Ezra 8:19 - and Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty;

Generated Verse: Ezra 8:19

What does "Ezra 8:19" mean?


Ezra 8:19 states: "and Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty."

This verse lists men who were returning from exile in Babylon to Jerusalem with Ezra. Let's break it down:

Hashabiah: This is the name of a man. He's likely a Levite, given the context.
and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari: This indicates that Jeshaiah accompanied Hashabiah. Jeshaiah is identified as being from the family line of Merari, which was one of the three main divisions of the Levites (the others being Gershon and Kohath).
his brothers and their sons, twenty: This means that Jeshaiah was accompanied by 20 men: his brothers (fellow members of the Merari family) and their sons. This is specifying the number of people from the Merari lineage who were traveling with Jeshaiah and Hashabiah.

In summary, the verse means:

Hashabiah and Jeshaiah, who came from the family of Merari within the Levites, were travelling together from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Jeshaiah brought with him 20 relatives: his brothers and their sons, also from the Merari family.

This verse is part of a larger section in Ezra chapter 8 which lists the leaders and families who accompanied Ezra on his journey back to Jerusalem from Babylon. These were important people to name, as they were responsible for re-establishing worship and the temple in Jerusalem. The Levites, in particular, had a key role in temple service.

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