Skip to content
Verse 42
Theosis · English Bible
1 Esdras

1 Esdras 5

Old TestamentTheosis · English Bible

1After this, the heads of the families were chosen according to their tribes to go up with their wives, sons, daughters, menservants, maidservants, and their cattle. 2And Darius sent with them 1,000 horsemen until they had brought them back safely to Jerusalem, with music, tabrets, and flutes, 3and all their brethren danced. And he made them go up together with them. 4And these are the names of the men who went up, according to their families, to their tribes, to their own district. 5The priests: the sons of Phinehas, son of Aaron; Jeshua, son of Jozadak, son of Seraiah; and Joachim, son of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, of the house of David, from the lineage of Perez, of the tribe of Judah, 6who spoke wise words before Darius, the king of Persia, in the second year of his reign, in the month Nisan, the first month. 7These are the ones from Judea who came up from the captivity in exile, whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had deported to Babylon; 8and each returned to Jerusalem and the rest of Judea, to his own city. They came with Zerubbabel and Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Eneniah, Mordecai, Beelsarus, Aspharasus, Boroliah, Reimus, Baana, their leaders. 9The number of the people and their leaders: sons of Parosh: 2,172; sons of Shephatiah: 472; 10sons of Arah: 756; 11sons of Pahath-Moab, of the sons of Jeshua and Joab: 2,812; 12sons of Elam: 1,254; sons of Zattu: 945; sons of Zaccai: 705; sons of Bani: 648; 13sons of Bebai: 623; sons of Asgad: 3,322; 14sons of Adonikam: 667; sons of Bigvai: 2,066; sons of Adin: 454; 15sons of Ater, son of Hezekiah: 92; sons of Kilan and Azetas: 67; sons of Azaru: 432; 16sons of Ananias: 101; sons of Arom: 112; sons of Bezai: 323; sons of Hariph: 112; 17sons of Betyrus: 3,005; sons of Bethlehem: 123; 18those from Netophah: 55; those from Anathoth: 158; those from Beth Azmaveth: 42; 19those from Kiriath Jearim: 25; those from Chephirah and Beeroth: 743; 20those from Chadias and Ammidiah: 422; those from Ramah and Geba: 621; 21those from Michmash: 122; those from Bethel and Ai: 52; sons of Niphis: 156; 22sons of another Calamolalus and Onus: 725; sons of Jericho: 345; 23sons of Senaah: 3,330. 24The priests: sons of Jedaiah, son of Jeshua among the sons of Anasib: 972; sons of Immer: 1,052; 25sons of Pashhur: 1,247; sons of Harim: 1,017. 26Then the Levites: sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel and Bannas and Hodaviah: 74. 27The temple singers: sons of Asaph: 148. 28The gatekeepers: sons of Shallum, sons of Ater, sons of Talmon, sons of Akkub, sons of Hatita, sons of Shobai: all together 139. 29The temple servants: sons of Ezau, sons of Hasupha, sons of Tabaoth, sons of Keros, sons of Siaha, sons of Padon, sons of Lebanah, sons of Hagaba, 30sons of Akkub, sons of Uzza, sons of Paseah, sons of Besai, sons of Asnah, sons of Meunim, sons of Nephusim, 31sons of Bakbuk, sons of Hakupha, sons of Harhur, sons of Bazluth, sons of Mehida, sons of Harsha, sons of Barkos, sons of Sisera, sons of Temah, sons of Neziah, sons of Hatipha. 32Sons of the servants of Solomon: sons of Hassophereth, sons of Peruda, sons of Jaalah, sons of Lozon, sons of Giddel, sons of Shephatiah, 33sons of Hattil, sons of Pochereth of Zebaim, sons of Sarothie, sons of Masiah, sons of Gas, sons of Addus, sons of Subas, sons of Apherra, sons of Barodis, sons of Shaphat, sons of Amon. 34All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon's servants: 372. 35These are the ones who came up from Tel-Melah and Tel-Harsha: their leaders were Cherub, Addan, and Immer; 36but they could not prove their families and their lineage, whether they were of Israel: sons of Delaiah, son of Tobiah, sons of Nekoda: 652. 37And of the priests: sons of Habaiah, sons of Hakkoz, sons of Barzillai, who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name. 38These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but they were not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 39And the governor told them that they should not partake of the most holy food until a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise. 40The whole assembly together was 42,360, besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337; and they had 245 singers, male and female. 41Their camels were 435, and their horses 7,036, their mules 245, their donkeys 5,525. 42Some of the heads of families, when they came to the house of God in Jerusalem, made freewill offerings for the house of God, to erect it on its site according to their ability, 43and they gave to the treasury of the work 1,000 minas of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priestly garments. 44So the priests and the Levites and some of the people lived in Jerusalem and its vicinity, and the singers and the gatekeepers and all Israel in their towns. 45When the seventh month came and the children of Israel were in their towns, the people gathered as one man to the open square before the first gate toward the east. 46Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak stood up, along with his brothers the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brothers, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, 47to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses, the man of God. 48They set the altar in its place, for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both morning and evening. 49And they kept the Feast of Booths, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the rule, as each day required, 50and after that the regular burnt offerings, the offerings at the new moon and at all the appointed feasts of the Lord, 51and the offerings of everyone who made a freewill offering to the Lord. 52From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid. 53So they gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant they had from Cyrus king of Persia. 54In the second year after their arrival at the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak made a beginning, together with the rest of their brothers, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. 55They appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to supervise the work of the house of the Lord. 56And Jeshua with his sons and his brothers, and Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Hodaviah, along with the sons of Henadad, and their sons and brothers, the Levites, joined together to supervise those working on the house of God. 57And the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord. 58The priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the directions of David king of Israel. 59And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel." 60And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 61But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, 62though many shouted aloud for joy, 63so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away. 64When the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, 65they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' houses and said to them, "Let us build with you, 66for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here." 67But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses in Israel said to them, "You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; 68but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us." 69Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build 70and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Book overviewPrevious chapterNext chapter
Read chapter in the app
1 Esdras 5:42

