwilliamsons contribution to the wbc. Exalting jesus in ezranehemiah ebook 9780805496758 by james m. Ezra, nehemiah, and chronicles the final books of the hebrew bible are the books of chronicles and ezra nehemiah, which once formed a unitary history of israel from adam to the 4th century bce, written by an anonymous chronicler. Were actually going to be looking at the the title of the message is building gods kingdom in uncertain times. They tell us of the repopulation of palestine by the jews, the rebuilding of the temple, and the reconstruction of the wall of jerusalem.
Roman catholics long associated the two, calling the. Return from babylon led by ezra, chapters 710 about 2,000 returned a. Bright, the date of ezras mission to jerusalem, in m. The books of ezra and nehemiah new international commentary. This is clear from the use of the first person pronoun. The people become people of the word in the book of ezranehemiah. Two remarkable personalitieswith strikingly different approaches to the same. The introductory material itself is worth the cost of the book. The return of the jews from captivity in babylon and the rebuilding of the temple. Despite their best attempts, israels leaders are unable to bring about the fulfillment of the prophetic hopes, and so the story ends waiting for god to heal the hearts of his people and send the messianic kingdom. Dec 06, 2012 additional forms and genres in the book of psalms 10.
The paperback of the exalting jesus in ezranehemiah by james m. Best nehemiah commentaries updated for 2020 best bible. Ezra, nehemiah the anchor yale bible commentaries myers, jacob m. Nehemiahs prayer for remnant at jerusalem, chapter 1. Nehemiah also explains the form of this assembly, with the people standing up as ezra opens the scroll and starts to read, and concluding with an amen, amen. If ezra was the writer, he was copying from the journal of nehemiah. Worship, the word, and prayer, and we see this in ezras life but we really see it come to just the spotlight in nehemiahs life. Exalting jesus in ezranehemiah christcentered exposition. In this valuable addition to the guides series, williamson seeks to steer a clear path for the student, showing how an. This book, as was true in the book of ezra, has copies of letters, decrees, registers and other documents. Ezranehemiah the bible project videos the bible app. Watch our overview video on the prophetic books of ezra and nehemiah, which breaks down the literary design of each. The books of ezra and nehemiah originally a single literary work, hence.
Others, suppose that ezra wrote the book named after him, while nehemiah composed the book of nehemiah. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no. You will also find options for commentaries on nehemiah that help pastors, teachers, and readers with application of the bible, commentaries that approach the scripture versebyverse, classic christian commentaries, and much more. He does a worthy job of setting the two books within the greater history of the bible and of the ancient world. Exalting jesus in ezranehemiah christcentered exposition commentary. I mean, chapter 1, he finds out what happened, how bad things are, he doesnt sit. The lxx also grouped ezra and nehemiah together as one book calling the canonical ezranehemiah esdras b or. The book of ezra in the bible explained given a quick overview. Nehemiah is the central figure of the book of nehemiah, which describes his work in rebuilding jerusalem during the second temple period. Top 5 commentaries on the books of ezra and nehemiah. The books of ezra and nehemiah new international commentary on the old. Ezra and nehemiah are a single book in the jewish canon. Roman catholics long associated the two, calling the second esdras alias nehemias in the. Ezra and nehemiah, books of jewish virtual library.
The single hebrew book ezranehemiah, with title ezra, was translated into greek around the middle of the 2nd century bc. Nehemiah with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Ezra stresses the religious restoration of the remnant when writing of the erection of the altar, the building of the temple and the law of jehovah that is the word of god. The twin hebrew canonical works of ezra and nehemiah at various times considered as one work are critical as both historical sources and insight into jewish thought and practice in the several centuries after return from the babylonian captivity, initiated by the sympathetic king cyrus in 538 b. Nehemiah lists the people who stood on the platform next to ezra as he read, and also the names of those levites who helped explain the law so people could understand it. The books of ezra and nehemiah relate the return of the jewish exiles from babylon during the rule of the early persian kings. God had totally given up on his people after the babylonian conquest in circa 587 bce, allowing the babylonians destroy jerusalem and his temple, just like the prophets predicted. Separation from heathen is demanded and maintained, chapter 10 the books of haggai and zechariah ezra 5. Nehemiah comes later in the 20th year of the reign of artaxerxes. Ezra, the second moses, bases the renewal on the torah and spiritual reform. Additional forms and genres in the book of psalms 10.
Exalting jesus in ezranehemiah and millions of other books are available for. Lets first understand the books of ezra and nehemiah in terms of their literary design. Williamson is one of the best in the word biblical commentary series. As the only historical source available for the period of the jewish return from the babylonian exile and its aftermath, the books of ezra and nehemiah are crucial for those who would study not only the political, but also the religious and social history of the old testament. For a long time, interpretations of these two books by christian exegetes characterized the judaism of the postexilic age as narrow and nationalistic. In the wake of persia replacing babylon as the ruling empire in the ancient near east, the judahites exiled in babylon find. The masoretic tradition regarded the books of ezra and nehemiah as one book. In english bibles, they are usually split into two, with the book of nehemiah appearing as a separate book from ezra, but in the hebrew tradition, they are one book, entitled ezra, and nehemiah is simply the second part of ezra.
