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Ezra Chapter Six

 

Ezra 6 Outlines

The Decree of Darius (v. 1~12)

The Temple Completed and Dedicated (v.13~18)

The Passover Celebrated (v. 19~22)

New King James Version (NKJV)

 

Ezra 6:1  Then King Darius issued a decree and a search was made in the archives [a] where the treasures were stored in Babylon.

   YLT Then Darius the king made a decree and they sought in the house of the books of the treasuries placed there in Babylon

Then Darius the king made a decree
To make inquiry after the edict of Cyrus to search the public records for it:

and search was made in the house of the rolls;
or "books" F18 in a public library or museum:

where the treasures were laid up in Babylon;
where things of worth and value were reposited; not only gold silver jewels and precious stones and things rare and curious but all sorts of writings relating to the monarchy and the dominions belonging to it; but it seems it could not be found here and therefore the king ordered search to be made elsewhere.

FOOTNOTES:
F18 (ayrpo tybb) (en taiv biblioyhkaiv) Sept. "in bibliotheca" V. L. "in bibliotheca librorum" Tigurine version; "in domo librorum" Pagninus Montanus.

 

Ezra 6:2   And at Achmetha [b] in the palace that is in the province of Media a scroll was found and in it a record was written thus:

   YLT and there hath been found at Achmetha in a palace that [is] in the province of Media a roll and a record thus written within it [is]:

And there was found at Achmetha
Which Jarchi and Aben Ezra take to be the name of a vessel in which letters and writings were put for safety; but it was no doubt the name of a place; the Vulgate Latin version has it Ecbatana; and so Josephus F19; which was the name of a city in Media where the kings of that country had their residence in the summer time F20; for it has its name from heat F21; the Persian kings dwelt at Shushan in the winter and at Ecbatana in the summer {w}; hence they are compared by Aelian F24 to cranes birds of passage because of their going to and from the above places:

in the palace that is in the province of the Medes
here was found

a roll;
which was the decree of Cyrus which perhaps he took with him when he went thither:

and therein was a record thus written;
as follows.

FOOTNOTES:
F19 Antiqu. l. 11. c. 4. sect. 6.
F20 Curtius l. 5. c. 8. Vid. Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 3. c. 6.
F21 Hiller. Onomastic. Sacr. p. 618.
F23 Athen. Deipnosophist l. 12. c. 1.
F24 De Animal. l. 3. c. 13.

 

Ezra 6:3   In the first year of King Cyrus King Cyrus issued a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem: “Let the house be rebuilt the place where they offered sacrifices; and let the foundations of it be firmly laid its height sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits

   YLT `In the first year of Cyrus the king Cyrus the king hath made a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem: the house let be builded in the place where they are sacrificing sacrifices and its foundations strongly laid; its height sixty cubits its breadth sixty cubits;

In the first year of Cyrus the king; the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem let the house
be builded
See ( Ezra 1:1-4 ) ( Isaiah 44:28 )

the place where they offered sacrifices;
to God in times past ever since it was built by Solomon:

and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid;
so as to bear and support the building erected on them as the word signifies:

the height thereof sixty cubits;
which were thirty more than the height of Solomon's temple ( 1 Kings 6:2 ) though sixty less than the height of the porch which was one hundred and twenty ( 2 Chronicles 3:4 ) and which some take to be the height of the whole house; and hence it may be observed what Herod said F25 that the temple then in being wanted sixty cubits in height of that of Solomon's:

and the breadth thereof sixty cubits;
whereas the breadth of Solomon's temple was but twenty ( 1 Kings 6:2 ) but since it cannot reasonably be thought that the breadth should be equal to the height and so very disproportionate to Solomon's temple; many learned men understand this of the extension of it as to length which exactly agrees with the length of the former temple ( 1 Kings 6:2 ) .

FOOTNOTES:
F25 Apud Joseph. Antiqu. l. 15. c. 11. sect. 1.

 

Ezra 6:4   with three rows of heavy stones and one row of new timber. Let the expenses be paid from the king’s treasury.

   YLT three rows of rolled stones and a row of new wood and the outlay let be given out of the king's house.

With three rows of great stones
Which Jarchi interprets of the walls of it and these stones of marble; and so Ben Melech:

and a row of new timber;
of cedar wood upon the rows of stone see ( 1 Kings 6:36 ) or for the lining and wainscoting the walls:

and let the expenses be given out of the king's house;
treasury or exchequer; but it does not appear that this part of the decree was observed at least hitherto; but the Jews built at their own expense and perhaps did not exactly observe the directions given as to the dimensions of the house.

