Ezra 8:16 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Ezra 8:16
Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding.
to send away · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 1st person common singular + paragogic he
Eliezer
לֶאֱלִיעֶ֡זֶרle.'e.li.'E.zer
H461
Eliezer · preposition + proper noun, a man's name
Ariel
לַאֲרִיאֵ֡לla.'a.ri.'El
H740
Ariel · preposition + proper noun, a man's name
Shemaiah
לִֽ֠שְׁמַעְיָהLish.ma'.yah
H8098
Shemajah · preposition + proper noun, a man's name
Elnathan
וּלְאֶלְנָתָ֨ןu.le.'el.na.Tan
H494
Elnathan · conjunction + preposition + proper noun, a man's name
Jarib
וּלְיָרִ֜יבu.le.ya.Riv
H3402
Jarib · conjunction + preposition + proper noun, a man's name
Elnathan
וּלְאֶלְנָתָ֧ןu.le.'el.na.Tan
H494
Elnathan · conjunction + preposition + proper noun, a man's name
Nathan
וּלְנָתָ֛ןu.le.na.Tan
H5416
Nathan · conjunction + preposition + proper noun, a man's name
Zechariah
וְלִזְכַרְיָ֥הve.liz.khar.Yah
H2148
Zecarjah · conjunction + preposition + proper noun, a man's name
Meshullam
וְלִמְשֻׁלָּ֖םve.lim.shu.Lam
H4918
Meshullam · conjunction + preposition + proper noun, a man's name
men
רָאשִׁ֑יםra.Shim
H7218
the head (as most easily shaken) · noun, common masculine plural absolute
Joiarib
וּלְיוֹיָרִ֥יבu.le.yo.ya.Riv
H3114
Jojarib · conjunction + preposition + proper noun, a man's name
Elnathan
וּלְאֶלְנָתָ֖ןu.le.'el.na.Tan
H494
Elnathan · conjunction + preposition + proper noun, a man's name
understanding
מְבִינִֽיםme.vi.Nim
H995
to separate mentally (or distinguish) · verb, hiphil active participle, masculine plural absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
1 Kings 3:11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself,…
1 Chronicles 12:32 And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were…
1 Chronicles 26:14 And the lot eastward fell to Shelemiah. Then for Zechariah his son, a wise counsellor, they cast lots; and his lot came out northward.
2 Chronicles 2:12 Huram said moreover, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with…
Ezra 8:13 And of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are these, Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them threescore males.
Ezra 8:18 And by the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; an…
Ezra 10:21 And of the sons of Harim; Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Ezra 8:1-20
Ezra, having received his commission from the king, beats up for volunteers, as it were, sets up an ensign to assemble the outcasts of Israel and the dispersed of Judah, Isa 11:12. "Whoever of the sons of Sion, that swell with the daughters of Babylon, is disposed to go to Jerusalem, now that the temple there is finished and the temple-service set a-going, now is their time." Now one would think that under such a leader, with such encouragements, all the Jews should at length have shaken themselves from their dust, and loosed the bands of their neck, according to that call, Isa 52:1, Isa 52:2, etc. I wonder how any of them could read that chapter and yet stay behind. But multitudes did. They…
then sent I for Eliezer . . . with commandment unto Iddo the chief--Ezra sent this deputation, either by virtue of authority which by his priestly character he had over the Levites, or of the royal commission with which he was invested. The deputation was despatched to Iddo, who was a prince or chief of the Nethinims--for the Persian government allowed the Hebrews during their exile to retain their ecclesiastical government by their own chiefs, as well as to enjoy the privilege of free worship. Iddo's influence procured and brought to the camp at Ahava thirty-eight Levites, and two hundred twenty Nethinims, the descendants of the Gibeonites, who performed the servile duties of the temple.
Adam Clarke on Ezra 8:15
The river that runneth to Ahava - Ahava was a river itself, which is supposed to be the same that is called Diava or Adiava, in the province of Adiabene; and perhaps the place whence the people of Ava came who were brought by the king of Assyria to Palestine, Kg2 17:24.
None of the sons of Levi - None that were simply Levites. He found priests, and they were sons of Levi; but no Levites that were not priests.
John Gill on Ezra 8:16
Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding. These were all in the camp, in some part of it, to whom Ezra sent messengers to come unto him; three of them are of the same name; the first nine were men of chief note, rank, and dignity in their family, and the other two were noted for men of good sense, and that could speak to a case well, and so fit to be sent on such an affair as they were.
