Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD.
Watch over and guard these items carefully until you can weigh them in front of the leading priests, Levites, and family heads of Israel in Jerusalem, in the rooms of the Lord's house.
Ezra is instructing his trusted men to carefully guard the sacred treasures until they can be properly counted and handed over to the religious leaders in Jerusalem.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Ezra, which recounts the return of Jewish exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem around 458 BC, Ezra was leading a group with sacred temple articles donated by the Persian king. These items were crucial for restoring worship in the rebuilt temple, and this verse specifically instructs the carriers to guard them securely until they could be officially weighed and handed over to the priests and Levites in Jerusalem's temple chambers. This reflects the emphasis on accountability and reverence for holy objects during the post-exilic period.
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