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Remember: don’t skip the lists of names. Dig into them. Look closely at Ezra’s heritage and what it means for his position in this story.
Compare what the Bible says about Ezra in the first section of chapter 7 to what it says about Zerubbabel (or any of the other men in the first homecoming).
Read Ezra 6:12, alongside Deuteronomy 12:5, Haggai 2:7, 1 Kings 8:11. How do they provide more profound impact on the words in Darius’ decree?
There is a 60-year gap at between Ezra 6 and Ezra 7 in which the book of Esther takes place. Take some time to read those ten chapters before returning to Ezra 7 (or get the summary from the Bible Project).
Read Ezra 5:1-2 alongside Haggai 1-2 and Zechariah 1:7-6:15 to understand how, exactly, the prophets helped Zerubbabel and Jeshua.
With Ezra 5:5, compare 2 Chronicles 16:9, Psalm 32:8, 33:18, and 34:15. Then stitch them all together into one powerful narrative about the eye of the Lord and what it means for you.
Knowing the social and political climate of a certain period of time can also unlock a lot of insight into a passage, and a returning people reclaiming their stolen land is ripe with political tension!
Research the length of the kingly reigns mentioned in this chapter to give you an idea of the length of time the temple rebuilding project was taking.
Weeks, months, and seasons are all important details for the context of a passage, often coinciding with festivals and feasts. (Hint: Compare Ezra 3:1 with Leviticus 23:23-43 to find the significance of the timing of this story.)
Pay attention to the date references for the temple rebuilding to note how long the entire process takes in the end.
