Bible Strands
Ezra 2:25
the men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743;
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator compiles a census of returning exiles under Persian administration, listing household origins and population counts following the Babylonian deportation. The passage operates as an administrative register rather than a speech directed to a specific audience.
The words — בְּנֵי (benei) translates literally to "sons" or "descendants," and שְׁבַע מֵאוֹת וְאַרְבָּעִים (shva me'ot ve'arba'im) means "seven hundred and forty." These terms frame the verse as a precise genealogical tally rather than a narrative description.
The thread — The identical settlement names and total appear in Nehemiah 7:29, while Joshua 9:17 records the Israelites' arrival at those same cities during the conquest. The parallel passages trace a continuous family record from initial land allotment to post-exilic restoration.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge that specific families maintained their identity across centuries of displacement. It demands recognition that communal continuity was preserved through documented lineage rather than territorial control.
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 Kirjath–arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty and three.
Cross-references
- Joshua 9:17 So the Israelites set out and on the third day arrived at their cities—Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.
- Nehemiah 7:29 the men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743;