ContradictionsReading order 278Bible context 1 min read
How many of Bezai's offspring returned from Babylon?
The same family is counted as either 323 or 324 people, a one-person discrepancy.
- Textual conflict
- Direct contradiction
- The quoted passages make incompatible claims about the same subject under the same conditions. Little additional inference is needed.
- Importance
- Incidental
- A small detail with little effect on the wider account.
The corresponding Bezai return entries give exact totals of 323 and 324 without a different counting condition.
An editorial assessment of the quoted passages. Importance describes the stakes; it does not increase certainty. Reading order weighs both.
Bezai's children total three hundred twenty-three
The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and three.
Ezra 2:17
Translation / edition: King James Version (KJV)
Read the full chapter:Ezra 2
Bezai's children total three hundred twenty-four
The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and four.
Nehemiah 7:23
Translation / edition: King James Version (KJV)
Read the full chapter:Nehemiah 7
Understanding the contradiction
Ezra 2:17 gives Bezai's children as 323, while Nehemiah 7:23 gives 324. The family name and form of the entry agree, leaving the final digit as the sole stated difference.