◄ Ezra 7:4 ►
the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,
Study Bible
son of Zerahiah
The name "Zerahiah" is of Hebrew origin, meaning "Yahweh has risen" or "Yahweh has shone." This name reflects the deep faith and hope in God's presence and intervention in the lives of His people. Zerahiah is a priestly ancestor, and his mention here underscores the continuity of the priestly line, which is crucial for maintaining the religious and spiritual heritage of Israel. The priesthood was central to the worship and spiritual life of the Israelites, serving as mediators between God and His people. This lineage emphasizes the importance of spiritual leadership and the transmission of faith through generations.

son of Uzzi
"Uzzi" means "my strength" or "strong" in Hebrew, indicating a reliance on God's strength. The name suggests a legacy of spiritual fortitude and resilience, qualities essential for the priestly role. Uzzi's inclusion in this genealogy highlights the enduring strength and stability of the priestly line, which was vital for guiding the Israelites, especially during times of exile and return. The priesthood's strength was not merely physical but spiritual, rooted in their unwavering commitment to God's laws and covenant.

son of Bukki
The name "Bukki" is derived from a root meaning "wasting" or "emptying," which might seem negative at first glance. However, in a spiritual context, it can signify humility and the emptying of oneself to be filled with God's presence and purpose. Bukki's place in the genealogy serves as a reminder of the humility required in spiritual leadership. It is through humility and self-emptying that one can truly serve God and His people, allowing God's strength and wisdom to work through them.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Zerahiah
A descendant of Aaron, the high priest, Zerahiah is part of the priestly lineage. His name means "Yahweh has risen," indicating a divine connection and purpose.

2. Uzzi
Another priestly ancestor, Uzzi's name means "my strength" or "my power," reflecting the strength and authority given by God to the priestly line.

3. Bukki
Also a descendant of Aaron, Bukki's name means "wasting" or "emptying." His inclusion in the genealogy underscores the continuity of the priestly line despite challenges.

4. Genealogy of Ezra
This genealogy is significant as it establishes Ezra's credentials as a legitimate priest and scribe, tracing his lineage back to Aaron, the brother of Moses.

5. Priestly Lineage
The emphasis on lineage highlights the importance of heritage and divine appointment in the roles of leadership and service in Israel.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Heritage and Identity
Understanding our spiritual heritage can strengthen our identity and purpose in God's plan. Just as Ezra's lineage affirmed his role, our spiritual lineage in Christ affirms our identity as children of God.

God's Faithfulness Across Generations
The continuity of the priestly line from Aaron to Ezra illustrates God's faithfulness in preserving His promises and purposes across generations. We can trust in God's faithfulness in our own lives and families.

The Role of Leadership in Spiritual Renewal
Ezra's genealogy sets the stage for his leadership in the spiritual renewal of Israel. Effective spiritual leadership often requires a deep understanding of one's calling and heritage.

The Significance of Divine Appointment
Just as Ezra was divinely appointed through his lineage, believers are appointed by God for specific purposes. Recognizing and embracing our divine appointments can lead to fruitful ministry and service.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding Ezra's genealogy enhance our appreciation of his role in the spiritual renewal of Israel?

2. In what ways does our spiritual heritage in Christ influence our identity and purpose today?

3. How can we see God's faithfulness in preserving His promises in our own lives and communities?

4. What qualities should we look for in spiritual leaders, and how can we support them in their God-given roles?

5. How can we discern and embrace our own divine appointments and callings in the context of our daily lives and service to others?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Chronicles 6
This chapter provides a detailed genealogy of the Levites, including the line of Aaron, which is crucial for understanding the priestly heritage of Ezra.

Exodus 28
This passage describes the establishment of the priesthood through Aaron and his sons, emphasizing the divine selection and consecration of the priestly line.

Nehemiah 8
Ezra's role in reading the Law to the people of Israel demonstrates the fulfillment of his priestly duties and the importance of teaching God's Word.
Sermons
A Mind Saturated with ScriptureEzra 7:1-10
Divine Sequence in ServiceSunday School Teacher.Ezra 7:1-10
Ezra the DistinguishedWilliam Jones.Ezra 7:1-10
Ezra the ScribeJames Menzies.Ezra 7:1-10
Ezra the Type of as Ideal MinisterJ.S. Exell Ezra 7:1-10
Ezra: His Character and WorkW. Clarkson Ezra 7:1-10
Ezra's Exemplary ConductWilliam Jones.Ezra 7:1-10
God's Helping HandJ. M. Sherwood, D. D.Ezra 7:1-10
Man's Duty in Relation to God's Redemptive TruthHomilistEzra 7:1-10
New Year's DayD. Davies.Ezra 7:1-10
New Year's DayJ. Reid Howatt.Ezra 7:1-10
ScribismW. F. Adeney, M. A.Ezra 7:1-10
Study of the ScripturesJ. Bawden Allen.Ezra 7:1-10
Testimonies to the BibleSunday School TimesEzra 7:1-10
The Christian MinistryThe Preacher's Portfolio.Ezra 7:1-10
The Exodus Under EzraJ.A. Macdonald Ezra 7:1-10
The Inestimable Value of the ScripturesEzra 7:1-10
The Scriptures a Safeguard of a NationW. E. Gladstone.Ezra 7:1-10
The Scriptures a Winding SplendourChristian AgeEzra 7:1-10
People
Aaron, Abishua, Ahitub, Amariah, Artaxerxes, Azariah, Bukki, Eleazar, Ezra, Hilkiah, Israelites, Levites, Meraioth, Phinehas, Seraiah, Shallum, Uzzi, Zadok, Zerahiah
Places
Babylonia, Beyond the River, Jerusalem, Persia
Topics
Bukki, Uzzi, Zerahiah, Zerahi'ah
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ezra 7:1-5