Maximus the Confessor

Maximus the Confessor7th century

And all individuals of Israel who were two hundred and fifty years old and older, excluding servants and wives, totaled four hundred and three thousand, three hundred and sixty. Among these, there were seven thousand, three hundred and seventy-seven servants and maidservants, and eight hundred and fifty-five singers. The count of camels was four hundred and thirty-five, horses seven thousand, seven hundred and thirty-six, mules eight hundred and forty-five, and donkeys five thousand, five hundred and twenty-five. These elevated and profound words, articulated by the Holy Spirit through the prophets, speak to Israel's departure from Babylonian captivity. One might wonder why this account is presented so simply, seemingly beneath the dignity of the Spirit, detailing specific numbers of camels, horses, and mules. The true interpretation is reserved for those whose pure hearts have been graced by the Spirit, allowing them to see beyond the surface and grasp the essence of the written word without being fixated on the symbols. They may, however, choose to present these symbols in a way that resonates with those less spiritually mature, who still need sensory images to understand higher truths.

This aspiration to reach divine understanding is not uncommon. Those who have received enlightenment naturally exhibit reverence for the manifestations of these truths. When one earnestly seeks spiritual understanding, they either come to grasp the truths of the intelligible and joyfully offer the ‘sacrifice of praise’ as expressed in Psalm 49:23, or they discern a deeper meaning within the Scriptures, recognizing the divine beyond their comprehension. I implore God to assist me in projecting an understanding of these questions; my own intellect is feeble against the complexity of Scripture’s allegories. Should I happen to succeed, all glory is due to God, who leads me through the understanding of divine mysteries into thanksgiving, but if I fail, then His incomprehensibility remains a source of humility for me.

In the previous chapter, regarding Zerubbabel, it is noted: “And when this youth went out, he lifted up his face to heaven straightway to Jerusalem, and blessed the King of heaven” (2 Ezra 4:58). After the debate before Darius, Zerubbabel turned from the king, and Darius himself can be seen as the embodiment of natural law. His name reflects concepts of ‘birth’ or ‘lineage,’ signifying the properties of natural law, which include birth, lineage, and genealogy, all of which pertain to natural order. Thus, Darius is rightly understood as natural law, encompassing the categories and specifics of nature, all bound by time and location. Anything that exists cannot be detached from this natural birth, making Darius the law of nature.

Zerubbabel symbolizes the contemplative mind that has emerged from Darius, having transcended the limitations of the created realm, subject to time and space. Zerubbabel raises his inner essence, aligned with virtue, toward heaven—the realm of intelligible ideas—which can only be perceived through thought. This heavenly Jerusalem is the city whose very foundations are engraved by the Lord’s hands (Isaiah 49:16), and where the gathering of the joyful occurs (Psalm 86:7). This is where the true exodus of the captives transpires, those who, as the Apostle indicates, yearn for “a dwelling in heaven” (2 Cor. 5:2). United with King David, they can profess: “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, my right hand shall be forgotten. Clasp my tongue to my larynx, if I forget thee not” (Psalm 136:5-6). The ‘right hand’ refers to spiritual endeavors highlighted in divine virtues, while the ‘tongue’ refers to the inclination of the mind, often hindered by base passions represented as a binding mass in the throat, preventing ascendance to the transcendent joys and the goodness of the Lord (Psalm 33:9; 1 Pet. 2:3).

