“The Book of Ezra,” Old Testament Seminary Student Study Guide (2002), 121–23
“The Book of Ezra,” Old Testament Seminary Student Study Guide, 121–23
The Book of Ezra
From approximately 605–586 B.C the Babylonians conquered the Jewish nation and took the Jews captive into Babylon. During this captivity (see Psalm 137:1–4), they violated their covenants with God and appeared to have lost the blessings promised to them as part of the Abrahamic covenant.
New Hope
About fifty years after the Babylonian invasion, the Medes and the Persians united in defeating the Babylonians and created an empire in Asia and the Middle East. This Medo-Persian empire was led by a king named Cyrus who made policies that showed kindness to his subjects, including the Jews in Babylon. Shortly after conquering Babylon in 539 B.C., Cyrus announced that Jews in Babylon could return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple (see 2 Chronicles 36:22–23; Ezra 1). This announcement brought great excitement to many Jews in captivity. As the Psalmist wrote, “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning” (Psalm 137:5; see also 137:6). New hope was born in the hearts of the Jews.
There were three major returns to Jerusalem: one approximately 538 B.C. under the direction of Zerubbabel, a second approximately 465–425 B.C. under the direction of Ezra, and a third 444 B.C. under the direction of Nehemiah.
Returning from Exile
Carchemish
Haran
Arpad
Aleppo
Nineveh
Arbela
Hamath
Tadmor
Damascus
Jerusalem
Sippar
Babylon
Nippur
Susa
Tigris River
Euphrates River
Ezra used dangerous route without military escort
Return under Ezra and Nehemiah (457–428 B.C.)
Return of exiles in days of Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel (537–515 B.C.)
Judean exiles concentrated in area around Nippur
Getting Ready to Study Ezra
Ezra was a priest and a descendant of Aaron, the brother of Moses. He was also called a scribe, which was a person who studied, wrote, and taught the scriptures a great deal. Ezra led the second major group of Jews back to Jerusalem sometime around 465–425 B.C.
Some have called Ezra the “father” of modern Judaism because of his emphasis on studying the law (the scriptures). He led the Jews at a time when they began focusing more on becoming a church rather than a nation. Ezra apparently either wrote some of the book of Ezra or the original writer quoted directly from a record Ezra wrote because in the last four chapters Ezra spoke in the first person (“I said,” “I sent them,” and so on).
After retelling the story of Cyrus allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem (originally told in 2 Chronicles 36), Ezra told the story of a group, led by Zerubbabel, who returned and sought to rebuild the temple and reestablish the Jewish way of life. This group became discouraged but were later encouraged to finish the temple by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. The temple is one of two important themes emphasized in Ezra. The other idea is the importance of the law, or the sacred records we call the scriptures. Ezra tried to help the Jews become righteous from the inside out by teaching them the law. For more information on Ezra, see the Bible Dictionary, “Ezra” (p. 669).
Time Line for Ezra
586 B.C. Jerusalem conquered, most Jews taken captive to Babylon
580
540
539 B.C. Cyrus and the Medo-Persians overthrew Babylon
538 B.C. Cyrus decreed that Jews may return to Jerusalem and build temple
537 B.C. First group of Jews returned to Jerusalem
536 B.C. Rebuilding the temple began
530
530 B.C. Temple construction stopped
522 B.C. Darius became king of Persia
520
520 B.C. Haggai and Zechariah prophesied, temple construction began again
516 B.C. Temple finished and dedicated
486 B.C. Xerxes became king of Persia
480
470
465 B.C. Artaxerxes became king of Persia
460
458 B.C. Ezra went to Jerusalem
450
445 B.C. Nehemiah went to Jerusalem, wall completed
440
Note: Dates are approximate.