Summary of the books of ezra the story of the bible. Ezra free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. Even though ezra s name does not enter the account of judahs postexilic return to jerusalem until 7. This is because both jewish and christian tradition attribute authorship to this famous scribepriest. Ezra s purpose was to accurately record the events of the return from the babylonian exile, after a seventyyear period and the events that surround the rebuilding of the temple in jerusalem. The book of ezra relates the restoration of jerusalem and the building of the. Ezra help, called esdras in the apocrypha, the famous scribe and priest. Near 520 bc after the takeover by nebuchadnezzar, ultimately king cyrus of persia arose to power, and he decided to aid the jews to return to jerusalem. Ezra is a book of narrative history and genealogies.
Book of ezra covers the events of the jews returning from the babylonian captivity. He was a learned and pious priest residing at babylon in the time of artaxerxes longimanus. The books in the bible devoted to those historical events are named for these brave and mighty men and women. This account weaves together several categories of. Watch our overview video on the prophetic books of ezra and nehemiah, which breaks down the literary design of each book s flow of thought. Book of ezra overview insight for living ministries. D uring the time of ezra and nehemiah in the bible and even the book of esther, we can find some very complex issues that were dealt with by the hebrew people. God is faithful in fulfilling his promises and so the jews return to jerusalem from their exile in babylon.
The book of ezra in the bible tells us that the king of persia allowed the jews to return to their own land. Not all the jews returned to judah, but some did return. 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. Even though ezras name does not enter the account of judahs postexilic return to jerusalem until 7. The jews started to build a temple house of god in jerusalem. Haggai was the main prophet in the day of ezra, and zechariah was the prophet in the day of nehemiah. Since the history is so closely related, and even overlapped, this overview and summary of the books of ezra and nehemiah are. When their king was dethroned and captured and the people exiled to babylon, judah as an independent nation ceased to exist. The jews are counted and are permitted to return to judah to rebuild the temple. But the people who lived near them did not want the jews back in the land. He plays a major role in the second half of the book, as well as in the book of nehemiah, its sequel.
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