II Esdras Complete Overview

Although the book is often labeled “Second Esdras”, it should not be understood as a sequel to 1 Esdras, but rather as a second story related to Ezra (for which “Esdras” is an old Latin spelling) written by people from a completely different group than those who put together the book of 1 Esdras.

To complicate things even further, 2 Esdras has a long, complicated history of composition. The original core of the book, frequently referred to as 4 Esdras, was originally written by an anonymous Jewish author under the pseudonym “Ezra”. He processed his grief and doubt 30 years after the destruction of the Second-Temple by putting himself in the place of the Biblical character Ezra, living some centuries after the destruction of Solomon’s Temple.

The text was copied and carried down through the centuries by Christians, and eventually, either one or a few Christians appended an introduction now known as 5 Esdras (chapters 1-2) and 6 Esdras (15-16). Let’s dive in, and you’ll see how it all works out.

CHAPTERS 1-2

The introduction, added by a later Christian, sets the stage for the rest of the book. It first introduces Esdras as a being from the priestly line of Levi and living during the reign of Artaxerxes in Persia.

It then has the word of the Lord come to Ezra—just as it had with all the Old Testament prophets—calling him to preach against Israel for their evil and idolatry. Here, God recalls how God took Israel up out of Egypt, defeated the nations before them, and brought them into the land. Still, Israel was disobedient and defied Him. He even sent them the Prophets to call them back, but Israel only sent them away or killed them altogether.

And so God is casting Israel out of its land and choosing other peoples who will be faithful and hear the words of His prophets and angels. He is going to give Jerusalem to another people and establish it as His kingdom, and He will give new life to the faithful when He comes. Until then, they are to dedicate themselves to taking care of the disadvantaged and needy.

However, we are told that the people reject Ezra and refuse to follow God’s commands. And so God calls Ezra to come up to Mount Horeb, just as He had first called Moses when He commissioned him to free the Israelites from Egypt. But this time, God tells Ezra not to worry about Israel rejecting Him. Instead, Ezra is to call on the nations to wait for the Lord to come to them. He even sees a vision of the resurrected people of God from all the nations going up to a new Mount Zion, receiving crowns from the Son of God Himself.

CHAPTERS 3-14

After this Christian introduction, we are brought to the main Jewish text, which runs all the way from chapter 3 to 14. This section can be broken up into seven visions or dialogues with an angel.

One evening, before any of his visions, Ezra is troubled thinking about the Babylonian exile and the destruction of Solomon’s Temple. Now, recall that this is written much later, at the turn of the first century, by an author who was actually reflecting on the destruction of the Second-Temple. So, in 2 Esdras, the author makes himself to be Ezra and Babylon is really the Roman Empire, which had destroyed the Temple in the recent past of the author of the text.

Troubled by his memory of exile, the author turns to God in prayer. He first recounts how God made all things good, giving Adam one law to follow. However, when Adam failed to follow even that law and the people did evil, God spared one family, even when He judged the rest of humanity. The same is true throughout the rest of history: God always chose one faithful family to work with—After Abraham, Isaac, then Jacob after Isaac, and David from Israel. But, while God gave Israel the law to know good and evil, that never changed their wicked heart, which they had inherited from Adam. So Ezra cries out to God, asking how God could have judged Israel for having a wicked heart. And on top of that, how could Babylon, which was no better than Israel, have come to take them into exile?

In response, Ezra has a vision, and the Angel Uriel comes to him and asks him to weigh fire, or measure wind, or go back to yesterday. Ezra asks how he could possibly do any of these. In response, the Angel says that’s exactly the point: Ezra cannot even tell Uriel about what he knows and has experienced, so he will not be able to understand God’s ways either. But Ezra complains that it would be better not live at all than to live in sin and suffering and not understand it.

Uriel then explains how the forest has its own place, the plains their own place, the shore has its own place, and the waves its own place. Ezra also has his place on earth, and so he should not ask about things above his understanding and about how God rules the world. But, Ezra protests, he did not ask to know the way of God but only how God could have given up His favored people to be judged by a more wicked people.

Uriel tells Ezra that he may live to see God’s judgment of the nation. He goes on to tell of those days: the earth will become dark, fire will break out, animals will roam around and terrorize people, and people themselves will be more wicked than ever before. Ezra awakes from the dream and is very disturbed, so he fasts for seven more days as he was instructed by Uriel.

