Ezra 2 (KJV) - Bible Truth Library

The word {Tirshatha} is supposed to be Persian; and if, as Castel supposes, it signifies austerity, or that fear which is impressed by the authority of a governor, it may be derived from {tars,} "ear," or {tursh,} "acid, austere."

Neh. 7:65• ⁶⁵And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim. (Neh. 7:65)

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Neh. 10:1• ¹Now those that sealed were, Nehemiah, the Tirshatha, the son of Hachaliah, and Zidkijah, (Neh. 10:1)

should not.

Lev. 2:3,10• ³And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire.
¹⁰And that which is left of the meat offering shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire. (Lev. 2:3,10)

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Lev. 6:17,29• ¹⁷It shall not be baken with leaven. I have given it unto them for their portion of my offerings made by fire; it is most holy, as is the sin offering, and as the trespass offering.
²⁹All the males among the priests shall eat thereof: it is most holy. (Lev. 6:17,29)

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Lev. 7:16• ¹⁶But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten: (Lev. 7:16)

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Lev. 10:17‑18• ¹⁷Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy, and God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord?
¹⁸Behold, the blood of it was not brought in within the holy place: ye should indeed have eaten it in the holy place, as I commanded. (Lev. 10:17‑18)

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Lev. 22:2‑3,10,14‑16• ²Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am the Lord.
³Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your seed among your generations, that goeth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto the Lord, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence: I am the Lord.
¹⁰There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing: a sojourner of the priest, or an hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing.
¹⁴And if a man eat of the holy thing unwittingly, then he shall put the fifth part thereof unto it, and shall give it unto the priest with the holy thing.
¹⁵And they shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer unto the Lord;
¹⁶Or suffer them to bear the iniquity of trespass, when they eat their holy things: for I the Lord do sanctify them. (Lev. 22:2‑3,10,14‑16)

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Num. 18:9‑11,19• ⁹This shall be thine of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every oblation of theirs, every meat offering of theirs, and every sin offering of theirs, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they shall render unto me, shall be most holy for thee and for thy sons.
¹⁰In the most holy place shalt thou eat it; every male shall eat it: it shall be holy unto thee.
¹¹And this is thine; the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel: I have given them unto thee, and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: every one that is clean in thy house shall eat of it.
¹⁹All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the Lord, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the Lord unto thee and to thy seed with thee. (Num. 18:9‑11,19)

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Num. 18:32• ³²And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it, when ye have heaved from it the best of it: neither shall ye pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest ye die. (Num. 18:32)

Urim.

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Lev. 8:8• ⁸And he put the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim. (Lev. 8:8)

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Deut. 33:8• ⁸And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah; (Deut. 33:8)

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1 Sam. 28:6• ⁶And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. (1 Sam. 28:6)

• The question of the priests goes still further. These, as we have seen, were put out from their office, the functions of which were to minister before the Lord, and to teach the people (see Ex. 28; Lev. 10:9-11; Deut. 10:8; Malachi 2:5-7); and they were also forbidden, owing to their inability to find their register, to eat of the holy things. (Compare on this subject Lev. 22:1-16.) (“Ezra 2” by E. Dennett)

• It is not clear that there ever was a priest in Israel’s latter history that was recognized as having these mysterious attributes. In our present day, it is only by waiting on the Lord that we can discern the true character of an individual when there is a confused testimony as to their salvation. “Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure”(2 Tim. 5:22). (“A Remnant Company - Ezra 2:3-70” by N. Simon)

J. N. Darby Translation

And the Tirshathaa said to them that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummimb.

JND Translation Notes

Title of governor of Jerusalem under Persian kings.

See Neh. 7.65.