9 Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites.
When Jerusalem was demolished by Nebuchadnezzar, the kingdom was destroyed, and no longer were there hereditary successions to the sovereignty as formerly; at that time, moreover, being out of power, the posterity of David were living in captivity. But, when the followers of Salathiel and Zerubbabel returned, they led the people more democratically, transferring the rule henceforth to the priesthood because of the intermingling of the priestly and royal tribes.
And Joshua stood and his sons, etc. In this place, Joshua does not refer to the son of Josedek, the high priest, but to one of the Levites, of whom it had been foretold that they would be appointed from twenty years old and above to attend to the work of the Lord, among whom were also Kadmiel and the sons of Henadad, who were recorded as having taken heed of the same work, along with their sons and brothers; indeed, earlier in the catalogue of the people of Israel, these, after the priests, are the first Levites mentioned by name. "The Levites," he says, "the sons of Joshua, and Kadmiel of the sons of Hodaviah, seventy-four" (Ezra 2). From both passages it can be gathered that they were chiefs and patriarchs of the Levites of that time. Here, the sons of Judah are rightly interspersed among the Levites, who together took care in restoring the temple of the Lord; and these, on account of the same agreement in piety, are remembered as having stood as one. For this is the order of virtue previously mentioned, always to be imitated by us, that each person in their own way may build up the holy Church, all the ranks dedicated to God, and the devotion of the entire people. And it is to be noted and more frequently remembered how much good was bestowed upon the people by the evil of captivity; from which being freed, they are all shown to have given such great attention to heavenly services as never before. But even today, it has benefited many who had lived negligently in the peace of the Church to suddenly err and fall into some sins, while after their fall, being lifted up by penance, they began to serve the Lord more diligently; and those who seemed sluggish and slothful in standing innocent, when reminded by their accidental fall, girded themselves more vigorously for their own protection against all the snares of the ancient enemy; so that those who had previously offended by neglecting their own life, afterwards even cared for the safety of their brothers along with their own rise. Therefore, all the people returning from Babylon to Jerusalem took care for restoring the temple, but especially the Levites and the sons of Judah, namely because of the priestly and royal dignity of the holy Church. For the royal and especially the priestly tribe builds the temple; because undoubtedly all those who form the hearts of the faithful, either by teaching or by good living, belong to the body of the eternal king and priest, that is, our Lord and Savior. Hence, even the leaders of the work, Jesus from the priestly tribe and Zerubbabel from the royal tribe, took their origin from both tribes.
[AD 379] Basil of Caesarea on Ezra 3:8-9