Bible study questions on ezra, nehemiah, and esther. A single book originally ezranehemiah was considered a single unit in the hebrew canon just as we today view 1st and 2nd chronicles but were first treated separately by christians around the 3rd century. This is a guest post by kathleen nielson, author of ezra and nehemiah. It focuses, not on the restoration of jerusalem, but rather on events happening in persia when ahasuerus, better known to us by his greek name, xerxes, was king 485465 bc. The book of ezra thereby ends during the 8th year of the reign of artaxerxes i. Abeka product information ezra and nehemiah flashacard. You can find the best commentary on ezranehemiah for you using the tools on the right side. The threat of the annihilation of the jews was thwarted by the work of. Introduction to the book of ezra background of the book theme ezra and nehemiah give the historical accounts of the return of the jews from babylonian captivity.
Author the inspired author is generally believed to be ezra. The prophets haggai and zechariah also played important roles in encouraging the people of judah and their leaders zerubbabel, the governor of judah, and the high priest joshua to return to their homeland and rebuild the. Ezra and some other israelitestemple servants, priests, singers, gatekeepers, levitestake around four or five months to journey to jerusalem. At one time, however, ezra and nehemiah followed 1 and 2 chronicles and were generally considered to be the work of one and the same author known as the chronicler. And he was a ready scribe in the law of moses he is called a scribe, as buxtorf observes in his tiberias, not from writing and describing, but from declaring and explicating those things that are contained in the scripture. The book of nehemiah, one of the history books of the bible, continues the story of israels return from the babylonian captivity and the rebuilding of the temple in jerusalem. An initial group returned to jerusalem with sheshbazzar, the prince of judah 1. Nehemiahs objective was to construct the wall around. God raised up extraordinary individuals of faith to rebuild the jerusalem temple and prepare for the coming of the messiah. The book of ezra proclaims the importance of worship and the need to endure patiently in the face of difficulty. Reading quiz 9 exile and restoration biblical studies bib2 with. Nehemiah led the third 3rd exodus back to jerusalem, 94 years after zerubbabel 1st exodus of approx. Twelve years latter we are introduced to nehemiah i. The books of ezra and nehemiah are the key literary sources for the period of the restoration, the formation of the jewish religious community after the babylonian captivity.
They tell us of the repopulation of palestine by the jews, the rebuilding of the temple, and the reconstruction of the wall of jerusalem. Nehemiah, who was a contemporary or served around the same time as ezra, was a cupbearer to the king in the persian empire. Ezra and nehemiah tell the story of israels return from babylonian exile and resettlement in the land. Study 18 terms ezra, nehemiah, esther flashcards quizlet. After his arrival in jerusalem in 458 bc, he changed from writing in the third perions ezra 16 to writing in the first perions ezra 710. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The lost temple mount the real location of solomons temple in the city of david, jerusalem duration. The book of nehemiah is the last of the historical books of the bible, originally part of the book of ezra, but split off into its own volume by the church in 1448. Chapter 1 king cyrus of persia authorizes the return of the.
It can be used in a homeschool setting, oneonone, or in a classroom setting like sunday school. Ezra nehemiah, anchored in historical fact esther artfully written story with plot, dialogue and characterization esther secular atmosphere balances ezra hehemiah piety ezneh histor details offset gripping story line of esther esther, view from exile in persia counter ezneh devotion to homeland. Ezra focuses on the rebuilding of the temple, while nehemiah focuses on the rebuilding of the walls of jerusalem. A workbook suitable for bible classes, family studies, or personal bible study david e pratte on. How many years of history do the books of ezra and nehemiah cover. Nehemiah continues the story with an inspiring account of returning to faithfulness and doing gods work, no matter what by studying these books, we have a testimony of how god works through people to accomplish his redemptive purposes. Ezranehemiah is a book in the hebrew bible found in the ketuvim section.
These 7 lessons and 31 picture cards depict ezras work with the temple and nehemiahs work with the wall. Life after destruction goes on in ezra and nehemiah. The book of ezra begins with ezra, a descendant o f aaron, a scribe and p riest, emigrat ing from babylonia to israel in 458 b. Before that date, it had been included in the book of ezra. The book of nehemiah was likely written between 445 and 420 b. It is fair to say that ezra is focused more exclusively on. Tf the book of esther was intended to be performed. The book of esther is also set in the persian period of israels history, although the concern is for a different co for almost fifty years and for. The book of nehemiah, one of the history books of the bible, continues. Nehemiah 8 new king james version nkjv ezra reads and explains the law.
