Ezra 8:31

THE JOURNEY COMPLETED AND THE TREASURES WERE WEIGHED BEFORE THE TEMPLE CUSTODIANS

"Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem; and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the lier-in-wait by the way. And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days. And on the fourth day the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed in the house of our God into the hand of Merimoth the son of Uriah the priest (and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas: and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Bennuni, the Levites) - the whole by number and by weight: and all the weight was written at that time."

"After four months of traveling (Ezra 7:9), they came to Jerusalem; the fact of their having been unmolested on the way (Ezra 7:31) vindicated their faith in God's protection; and the treasures were weighed in with the proper temple authorities, indicating that none had been misappropriated."[16]

"We departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the month" (Ezra 8:31). Williamson seemed perplexed by the fact that, "Whereas in Ezra 7:9 the departure date was the first day of the month; here the actual date is, given as the twelfth day of the month (so stated as to leave the impression that these dates are in some manner contradictory)."[17] Once more we find that a careful reading of the Bible completely clears up what some critics view as a contradiction. Read the text:

On the first day of the first month began (Ezra) to go up from Babylon (Ezra 7:9).

"Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month" (Ezra 8:31).

It does not take a genius to understand that on the first day of the month they left Babylon, and on the twelfth day of the month they left the river Ahava. Some of the scholars are mixed up on this because they have erroneously interpreted "the river Ahava" as being one of the canals in Babylon. (See the comment of Herodotus on this as given in my comment on Ezra 8:15, above.)

"And we ... abode there three days" (Ezra 8:32). This is a reference to the three-days' rest which they enjoyed after their arrival in Jerusalem. No doubt they needed it, because the journey had hasted four months and was attended by many dangers and anxieties. "Like Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2:11), Ezra was content with a three days' rest, before getting on with the business at hand."[18]