As the curtain rises and the orchestra dramatically swells, king cyrus of persia has just defeated the babylonians. Ezra and nememiah volume 14 in the acclaimed anchor bible series continue the spiritual history of jerusalem begun in ii chronicles. Together ezra and nehemiah describe the complexity of the homecoming and the struggle to reestablish cultic and political identity. The last four books of the hebrew canon are ezra, nehemiah, and 1 and 2 chronicles, in that order. Nehemiah, the accomplished politician and diplomat, keeps the renewal alive with his deft administrative hand. Hope this helps when you read the book, to understand the story etc. Heres a list of book title results from searching ezra and nehemiah on.
The book of nehemiah is the last of the historical books of the bible, originally part of the book of ezra, but split off into its own volume by the church in 1448. Pdf this paper examines the books of ezra and nehemiah to derive. A biblical model for restoration the nehemiah factor. Zerubbabel and nehemiah both play a part in restoring gods temple, while zerubbabel takes. Though the book of 1 esdras has some value for comparative analysis with the biblical texts of chronicles, ezra and nehemiah, the book is generally considered inferior both historically and theologically to the old testament book of ezra e. They were the leaders of this return to israel movement, from babylonian captivity. Williamson 1985 published by thomas nelson ezranehemiah by mark throntveit 1992 published by westminster john knox press ezra. The word biblical commentary delivers the best in biblical scholarship. Readers will learn to see christ in all aspects of scripture, and they will be encouraged by the devotional nature of each exposition.
In this 12week study, kathleen nielson shows readers gods mercy and faithfulness demonstrated in the books of ezra and nehemiah, encouraging christians toward sincere repentance and persevering hope. Ezra and nehemiah, books of, two books in the hagiographa i. As sequel of the book of ezra the book of nehemiah reports the third return to jerusalem in 445 bc. He explains the political dynamics as well as the cultural and social pressures that ezra and nehemiah had to confront.
Study 18 terms ezra, nehemiah, esther flashcards quizlet. The book of ezranehemiah tells the story of israels return to jerusalem to rebuild their lives and renew the covenant. The book of ezra nehemiah tells the story of israels return to jerusalem to rebuild their lives and renew the covenant. To learn about the spirituality of the jewish people during this time is told from chapters 8 to 10. From chapter 1 to 7, the rebuilding of jerusalem unfolds. Originally written together as a single book in the jewish scriptures, ezra and nehemiah document the fulfillment of gods promise that israel will return home after 70 years of exile in babylon and restore their ruined dwellings again. Nehemiahs primary mission was the rebuilding of the walls of jerusalem. Nehemiah was one of the most underrated heroes in the bible, cupbearer to the powerful persian king artaxerxes i longimanus. The books of ezra and nehemiah provide our primary source of information about the 100 years following the babylonian captivity.
The book of nehemiah has been, since the 16th century, a separate book of the hebrew bible. Selected bibliography of the books of ezra and nehemiah. At one time, however, ezra and nehemiah followed 1 and 2 chronicles and were generally considered to be the work of one and the same author known as the chronicler. Yet god used him in a big way in the work of reestablishing the jewish nation after the exile. Today were basically introducing the book of ezranehemiah and i say that advisedly. His discussion on the sources of these books, the date of writing, the chronological order of ezra and nehemiah, as well as several other issues, is thorough and. Purity ideology in ezranehemiah as a tool to reconstruct the community.
I was in the citadel of susa when i heard these things, i sat down and wept, etc. Ezranehemiah is a book in the hebrew bible found in the ketuvim section, originally with the. Our story this week ezra, nehemiah and the return from exile may seem obscure, but it spelled out the gospel in a way my son could. Some people see the book as an autobiography of nehemiah, and is often seen as a continuation of the book of ezra. Two remarkable personalitieswith strikingly different approaches to the same objectiveplayed dominant roles in this rebuilding of. The masoretic tradition regarded the books of ezra and nehemiah as one book and referred to it as the book of ezra. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Biblical literature ezra, nehemiah, and chronicles. The books of ezra and nehemiah are the only completely historical books in the third section of the hebrew bible, the ketuvim writings. Apr 09, 2018 the book of ezra in the bible explained given a quick overview. Others, again, are of the opinion that neither ezra nor nehemiah, but some other unknown editor, most probably the compiler of the books of chronicles, put together the books of ezra and nehemiah, using largely the memoirs of the two great. The human writer of the book of nehemiah was nehemiah himself. Well ezra and nehemiah are named after their essential characters ezra and nehemiah. Ezranehemiah, anchored in historical fact esther artfully written story with plot, dialogue and characterization esther secular atmosphere balances ezrahehemiah piety ezneh histor details offset gripping story line of esther esther, view from exile in persia counter ezneh devotion to homeland.
1239 1348 996 1281 397 321 124 1566 1514 342 211 503 225 1371 1126 1144 704 1586 1201 1198 216 220 1086 342 280 1203 953 904 31 1401 990 1184 1005 79