Category Archives: Bible Study

Seraiah

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Seraiah is a name that I saw several times in Ezra and Nehemiah as I was studying to do their Bible 911 post. This name is associated with several priests including Ezra. There are other men, that are not priests, that also have that name. Names were very important to ancient Hebrews. Seraiah is one of those. 2 Samuel 8:17 is the first time it is seen, and many priests from Jeremiah to Nehemiah received that name. Some of the other men may not have been nice people.

The reuse of names to honor people seems to have been common. At the time of Samuel and David, 1 Chronicles 6, several men were named Ahitub and Zadok. In the first century, several priests had the name Ananias.

Seraiah means Prince or Soldier of the Lord. Several experts lean towards Yah Retains. The “iah” is like “el” in a name, it refers to God or Lord. The “Sera” part seems to be the issue with people interpreting it very differently. I like Prince of the Lord, so I will go with that one.

This is a good reference to use in studying this name.  Seraiah | The amazing name Seraiah: meaning and etymology (abarim-publications.com)

It is the “family” part of the name I want to take some time with. Ezekiel and Jeremiah are “family” with all these men named Seraiah. These two prophets, who were also priests, were given some hard words to speak against their family members. But it is true that some of them were not doing right by God.

  • 2 Kings 25:18 and Jeremiah 52:24 tell the story of Seraiah the chief priest being carried into exile.
  • 1 Chronicles 6 is the section that lists priests, Levities, and singers. Verse 14 adds a note about being exiled to Babylon.
  • Ezra 2 has a man in the company with Zerubbabel who returns to Judah.
  • Ezra 7 introduces Ezra the son of Seraiah and family with Hilkiah. He is the Ezra who is also in Nehemiah, Haggai, and Zechariah.
  • Nehemiah 11 and 12 also mention Seraiah(s) in several roles in Jerusalem.

For good and bad, the family of Aaron influenced Israel; before there were kings, with kings, and with governors. The Greeks and Romans did their best to end or diminish the priest of God. The Law put specific restrictions on these relatives of Aaron. Because of the position that God gave them, He held them to a higher standard. Some did well, some did not do well in these duties and responsibilities. That is why they had to offer sacrifices for their sins before representing the people before God.

God bless the Kohen; may they hear His voice and follow His heart.  

Mē or μή

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Mē or μή is a Greek word (Strong’s G 3361) and is used over 1000 times in the New Testament. While using the Mounce translation and website I saw this word in Matthew 5:17 – Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (NIV) I was actually studying the word “think” in the passage, but that is for another time.

Mē is the first of the two words translated as no in the passage. The second one is G3756 which is also used many times in the New Testament. Both words carry a negative thought and mean no or not.

My thought on the word Mē is very simple and has little to do with Greek grammar or tenses. When “me” takes center stage in what I am doing it translates into a big NO. We all have talents and abilities from the Father we are to use to bring glory to Jesus. The Holy Spirit may even have given you a spiritual gift for building up the Church. But when the “me” factor starts to shadow the glory, we are to give the Father and Jesus a mē and a οὐ has to come in. Another time when me needs a Mē is in dealing with other people, that “as yourself “part is easy to ignore.

So, Jesus = Yes and me = no. Father begin your reign on earth as it is in Heaven. Come Lord Jesus.

Ezra’s Timestamps

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These are the mentions of time in Ezra. The italics verses are important but not in the time flow of the Book. They mark actions and give historical references.  

Ezra 1:1  1y of Cyrus of Persia (reference Daniel)

Ezra 3:1  7m (1y) Jeshua and Zerubbabel rebuilt the altar

Ezra 3:4  Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated with offerings (15d) 

Ezra 3:6  refers back to 3:1, burnt offerings were started (daily)

Ezra 3:8  2y, 2m after their arrival started the Temple. 5m after 3:1

Ezra 4:2  Samaritans reference Esarhaddon king of Assyria, no time is given

Ezra 4:7  Xerxes or Ahasuerus is referenced in verse six and a formal letter is sent in the days of Artaxerxes that stopped work on the Temple

Ezra 4:24  2y of Darius king of Persia work was stopped, this is Darius the Second (there are three mentioned starting in Daniel)

Ezra 5:3  5:1 references Haggai and Zechariah, 5:3 mentions Tattenai the governor, who is confirmed by archeology.

