Ezra 2:61
And of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai; which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name: And of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai; which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name:
The verse belongs to the list of those who had already returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel in the first year of Cyrus in response to Cyrus's decree and offer after the captivity ended, as distinct from the Jews who still remained in Babylon and from the later company that went up with Ezra. The list records the names and numbers of the returning families, numbering 42,360 persons, described as nearly fifty thousand Jews who accepted the offer and returned to their land. Its setting is the return from exile and the beginning of the rebuilding of the temple under Cyrus's decree, the historical setting in which Haggai's message was given.
The verse identifies three priestly families among those returning, naming descendants of priests whose family identity was associated with Barzillai the Gileadite, in that one descendant took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was thereafter called by that wife's family name. The priests' family records were examined to establish who belonged to the priestly line and had the right to serve in the priest's office.
The three priestly families in the verse could not prove or establish their ancestry and genealogy, so those who wished to serve as priests were not admitted to the priestly work until a priest could seek a decision through the Urim and Thummim, a care that guarded the priesthood and sanctuary service from those not appointed to serve. This record of unproven priestly lineage is evidence that the priesthood and the people's social and domestic life had become corrupted during the captivity.