Ezra 6:20

All the priests and Levites had purified themselves and were ceremonially clean. And the Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their priestly brothers, and for themselves.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — The narrator describes the post-exilic community in Jerusalem as they prepare to celebrate the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. The priests and Levites function as the officiating group for the returning exiles and those who have separated from the surrounding nations.

The words — הִטַּהֲרוּ (hiṭṭahărû) means "they purified themselves" and טְהוֹרִים (ṭehôrîm) means "ceremonially clean." וַיִּשְׁחֲטוּ (wayyišḥăṭû) translates "and they slaughtered," specifying that the Levites performed the sacrificial act for the exiles, their priestly brothers, and themselves.

The thread — The coordination of purification and slaughter mirrors the Levitical duties recorded in 2 Chronicles 35:11 and 2 Chronicles 29:34. The text stands in structural contrast to Hebrews 7:27, which notes that Christ's sacrifice requires no prior purification or repeated slaughter.

Why it lands — The verse establishes that corporate worship requires prior ritual purity and delegated priestly service before communal participation. It asks the reader to acknowledge that covenant observance depends on strict adherence to the prescribed order of cleansing and sacrifice.

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

כִּ֣יkifor הִֽטַּהֲר֞וּhi.ta.ha.Ruthey had purified themselves הַכֹּהֲנִ֧יםha./ko.ha.Nimthe/ priests וְהַלְוִיִּ֛םve./ha/l.vi.Yimand/ the/ Levites כְּאֶחָ֖דke./'e.Chadas/ one כֻּלָּ֣םku.La/mall of/ them טְהוֹרִ֑יםte.ho.Rim[were] pure וַיִּשְׁחֲט֤וּva/i.yish.cha.Tuand/ they slaughtered הַפֶּ֙סַח֙ha./Pe.sachthe/ passover לְכָל־le./kholfor/ all בְּנֵ֣יbe.Nei[the] children of הַגּוֹלָ֔הha./go.Lahthe/ exile וְלַאֲחֵיהֶ֥םve./la./'a.chei./Hemand/ for/ brothers/ their הַכֹּהֲנִ֖יםha./ko.ha.Nimthe/ priestsוְלָהֶֽם׃ve./la./Hemand/ for <the>/ themselves

King James Version

For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure, and killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.

Cross-references

2 Chronicles 35:11 And they slaughtered the Passover lambs, while the priests splattered the blood handed to them and the Levites skinned the animals.
2 Chronicles 29:34 However, since there were not enough priests to skin all the burnt offerings, their Levite brothers helped them until the work was finished and until the priests had consecrated themselves. For the Levites had been more diligent in consecrating themselves than the priests had been.
Hebrews 7:27 Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people; He sacrificed for sin once for all when He offered up Himself.
Exodus 12:21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and told them, “Go at once and select for yourselves a lamb for each family, and slaughter the Passover lamb.
2 Chronicles 30:15 And on the fourteenth day of the second month they slaughtered the Passover lamb. The priests and Levites were ashamed, and they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of the LORD.