Sterling the book of ezra provides an account of the restoration of the place of worship and the people of god in the postexilic period. May 02, 2020 the book of ezra covers the return from captivity to rebuild the temple up to the decree of artaxerxes, the event covered at the beginning of the book of nehemiah. It records the military campaigns and the division of the land among the people. The book of 1 chronicles does not specifically name its author. Aug 25, 2016 why study the books of ezra and nehemiah. Congratulations, so proud of you, for making it to the 15th book of the bible. The book could not have been completed earlier than about 450 bc the date of the events recorded in 10. The book of ezra is part of the historical books of the bible. According to the hebrew bible he was a descendant of sraya the last high priest to serve in the first temple 2 kings 25. Banned from the bible, second ezra, the book of ezra duration. Ezra took courage and acted on the kings order because, as he said, the hand of the lord my god was upon me ezra 7. Survey of ezra restoring the temple and the people philippe r. The course provides an outline for each book of the bible and teaches outlining skills for expanding these basic outlines into more detailed studies of gods word.
Ezra bible book with full chapters king james version. Nehemiah has always had an undisputed place in the canon, being included by the hebrews under the general head of the book of ezra, and, as jerome tells us in the prolog. The hebrew traditions treated the books of ezra and nehemiah is one book, although they were probably separated in the bible. The book of ezra bears the name of an individual who was a descendent of the priest hilkiah who had helped initiate reforms in the time of josiah 2 kings 22. Composed in hebrew and aramaic, its subject is the return to zion following the close.
What follows is an an organized and curated list of content. Free old testament study guides and bible class books. Part of an ongoing series in a survey of the old testament, this section deals with the books of ezra, nehemiah, and esther. The oldest manuscripts of the septuagint the prechristian greek translation of the ot also treat ezra and nehemiah as one book. Before that date, it had been included in the book of ezra. Ezranehemiah resumes where chronicles finishes, by telling the story of the return of the israelites from exile to the promised land. A big screen perspective historical books 12 in summary here well break this 12book section into. Book of ezra overview insight for living ministries.
Old testament survey 07b ezra, nehemiah, esther youtube. In fact, ezra and nehemiah were originally regarded as one book by ancient jewish and early christian scribes. Well ezra and nehemiah are named after their essential characters ezra and nehemiah. The tradition is that 1 and 2 chronicles were written by ezra. The bible book of ezra with full chapters, footnotes and bible commentary to aid your bible search, reading, and study. Lamentations is an acrostic arrangement which is a verse or arrangement of words in which certain letters in each line, as the first or last, when taken in order spell out a word, motto, etc. In this 12week study, kathleen nielson shows readers gods mercy and faithfulness demonstrated in the books of ezra and nehemiah, encouraging christians toward sincere repentance and persevering hope. The lord, the god of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has.
Banned from the bible, second ezra, the book of ezra. Internal evidence points to the fact that ezra wrote the book, for in 7. Key personalities include cyrus, ezra, haggai, zechariah, darius i, artaxerxes i, and zerubbabel. Bible survey ezra hebrew name etzra ezra greek name esdras greek form of the hebrew author ezra according to tradition date from 536456 bc approximately theme of ezra the return from the captivity types and shadows in ezra jesus is the one who led. Haggai was the main prophet in the day of ezra, and zechariah was the prophet in the day of nehemiah. The first 5 books of the bible are called the pentateuch. The emphasis in ezra is on the rebuilding of the temple. The book features the carrying out of the decrees of cyrus, and other persian officials, which authorized the return of the exiles, the reformation of the jewish religious system, and the restoration of jerusalem.
This 1 page bible class book contains numerous charts and three color maps. Ezra also contains one of the great intercessory prayers of the bible ezra 9. The book of 1 chronicles was likely written between 450 and 425 b. The book of ezra covers the return from captivity to rebuild the temple up to the decree of artaxerxes, the event covered at the beginning of the book of nehemiah. The book of ezra is named for the books principle character and author, the hebrew priest whose name means yahweh helps. A study of the life of moses a literary and theological analysis of the book of ezra. The book of ezra is devoted to events occurring in the land of israel at the time of the return from the babylonian captivity and subsequent years, covering a period of approximately one century, beginning in 538 b. Separation from heathen is demanded and maintained, chapter 10 the books of haggai and zechariah ezra 5. Ezra in the picture study bible the book of ezra with maps. The two became separated with the first printed rabbinic bibles of the early 16th century, following late medieval latin christian tradition. Renewal the message of ezra capitol hill baptist church. Ezra 710 picks up the story more than sixty years later, when ezra led the second group of exiles to israel 458 bc.
Book of ezra book of nehemiah book of esther the next group of old testament books we will survey are the books of history. The books of ezra and nehemiah may have originally been written as a single text. Introductory matters ezra is possibly the author of the book. The events in ezra are set in jerusalem and the surrounding area.
