Ezra 2 13

Ezra 2:13 kjv

The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty and six.

Ezra 2:13 nkjv

the people of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-six;

Ezra 2:13 niv

of Adonikam ? 666

Ezra 2:13 esv

The sons of Adonikam, 666.

Ezra 2:13 nlt

The family of Adonikam ? 666

Ezra 2 verses

Ezra 2 13 Meaning

Ezra 2:13 details the number of individuals belonging to the family or clan of Adonikam who returned from the Babylonian exile to Judah and Jerusalem. It states that six hundred and sixty-six descendants from this lineage were part of the initial group of returnees led by Zerubbabel and Jeshua. This verse, situated within a broader census list, highlights the precise, divinely ordained restoration of the Israelite community after the period of captivity.

Ezra 2 13 Context

Ezra chapter 2 is a crucial record of the "children of the province," referring to the Israelite exiles who returned from Babylon to Judah and Jerusalem after the decree of King Cyrus (Ezra 1:1-4). This chapter serves as a comprehensive census, meticulously listing the heads of families, the number of individuals within each family, their servants, livestock, and monetary contributions for the rebuilding of the temple. The historical context is the immediate post-exilic period (circa 538 BC), when the Jewish community was re-establishing itself in their ancestral homeland after seventy years of Babylonian captivity. Such precise record-keeping was vital for several reasons: to affirm their legitimate claim to the land, to determine who was eligible for particular roles (especially priestly duties), and to show the physical return fulfilling divine prophecies of restoration. Ezra 2:13 is one line item in this detailed accounting, emphasizing that even individual families, like that of Adonikam, played a significant role in this grand act of divine faithfulness and human restoration.

Ezra 2 13 Word analysis

• The children of: (Hebrew: בְּנֵי - bəney) This literally translates to "sons of," but is often used broadly in a collective sense to mean "descendants" or "clan of." It signifies the familial unit or lineage, emphasizing the continuity of specific Israelite families returning to their heritage. This detail was crucial for identity, tribal affiliation, and inheritance rights in ancient Israel.
• Adonikam: (Hebrew: אֲדֹנִיקָם - ʼAdoniyqam) A proper personal name. Its meaning can be interpreted as "My Lord has risen" or "Lord of the enemy." This is a specific family leader or progenitor, whose name is consistently listed among the notable families in the census lists of Ezra and Nehemiah. The presence of this name underscores the specificity and accuracy of the historical record, acknowledging particular family contributions to the restoration. The variation in Nehemiah 7:18 (667 instead of 666) is a minor textual difference, common in ancient manuscripts and potentially reflecting different methods of counting or inclusion criteria at slightly different times.
• six hundred sixty and six: (Hebrew: שֵׁשׁ־מֵאוֹת שִׁשִּׁים וָשֵׁשׁ - shesh-me'ot shishim va-shesh) This is a literal numerical count. In the context of Ezra, it represents the exact number of individuals, most likely adult males and their families, who belonged to the Adonikam clan and were part of the return. Unlike the symbolic use of the number 666 found in Revelation 13:18 as "the number of the beast," in Ezra 2:13, it is purely a census figure. Attributing apocalyptic meaning to this number in Ezra would be anachronistic and contradict the immediate, historical, and numerical context of the post-exilic census. This precise numerical data signifies the meticulousness of the return records and the careful organization of the re-establishing community under God's watchful eye. It points to a literal, historical event rather than symbolic prophecy within this specific book.

Ezra 2 13 Bonus section

The inclusion of detailed census lists, such as the one containing Ezra 2:13, emphasizes the divine preservation of lineage even through generations of exile. This was critical for the Jewish people to maintain their identity and connections to their land and spiritual heritage. These lists also demonstrate a biblical precedent for the meticulous record-keeping of God's people, often linked to land distribution, religious service, and fulfilling specific promises concerning families and tribes. The minor discrepancies between Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7 in some family counts are typically attributed by scholars to various reasons such as slightly different groups or periods of accounting, different recording methodologies, or simple scribal variations that are common in ancient texts and do not undermine the overall historical accuracy.

Ezra 2 13 Commentary

Ezra 2:13 is a vital component of a meticulous census that underpins the post-exilic return, showcasing the precision of God's restoration. This verse, with its exact enumeration of "the children of Adonikam," serves multiple functions: it highlights God's faithfulness in bringing back His scattered people as prophesied, validates the ancestral claims of the returning community to their land and heritage, and establishes a foundational structure for rebuilding the nation and the temple. The detailed numbering reinforces the tangible nature of the return and the commitment of ordinary families to this divine work. It demonstrates that the reconstruction effort wasn't merely a collective abstract idea but comprised real individuals from specific lineages, each playing their part in God's grand design of restoration. There is no hidden prophetic or symbolic meaning in the number 666 here; it is purely a historical count demonstrating the sheer number of those participating in the physical return and repopulation of Judah.