Ezra
Summary[i]
Ezra, the first of the
post-captivity books (Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi),
records the return to Palestine under Zerubbabel, by decree of Cyrus, of a Jewish
remnant who laid the temple foundations (B.C. 536). Later (B.C. 458) Ezra
followed, and restored the law and ritual. But the mass of the nation, and most
of the princes, remained by preference in Babylonia and Assyria, where they
were prospering. The post-captivity books deal with that feeble remnant which
alone had a heart for God.
The book is in two parts:
1. From the decree of Cyrus to the dedication of
the restored temple (Ezra 1:1 - 6:22).
2. The ministry of Ezra (Ezra 7:1 - 10:44).
The events recorded in Ezra cover a period of 80 years (Ussher).