Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.
All Commentaries on Ezra 1:8 Go To Ezra 1
Bede
AD 735
These, then, are the heads of the families and genealogies of those who came up with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes. From the descendants of Phinehas: Gershom, and so on until the end of the genealogy. He carefully enumerates the leaders who came up with him from Babylon and unfolds their genealogy. He takes pains too to add their total, which reached 1,440, to suggest that the names of those who come up from the 'confusion' of this world are contained in the book of life of the Lamb. But also all teachers (i.e. the heads of the families) of God's people also receive increases in their eternal reward commensurate with the number of souls they have acquired for the Lord, according to that parable in the Gospel wherein the good and wise servant said: Master, your pound has earned ten pounds, and the master replied: Take charge often cities? which is to say 'appear more glorious in the heavenly kingdom because of the life of those whom you have taught'.
