Ezra 2:20

Study note

Setting — The narrator records a census of returning exiles listing household heads and their numbers. The passage functions as an administrative register rather than a speech directed to a specific audience.

The words — The Hebrew בְּנֵי (benei) literally means descendants, while גִבָּר (Gibbar) names the clan and תִּשְׁעִים וַחֲמִשָּׁה (tish'im vachamishah) records the count of ninety-five. These terms simply identify a family group and its size within the returned community.

The thread — This register parallels Nehemiah 7:25, which lists descendants of Gibeon with the identical number ninety-five. Both passages preserve the same administrative tally of post-exilic families.

Why it lands — The text states that Gibbar’s descendants numbered ninety-five among other returning groups. A reader must note how post-exilic identity was anchored in documented lineage rather than abstract ideals.

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.