Ezra 2:17
What does Ezra 2:17 mean?
A plain-English look at Ezra 2:17 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Ezra 2:17 means
The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and three, are listed. This medium-small family again shows the mosaic quality of the return. Naming them preserves their memory and recognizes their stake in Israel’s future. The census is not mere bureaucracy; it is an act of communal remembrance and covenant renewal. By including Bezai, Ezra affirms that even less numerous families had a defined place, resources to steward, and duties to fulfill as the community rebuilt social, economic, and spiritual life in Judah and Jerusalem.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and three.
KJV
King James Version · 1611The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and three.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and three.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949The children of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-three.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862Sons of Bezai, three hundred twenty and three.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752The children of Besai, three hundred and twenty-three.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890The children of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-three.
Context
This entry continues the final stretch of family-based listings. The flow remains unchanged: a family name followed by its count. Soon, with verse 20, this section will conclude, and the narrative will shift to group the returnees by towns (vv. 21–35). That geographical angle will show how the people’s resettlement matched their ancestral localities, setting the stage for later attention to temple personnel and worship.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Nehemiah 7:23
The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and four.