The children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth of Zebaim, the children of Ami.
The verse names the children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth of Zebaim, and the children of Ami as part of the list of people who returned to Jerusalem under the proclamation of Cyrus. The chapter belongs to the record of those who had already returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel in the first year of Cyrus, numbering 42,360 persons, distinct from the Jews who still remained in Babylon and were then invited to return, many of whom afterward went up to Jerusalem with Ezra. It is also part of the record of the nearly fifty thousand Jews who accepted Cyrus's offer and returned to their own land.
Their return shows that the captivity had ended in the sense that the people were free to go, even though many remained in exile. The verse falls within the first two chapters of Ezra, which record that the temple was begun under the decree of Cyrus.
The verse names the children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth of Zebaim, and the children of Ami as part of the list of people who returned to Jerusalem under the proclamation of Cyrus. The chapter belongs to the record of those who had already returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel in the first year of Cyrus, numbering 42,360 persons, distinct from the Jews who still remained in Babylon and were then invited to return, many of whom afterward went up to Jerusalem with Ezra. It is also part of the record of the nearly fifty thousand Jews who accepted Cyrus's offer and returned to their own land.
Their return shows that the captivity had ended in the sense that the people were free to go, even though many remained in exile. The verse falls within the first two chapters of Ezra, which record that the temple was begun under the decree of Cyrus.