Then Ezra rose and went from the court of the temple to the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib: As in 1 Esd 2.8 (see the comments there), the verb rose does not refer to standing up literally, but to the initiation of an action, here to going from one place to another. New Revised Standard Version says “set out,” which is helpful. Good News Bible (also Contemporary English Version, New English Bible) does not specifically translate it, and omitting it here is closer to the original text than a rendering such as “arose” or “got up” (An American Translation). However, since this verse begins a new chapter, it will be good to begin with something like “After the people had promised to put away their foreign wives, Ezra went….” The court of the temple probably refers to the same place as in 1 Esd 8.91, which is the outer courtyard of the Temple. The Greek word translated chamber is a special word used for rooms used by the priests in the Temple complex (see 1 Esd 8.59). This room was associated with a person named Jehohanan the son of Eliashib. Revised English Bible says “Joanan grandson of Eliashib” (based on Neh 12.22), but it is not known which Jehohanan is referred to here. Both names were very common names that occur several times in Ezra and Nehemiah. Good News Bible makes it explicit that the chamber was the “living quarters” of Jehohanan. The translator should not give the impression that this room was inside the Temple sanctuary itself. Alternative models for this verse are:

• Then Ezra went from the Temple courtyard to the room that Jehohanan the son of Eliashib used.

• After the people had solemnly promised to put away their foreign wives, Ezra went….

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.