Bible Strands
Ezra 2:17
the descendants of Bezai, 323;
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Ezra 2:17 operates as a data point in a post-exilic census enumerating returning exiles. It records the Bezai family headcount immediately between entries for the descendants of Ater and Jorah.
The words — The Hebrew בּנֵי בֵצָי (benei Bezai) translates literally as "sons of Bezai," followed by שְלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת עֶשְרִים וָשְלֹשָׁה (shelosh me'ot esrim ve-sheloshah) for 323. These terms identify a specific clan and its exact numerical strength within the register.
The thread — Ezra 2:17 runs parallel to Nehemiah 7:23, which preserves the same clan name with a headcount of 324. Both passages anchor the same genealogical data within separate post-exilic restoration records.
Why it lands — The text asks the reader to acknowledge the concrete, numbered return of ordinary families rather than focusing exclusively on leadership. It establishes the community's foundation on documented lineage and verified counts rather than oral tradition.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and three.
Cross-references
- Nehemiah 7:23 the descendants of Bezai, 324;