Chapter Text
The List of Returning Exiles
Now these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city;
2Which came with Zerubbabel: Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:
3The children of Parosh, two thousand an hundred seventy and two.
4The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy and two.
5The children of Arah, seven hundred seventy and five.
6The children of Pahathmoab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve .
7The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four.
8The children of Zattu, nine hundred forty and five.
9The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and threescore.
10The children of Bani, six hundred forty and two.
11The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty and three.
12The children of Azgad, a thousand two hundred twenty and two.
13The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty and six.
14The children of Bigvai, two thousand fifty and six.
15The children of Adin, four hundred fifty and four.
16The children of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety and eight.
17The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and three.
18The children of Jorah, an hundred and twelve .
19The children of Hashum, two hundred twenty and three.
20The children of Gibbar, ninety and five.
21The children of Bethlehem, an hundred twenty and three.
22The men of Netophah, fifty and six.
23The men of Anathoth, an hundred twenty and eight.
24The children of Azmaveth, forty and two.
25The children of Kirjatharim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty and three.
26The children of Ramah and Gaba, six hundred twenty and one.
27The men of Michmas, an hundred twenty and two.
28The men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred twenty and three.
29The children of Nebo, fifty and two.
30The children of Magbish, an hundred fifty and six.
31The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four.
32The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.
33The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty and five.
34The children of Jericho, three hundred forty and five.
35The children of Senaah, three thousand and six hundred and thirty.
The Priests and Levites
36The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy and three.
37The children of Immer, a thousand fifty and two.
38The children of Pashur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven.
39The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen .
40The Levites: the children of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the children of Hodaviah, seventy and four.
41The singers: the children of Asaph, an hundred twenty and eight.
42The 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 an hundred thirty and nine.
43The Nethinims: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth,
44The children of Keros, the children of Siaha, the children of Padon,
45The children of Lebanah, the children of Hagabah, the children of Akkub,
46The children of Hagab, the children of Shalmai, the children of Hanan,
47The children of Giddel, the children of Gahar, the children of Reaiah,
48The children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda, the children of Gazzam,
49The children of Uzza, the children of Paseah, the children of Besai,
50The children of Asnah, the children of Mehunim, the children of Nephusim ,
51The children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,
52The children of Bazluth, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha,
53The children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Thamah,
54The children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.
55The children of Solomon's servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Peruda,
56The children of Jaalah, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel,
57The children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth of Zebaim, the children of Ami.
58All the Nethinims, and the children of Solomon's servants, were three hundred ninety and two.
59And these were they which went up from Telmelah, Telharsa, Cherub, Addan, and Immer: but they could not shew their father's house, and their seed, whether they were of Israel:
60The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred fifty and two.
61And of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai; which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name:
62These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood.
63And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim.
The Total Assembly
64The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore,
65Beside their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and there were among them two hundred singing men and singing women.
66Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five;
67Their camels, four hundred thirty and five; their asses, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.
68And some of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the house of the LORD which is at Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in his place:
69They gave after their ability unto the treasure of the work threescore and one thousand drams of gold, and five thousand pound of silver, and one hundred priests' garments.
70So the priests, and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.
Summary
A detailed census of the returning exiles is given, organized by family and town of origin. The total congregation numbers 42,360, plus 7,337 servants and 200 singers. Upon arrival in Jerusalem, the leaders contribute generously to the temple rebuilding fund. The people settle in their ancestral towns throughout Judah and Benjamin.
Meaning
The meticulous record of names and numbers affirms that every individual and family mattered in God's restoration plan. This was not an anonymous mass migration but a community of known people with documented heritage and purpose.
The freewill offerings upon arrival demonstrate that the returning exiles understood their responsibility to invest in the work God had called them to. Faith acts with tangible generosity.
Background
The total of 42,360 represents only a fraction of the Jews in exile. Many had established comfortable lives in Babylon and chose not to return, making those who did leave an act of faith.
The family-based organization reflects the importance of maintaining tribal and clan identity for land distribution and temple service.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-2Leaders of the Return
- vv. 3-35Families Numbered by Clan and Town
- vv. 36-39The Priests
- vv. 40-42Levites, Singers, and Porters
- vv. 43-58Nethinims and Solomon's Servants
- vv. 59-63Those Without Genealogical Proof
- vv. 64-67The Total Congregation and Possessions
- vv. 68-70Freewill Offerings and Settlement
Key Verses
“Which came with Zerubbabel: Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:”— 2:2
This verse names the leaders of the return, pairing Zerubbabel the Davidic governor with Jeshua the high priest — the civil and priestly heads who would together rebuild the temple and restore covenant worship.
“These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood.”— 2:62
A sober reminder that priestly service required verifiable lineage; the post-exilic community took covenant identity and ritual purity with utmost seriousness, refusing to compromise the holiness of the altar.
“And some of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the house of the LORD which is at Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in his place:”— 2:68
The freewill offering echoes the generosity at the building of the tabernacle (Exodus 35) and Solomon's temple, marking the returnees' wholehearted devotion to restoring God's house.
People & Places
People
- Zerubbabel — Davidic prince and governor who led the first wave of exiles back from Babylon to Jerusalem.
- Jeshua — High priest who returned with Zerubbabel and oversaw the restoration of temple worship.
- Nehemiah — A leader listed among those returning (not the later cupbearer of the book of Nehemiah).
- Mordecai — One of the named leaders accompanying Zerubbabel (distinct from Esther's kinsman).
- Nebuchadnezzar — The Babylonian king whose earlier conquest had carried Judah into the captivity now ending.
- The Tirshatha — The Persian title for the governor (Zerubbabel), who ruled on matters of priestly purity.
- Barzillai — A priest whose family took its name from the Gileadite Barzillai, but lost priestly standing for lack of genealogical record.
Places
- Babylon — The Mesopotamian empire where Judah had been exiled for seventy years under Nebuchadnezzar.
- Jerusalem — The covenant city and site of the temple, destination of the returning exiles.
- Judah — The southern homeland to which the families returned, each to his ancestral city.
- Bethlehem — Ancestral town of David, listed among the returning families' home cities.
- Anathoth — Priestly town in Benjamin, hometown of the prophet Jeremiah.
- Bethel and Ai — Ancient towns in the hill country of Ephraim/Benjamin tied to patriarchal history.
- Jericho — The storied city near the Jordan whose families joined the return.
- Telmelah, Telharsa, Cherub, Addan, Immer — Babylonian settlements from which certain returnees came but could not prove their Israelite lineage.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
This chapter is the tangible fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy that after seventy years in Babylon the LORD would visit His people and bring them back to this place (Jeremiah 29:10), and of Isaiah's word naming Cyrus as the shepherd who would say to Jerusalem, 'Thou shalt be built' (Isaiah 44:28). The presence of Zerubbabel (v.2), heir of David, also preserves the messianic line that culminates in Christ (Matthew 1:12-13), keeping the promise to David alive through the exile.
Devotional
Long lists of names can feel tedious, yet here every household matters. God remembers each family that answered the call to come home, down to the servants, the singers, and even the livestock. Faithfulness is rarely glamorous; it is showing up, being counted, and giving as you are able.
Notice too the freewill offering of verse 68. The returnees had little, but they gave generously to set God's house in its place. Whatever ruins you face, begin by laying a foundation of worship — and trust that the One who brought you out of captivity is writing your name in His book as well.
Literary Style
Administrative list and census record embedded in historical narrative. The chapter uses repetitive enumerative formulas ('the children of...'), grouping returnees by family, town, and temple office, and closes with a summary tally and a narrative coda about offerings and resettlement.