This ezra went up from babylon with the kings consent and commission. The book of nehemiah does not specifically name its author, but both jewish and christian traditions recognize ezra as the author. This summary of the book of ezra provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of ezra. This is based on the fact that the books of ezra and nehemiah were originally one. Nehemiah was one of the most underrated heroes in the bible, cupbearer to the powerful persian king artaxerxes i longimanus. Though the book of 1 esdras has some value for comparative analysis with the biblical texts of chronicles, ezra and nehemiah, the book is generally considered inferior both historically and theologically to the old testament book of ezra e. The book of nehemiah jerusalem walls summary overview. The books of ezra and nehemiah are the only completely historical books in the third section of the hebrew bible, the ketuvim writings. Scroll to the bottom to view this video in its entirety. The books of ezra and nehemiah take place in the time period following the. When i read ezra and nehemiah, i had some problem with the counting numbers recorded in both books. Subtracting this from 42,360, there is a deficiency of 10,777. Zerubbabel and nehemiah both play a part in restoring gods temple, while zerubbabel takes.
Nehemiah 8 nkjv ezra reads and explains the law now. This free, printable word search activity, based on nehemiah 8. Set in the persian empire, one of the greatest kingdoms the world has ever known, the stories contained in the books of ezra and nehemiah provide the most comprehensive scriptural account of the restored judean community after the babylonian exile. The prophets haggai and zechariah also played important roles in encouraging the people of judah and their leaders zerubbabel, the. Before you attempt to answer the questions below you should read these chapters in the bible and answer the questions at the end of each chapter found at the website answer the questions below and then click ok to send your answers. Since god isnt showing up to eat and chat like he did in abrahams day, the people experience him by obeying his laws. This is a significant order, for always the way back to god after a period of declension and captivity to evil must begin within the human spiritthe temple of. Ezra records the events relating to the first two groups, and discusses especially the rebuilding of the temple. Pbe quiz engine pathfinder bible experience practice questions.
Encourage dedication and perseverance in your child as. Well ezra and nehemiah are named after their essential characters ezra and nehemiah. As such, these books are fitting models for christians of the new covenant. Watch our overview video on the prophetic books of ezra and nehemiah, which breaks down the literary design of each books flow of thought. Nehemiah with book summary versebyverse bible commentary.
Originally written together as a single book in the jewish scriptures, ezra and nehemiah document the fulfillment of gods promise that israel will return home after 70 years of exile in babylon and restore their ruined dwellings again. Nehemiah, ezra, and god all love rules6 of them, to be exact. Ezra also mentions 494 persons omitted by nehemiah, and nehemiah mentions 1,765 not noticed by ezra. The last four books of the hebrew canon are ezra, nehemiah, and 1 and 2 chronicles, in that order. Although we think of these as two distinct books one being ezra and the other being nehemiah they were regarded. He brought a letter from king artaxerxes authorizing him self. At the beginning of the book of nehemiah, the people of god had been restored to their land in 538 b.
As the book of ezra recounts the building of the temple, so the book of nehemiah gives us the story of the rebuilding of the walls of jerusalem. But the number of singers and porters are different in these two books. Ezra, a priest, and nehemiah, a governor, both prioritized the word of god and the practice of prayercommitments that are just as vital for the renewal of the church today. In the hebrew bible the book of nehemiah comfort of jah forms a unity with the preceding book of ezra compare with the notes on ezra. The book of esther tells the story of one curious episode during the era depicted in ezra and nehemiah. Ezra wants to study the law of god, practice it, and teach it to others. In english bibles, they are usually split into two, with the book of nehemiah appearing as a separate book from ezra, but in the hebrew tradition, they are one book, entitled ezra, and nehemiah is simply the second part of ezra. In fact, aside from the actual physical rebuilding of jerusalem, the reinstitution of the mosaic laws and rituals is the main objective of ezra and nehemiah. If, therefore, ezras surplus is added to the sum in nehemiah, and nehemiahs surplus to the number in ezra, they will both become 31,583. Ezra was a scribe and priest sent with religious and political powers by the persian king artaxerxes to lead a group of jewish exiles from babylon to jerusalem ezra 7. I believe the list of names in ezra chapter 2 and nehemiah chapter 7 are the same thing. The book covers the period from the fall of babylon in 539 bc to the second half of the 5th century bc, and tells of the successive missions to jerusalem of zerubbabel, ezra, and nehemiah, and.
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