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. God had totally given up on his people after the babylonian conquest in circa 587 bce, allowing the babylonians destroy jerusalem and his temple, just like the prophets predicted. Cyrus helps the exiles to return in the first year of cyrus king of persia, in order to fulfill the word of the lord spoken by jeremiah, the lord moved the heart of cyrus king of persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing. The return to the promised land ezra part of the series. The holy bible book 15 ezra kjv dramatized audio duration. It is in this light that we can judge most fairly the work of ezra during the restoration.
This was written to the jewish people who had recently returned to jerusalem and the. A detailed study of the 12 minor prophets of the old testament. Ezra is the author of the book and is also the main character in the story starting in chapter 7 ezra 7. Well work through this section a couple of times so be patient in your notetaking. Ezra and some other israelitestemple servants, priests, singers, gatekeepers, levitestake around four or five months to journey to jerusalem. Basic bible survey introduces the bible and discusses its translations and various versions. Bible survey ezra hebrew name etzra ezra greek name esdras greek form of the hebrew author ezra according to tradition date from 536456 bc approximately theme of ezra the return from the captivity types and shadows in ezra jesus is the one who led the captives out. The book of ezra opens with the same wording that closes the book of chronicles 2 chronicles 36. A practical study guide on how our bible came to us a journey of faith. Ezra wants to study the law of god, practice it, and teach it to others. This is a guest post by kathleen nielson, author of ezra and nehemiah. This language of gods hand being upon someone is a favorite of ezra, where it appears six times out of eight times in the whole bible ezra 7.
Because of the fit between the end of ii chronicles and ezra and because of the style, it is assumed that i chronicles, ii chronicles and ezra were all written by the same person. The last four books of the hebrew canon are ezra, nehemiah, and 1 and 2 chronicles, in that order. Ezra is the most likely author, as the book was originally probably written as a single text, following the passages contained in the book of ezra. Though the book does not specifically claim ezra as the author, the writing style changes from third person in chapters 16 to first person for the rest of the book. In the same way, god is patient with us and forgives our sin when we come to him in true repentance 1 john 1. By far the most important portion, indeed is the work of nehemiah but other portions are either extracts from various chronicles and registers or supplementary narratives and reflections, some apparently by ezra, others, perhaps the work of the same person who inserted the latest, genealogical extracts from the public chronicles. Jun 06, 2012 ezra nehemiah resumes where chronicles finishes, by telling the story of the return of the israelites from exile to the promised land. Joshua details how moses successor, joshua, led the people of israel into the promised land of canaan. Ezras purpose was to accurately record the events of the return from the babylonian exile, after a seventy. Like the preceding one of ezra, is clearly and certainly not all by the same hand.
By the end of the book, israel had renewed its covenant with god and had begun acting in obedience to him. The book of ezra continues the account left off from ii chronicles a. Jul 17, 2016 the holy bible book 15 ezra kjv dramatized audio duration. In the hebrew bible ezra and nehemiah are regarded as one book.
The book of nehemiah has been, since the 16th century, a separate book of the hebrew bible. The first 5 books of the bible are written by moses. The book of ezranehemiah was always written as one scroll. Ezra 1 niv cyrus helps the exiles to return in bible. In the modern hebrew canon, the books of ezra and nehemiah are located in the third and last section known as the ketuvim writings, following the torah teachings or law, books of moses and the neviim prophets. It is a shortened form of the name azariah, which means yahweh helps or helped by yahweh. The first 11 chapters of genesis cover about 2000 years of history.
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. Ezra and nehemiah introduction theyre baack as the second book of kings ended, you thought it was all over for god and israel. Ezra is a book of narrative history and genealogies. Ezra set the tone of the postexilic community, and it was characterized by fidelity to the torah, judaisms authentic way of life. This was written to the jewish people who had recently returned to jerusalem and the surrounding area following seventy years of exile. Mar 05, 2014 part of an ongoing series in a survey of the old testament, this section deals with the books of ezra, nehemiah, and esther.
The book covers two time periods and divides into two sections. Click here for an exhaustive list of content on ezra. The revival began with the reading of the word of god by ezra. The title of the book of ezra is taken from the name of one of the principle characters in the book. His leadership proved crucial to the jews spiritual advancement. The book of ezra does not name its author, but jewish tradition says ezra wrote it as well as the books of nehemiah and chronicles. Also, ezra was probably the writer of 1 and 2 chronicles and psalm 119 the longest chapter in the bible. This free bible class book has questions for each section pdf file size. Ezra in the picture study bible the book of ezra with. Nehemiah was written to the jewish people who had recently returned to jerusalem and the surrounding area. 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.