     1350   covenant, with Israel's priests

Ezra 7:1-21

     7464   teachers of the law

Library
Appendix. The Apocryphal Books of the Old Testament.
1. The Greek word Apocrypha, hidden, that is, hidden or secret books, was early applied by the fathers of the Christian church to anonymous or spurious books that falsely laid claim to be a part of the inspired word. By some, as Jerome, the term was extended to all the books incorporated by the Alexandrine Jews, in their Greek version, into the proper canon of the Old Testament, a few of which books, though not inspired, are undoubtedly genuine. Another designation of the books in question …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Reading the Law with Tears and Joy
'And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. 2. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. 3. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate, from the morning until midday, before …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Rome and Ephesus
Corinth as portrayed in the Epistles of Paul gives us our simplest and least contaminated picture of the Hellenic Christianity which regarded itself as the cult of the Lord Jesus, who offered salvation--immortality--to those initiated in his mysteries. It had obvious weaknesses in the eyes of Jewish Christians, even when they were as Hellenised as Paul, since it offered little reason for a higher standard of conduct than heathenism, and its personal eschatology left no real place for the resurrection …
Kirsopp Lake—Landmarks in the History of Early Christianity

Authorship of the Pentateuch.
The term Pentateuch is composed of the two Greek words, pente, five, and teuchos, which in later Alexandrine usage signified book. It denotes, therefore, the collection of five books; or, the five books of the law considered as a whole. 1. In our inquiries respecting the authorship of the Pentateuch, we begin with the undisputed fact that it existed in its present form in the days of Christ and his apostles, and had so existed from the time of Ezra. When the translators of the Greek version, …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Of Antichrist, and his Ruin: and of the Slaying the Witnesses.
BY JOHN BUNYAN PREFATORY REMARKS BY THE EDITOR This important treatise was prepared for the press, and left by the author, at his decease, to the care of his surviving friend for publication. It first appeared in a collection of his works in folio, 1692; and although a subject of universal interest; most admirably elucidated; no edition has been published in a separate form. Antichrist has agitated the Christian world from the earliest ages; and his craft has been to mislead the thoughtless, by …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Brave Encouragements
'In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying, 2. Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, 3. Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? 4. Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

General Account of Jesus' Teaching.
^A Matt. IV. 17; ^B Mark I. 14, 15; ^C Luke IV. 14, 15. ^a 17 From that time Jesus began to preach [The time here indicated is that of John the Baptist's imprisonment and Jesus' return to Galilee. This time marked a new period in the public ministry of Jesus. Hitherto he had taught, but he now began to preach. When the voice of his messenger, John, was silenced, the King became his own herald. Paul quoted the Greeks as saying that preaching was "foolishness," but following the example here set by …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Section Chap. I. -iii.
The question which here above all engages our attention, and requires to be answered, is this: Whether that which is reported in these chapters did, or did not, actually and outwardly take place. The history of the inquiries connected with this question is found most fully in Marckius's "Diatribe de uxore fornicationum," Leyden, 1696, reprinted in the Commentary on the Minor Prophets by the same author. The various views may be divided into three classes. 1. It is maintained by very many interpreters, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Formation and History of the Hebrew Canon.
1. The Greek word canon (originally a straight rod or pole, measuring-rod, then rule) denotes that collection of books which the churches receive as given by inspiration of God, and therefore as constituting for them a divine rule of faith and practice. To the books included in it the term canonical is applied. The Canon of the Old Testament, considered in reference to its constituent parts, was formed gradually; formed under divine superintendence by a process of growth extending through …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Appendix v. Rabbinic Theology and Literature
1. The Traditional Law. - The brief account given in vol. i. p. 100, of the character and authority claimed for the traditional law may here be supplemented by a chronological arrangement of the Halakhoth in the order of their supposed introduction or promulgation. In the first class, or Halakhoth of Moses from Sinai,' tradition enumerates fifty-five, [6370] which may be thus designated: religio-agrarian, four; [6371] ritual, including questions about clean and unclean,' twenty-three; [6372] concerning …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Historical Books.
1. In the Pentateuch we have the establishment of the Theocracy, with the preparatory and accompanying history pertaining to it. The province of the historical books is to unfold its practiced working, and to show how, under the divine superintendence and guidance, it accomplished the end for which it was given. They contain, therefore, primarily, a history of God's dealings with the covenant people under the economy which he had imposed upon them. They look at the course of human events on the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Influences that Gave Rise to the Priestly Laws and Histories
[Sidenote: Influences in the exile that produced written ceremonial laws] The Babylonian exile gave a great opportunity and incentive to the further development of written law. While the temple stood, the ceremonial rites and customs received constant illustration, and were transmitted directly from father to son in the priestly families. Hence, there was little need of writing them down. But when most of the priests were carried captive to Babylonia, as in 597 B.C., and ten years later the temple …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament

Ezra-Nehemiah
Some of the most complicated problems in Hebrew history as well as in the literary criticism of the Old Testament gather about the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Apart from these books, all that we know of the origin and early history of Judaism is inferential. They are our only historical sources for that period; and if in them we have, as we seem to have, authentic memoirs, fragmentary though they be, written by the two men who, more than any other, gave permanent shape and direction to Judaism, then …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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