 

Ezra 6:5   Also let the gold and silver articles of the house of God which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple which is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon be restored and taken back to the temple which is in Jerusalem each to its place; and deposit them in the house of God”—

   YLT `And also the vessels of the house of God of gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple that [is] in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon let be given back and go to the temple that [is] in Jerusalem [each] to its place and put [them] down in the house of God.

And also let the golden and silver vessels
See ( Ezra 1:7-11 ) and which confirms what the Jews said to Tatnai ( Ezra 5:14 Ezra 5:15 ) .

 

Ezra 6:6   Now therefore Tattenai governor of the region beyond the River and Shethar-Boznai and your companions the Persians who are beyond the River keep yourselves far from there.

  YLT `Now Tatnai governor beyond the river Shethar-Boznai and their companions the Apharsachites who [are] beyond the river be ye far from hence;

Now therefore Tatnai governor beyond the river
The river Euphrates that side of it towards the land of Israel; Josephus F26 calls this man master of the horse:

Shetharboznai and your companions the Apharsachites which are beyond the river be ye far from thence;
keep at a distance from the Jews and give them no disturbance nor interrupt them in their work of building of the temple but mind your own business and government.

FOOTNOTES:
F26 Ibid. (Antiqu.) l. 11. c. 4. sect. 7.

 

Ezra 6:7   Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God on its site.

   YLT let alone the work of this house of God let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God on its place.

Let the work of this house of God alone
Suffer them to go on with it and do not hinder them; it looks by these expressions as if he had some suspicion or hint given him that they were inclined to molest them or that there were some that stirred them up to it and were desirous of it:

let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this
house of God in his place;
where it formerly stood; that is go on with the building of it.

 

Ezra 6:8   Moreover I issue a decree as to what you shall do for the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God: Let the cost be paid at the king’s expense from taxes on the region beyond the River; this is to be given immediately to these men so that they are not hindered.

   YLT `And by me is made a decree concerning that which ye do with the elders of these Jews to build this house of God that of the riches of the king that [are] of the tribute beyond the river speedily let the outlay be given to these men that they cease not;

Moreover I make a decree what ye shall do to the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God
This must be considered as an additional decree of Darius which was peculiarly made by him in which more was granted in favour of the Jews and as an encouragement to them to go on with the building of the temple; though Josephus F1 says this is no other than a confirmation of the decree of Cyrus; for according to him all that is here granted to them or threatened to others from hence to the end of ( Ezra 6:10 ) was contained in the decree:

that of the king's goods even of the tribute beyond the river;
what was collected out of his dominions on that side the river Euphrates towards the land of Israel: according to Herodotus F2 this Darius was the first of the kings of Persia that exacted tribute; under Cyrus and Cambyses only presents were brought; but he imposed a tribute and was therefore called (kaphlov) an huckster as Cambyses had the name of lord and Cyrus that of father: the same writer gives an account of the several nations he received it from and the particular sums which in all amounted to 14 560 Euboic talents of gold; among whom are mentioned all Phoenicia and Syria called Palestine the tribute of which parts is the tribute beyond the river he referred to: and this king was well disposed to the Jewish nation temple and worship before he was king if what Josephus F3 says is true that while a private man he vowed to God that if he should be king he would send all the sacred vessels that were in Babylon to the temple at Jerusalem: and out of the above tribute it is ordered

that forthwith expenses be given unto these men that they be not hindered;
from going on with the building for want of money to buy materials and pay the workmen.

FOOTNOTES:
F1 Antiqu. l. 11. c. 4. sect. 6.
F2 Thalia sive l. 3. c. 89-95.
F3 Antiqu. l. 11. c. 3. sect. 1.

