John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 1. Now these are the children of the province , etc.] Either of the province of Babylon, as Aben Ezra, where they were either born, or had dwelt for many years; or else rather, according to Jarchi, of the province of Judea, as it is called, ( Ezra 5:8) once a flourishing kingdom, but reduced to a province of the Babylonian monarchy, now in the hands of the Medes and Persians, of which province they and their fathers originally were: that went out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon ; who either in person, or in their parents, were carried captive by him, and who were the tribes of Judah and Benjamin; and they are only mentioned, because they were the principal that returned, though there were some of the other tribes that also came up with them: and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, everyone unto his city ; that he dwelt in before, or was now assigned to him by lot, (see Nehemiah 11:1), etc.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-35 - An account was kept of the families that came up out of captivity. Se how sin lowers a nation, which righteousness would exalt!
Original Hebrew ואלה428 בני1121 המדינה4082 העלים5927 משׁבי7628 הגולה1473 אשׁר834 הגלה1540 נבוכדנצור5020 מלך4428 בבל894 לבבל894 וישׁובו7725 לירושׁלם3389 ויהודה3063 אישׁ376 לעירו׃5892