In a second vision, Ezra brings his complaints again. This time, he draws on seven different objects that all represent Israel, reminding God how He has chosen them as His own special vine, lily, river, city, dove, sheep, and root. God has given them the Law for them to live by, and yet, He has also given them over to those who have not followed that Law to judge them.

Again, Uriel appears and asks Ezra if he really thinks that he cares for Israel more than God does. Ezra again says that he has only asked out of his grief, but Uriel again tells him that he cannot understand God’s ways. And again, Ezra says he wishes he had never been born.

From there, Ezra disputes with Uriel, bringing up the same issues that he had in his first vision, and Uriel, in turn, responds the same way each time: Ezra cannot even explain nature and the way of the earth, and so, similarly, he is not able to know the way of God.

The second vision then ends with God showing Ezra signs of the end times: all order will be confused as babies speak and friends betray each other and fight like enemies, and springs of water will not move, but evil will be destroyed, and the faithful shall live. Ezra is made afraid and sad, and so he weeps and fasts for another week.

In this third vision, Ezra recalls God’s 7-day creation of the world, all so it would be suitable for Adam, just like he said in his first vision. From Adam, God brought forth Israel and chose them, and so the world is for Israel. And yet, the nations that God has not chosen have destroyed and ruled over Israel. So, Ezra asks, if the world was made for God’s chosen people, Israel, how come Israel can’t even live in the land God had given to them?

Uriel comes to Ezra and gives him two examples: first, there is a big sea, but if anyone wants to sail into it, they must first go through a small river. Then he explains that there is a grand city, but the entrance to it is narrow and has fire on one side and water on the other. In the same way, although the world was made for Adam, he sinned and was judged, and so the way to life is through a narrow passage and a hard life: many sinners will not be able to pass through into immortality. So Ezra asks God why there are so many ungodly people who will ultimately die, and Uriel tells him again that he is no better a judge than God is.

He then goes on to tell Ezra what will happen at the end of time: the hidden land will be revealed, and the righteous will be saved from their sufferings when the Son of God, the Messiah, appears. He will die and everyone with him, as the earth returns to its pre-creation state for seven days. Then God will resurrect all people and judge them, justly repaying everyone according to their deeds.

Ezra is then troubled, wondering what will become of those who do not obey God. Uriel explains that there are many more unjust people than just as the more precious metals are rarer than common dirt. While God rejoices over the few who are saved, He does not grieve over those who refuse to give Him the honor He made them for and who will pass away like a mist. He then shows Ezra everything that happens to the souls of both the wicked and the righteous when they die.

In response, Ezra laments that Adam was even made and that he brought about death in the world through his sin. He wonders how God could create so many people just destroy the majority.

Again, Uriel gives Ezra the image of a farmer who scatters seed to grow, but only a few actually grow up in harvest time. Ezra is again offended and wonders how humans could be compared to simple seeds scattered by a farmer. Uriel reassures Ezra that he is not like the sinners, but is with the righteous—those who will enjoy the Tree of Life, a heavenly city, and freedom from all sorrow. So Ezra asks, having seen what will happen at the end of times, when will they come?

Uriel explains that there will be wars and confusion among the people and nations, as well as earthquakes and all types of natural disasters. However, the righteous will be saved through it all. Ezra finally accepts this to be the case, and Uriel commands him not to fast for another week, but to go into a field and eat flowers.

After a week of living out in the field and eating flowers, Ezra lies down again and prays to God like at the beginning—but this time, he acknowledges the eternity of the Law and confesses the sins of Israel. It is Israel who has failed to live up to the unchanging standard of the Law that has led them to their time of judgment.

Then, Ezra turns to see a woman weeping and crying aloud. She asks to be left alone to mourn her situation: for the 30 years that she was unable to give birth, she prayed to God every moment that she might have a child. After those 30 years, God finally gave her a child, and she and her husband were filled with joy! After raising him up and caring for him, she prepared to have him married. But, on the first day after the marriage, her son died, and she fled to the field to fast and lament her son’s death until she also died.