 

Ezra 6:9   And whatever they need—young bulls rams and lambs for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven wheat salt wine and oil according to the request of the priests who are in Jerusalem—let it be given them day by day without fail

   YLT and what they are needing -- both young bullocks and rams and lambs for burnt-offerings to the God of heaven wheat salt wine and oil according to the saying of the priests who [are] in Jerusalem -- let be given to them day by day without fail

And that which they have need of both young bullocks and rams and lambs for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven
All which were used for burnt offerings see ( Leviticus 1:2 Leviticus 1:10 Leviticus 1:14 )

wheat salt wine and oil;
"wheat" or "fine flour" for the "minchah" or meat offering; "salt" for every offering; "wine" for the drink offerings; and "oil" to be put upon the meat offerings see ( Leviticus 2:1 Leviticus 2:13 ) ( 23:13 )

according to the appointment of the priests which are at Jerusalem let it be given them day by day without fail;
for the daily sacrifice and the meat and drink offerings which attended it ( Exodus 29:38-41 ) .

 

Ezra 6:10   that they may offer sacrifices of sweet aroma to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons.

   YLT that they be bringing near sweet savours to the God of heaven and praying for the life of the king and of his sons.

That they may offer sacrifices of sweet savours unto the God of heaven
Such as will be acceptable to him ( Genesis 8:21 )

and pray for the life of the king and of his sons;
prayer being wont to be made at the time of the morning and evening incense; and the Jews used to pray for other people besides themselves and especially when desired and particularly for kings and civil magistrates to whom they were subject see ( Jeremiah 29:7 ) ( 1 Timothy 2:1 1 Timothy 2:2 ) the sons of Darius Hystaspis for whose life as well as his own he would have prayer made were according to Herodotus F4 three by his first wife the daughter of Gobryas before he began to reign the eldest of which was Artobazanes; which sons must be here meant since this was towards the beginning of his reign; he had afterwards four more by Atossa the daughter of Cyrus the eldest of which was Xerxes who succeeded him: many of the Heathens had an high opinion of the God of the Jews and of their prayers to him for them; even the Emperor Julian F5 styles him the best of all the gods and desired the Jews to pray to him for the welfare of his kingdom; nor need it seem strange that Darius should desire the same since he was a devout prince; his father Hystaspes is supposed by some to be the same that was one of the most famous among the Persian Magi or ministers in sacred things; and Darius himself had so great a veneration for the men of that sacred order that he commanded that it should be put upon his sepulchral monument that he was master of the Magi F6; and by his familiarity with the priests of Egypt and learning their divinity had the honour while alive to have deity ascribed to him F7.

FOOTNOTES:
F4 Polymnia sive l. 7. c. 2.
F5 Opera par. 2. ep. 25. p. 153.
F6 Porphyr. de abstinentia l. 4 c. 16.
F7 Diodor. Sic. l. 1. p. 85.

 

Ezra 6:11   Also I issue a decree that whoever alters this edict let a timber be pulled from his house and erected and let him be hanged on it; and let his house be made a refuse heap because of this.

   YLT `And by me is made a decree that any one who changeth this thing let wood be pulled down from his house and being raised up let him be smitten on it and his house let be made a dunghill for this.

Also I have made a decree that whosoever shall alter this word
Act contrary to this command will not obey it but as much as in him lies changes and revokes it:

let timber be pulled down from his house and being set up let him be hanged thereon;
that is let a beam be taken from it and a gallows or gibbet made of it and hang him on it:

and let his house be made a dunghill for this;
be pulled down and never rebuilt more (See Gill on Daniel 2:2) (See Gill on Daniel 2:9).

 

Ezra 6:12   And may the God who causes His name to dwell there destroy any king or people who put their hand to alter it or to destroy this house of God which is in Jerusalem. I Darius issue a decree; let it be done diligently.

   YLT And God who caused His name to dwell there doth cast down any king and people that putteth forth his hand to change to destroy this house of God that [is] in Jerusalem; I Darius have made a decree; speedily let it be done.'

And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there
Whose name is not only called upon there and that called by his name; but who grants his presence and causes his Shechinah or divine Majesty to dwell there as in Solomon's temple which Darius had some knowledge of:

destroy all kings and people;
let them be who they will high or low:

that shall put to their hand to alter and to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem;
this he said to deter from hindering the building of it now and from attempting to destroy it hereafter:

I Darius have made a decree let it be done with speed;
be carried immediately into execution especially with respect to the disbursement for the building of the temple and for the sacrifices of it.

 

Ezra 6:13 Then Tattenai governor of the region beyond the River Shethar-Boznai and their companions diligently did according to what King Darius had sent.

