Ezra 7:5

The son of Aaron. In vs. 1-5 Ezra traces his genealogy back to Aaron, the first high priest. A comparison with the genealogical list provided in 1 Chron. 6:3-15 shows that Ezra omitted six names between the Azariah and Meraioth of v. 3, which are found in 1 Chron. 6:7-10, and another name (Meraioth) between Zadok and Ahitub of v. 2 (see 1 Chron. 9:11). The abbreviation of genealogies by the omission of unimportant names was a common practice among the Jews. A notable instance is the omission of several names in Matthew’s genealogy of Christ (see on Matt. 1:5, 11, 15, 17). Although Ezra was a descendant of Aaron, and thus belonged to the high-priestly family, he was not a high priest himself, but only a “priest” (Ezra 7:11, 12; Neh. 8:2).