Ezra 5:11  reference to Solomon

Ezra 5:13  reference to Cyrus

Ezra 5:16  reference to Sheshbazzar

Ezra 6:3  a letter Darius found, from Cyrus (see 3:1)

Ezra 6:15  6y 12m 3d of Darius, the Temple was completed

Ezra 6:19 1m 14d after the Temple is finished, they celebrate Passover

Ezra 6:22  the seven days of the Feast cycle

Ezra 7:7   

Ezra 7:8

Ezra 7:9  Ezra started 7y1m1d and arrived at 7y5m1d of Artaxerxes with additional temple workers. This is the time of Passover and Pentecost.

Ezra 8:15  Assembled at the Ahava Canal, camped for three days, fasted, and waited for Levities.

Ezra 8:31  1m 12 d they started left for Jerusalem. (See 7:8+9)

Ezra 8:32  Three-day rest in Jerusalem after arriving.

Ezra 8:33  Fourth day they check the treasures that were brought with them.

Ezra 10:8  A three-day notice to appear. The exact time is not mentioned.

Ezra 10:9 9m 20d Ezra had an assembly, it rained, about mixed marriages.

Ezra 10:16 10m 1d The investigations started

Ezra 10:17 1m 1d The investigation was finished.

Bible 911 – Ezekiel

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Wow, this Bible 911 on Ezekiel reminds me of why I started this series. To study things that I may not be familiar with. I have done other studies in and around Ezekiel, but this one has stretched me. Since I just did Jeremiah 911, I noticed some similar features. One is the pronouncements of the judgment of other nations as well as Israel. But in the middle of some very heavy words, God gives promises of hope and restoration. Ezekiel and Jeremiah are priests and many of their words were against their own tribe members. Jeremiah could have been selected as the high priest because he was the “son of Hilkiah”.

390 + 40

An important feature of Ezekiel is the timestamps. For this post, the two in Chapters 1 and 8 are the important ones. They start again in Chapter 20 and stop at Chapter 40; I will highlight some of these as they date Ezekiel’s visions and the destruction of Judah. The first two timestamps correspond to the number of days that Ezekiel was to lay on his side and “bear the sin” of Israel and Judah (4:5+6).

The 390 days is a thirteen-month year that could be called by the High Priest to adjust the calendar to match the seasons. The forty-day component is for the sins of Judah. I am sure there are many factors that God used to select this number of days. For me, it is a bit of a mystery, I would think it has to do with King Manasseh, but that will be another study. God’s counting is perfect, and we may not be told all of the facts as to start and end times. To impress upon Ezekiel the importance of the message, God used heavenly messengers at the beginning and end of this period.

Back to the first two timestamps. The amount of time between Chapter 1 and Chapter 8 could mean that Ezekiel had his heavenly visions while lying on his side. This set of visions ends with Chapter 11; so, it could be grouped 1-7 and 8-11. From previous studies, I know it is very easy to focus on the angels and cherubim of the visions. God gave these to Ezekiel to inform him of what was going to happen to Jerusalem and Judah. These prophetic visions and acts were started four years before the siege of Jerusalem began (24:1). You have to know that word of this got back to the land of Israel, which was the point. God was adding another witness with Jeremiah and Daniel for the people to repent.

Ezekiel 9:11 And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me. (KJV)

Imagine the turmoil for this prophet and priest of God Most High as he watched people he knew be marked for death. This was his Temple, city, and people that he now had to speak against. All of these centuries later, I fear, we tend to remove the personal aspect that Ezekiel and the other prophets lived with as they spoke the thoughts of their God to the Family. 9:11 is in the middle of a vision that if it had been spoken in Jerusalem would have gotten Ezekiel stoned to death. God’s loving nature and mercy are seen in the last part of Chapter 11 where He promises restoration.