   YLT Then Tatnai governor beyond the river Shethar-Boznai and their companions according to that which Darius the king hath sent so they have done speedily;

Then Tatnai governor on this side the river Shetharboznai and their companions
Having received and read the above letter:

according to that which Darius the king had sent so they did speedily;
acquainted the Jews with what the king had written; were so far from hindering the work going forward that they encouraged it; and made disbursements to them out of the king's tribute and furnished them with everything necessary for sacrifice: and this they did immediately without delay.

 

Ezra 6:14   So the elders of the Jews built and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it according to the commandment of the God of Israel and according to the command of Cyrus Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

   YLT and the elders of the Jews are building and prospering through the prophecy of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo and they have built and finished by the decree of the God of Israel and by the decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

And the elders of the Jews builded
Went on with the building of the temple:

and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo;
or grandson as before; being animated and encouraged by them; and as they foretold and promised it would be so it was; they had success in their work the Lord overruling the heart of Darius the king and his council in their favour:

and they builded and finished it;
that is the temple:

according to the commandment of the God of Israel;
by the above prophets who spoke to them and prophesied in his name:

and according to the commandment of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia;
the commandment of Cyrus is in ( Ezra 1:1 ) that of Darius in this ( Ezra 6:8 ) but who Artaxerxes is and his commandment is not easy to say; he cannot be the Artaxerxes between Cyrus and Darius but one that followed the latter; besides he was a hinderer of the building ( Ezra 4:21-24 ) some think this was Xerxes the son and successor of Darius and who might be partner with his father in the empire at this time and so is joined with him in this commandment; which is more probable than that he should be his grandson Artaxerxes Longimamus in whose reign the temple it is supposed was beautified and ornamented though the exterior building of it was before finished; and so he is spoken of by anticipation; and still more plausible than that he should be with others Artaxerxes Mnemon the son of Darius Nothus; but after all I am most inclined to think with Aben Ezra that he is Darius himself; and the words to be read Darius that is Artaxerxes king of Persia; Artaxerxes being as he observes a common name of the kings of Persia as Pharaoh was of the kings of Egypt; though this is by some rejected F8; and who goes by this name in the continuance of this history in whose seventh year the year after this Ezra went up to Jerusalem and in the twentieth of his reign Nehemiah ( Ezra 7:1-7 ) ( Nehemiah 2:1 ) and I find Dr. Lightfoot F9 was of the same mind; and according to Diodorus Siculus F11 the kings of Persia were called by the name of Artaxerxes after Mnemon; and so they might before; Cambyses is so called in ( Ezra 4:7 ) . Herodotus F12 says the name signifies "a mighty warrior".

FOOTNOTES:
F8 Vid. Rainold de Lib. Apocryph. praelect. 31. p. 271.
F9 Works vol. 1. p. 139.
F11 Bibliothec. l. 15. p. 400.
F12 Erato sive l. 6. c. 98.

 

Ezra 6:15   Now the temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

   YLT And this house hath gone out till the third day of the month Adar that is [in] the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar
The twelfth month of the year with the Jews and answers to part of our February and part of March:

which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king;
four years after the decree came forth.

 

Ezra 6:16   Then the children of Israel the priests and the Levites and the rest of the descendants of the captivity celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.

   YLT And the sons of Israel have made [and] the priests and the Levites and the rest of the sons of the captivity a dedication of this house of God with joy

And the children of Israel
Those of the ten tribes that remained after the body of the people were carried captive or came with the Jews at their return:

the priests and the Levites and the rest of the children of the captivity;
those of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin:

kept the dedication of this house of God with joy;
they set it apart for sacred use and service with feasting and other expressions of joy and gladness as follows.

 

Ezra 6:17   And they offered sacrifices at the dedication of this house of God one hundred bulls two hundred rams four hundred lambs and as a sin offering for all Israel twelve male goats according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

   YLT and have brought near for the dedication of this house of God bullocks a hundred rams two hundred lambs four hundred; and young he-goats for a sin-offering for all Israel twelve according to the number of the tribes of Israel;

And offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks two hundred rams four hundred lambs
Hecatombs of various sorts which were always reckoned grand sacrifices even among Heathens of which Homer sometimes speaks; some of these were for burnt offerings and others peace offerings by way of thankfulness to God for the finishing of the temple; part of which belonging to the offerers they feasted upon it with great gladness of heart:

and for a sin offering for all Israel twelve he goats according to the number of the tribes of Israel;
for though the ten tribes were carried captive by Shalmaneser yet as before observed there were some of them that remained in the land and others that went and returned with the two tribes; and therefore a sin offering was made for them all for the typical expiation of guilt contracted since they had been in an Heathen land and temple service had ceased.

