Contradiction with Nehemiah 7:66
This verse contradicts Ezra 2:64 by providing a different total number for the congregation that returned from exile.
Nehemiah 7:66: The whole congregation together [was] forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore,
Paradox #1
Ezra 2:64 and Nehemiah 7:66 both provide a total number for the assembly of people returning from exile, but the figures in the detailed lists of families in each chapter do not add up to this total in the same way. This discrepancy can appear as a contradiction or inconsistency.
Paradox #2
The contradiction related to Ezra 2:64 is that when you compare the total number of people listed in the returned exiles to the detailed numbers given for individual groups in the chapter, they don't add up to the same total. This inconsistency raises questions about the accuracy of the numbers recorded in the text.
Paradox #3
In Ezra 2:64, the total number of people listed is 42,360. However, when you add up the individual numbers from the surrounding verses of people from different families and groups, the sum is less than 42,360. This inconsistency between the total given and the sum of the detailed numbers is a contradiction.