This is the tenth in a series of biblical summaries from David Dorsey's book: The Literary Structure of the Old Testament. This is the sixth in the sub-series of historical books, covering the Books of Ezra-Nehemiah.
a Zerubbabel's return and list of returnees (Ezra 1-2)
b building of temple and opposition from enemies (Ezra 3-6)
c Ezra's return (Ezra 7-8)
d CENTER: purification of people (Ezra 9-10)
c' Nehemiah's return (Neh. 1-2)
b' building of walls and opposition from enemies (Neh. 3:1-7:3)
a' Zerubbabel's return and list of returnees; final reforms (Neh. 7:4-13:31)
The 'a' pattern focuses on those who returned from Babylonian exile under Zerubbabel, a leader from the royal line of David. The first section conveys the list of those who returned, while the second section reiterates the lists of those who returned while also gathering the larger histories of Ezra and Nehemiah as well. All this shows an emphasis on the actual names of people who returned to help with the work of rebuilding the temple.
The 'b' pattern suggests a link between the building of the temple under Ezra and the building of the walls under Nehemiah with regard to the opposition they received. The first and second sections both show how God's people encountered opposition to these building projects but that God (and his people) saw to it that the projects ultimately achieved success. This shows that God blessed the efforts of his people to repair the temple despite the challenges they faced.
The 'c' pattern shows a parallel between Ezra's and Nehemiah's separate returns to Jerusalem. Both sections show either Ezra or Nehemiah receiving blessings from kings to return to Jerusalem. In both sections, the king gives orders to Transeuphrates governors to assist the Jews. Finally, both of these sections are recounted in first-person accounts. All this suggests that though Ezra's and Nehemiah's leadership roles are linked together for the blessing of God's people as they return from exile and rebuild their lives around God's law, and also rebuild their temple.
The 'd' section is the center. It focuses on the purification of the people, and their agreement to resolve the problem of religious intermarriage. This suggests that though the Ezra-Nehemiah text in its entirety is focused upon rebuilding, and the rebuilding of the temple in particular, the central rebuilding that takes places is the restored covenant between God and his people through repentance.
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