 

Ezra 6:18   They assigned the priests to their divisions and the Levites to their divisions over the service of God in Jerusalem as it is written in the Book of Moses.

   YLT and they have established the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their courses over the service of God that [is] in Jerusalem as it is written in the book of Moses.

And they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their courses for the service of God which is at Jerusalem
All in their proper classes and courses to do the work of the temple at Jerusalem in their turns:

as it is written in the book of Moses;
see ( Numbers 3:6 ) ( Numbers 8:11 Numbers 8:14 Numbers 8:15 ) from hence it is plain the Pentateuch was not written by Ezra as suspected by Spinosa F13 but by Moses; see the argument of the book of Genesis. (See Gill on Genesis 1:1).

FOOTNOTES:
F13 Tract. Theolog. Polit. c. 8. p. 163.

 

Ezra 6:19   And the descendants of the captivity kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.

   YLT And the sons of the captivity make the passover on the fourteenth of the first month

And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month.
] The month Nisan or Abib which was the month following that in which the temple was finished ( Ezra 6:15 ) this passover was kept at the exact time the law commanded ( Exodus 12:2 Exodus 12:6 ) .

 

Ezra 6:20   For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves; all of them were ritually clean. And they slaughtered the Passover lambs for all the descendants of the captivity for their brethren the priests and for themselves.

   YLT for the priests and the Levites have been purified together -- all of them [are] pure -- and they slaughter the passover for all the sons of the captivity and for their brethren the priests and for themselves.

For the priests and the Levites were purified together all of them were pure
They were all to a man pure and all purified as one man; all were of one mind to purify themselves and took care to do it and did it with as much dispatch as if only one man was purified; so that they were more generally prepared for service now than in the times of Hezekiah ( 2 Chronicles 29:34 ) ( 30:3 )

and killed the passover for all the children of the captivity and for their brethren the priests and for themselves;
which seems to have been done by the Levites for themselves and for the priests and for all the people who were not so pure as the priests and Levites; or otherwise they might have killed it themselves ( Exodus 12:6 ) as Bochart F14 thinks.

FOOTNOTES:
F14 Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 50. col. 576.

 

Ezra 6:21   Then the children of Israel who had returned from the captivity ate together with all who had separated themselves from the filth of the nations of the land in order to seek the Lord God of Israel.

   YLT And the sons of Israel those returning from the captivity and every one who is separated from the uncleanness of the nations of the land unto them to seek to Jehovah God of Israel do eat

And the children of Israel which were come again out of captivity
The tribes of Judah and Benjamin with some of the ten tribes mixed with them:

and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the Heathen of the land to seek the Lord God of Israel did eat;
such of the Gentiles in the dominions of Babylon and came with the Jews from thence who were enlightened into the knowledge and worship of the true God and not only renounced their idolatry here called filthiness but were circumcised and embraced the religion of the Jews and so were proselytes of righteousness as they call them; or otherwise they would not have been allowed to eat of the passover as they did ( Exodus 12:48 ) .

 

Ezra 6:22   And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for the Lord made them joyful and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God the God of Israel.

   YLT and they make the feast of unleavened things seven days with joy for Jehovah made them to rejoice and turned round the heart of the king of Asshur unto them to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God the God of Israel.

And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy
&c.] Which immediately followed upon the passover ( Exodus 12:18 Exodus 12:19 )

for the Lord had made them joyful;
the building of the temple being finished and the service of it restored to its original purity;

and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God the God of Israel;
by giving them leave to go on in building the temple and by encouraging and assisting them in it till they had finished it; this was Darius Artaxerxes who though called king of Persia was also king of Assyria being possessed of the Assyrian monarchy as his predecessors were upon the taking of Babylon and the same is therefore called also the king of Babylon ( Nehemiah 13:6 ) . God the God of Israel who has the hearts of all men in his hands and so the hearts of kings and can turn them at his pleasure inclined his heart to do them good which was matter of joy unto them see ( Ezra 7:27 ) .

 

──John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible

 

NKJV Footnotes:

a.    Ezra 6:1 Literally house of the scrolls

b.    Ezra 6:2 Probably Ecbatana the ancient capital of Media