9:3 Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. The northern and southern kingdoms are considered to have been reunited under Hezekiah (2 Chr. 29:1 note). Representatives of the entire nation went into the Babylonian exile and returned to the land. For this reason, the writer does not overlook Ephraim and Manasseh among those returning. Yet Judah and Benjamin are given special attention because they represent the southern kingdom, the home of the line of David and the location of the temple.