Ezra 2:64 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Ver. 64. The whole congregation—was forty-and-two thousand three hundred and threescore— Dr. Lightfoot observes on this passage, "Here is a summa totalis [a sum total] of forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty, who returned out of captivity upon the proclamation of Cyrus; and there are here the numbers of several families reckoned, as making up that sum; whereas, if the total of these particulars be summed up, it reacheth not by sixteen thousand, or thereabouts, to that number of forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty. Where, then, must we find those sixteen thousand, since they arise not in the number of the families here named? The families, here named are of Judah and Benjamin; and then certainly those sixteen thousand can hardly be imagined any other than of the ten tribes. It is apparent, that the returns of Judah and Benjamin planted Judaea: whom then can we imagine, but some of the ten tribes, to have planted Galilee, as that country was inhabited by a good part of the ten tribes before the captivity? It is very probable, that most of the twelve apostles, and many of the rest of the disciples who were of Christ's constant retinue, were of the progeny of some of the ten tribes." This will account for the difference between the general and particular sums in Ezra, and why the particulars in Ezra differ from those in Nehemiah 7. Dr. Lightfoot also observes, that Nehemiah found the list and catalogue of those who came up in the first year of Cyrus as it was then taken, and that he called over the names of the families as they lay in order there: that he observed the order of the old list, in calling them over, and listing them; but took the real number of them as they were, when he numbered them: that some families were now more in number than they were when the first list was made, and some fewer; and some that were in that list were not to be found now; for some had more of the same stock come up from Babylon since the first numbering; and others who had come up at first, and were then numbered, were now gone back again. See Lightfoot's Chronol. p. 146.