Bible Strands
Ezra 2:68
When they arrived at the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families gave freewill offerings to rebuild the house of God on its original site.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the moment the returning exiles reach Jerusalem and the temple site, noting that tribal leaders immediately initiate funding for reconstruction.
The words — The Hebrew verb הִתְנַדְּבוּ (hitnaddevu) literally means they offered freewill or voluntary contributions.
The thread — This voluntary giving pattern appears in Exodus 35:5 and Exodus 35:29 during tabernacle construction, and aligns with the New Testament instruction in 2 Corinthians 9:7 regarding cheerful, heart-decided giving.
Why it lands — It requires readers to provide resources for God’s work from their own means, motivated by willingness rather than external pressure.
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
And some of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the house of the Lord which is at Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in his place:
Cross-references
- 2 Corinthians 9:7 Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver.
- Exodus 35:5 Take from among you an offering to the LORD. Let everyone whose heart is willing bring an offering to the LORD: gold, silver, and bronze;
- Exodus 35:29 So all the men and women of the Israelites whose hearts prompted them brought a freewill offering to the LORD for all the work that the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do.
- Exodus 36:3 They received from Moses all the contributions that the Israelites had brought to carry out the service of constructing the sanctuary. Meanwhile, the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning,
- 2 Corinthians 8:3 For I testify that they gave according to their ability and even beyond it. Of their own accord,
- Numbers 7:3 They brought as their offering before the LORD six covered carts and twelve oxen—an ox from each leader and a cart from every two leaders—and presented them before the tabernacle.
- 1 Chronicles 21:18 Then the angel of the LORD ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
- 1 Chronicles 22:1 Then David said, “Here shall be the house of the LORD God, as well as the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”
- 1 Chronicles 29:5 for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now who is willing to consecrate himself to the LORD today?”
- 2 Chronicles 3:1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David. This was the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.