Dictionary and topics
Ariel — The lion of God. (1.) One of the chief men sent by Ezra to procure Levites for the sanctuary (Ezra 8:16). (2.) A symbolic name for Jerusalem (Isa. 29:1, 2, 7) as “victorious under God,” and in Ezek.…
Eliezar — (God is his help).
Eliezer — God his help. (1.) “Of Damascus,” the “steward” (R.V., “possessor”) of Abraham’s house (Gen. 15:2, 3). It was probably he who headed the embassy sent by Abraham to the old home of his family in…
Elnathan — Whom God has given. (1.) An inhabitant of Jerusalem, the father of Nehushta, who was the mother of king Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24:8). Probably the same who tried to prevent Jehoiakim from burning the…
Elnathan, Or Elnathan — (God hath given).
Ezra — Help. (1.) A priest among those that returned to Jerusalem under Zerubabel (Neh. 12:1). (2.) The “scribe” who led the second body of exiles that returned from Babylon to Jerusalem B.C. 459, and…
Jarib — An adversary. (1.) A son of Simeon (1 Chr. 4:24). (2.) One of the chiefs sent by Ezra to bring up the priests to Jerusalem (Ezra 8:16). (3.) Ezra 10:18.
Joiarib — (whom Jehovah defends) = Jehoiarib. (1.) The founder of one of the courses of the priests (Neh. 11:10). (2.) Neh. 11:5; a descendant of Judah. (3.) Neh. 12:6. (4.) Ezra 8:16, a “man of understanding”…
Mamaias — apparently the same with Shemaiah in (Ezra 8:16)
Meshullam — Befriended. (1.) One of the chief Gadites in Bashan in the time of Jotham (1 Chr. 5:13). (2.) Grandfather of Shaphan, “the scribe,” in the reign of Josiah (2 Kings 22:3). (3.) A priest, father of…
Nathan — Given. (1.) A prophet in the reigns of David and Solomon (2 Chr. 9:29). He is first spoken of in connection with the arrangements David made for the building of the temple (2 Sam. 7:2, 3, 17), and…
Shemaiah
Keil & Delitzsch on Ezra 8:15–end
Account of the journey. - Ezr 8:15 The assembling of the expedition. When the Israelites who were about to return to Jerusalem had assembled, and were ready for starting, Ezra perceived that there were no Levites among them. He then sent for certain chief men among them, and by means of the influence of Iddo, the chief at the place Casiphia, induced a number of Levites and Nethinim to determine on joining the expedition (Ezr 8:15). He then proclaimed a fast at the place of meeting, for the purpose of supplicating God to grant them a prosperous journey (Ezr 8:21).
Ezr 8:15-17
The travellers assembled at the river Ahava, where they encamped three days. In Ezr 8:15 the river is designated אל־אה…
The Hebrew term translated men of discernment refers to those who could interpret and explain the Torah. These men were probably respected because of their expertise in Scripture (cp. Neh 8:8-9). Ezra commissioned them to use their influence to recruit more Levites.
Rashi on Ezra 8:16
And I sent to Eliezer...the heads the great men.
the wise men Heb. מְבִינִים, lit. understanding. They were wise men.
— Whom Jehovah heard. (1.) A prophet in the reign of Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:22-24). (2.) Neh. 3:29. (3.) A Simeonite (1 Chr. 4:37). (4.) A priest (Neh. 12:42). (5.) A Levite (1 Chr. 9:16). (6.) 1 Chr.…
Zechariah — Jehovah is renowned or remembered. (1.) A prophet of Judah, the eleventh of the twelve minor prophets. Like Ezekiel, he was of priestly extraction. He describes himself (1:1) as “the son of…
Ariel · 1. A messenger from Ezra to Iddo — 1. A messenger from Ezra to Iddo
Eliezer · 8. A Jewish exile — 8. A Jewish exile
Elnathan · 2. Name of three Levites in the time of Ezra — 2. Name of three Levites in the time of Ezra
Jarib · 2. A chief among the — 2. A chief among the
Joiarib · 1. A returned exile — 1. A returned exile
Meshullam · 8. A chief who returned with Ezra — 8. A chief who returned with Ezra
Zechariah (Zecharias) · .Probably the priest mentioned in — .Probably the priest mentioned in
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
