Why did Ezra return to Jerusalem?

Artaxerxes commissions him to return to Jerusalem as governor, where he defies the opposition of Judah’s enemies on all sides—Samaritans, Ammonites, Arabs and Philistines—to rebuild the walls.

How long did it take Ezra to reach Jerusalem?

three days
Verse 32. So we came to Jerusalem, and stayed there three days. According to Ezra 7:8, Ezra and his caravan arrived on the first day of the fifth month. “Three days”: The same “three days’ interval” to ‘rest after the journey and to prepare plans’ is also used by Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2:11).

How long after Ezra went to Jerusalem did Nehemiah go?

Book of Nehemiah narrative Learning that the remnant of Jews in Judah were in distress and that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down, he asked the king for permission to return and rebuild the city, around 20 years after Ezra’s arrival in Jerusalem in 468 BC.

What is the purpose of Ezra?

Ezra is written to fit a schematic pattern in which the God of Israel inspires a king of Persia to commission a leader from the Jewish community to carry out a mission; three successive leaders carry out three such missions, the first rebuilding the Temple, the second purifying the Jewish community, and the third …

Which Bible has the Book of Esdras?

First Book of Esdras, also called Greek Ezra, abbreviation I Esdras, apocryphal work that was included in the canon of the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible) but is not part of any modern biblical canon; it is called Greek Ezra by modern scholars to distinguish it from the Old Testament Book of Ezra …

What is the biblical meaning of Ezra?

help
What Does Ezra Mean? Ezra is a biblical name meaning “help” or “helper” in Hebrew. The Ezra of the Bible was a Jewish priest who helped reintroduce the Torah to the Jewish people who escaped captivity in Babylon. Gender: Ezra is traditionally a masculine name. Ezri has been used as a feminine variant.

What happened at the end of the Book of Ezra?

Ezra is then summoned to read the Law to the assembled people, and the Book records a covenant that all the people made. Some more pieces of history occur at the end of the Book, and these are said to have taken place some time after the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes (Ne. xiii. 6).

Why did Ezra fast on the road to Jerusalem?

The road to Jerusalem and the land of Judea itself were fraught with peril. In fact, Ezra led those with him in a time of prayer and fasting for safety on their journey—a journey considered “fast” because it only took four months ( Ezra 8:24–36 ).

When did Ezra build the temple of Jerusalem?

Then, inspired by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, they take up the building once more, and complete it by 516 B.C. There is now a gap in the history, until in the seventh year of Artaxerxes Ezra arrives at Jerusalem from Babylon, leading back a fresh party of exiles, including priests and Levites.

Was there a population drop between Ezra and Nehemiah?

Yet in the time of Nehemiah, Nehemiah himself records that there were only a few people living in the city (Ne. vii. 4). A sudden drop in the population between the time of Ezra and that of Nehemiah is unlikely.