Ezra is disturbed by the woman’s story, but, unlike before, he is angry with her. He challenges her sorrow for her one son when “we, the whole world, have sorrow for our mother”, Zion (10:8)! Ezra demands that the woman keep it to herself, acknowledge God’s justice in bringing back her child in due time, and go back to town to join her husband. When she refuses, Ezra continues to tell her that the death of her son is insignificant in comparison to what happened to Zion: the Temple had been ravaged, the priests and people taken into exile, children suffering, women and virgins mistreated, and freemen enslaved.

But the lady transforms into a big, bright city this whole time, and the Angel Uriel shows that it was really Zion the whole time. God had established the Temple as her son, but it was destroyed when they went into exile. Because of Ezra’s concern for God’s people and his pleading on their behalf, God showed him the great city.

Now if you take a step back and look at the visions so far, you’ll see that the first three follow a similar pattern: each vision is preceded by Ezra lamentation as he struggles to understand God’s judgment against Israel; Uriel appears and shows Ezra something in nature to explain how God’s ways are infinitely higher and incomprehensible; Ezra and Uriel dispute God’s mercy; and Uriel shows Ezra a vision of what will come at the end. It’s not until after these three visions that Ezra concludes what all of these visions have been about: although we as humans might not understand God’s judgment or why we suffer, God will bring about justice in the end.

It’s only after coming to an understanding of this that Ezra can turn to Lady Zion and speak to her in her grief and see her glory that will be revealed in due time.

After Ezra can be assured of the glorious future of Jerusalem, God can show him the last three visions: these are all focused on the coming of the Messiah to judge the Babylon of the author’s day (remember that’s Rome) and establish justice once again.

So Ezra sleeps and has his fifth vision the following night: he sees a freaky three-headed eagle with twelve wings. Its body changes and transforms: one winging taking over another and one head devouring the others. Then there’s a voice, and a lion comes out to speak on God’s behalf against the eagle. This beast conquered the earth and judged the nations, but it was evil and oppressive. So God is going to judge and vanish it from the earth to free the nations that were once under it from its injustice and mistreatment of those under it.

But when Ezra awakes, he is confused, so God explains the dream to him: He identifies the eagle as the fourth beast from one of Daniel’s dreams (see Daniel chapter 7), and the wings and heads of the eagle are all kings who will arise and replace each other. The lion that Ezra saw is the Messiah from the line of David; he will speak against the arrogance of this nation and judge it, and he will free enslaved Israel.

God commands Ezra to stay sitting in the field and to eat only flowers. So Ezra obeys, and in another week, he has his sixth vision. In it, there’s a crazy storm with wind and waves, and out of it appears a person. This person builds a mountain out of nothing and flies up to the top to escape nations from around the world who come to try and attack him. Then, after destroying them by breathing fire, he brings a peaceful people to himself.

After waking up from his sleep, Ezra is confused again, and so God explains the dream to him. The mysterious man formed from the storm is the hidden Messiah who will appear when nations rise up against one another. He will stand on Mount Zion and call people to himself to rebuild a heavenly Zion. The Messiah will judge and destroy the nations for their unjust judgment and will restore even all of lost Israel.

Ezra then spends three days walking in the field as God had commanded him. And, in Ezra’s seventh and final vision, God calls him to go up to Sinai, where He first gave Moses the Law, so that He can give him the restored Hebrew Bible since the original had been destroyed in the Babylonian exile. Ezra goes up with his crew and fasts and copies down the whole Hebrew Bible as guided by the Spirit for the next 40 days (like Moses did on Sinai).

CHAPTERS 15-16

Just like at the beginning of the book, there is a later Christian addtion to the end of the book. It rehashes the theme of warring nations and upheaval in the end times and gives specific prophecies of the kings and kingdoms that will arise. The whole world will begin to shake, and God will flip the order that the nations have established on its head. He will come to judge all the nations, but unlike in Ezra’s visions, God says that He will call the nations to come to Himself and worship Him.

2 Esdras does not offer an explanation for why God judged Jerusalem and let His people suffer. It’s an odd but epic exploration of the original author’s grief at the destruction of the Temple in the first century and his struggle with doubt. It attempts to offer a heavenly perspective to limited humans to inspire hope that, despite it all, God will do right by restoring His people and judge the wicked. That’s what 2 Esdras is all about.