· Translation: KJV

Ezra 2:23The men of Anathoth, one hundred twenty-eight.

The setting

Jerusalem, ~538 BC. Ezra reads from official records as returned exiles gather to rebuild their ancestral city in modern-day Israel.

The emotion here: methodical reverence while documenting this historic return

The original word

anashim (אֲנָשִׁים) — men, often meaning heads of households representing entire families

Why it matters

Anathoth was Jeremiah's hometown, just 3 miles northeast of Jerusalem

Read with care

What most readers miss in Ezra 2:23

These aren't just numbers — each represents a family that chose to leave comfort in Babylon

Common misconceptionPeople skip genealogies as boring lists, but this records the miraculous fulfillment of God's promise to bring His people home after 70 years of exile.

Bible Genome reading

Ezra 2:23 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerEzra
EraPost-Exile
Primary emotionresting
Literary typegenealogy

Emotional genome

Comfort power20%
Quotability10%
Memorability10%
Crisis relevance10%
Standalone20%
Themes:returnrestoration

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Ezra 2

Ezra 2:23 comes from the book of Ezra, written during the Post-Exile period. These words are attributed to Ezra. The dominant emotion in this verse is resting, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the genealogy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include return, restoration. Notable phrases: men of Anathoth.

Your reflection

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