Ezra 8:3
What does Ezra 8:3 mean?
A plain-English look at Ezra 8:3 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Ezra 8:3 means
Zechariah of the sons of Parosh is named, with one hundred and fifty males counted alongside him. This shows a sizable contingent, and that people were enrolled by genealogy—a deliberate, verified process. Such counting underscores integrity and order; it was important to know who belonged to Israel’s covenant families, especially as temple service and communal responsibilities were being restored. The Parosh family had returned earlier under Zerubbabel; here we see continuity across waves of returnees. The careful listing signals responsibility and accountability as they prepared to carry valuable offerings and to reestablish life in the land.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Of the sons of Shecaniah, of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah; and with him were reckoned by genealogy of the males a hundred and fifty.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons of Pharosh; Zechariah: and with him were reckoned by genealogy of the males an hundred and fifty.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Of the sons of Shecaniah, of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah; and with him were reckoned by genealogy of the males a hundred and fifty.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Of the sons of Shecaniah; of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah; and with him were listed a hundred and fifty males.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862from the sons of Shechaniah, from the sons of Pharosh: Zechariah, and with him, reckoning themselves by genealogy, of males a hundred and fifty.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Of the sons of Sechenias, the son of Pharos, Zacharias, and with him were numbered a hundred and fifty men.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890of the children of Shecaniah, of the children of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him were registered by genealogy of the males a hundred and fifty.
Context
Verse 3 continues the catalog that started in verse 2. Each entry typically names a family head and counts adult males, demonstrating that Ezra’s caravan was organized around recognized family units. This lays groundwork for the later emphasis on trustworthy custody of temple gifts (verses 24–30). The list proceeds through multiple families (verses 4–14) before the narrative turns to a critical discovery: there were no Levites among them (verse 15), prompting recruitment efforts (verses 16–20).
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Nehemiah 10:14
The chiefs of the people: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
- Nehemiah 7:8
The children of Parosh, two thousand a hundred and seventy and two.
- Ezra 2:3
The children of Parosh, two thousand a hundred seventy and two.