From women they came is literally “and from them they came.” This clause repeats and emphasizes the point made in verse 15.

And women brought up the very men who plant the vineyards from which comes wine: Zerubbabel shows that women are stronger than wine, since wine comes from the vines that men have planted, and the men who planted the vines are sons of women. The verb brought up does not emphasize giving birth, but raising children to maturity. The farmers plant and raise the vines, but women give birth to and raise children. Contemporary English Version renders this sentence as “And women raise the little boys who become men and plant the vineyards that produce wine.” This model fills in a missing step in the speaker’s thinking, since women did not bring up the men, but boys who were to become men.

Here are alternative models for this verse:

• Indeed, women brought all these men into the world. They raised the boys who would plant vineyards from which the wine comes.

• Yes, women brought them [or, all these men] into the world. Wine comes from grapevines, and farmers planted the grapevines. But women raised the boys who would become the farmers.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.