If Zerubbabel is depicted as hastening to convey the logos to Jerusalem, this either illustrates the eagerness of our contemplative minds or reflects the urgency of the Creator-Word who became incarnate to lead those who had strayed back to life and freedom from the confines of the fleshly passions. For those who draw near to Him, He liberates from captivity and brings them to the heavenly Jerusalem. The Scripture artistically portrays this journey with the counts of the diverse groups mentioned. Each virtuous person ascending toward the celestial Jerusalem embodies both the numeric diversity and the singularity of the unified virtue and conduct.

The declarations from Scripture—“All that were of Israel, from twelve hundred years old and upward, except slaves and wives, four hundred and threescore thousand, three hundred and sixty”—illustrate a profound spiritual truth. Those who journey from Babylon to Israel, whose age exceeds twelve, signify spiritual maturity that transcends the merely sensory and temporal. The number twelve encompasses five (symbolizing the senses) and seven (representing time), indicating a detachment from the corporeal realm and a yearning for the spiritual; they emerge from the confusion of existence, totaling forty-three thousand three hundred and sixty.

The ‘slaves’ likely represent unrefined thoughts tied to our natural, unblemished passions. The ‘wives’ may symbolize natural desires and pleasures, which, while not criminal, are effects of inherent human needs. This duality—of experiencing necessary matters like food, drink, and rest—illustrates that these natural elements do not constitute our passage into immortality. The four tens of thousands denote the cardinal virtues that, once traversed, grant humanity its rightful claim to the bliss of a passionless existence. The significance of ten thousand rests in its unity, as ten, representing perfection, combines effortlessly within its structure. Each of the cardinal virtues derives its origin and conclusion from the divine and ineffable reality of God, underscoring that virtue finds its formation in Him.

Perhaps the Scriptures signify the four tens of thousands as stages of refinement in the application of divine commandments, where the first stage pertains to basic observance of virtues post-vice, leading to the unity of the initial ten, which is also one. The second stage follows as a deeper understanding achieved through the application of the commandments, transforming tens into hundreds. The third stage continues this quantitative increase in light of nature, with the fourth denoting advancement to the highest logos of each commandment.

Moreover, the four tens of thousands may also represent the four principal forms of passionlessness—total abstaining from evil actions in the nascent stage, rejecting evil thoughts in the virtuous individual, complete control over desires for the individual deeply engaged in contemplation, and ultimate purity from even the mere images of passionate thoughts for those who have attained divine knowledge. Those purged of passions thus contribute to the divine nature’s sanctity by overcoming earthly encumbrance.

The three thousand symbolizes a flawless, divine doctrine regarding the Holy Trinity, professing faith in the Triune God. Within the context of divine providence, three hundred stands for God’s governance as it manifests through the letter shape, which signifies His encompassing care. This number remarkably resembles the Cross, where the fundamental mystery of Providence unfolds as God’s humanity is realized. In this vein, Abraham's victorious emergence with three hundred and eighteen servants is interpreted not just through the number but through its association with Christ’s image, as he confronted opposing powers.

For those who critically analyze the intent embedded within the sacred text via numbers, the narrative reveals that divine providence not only preserves but elevates nature to its highest state. Adding two hundred to one hundred culminates in three hundred, signifying a harmony between nature and virtue, with two hundred signifying matter dependent on the elements, while one hundred represents the culmination of divine virtue and grace’s fullness—epitomized by Abraham, who grew spiritually in promises beyond his natural aging.

The sixty signifies the creative nature of the commandments augmented by the divine virtues, where six days constitute the creation of the world, and ten stands as a representation of those virtues as encapsulated in divine law.

As for the enumerated slaves and maidservants, they mirror the six-year service of the Hebrew slaves, signifying the active ethical journey toward moral integrity, culminating in spiritual contemplation beyond physical labor. The foreign slave represents untamed desires which the spiritual seeker tames through reason in pursuit of virtue until the spirit’s law completely subsumes nature's law.

The numbers of ‘singers’ elucidate ancient truths of praised virtue practices, while ‘singers’ signify those who reveal the depths of truth through contemplation. The count of camels enhances the sense of perception by depicting visible things as carriers of spiritual insights, whereas horses symbolize the vigorous pursuit of virtuous living, representative of spiritual battles faced against adversity.

In examining mules and subjugators, we acknowledge principles of purity, reflecting moral excellence. This symbiotic representation culminates as each category embodies diverse believers, contributing collectively to the Church’s fullness through various dispositions of virtuous living.

The exploration of these passages appears exhaustive, yet the essence of each layered meaning encourages contemplation. Those, through divine inspiration, who can delve into these intricate portrayals stand to unveil the depth of Holy Scripture’s wisdom, which remains veiled to many yet offers profound insights into the path of salvation through divine love born from fear. Thus, may those who embody such virtues serve as testament to the divine workmanship that unites these diverse groups into the Church, illuminating grace’s manifold beauty.