Why are the numbers in Ezra so different from those in Nehemiah?

Answer

Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7 provide almost identical lists of the individuals who returned to Jerusalem from Persia with Zerubbabel to reconstruct the temple. The total number of men listed in Ezra is 29,818 (Ezra 2:1-58), while Nehemiah’s count is 31,089 men (Nehemiah 7:5-61). The difference between the two lists is 1,271 individuals.

Initially, it is important to note that both books agree on the total number of Israel’s assembly: 42,360, in addition to singers and servants, which would total around 50,000 people (Ezra 2:64; Nehemiah 7:66). The discrepancies between the two lists of exiles become apparent in the details. Furthermore, it is worth remembering that the books of Ezra and Nehemiah were originally one book, most likely authored by Ezra, who utilized Nehemiah’s records to compile the account now recognized as the book of Nehemiah. It is implausible that Ezra, a professional scribe, was unaware of the differing numbers. Additionally, it should be noted that the events in Nehemiah and Ezra took place up to ninety-three years apart.

Both Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7 mention thirty-three family units, specifying the number of individuals from each family. Each account includes individuals not mentioned in the other: Ezra enumerates 494 individuals not found in Nehemiah, while Nehemiah accounts for 1,765 individuals not listed in Ezra. By combining Nehemiah’s additional individuals with Ezra’s list, the total reaches 31,583, matching the sum obtained by adding Ezra’s additional individuals to Nehemiah’s list. Nevertheless, 31,583 falls short by almost 11,000 of the total provided by both Ezra and Nehemiah (42,360).

There are two potential explanations that could help clarify the differences in these lists. First, the

Lists may have originally been the same, but textual variations could have arisen in the copying of these lists. A change in a single pen stroke in Hebrew can alter a number from tens to hundreds. While this explanation is plausible, it is unlikely to have resulted in so many variations.

A second, more plausible explanation considers the circumstances under which the lists were created. Ezra’s list was compiled by Zerubbabel while the exiles were still in Babylon and before their journey to Jerusalem. Nehemiah’s list was compiled nearly a century later, in Jerusalem, after the walls had been reconstructed. The differences in time and location could account for the varying numbers for each family.

The larger list, as found in Nehemiah, may be partly due to the growth in the size of families who relocated to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall—families had expanded since Zerubbabel’s departure from Babylon. Moreover, Nehemiah might have included individuals who settled in nearby regions, not just in Jerusalem itself. Those listed by Ezra but omitted by Nehemiah may have passed away between the compilation of the two lists.

Another factor to consider is the age of the men included in the count. It is possible that Nehemiah’s record encompassed all males, while Ezra only listed men aged 20 and above (as was customary).

The discrepancy between the total count (42,360 men) in Ezra 2:64 and Nehemiah 7:66, and the adjusted total of both lists when reconciled (31,583 men) remains. How do we explain the absence of 10,777 individuals? The most probable explanation is that Ezra and Nehemiah provided detailed information family by family for Judah and Benjamin exclusively. The entire assembly numbered 42,360, but out of that figure, 10,777 belonged to other tribes or clans. Servants and singers were tallied separately, so it follows that the smaller tribes were also counted separately.

In conclusion, here is our inference: Ezra documented the families of Judah and Benjamin who departed Babylon in 538 BC under Zechariah.

Zerubbabel’s leadership. The total was 29,818 men. Later, in 445 BC, Nehemiah brought another group of exiles back to Jerusalem. By that time (93 years after Zerubbabel), the numbers in Jerusalem had grown to 31,089 men. The variance in the two lists can be attributed to the deaths and births of members in each family. When all the tribes of Israel were included in the count, the congregation numbered 42,360, in addition to servants and singers.