Kings, Prophets, and High Use Words

I love God and I love how He works in His time. Josiah was the last godly king of Israel and his work and life produced the prophets and kings that would play out the prophecies of Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and others. This WordPress post was written several years ago and will help make sense of the backstory of Ezekiel and the punishment of Jerusalem.
ificouldteachthebible.com/2017/10/28/josiahs-children/

Below are a collection of thought, facts, and observations.

Jehoiachin ruled for 100 days before being removed and taken to Babylon. For Jehoiachin that is a number of mercy, his life was spared. He was 55 years old when he was released by Awel-Marduk after 37 years as a prisoner.

Ezekiel was alive, a teenager, during the reign of Josiah. (It was at the end of his rule.)

IF Jeremiah was born when Josiah started ruling, he would be in his 50s when Jerusalem fell. He would have been a prophet for over 40 years.

Like Jeremiah, in the middle of words of judgment, God gives words of hope and restoration through Ezekiel.

There are sections of announcements of judgment on other nations. Jeremiah 24 and 25 may help in understanding this.

There is a section on Egypt, where the survivors ran to after leaving Jerusalem. Timestamps are out of order here, so it is apparent that there was some editing to produce the final book.

There is a section about Tyre. Much of that is a shadow of Satan. (26:1)

The “prince of____” is mentioned several times. Depending on the translation it is used the most in Ezekiel, not all are about Israel.

“Son of man” is mentioned more often here than in other books. Most are directed to Ezekiel, but the connection to Jesus should not be ignored.

Son and daughter are also used many times.

Land and day are used repeatedly, not always about “the day” or “the land”. Outside the Torah, it is a leader in the use of these words. NASB is my reference.

NIV has many “year and day” combinations in the Book of Ezekiel, most are part of the timeline of his life and the messages he was given.

Next to Revelations. Ezekiel uses cherubim or living being or living creature many times. It is a main reference if you are studying these heavenly messengers.

Ezekiel 26:1 is also the time when Jerusalem fell to the siege. Since Ezekiel is a priest, I believe he used the religious calendar. That means that references to the first month are just before Passover. A third-month reference is around the time of Pentecost.

Other posts I have written where Ezekiel was important.

Going Further –

Find and list the thirteen timestamps that refer to Jehoiachin in exile and write a statement about them. OR Read the ending chapters of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles and imagine how Ezekiel, Daniel, and Jeremiah fit into those stories.  

Anaginōskō – To Read

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Anaginōskō translates in English “to read”. It is in the Strong’s under G314 where you find it means to read, decern, or gather knowledge. Yes, there are several forms and tenses of this compound word in Greek, good luck with all of those. This study started with Luke 10:26 – He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? (KJV) It then led me to a very loose look at reading and gathering knowledge. (Thank you, Bible Gateway, and Mounce.) In Hebrew qara means to read.

I will flip back a few pages in the Bible to see how the written word and the transmission of its knowledge would take place.

  1. Exodus 24:7 – Moses wrote down the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people.
  2. Deuteronomy 17:19 – When a king started to rule, he was to write a copy of the Law and read it so he would fear the Lord and keep the commandments. We never read of one king doing that.
  3. Deuteronomy 31:11 – When Israel came together (At the Feast?) the Law was to be read to them. Nehemiah made this happen.   

Our God who loves righteousness and wants people to choose to follow Him needs people to be able to write, read, and hear His love Letter to them. That means two things:1. We have to read, hear, and study His word to know Him better. 2. The people who translate His word for us better do a faithful job. Isaiah 29:11-13 speak to this, if you cannot read or do not read His word, we will have man-made rules that do not honor the Father.

Jesus as our Master Teacher asks six times in the Book of Matthew, “Have you not read”. I see the meaning of Anaginōskō here as “Have you not gathered understanding by reading”. Those references are 12:3, 12:5, 19:4, 21:16, 21:42, and 22:31. In His Sermons from the Two Mounts He requires the learner/reader to decern the ‘abomination of desolation’ spoken by the prophet Daniel in verse 24:15.

On your own. Anaginōskō or Strong’s G314 is used 32 times in the New Testament. Find and read the other times it is used and see what information and understanding you can gather.