Bible Strands

Ezra 8:2

from the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom; from the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel; from the descendants of David, Hattush

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Ezra records the family heads and genealogical records of those who returned from Babylon with him during King Artaxerxes' reign. This verse specifically lists three ancestral lines and their accompanying representatives.

The words — מִ/בְּנֵ֤י (mi./be.Nei) translates literally as "of the descendants of" and structures the genealogical list. The names Phinehas, Gershom, Ithamar, Daniel, David, and Hattush identify the specific ancestral lines and individuals.

The thread — These names cross-reference earlier biblical records, including the sons of Aaron Eleazar and Ithamar (1 Chronicles 6:3), the sons of David (1 Chronicles 3:1), and the descendants of Shecaniah who include Hattush (1 Chronicles 3:22).

Why it lands — The text catalogs returning exiles by ancestral lines to establish legitimate leadership and priestly continuity. A reader must recognize how post-exilic restoration relied on verified genealogies to reconstitute the community.

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

Of the sons of Phinehas; Gershom: of the sons of Ithamar; Daniel: of the sons of David; Hattush.

Cross-references

People named

DavidIthamarPhinehasDanielGershomHattush