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Ezra Chapter
Three
New King James Version (NKJV)
Ezra
3:1 And when the
seventh month had come
and the children of Israel were in the cities
the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem.
YLT And the seventh month cometh
and the sons of Israel [are] in the
cities
and the people are gathered
as one men
unto Jerusalem.
And when the seventh month was come
The month Tisri
which answers to part of September and October; or when it
"was approaching" F16
for before it was actually come some following things were done
the people
met
and an altar was built; for on the first day of it sacrifices were
offered
( Ezra 3:6 )
and the children of Israel were in the cities;
their respective cities
settling their domestic affairs:
the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem;
the thing was universal
and done with as much dispatch as if only one man was
concerned; and it seems to denote as if they were under a divine impulse
and
came together without any consultation
or knowledge of each other's designs
and without summons.
FOOTNOTES:
F16 (egyw) "cum
appropinquaret"
Piscator.
Ezra
3:2 Then
Jeshua the son of Jozadak[a] and his
brethren the priests
and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren
arose and built the altar of the God of Israel
to offer burnt offerings on it
as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.
YLT And rise doth Jeshua son of Jozadak
and his brethren the priests
and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel
and his brethren
and they build the altar of
the God of Israel
to cause to ascend upon it burnt-offerings
as it is written
in the law of Moses
the man of God.
Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak
Who was the high priest
and the proper person to give the lead in the
following work:
and his brethren the priests;
the common priests
very fit to join him
and assist him in it:
and Zerubbabel
the son of Shealtiel;
the prince and governor of Judah
whose presence was necessary to give
countenance to the work
and animate to it:
and his brethren;
the princes and heads of the people
particularly those mentioned ( Ezra
2:2 )
and builded the altar of the God of Israel;
the altar of burnt offering
gave orders for the building of it
and directions
about it:
to offer burnt offerings thereon
as it is written in the law of
Moses the man of God;
or prophet of God
as the Syriac version; see ( Leviticus 1:1-17 ) .
Ezra
3:3 Though fear had
come upon them because of the people of those countries
they set the altar
on its bases; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord
both
the morning and evening burnt offerings.
YLT And they establish the altar on its bases
because of the fear
upon them of the peoples of the lands
and he causeth burnt-offerings to ascend
upon it to Jehovah
burnt-offerings for the morning and for the evening.
And they set the altar upon his bases
Which might remain of the old altar; or the meaning is
that it was fixed and
settled on the same spot where it stood before:
for fear was upon them
because of the people of those countries;
and therefore they hastened to erect an altar
and offer sacrifices to the
Lord
in hope that he would appear for them
and help them against their
enemies; or rather
as some render the words F17
"though fear was upon them" yet they were not deterred from the work
worship
and service of God:
and they offered burnt offerings unto the Lord
even burnt
offerings
morning and evening;
the daily sacrifice
as directed to ( Exodus 29:38 Exodus 29:39 ) .
FOOTNOTES:
F17 (yk) "quamvis"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Patrick.
Ezra
3:4 They
also kept the Feast of Tabernacles
as it is written
and offered
the daily burnt offerings in the number required by ordinance for each day.
YLT And they make the feast of the booths as it is written
and the
burnt-offering of the day daily in number according to the ordinance
the
matter of a day in its day;
They kept also the feast of tabernacles
as it is written
According to the rules prescribed for the observation of it in ( Leviticus 23:34-42 ) this began on the fifteenth
day of the seventh month:
and offered the daily burnt offerings by number
according to the
custom
as the duty of every day required;
for on all the eight days of the feast there was a certain number of sacrifices
fixed for every day; and exactly according to the law concerning them did they
offer them at this time; see ( Numbers 29:12-38 ) .
Ezra
3:5 Afterwards
they offered the regular burnt offering
and those for New Moons
and for all the appointed feasts of the Lord that were consecrated
and those of everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering to the Lord.
YLT and after this a continual burnt-offering
and for new moons
and
for all appointed seasons of Jehovah that are sanctified; and for every one who
is willingly offering a willing-offering to Jehovah.
And afterwards offered the continual burnt offering
Not after the feast of tabernacles
as if they then began to offer the daily
sacrifice; for that they did as soon as the altar was set up
and on the first
day of the month
( Ezra 3:3 Ezra
3:6 )
rather the sense is
that after the daily burnt offering of
the morning
they offered the other sacrifices peculiar to the several days of
the feast of tabernacles; they never neglected that
yea
always began with it;
all the rest were after it
and so on other festivals:
both of the new moons
and of all the set feasts of the Lord that
were consecrated;
to the service of the Lord
and the honour of his name
as every first day of
the month
and every other appointed festival
they offered the sacrifices
appropriate to each; but not to the neglect of that sacrifice
and always after
it:
and of everyone that willingly offered a freewill offering unto
the Lord;
these they were careful also to offer in their proper time.
Ezra
3:6 From
the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord
although the
foundation of the temple of the Lord had not been laid.
