Ezra, Nehemiah (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentary | AYBC)
Overview
Ezra, Nehemiah in the acclaimed Anchor Bible series continues the spiritual history of Jerusalem begun in II Chronicles; they relate the return of the Jewish people to their home from exile in Babylonia and the revitalization of the Jewish religion. Two remarkable personalities—with strikingly different approaches to the same objective—played dominant roles in this rebuilding of a nation. Ezra, the learned, pious, scribal priest, known among his contemporaries as “the second Moses,” was the architect of spiritual reform. Nehemiah, the forceful, shrewd, resourceful administrator, was the master international politician.
The importance of Ezra and Nememiah is, however, not only historical. With I And II Chronicles, believed to be written by the same author, Ezra and Nememiah comprise of an exceedingly complex jigsaw puzzle of parallels, direct quotes, and retellings, in some cases, of the same stories—all of which is, perhaps, more absorbing for the scholar than for the layman. But a study of Ezra and Nememiah—and the conclusions to which it leads—is crucial to an understanding of who wrote which portions of the Bible, how and when they came to be written, and what that understanding tells us ultimately about how the Bible, bit by bit over a period of almost 1,000 years, came into being.
Logos Bible Software gives you the tools you need to use this volume effectively and efficiently. With your digital library, you can search for verses, find Scripture references and citations instantly, and perform word studies. Along with your English translations, all Scripture passages are linked to Greek and Hebrew texts. What’s more, hovering over a Scripture reference will instantly display your verse! The advanced tools in your digital library free you to dig deeper into one of the most important contributions to biblical scholarship in the past century!
- Offers original translations, including alternative translations, annotations, and variants
- Provides verse-by-verse commentary on the text
- Presents the reader with historical background, including analysis of authorship and dating
- Features an extensive bibliography of primary and secondary literature
- Ezra
- Cyrus Releases the Jews (1:1–11)
- The Return to Jerusalem (2:1–70)
- Renewal of Religious Institutions (3:1–13)
- Work on the Temple Suspended because of Samaritan Opposition (4:1–24)
- Persian Officials Investigate the Rebuilding of the Temple (5:1–17)
- Darius I Permits the Completion of the Temple (6:1–22)
- Ezra and His Mission (7:1–28)
- Ezra’s Departure from Babylon. His Enlistment and Selection of Personnel (8:1–36)
- Ezra Reprimands the Jerusalem Jews for Their Sins (9:1–15)
- Repentance of the Jews (10:1–44)
- Nehemiah
- Nehemiah Distressed by News of the Conditions in Jerusalem (1:1–11)
- Nehemiah Goes to Jerusalem by Permission of Artaxerxes (2:1–10)
- Nehemiah’s Secret Inspection of Jerusalem Angers the Officials (2:11–20)
- Reconstruction of the City Walls (3:1–32)
- Samaritan Opposition and Harassment Protective Necessitate Measures (3:33–38, 4:1–17)
- Economic Problems. Nehemiah’s Solution (5:1–13)
- Nehemiah’s Administration (5:14–19)
- Plots against Nehemiah (6:1–14, 17–19)
- Completion of the Wall (6:15–16, 7:1–3)
- Population Records (7:4–72a)
- The Reading of the Law (7:72b, 8:1–12)
- Celebration of the Feast of Booths (8:13–18)
- Penance (9:1–37)
- The Written Pledge of Reform: Signers and Provisions (10:1–40)
- Distribution of the Jews in and outside Jerusalem (11:1–36)
- Postexilic Clerical Genealogies (12:1–26)
- Dedication of the Wall (12:27–43)
- Temple Provisions. Expulsion of Foreigners (12:44–47, 13:1–3)
- Nehemiah’s Reforms (13:4–31)
Top Highlights
“The object of the assembly was instruction in the torah (‘law’) which Ezra had carried with him from Babylon (Ezra 7:14)” (Page 153)
“The seventh month was the time for celebration of the Atonement” (Page 153)
“All signs point to a date around 400 b.c. for the completion of the main work of the Chronicler. There is no evidence that demands a later date.” (Page lxx)
“The walls of Jerusalem could hardly have been effectively repaired so long as Jerusalem and Judah were under the direct control of Samaria.” (Page 95)
“The summary at the end of Nehemiah shows that Ezra-Nehemiah was once regarded as a single book under the title of Ezra” (Page xxxviii)
- Title: Ezra, Nehemiah
- Author: Jacob M. Myers
- Series: Anchor Yale Bible (AYB)
- Publisher: Yale University Press
- Publication Date: 1995
- Pages: 356