Ezra — Chapter 2

Children of the province — i.e., Jews born or long-dwelling in the province of Babylonia, who now returned to the ancient seat of their fathers, Jerusalem. As Scripture calls men \"children of Sion,\" \"children of the East,\" meaning inhabitants, so here \"children of the province\" = its inhabitants. Bede, however, understands \"the province\" to mean Judaea, to which the returning exiles belonged as children of the Church of God.

And among them two hundred singing men and singing women — male cantors were employed for the Psalms in the Temple; the female singers for secular songs at funerals, weddings, and feasts. This signifies that the return from Babylon was most joyful, so that they sang and shouted with joy, according to the oracle of Isaias 66 and Psalm 125: \"When the Lord brought back the captivity of Sion, we became as men comforted; our mouth was filled with gladness and our tongue with exultation.\"