YLT From the first day of the seventh month they have begun to cause
burnt-offerings to ascend to Jehovah
and the temple of Jehovah hath not been
founded
From the first of the seventh month began they to offer burnt
offerings unto the Lord
And which day was not only a new moon
but a grand festival
the feast of
blowing of trumpets
( Leviticus 23:24 Leviticus 23:25 )
and no doubt but they
observed the tenth day of this month
with all the rites of it
which was the
day of atonement
( Leviticus 23:27-32 )
but the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid;
they began first with sacrifices
that having thereby given thanks to God for
their return to their own land
and for all the benefits they enjoyed
and made
atonement for their sins in a typical way
they might be the more prepared and
fit for the work of building the temple; or
"though the foundation"
of it was not laid F26
yet they offered the above sacrifices.
FOOTNOTES:
F26 Etsi
Michaelis.
Ezra
3:7 They
also gave money to the masons and the carpenters
and food
drink
and oil to
the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to the sea
to
Joppa
according to the permission which they had from Cyrus king of Persia.
YLT and they give money to
hewers and to artificers
and food
and drink
and oil to Zidonians and to
Tyrians
to bring in cedar-trees from Lebanon unto the sea of Joppa
according
to the permission of Cyrus king of Persia concerning them.
They gave money also to the masons
and to the carpenters
To buy stone and timber with for the building of the temple:
and meat and drink and oil unto them of Zidon
and to them of Tyre;
which were more agreeable to them than money
because there was not plenty of
such things in their country
as in the land of Israel:
to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa;
as they did at the first building of the temple by Solomon; they cut down
cedars at Lebanon
which belonged to them
and sent them by sea to Joppa
the
nearest seaport to Jerusalem
about forty miles from it: see ( 2 Chronicles 2:16 )
according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia;
for Tyre and Zidon being under his dominion as well as Judea
he not only gave
leave to the Jews to get cedar wood from Lebanon
but gave orders to the
Zidonians and Tyrians to furnish them with it
paying a valuable consideration
for it; and so some F1
render the word
"according to the commandment of Cyrus".
FOOTNOTES:
F1 (Nwyvrk) "juxta praeceptum"
Vatablus; "juxta quod praeceperat"
V. L. So Ben Melech.
Ezra
3:8 Now in the
second month of the second year of their coming to the house of God at
Jerusalem
Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel
Jeshua the son of Jozadak
[b] and the
rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites
and all those who had come
out of the captivity to Jerusalem
began work and appointed the Levites
from twenty years old and above to oversee the work of the house of the Lord.
YLT
And in the second year
of their coming in unto the house of God
to Jerusalem
in the second month
began Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel
and Jeshua son of Jozadak
and the remnant
of their brethren the priests and the Levites
and all those coming from the
captivity to Jerusalem
and they appoint the Levites from a son of twenty years
and upward
to overlook the work of the house of Jehovah.
Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at
Jerusalem
The place where it formerly stood; the Jews seem to have set out from Babylon
in the spring of the preceding year
as it was now of this; which to Jerusalem
was a journey of about four months
as Ezra performed it
( Ezra
7:9 )
but might take up longer time for such a body of people to
do it in
being larger than that with him; wherefore
after they had visited
their respective cities
and settled their affairs there
they came to
Jerusalem on the seventh month
or September
and kept the feast of
tabernacles
and then they returned to their cities again
the winter season
being an improper time to begin the building of the temple; having given money
to workmen to purchase materials with
and no doubt left a sufficient number to
clear away the rubbish
and get things ready by the returning spring to set
about the work:
in the second month;
the mouth Ijar
as Jarchi observes
answering to part of April and May
having
as may be supposed
kept the passover the month before:
began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel
and Jeshua the son of
Jozadak:
the prince
and the high priest:
and the remnant of their brethren
the priests and Levites
and
all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem;
whose names and numbers are given in the preceding chapter:
and appointed the Levites from twenty years old and upwards to set
forward the work of the house of the Lord;
to put men to work upon it
and direct them what to do
and urge them to attend
closely to it; ever since David's time the Levites were employed at twenty
years of age
when before not till thirty
or twenty five; see ( 1 Chronicles 23:24 ) .
Ezra
3:9 Then Jeshua with
his sons and brothers
Kadmiel with his sons
and the sons of Judah
[c] arose as
one to oversee those working on the house of God: the sons of Henadad with
their sons and their brethren the Levites.
YLT And Jeshua standeth
[and] his sons
and his brethren
Kadmiel and his sons
sons of Judah together
to overlook those doing the work in the house of God; the sons of Henadad
[and] their sons and their brethren the Levites.
Then stood Jeshua
with his sons
Not Jeshua the high priest before mentioned
but Jeshua the Levite
( Ezra
2:40 )
and his brethren
Kadmiel and his sons
the sons of Judah
together;
the same with Hodaviah
( Ezra
2:40 )
to set forward the workmen in the house of God;
to give them orders to begin and lay the foundation
and hasten and animate
them to it:
the sons of Henadad
with their sons and their brethren the
Levites:
two of this man's sons are mentioned in ( Nehemiah 3:18 Nehemiah 3:24 ) ( 10:9 ) .
Ezra
3:10 When the
builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord
the priests
stood[d] in their
apparel with trumpets
and the Levites
the sons of Asaph
with cymbals
to
praise the Lord
according to the ordinance of David king of Israel.
