The Greek form for presentation of this list cites the family first and then the name of the person, followed by any other information. This structure has been followed by many versions, such as Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, and Revised English Bible. A more normal English pattern would be to present the name of the person first as Good News Bible has done (also Contemporary English Version). As was the case for the list in chapter 5, translators will need to adopt syntactic and discourse patterns that are appropriate for lists of persons with genealogical information as found here. The discourse structure that is adopted by the translators will very likely determine whether the verses will be numbered separately as in Revised Standard Version or as a group as in Good News Bible.

In this context of a list the sons of means “the descendants of” (New Revised Standard Version), which may be rendered “the clan of” (Good News Bible) or “the family of” (similarly Contemporary English Version).

The heads of the two priestly families, Gershom and Gamael, are listed first (verse 29ab). The families are named from their earliest ancestors. Both priestly families are named from the descendants of Aaron, the first priest of the people of Israel. Phineas (which is better spelled “Phinehas” in Good News Bible) was the son of Aaron’s third son Eleazar and Ithamar was Aaron’s fourth son (Exo 6.23-25).

The third person listed, Hattush, was of the line of King David (verse 29c; see 1 Chr 3.19-22). Other than being listed third he had no special position or role among the returning exiles.

Next twelve lay families are listed with the ancestor’s name given first, followed by the name of the head of the family who returned with Ezra, followed in most cases by the name of the father of the head of the family, and finally the number of men who accompanied him (verses 30-40). Although the number of families is the same as the number of the sons of Jacob and of the tribes of Israel, there is apparently no direct link between the 12 families listed here and the 12 tribes of Israel.

Of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah and with him a hundred and fifty men enrolled (verse 30): Good News Bible takes this phrase to mean that these men had family records to prove their ancestry. Enrolled is literally “from [the] record” (compare New English Bible “according to the register”), which we take to mean only that there was written evidence that Zechariah and 150 other men came from the family line of Parosh. It may be assumed that the phrase “from [the] record” applies to all the following family names as well, where numbers of men (specifically) are given. There probably was acceptable evidence that their family histories were in order, but the point is simply that Ezra the narrator (or the writer) is passing on evidence from a written source.

Of the sons of Adonikam, the last ones, their names being Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, and with them seventy men (verse 39): The phrase the last ones (which is a literal translation of the Hebrew in the parallel passage of Ezra 8.13|prj:GNT92.EZR.8.13) is taken by Good News Bible to mean that the men named in this verse did not actually come with Ezra, but followed later. This interpretation reflects the Revised Standard Version translation of Ezra 8.13, where it says “those who came later.” This phrase has also been taken to mean (1) that the end of the list is near (so New English Bible “last came those from the line of Adonikam…”); (2) that Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah were the youngest members of the family of Adonikam; and (3) that when this group left for Judah, none of their family was left in Babylonia. They had all chosen to go. This last interpretation, recommended by Blenkinsopp (pages 162-163), is the one we choose to use in our model below. Translators who wish may certainly follow Good News Bible or New English Bible.

An alternative model for verses 29-40 is:

• 29 Gershom, of the Phinehas family.
Gamael, of the Ithamar family.
Hattush son of Shecaniah, of the David family
30 Zechariah, of the Parosh family, along with 150 other members of his family group. These men had records of their family line [or, of their ancestors].
31 Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, of the Pahath Moab family, along with 200 men.
32 Shecaniah son of Jehaziel, of the Zattu family, with 300 men.
Ebed son of Jonathan, of the Adin family, with 250 men.
33 Jeshaiah son of Gotholiah, of the Elam family, with 70 men.
34 Zeraiah son of Michael, of the Shephatiah family, with 70 men.
35 Obadiah son of Jehiel, of the Joab family, with 212 men.
36 Shelomith son of Josiphiah, of the Bani family, with 160 men.
37 Zechariah son of Bebai, of the Bebai family, with 28 men.
38 Johanan son of Hakkatan, of the Azgad family, with 110 men.
39 Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, of the Adonikam family, with 70 men. (When these men left for Judah, none of the family remained behind in Babylonia.)
40 Uthai son of Istalcurus, of the Bigvai family, with 70 men.

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.