AUTHOR: It cannot be said with absolute certainty whether it was Ezra himself who compiled the book or whether it was an unknown author. By Jewish tradition, the scribe Ezra is the author of Chronicles and Ezra-Nehemiah. Some sections of the book are written in Aramaic [Ed 4:8], [Ed 6:18] and [Ed 7:12-26].

THEMATIC: The historical period covered by the two Books (Ezra-Nehemiah) is approximately 110 years. Note the connection of [Ed 1:1-3] with the end of the book of Chronicles. The theme of the book is the religious restoration of Israel. The return of the people of God took place in three stages, under various leaders: the first return was under the direction of Zerubbabel in 538 BC, being the most numerous; the second, directed by Esdras, in 458 BC; and the third, in 444 B.C., by Nehemiah. The Book of Ezra records the return to the Promised Land as the fulfillment of God's promise to His people [Jer 25:2], [Jer 29:10], [Ed 1:1]. God's faithfulness is contrasted with the people's unfaithfulness. Despite having returned to their homeland and the divine promises, the people were influenced by their enemies and temporarily interrupted the construction of the House of God [Ed 4:24]. To encourage the people, God raised up Haggai and Zechariah.
We can divide the Book of Esdras into two distinct moments: the first (chapters 1 to 6) covers a period of about 23 years, starting with the decree of Cyrus, king of Persia (538 BC), which allowed the return of the first group of exiles to Jerusalem under the leadership of Zerubbabel for the rebuilding of the temple. There was a gap of nearly 60 years between chapters 6 and 7. During that time, Esther became queen of Persia, around 478 B.C. Approximately 60 years later (458 B.C.), another group of exiles, led by Ezra, returned to Jerusalem. Ezra is faced with widespread spiritual and moral apostasy among his countrymen, evidenced in their marriages to unbelieving women. The book ends with the repentance of the people breaking their marriage bonds (Chapter 10).

COMPILATION: According to the Talmudic record, the books of Ezra and Nehemiah were considered one. It was compiled approximately in 457 / 444 BC, it consists of 10 chapters and 280 verses.