YLT And those building have
founded the temple of Jehovah
and they appoint the priests
clothed
with
trumpets
and the Levites
sons of Asaph
with cymbals
to praise Jehovah
by
means of [the instruments of] David king of Israel.
And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the
Lord The masons
whose work it was
( Ezra
3:7 )
they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets;
these were set in a proper place by the prince and the high priest
in their
priestly garments
with trumpets in their hands to blow with
as the foundation
was laying:
and the Levites the sons of Asaph
with cymbals to praise the
Lord
after the ordinance of David king of Israel;
these were instruments of brass
and made a tinkling sound
and were by the
order of David; and the persons that made use of them; and the songs of praise
they were played upon unto; all by his appointment
as well as harps and
psalteries
which might now be used
though not expressed; see ( 1 Chronicles 15:16 ) ( 25:1 ) . So the Messenians
when the walls of
their city were raised by Epaminondas
and their houses and temples erected
attended it with sacrifices and prayer
and with piping and singing F2.
FOOTNOTES:
F2 Pausan. Messenica
sive
l. 4. p. 368.
Ezra
3:11 And they sang
responsively
praising and giving thanks to the Lord:
“For He is
good
For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.”[e] Then all
the people shouted with a great shout
when they praised the Lord
because the
foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.
YLT And they respond in
praising and in giving thanks to Jehovah
for good
for to the age His kindness
[is] over Israel
and all the people have shouted -- a great shout -- in giving
praise to Jehovah
because the house of Jehovah hath been founded.
And they sang together by course
They sang by turns in responses
and answered one another
as the word
signifies; when one company had performed their part
another took theirs:
in praising and giving thanks to the Lord;
for returning them to their own land
and giving them opportunity
ability
and
will
to set about the rebuilding of the temple of the Lord
and restoring the
pure worship of God;
because he is good
for his mercy endureth for ever towards Israel;
which words are often repeated in ( Psalms 136:1-26 ) and which might be the psalm
the Levites now sung by responses:
and all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised
the Lord;
to express their joy
in the best manner they could
on this solemn occasion:
because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid;
which gave them hope the temple in due time would be rebuilt
and the service
of it restored; see ( Job 38:6 Job
38:7 ) .
Ezra
3:12 But many of the
priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses
old men who had
seen the first temple
wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this
temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy
YLT And many of the priests
and the Levites
and the heads of the fathers
the aged men who had seen the
first house -- in this house being founded before their eyes -- are weeping
with a loud voice
and many with a shout
in joy
lifting up the voice;
But many of the priests and Levites
and chief of the fathers
who were ancient men
Seventy or eighty years of age:
that had seen the first house;
the temple built by Solomon
as they very well might
since then it had been
destroyed but fifty two years; for the seventy years captivity are to be
reckoned from the fourth of Jehoiakim
when it began
and which was eighteen
years before the destruction of the temple; the beginning of the next clause
when in the foundation
according to the Hebrew accents
is to be connected with this
that had seen the first house;
not when first founded
for that was five hundred years ago
but in "its
foundation"; they saw it standing upon its foundation
in all its glory
and so the Septuagint version; and we may read on
when
this house was before their eyes
wept with a loud voice;
seeing what it was like to be by the foundation now laid
and was in their
sight as nothing in comparison of the former; see ( Haggai
2:3 ) but Aben Ezra connects this clause as we do
when the foundation of this house was laid;
not but that the dimensions of this house strictly taken were as large as the
former: see ( Ezra 6:3 Ezra
6:4 )
but not the courts and appendages to it: besides
what might
affect them
there was no likelihood of its being so richly decorated with gold
and silver as the former temple
and many things would be wanting in it
as the
Urim and Thummim
and many shouted aloud for joy;
of the younger sort
who had never seen the grandeur of the first temple
and
were highly delighted with the beginning of this
and the hope of seeing it finished.
Ezra
3:13 so that the
people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the
weeping of the people
for the people shouted with a loud shout
and the sound
was heard afar off.
YLT and the people are not
discerning the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the
people
for the people are shouting -- a great shout -- and the noise hath been
heard unto a distance.
So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy
from the noise of the weeping of the people
That is
not clearly and distinctly
they were so mixed and confounded
together
and made such a jarring and discord:
for the people shouted with a loud shout
and the noise was heard
afar off;
the shouting being of young people
whose voice was strongest
and they the
most numerous
the noise of shouting prevailed over the noise of weeping; and
it was heard further
and at a distance appeared more distinctly to be the
noise of shouting
that of weeping not reaching so far; though Jarchi is of
opinion that the noise of weeping was heard further than the noise of shouting
which is not likely.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
NKJV Footnotes:
a.
Ezra 3:2 Spelled Jehozadak
in 1 Chronicles 6:14
b.
Ezra 3:8 Spelled Jehozadak
in 1 Chronicles 6:14
c.Ezra 3:9 Or Hodaviah
(compare 2:40)
d.
Ezra 3:10
Following Septuagint
Syriac
and Vulgate; Masoretic Text reads they stationed
the priests.
e.
Ezra 3:11 Compare Psalm 136:1