Ezra in Babylon

We’re unsure of exactly where Ezra was when he was living in Babylon. It was between 500 and 600 miles (800-950 km) from Jerusalem to ancient Babylon, but the area is far too large to know exactly how far any of the exiles had to travel in order to return to their biblical homeland. Rest assured it took them several months to make the journey, and that they followed the water sources. They probably followed the Euphrates until they reached Haran, making the same journey Abram had made in the beginning of the Jewish story. That’s an important concept, for the rebellion of Abraham’s descendants had eventually sent them back to where the story had begun. Their disobedience had resulted in a most painful period of punishment. Ezra surely was born in exile. The exile lasted 70 years, and Ezra was young enough to make the very difficult walk to Jerusalem, and then serve with vigor as the leader of his people for several years. His passion for Jerusalem, the Torah and Judaism, therefore, had been handed to him by an older generation.