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Introduction
to Ezra
INTRODUCTION TO EZRA
This
book
in the Vulgate Latin and Arabic versions
is called the "First"
Book of Ezra
Nehemiah being reckoned the "second"; but with the Jews
both were accounted but one bookF1Origen apud Euseb. Hist. Eccl. l.
6. c. 25. Hieron. Opera
tom. 3. Epist. ad Paulin. fol. 6. B. & ad Domnion.
& Rogat. fol. 7. G. ; in the Syriac version
it is called the Writing or
Book of Ezra the Prophet; and this title is given him
both by JewsF2Seder
Olam Zuta
p. 108. and ChristiansF3Lactant. Institut. l. 4. c. 11. ;
in the Arabic version
it is called the First Book of Ezra the Priest
skilful
in the Law; and that he was a priest is clear
since he was the son of Seraiah
the high priest
who was slain by Nebuchadnezzar
and the younger brother of
Josedech
who succeeded his father as high priest
and uncle to Joshua that
succeeded him; and he was also a ready scribe in the law of Moses
see Ezra
7:1. That Ezra was the writer of this book is believed by the JewsF4T.
Bab. Bava Bathra
fol. 15. 1.
and by the generality of Christians; only HuetiusF5Demonstr.
Evangel. prop. 4. p. 208
209. thinks that the six first chapters were written
by another hand
but his reasons are not satisfactory; and it has been
universally received as canonical by all; it agrees with the prophecies of
Haggai and Zechariah
and serves to illustrate them; it is of use for the
continuation of the sacred history
to point at the fulfilment of prophecies
concerning the return of the Jews from captivity
and the rebuilding of the
temple; and to give us an account of the state of the church in those times
the troubles and difficulties it met with
and what care was taken to keep the
tribes and families distinct
that it might be known from whom the Messiah
sprung; this book contains an history of seventy years
according to the
calculation of Bishop UsherF6Annal. Vet. Test. p. 146
193.
from
A. M. 3468
to A. M. 3538.
{a} Origen apud Euseb. Hist. Eccl. l. 6. c. 25. Hieron. Opera
tom. 3.
Epist. ad Paulin. fol. 6. B. & ad Domnion. & Rogat. fol. 7. G.
{b} Seder Olam Zuta
p. 108.
{c} Lactant. Institut. l. 4. c. 11.
{d} T. Bab. Bava Bathra
fol. 15. 1.
{e} Demonstr. Evangel. prop. 4. p. 208
209.
{f} Annal. Vet. Test. p. 146
193.
Commentator
John Gill (November 23
1697-October 14
1771) was an English Baptist
a biblical scholar
and a staunch Calvinist.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism is a matter of academic debate.
He was born in Kettering
Northamptonshire.
In his youth
he attended Kettering Grammar School
mastering the Latin
classics and learning Greek by age eleven. The young scholar continued
self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew. His love for Hebrew would follow
Gill throughout his life.
At the age of about twelve
Gill heard a
sermon from his pastor
William Wallis
on the text
"And the Lord called
unto Adam
and said unto him
where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9). The message
stayed with Gill and eventually led to his conversion. It was not until seven
years later that young John made a public profession when he was almost
nineteen years of age.
His first pastoral work was as an intern
assisting John Davis at Higham Ferrers in 1718 at age twenty one. He was
subsequently called to pastor the Strict Baptist church at Goat Yard Chapel
Horsleydown
Southwark in 1719. In 1757
his congregation needed larger
premises and moved to a Carter Lane
St. Olave's Street
Southwark. His
pastorate lasted 51 years. This Baptist Church was once pastored by Benjamin
Keach and would later become the New Park Street Chapel and then the
Metropolitan Tabernacle pastored by Charles Spurgeon.
During Gill's ministry the church strongly
supported the preaching of George Whitefield at nearby Kennington Common.
In 1748
Gill was awarded the honorary degree
of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Aberdeen. He was a profound scholar
and a prolific author. His most important works are:
John Gill is the first major writing Baptist
theologian. His work retains its influence into the twenty-first century.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist life is a matter of
debate. Peter Toon has argued that Gill was himself a hyper-Calvinist
which
would make Gill the father of Baptist hyper-Calvinism. Tom Nettles has argued
that Gill was not a hyper-Calvinist himself
which would make him merely a
precursor and hero to Baptist hyper-Calvinists.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James Version Bible
NKJV
The
NKJV was commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
One-hundred-and-thirty respected Bible scholars
church leaders
and lay
Christians worked for seven years with the goal of updating the vocabulary and
grammar of the King James Version
while preserving the classic style of the of
the 1611 version.
The
task of updating the English of the KJV involved many changes in word order
grammar
vocabulary
and spelling. One of the most significant features of the
NKJV was its removal of the second person pronouns "thou"
"thee"
"ye
" "thy
" and "thine." Verb
forms were also modernized in the NKJV (for example
"speaks" rather
than "speaketh").
Young’s
Literal Translation was completed in 1898 by Robert Young
who also compiled
Young’s Analytical Concordance. It is an extremely literal translation that
attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek
and Hebrew writings. The online text is from a reprint of the 1898 edition as
published by Baker Book House
Grand Rapids
Michigan. Obvious errors in
spelling or inconsistent spellings of the same word were corrected in the
online edition of the text. This text is Public Domain in the United States.