Ezra 6:1-12. Darius's Decree 1. _made a decree_ cf. Ezra 4:19. _search was made_ literally -they made a search". Plural used impersonally. _in the house of the rolls_ R.V. IN THE HOUSE OF THE ARCHIVES: marg. Aram. _books_. _rolls_ The word usually rendered -roll" is Megillah, see Ezra 6:2; Jeremi... [ Continue Reading ]
_And there was found at Achmetha_ R.V. margin, That is, _Ecbatana_. The precious document was not found at Babylon. It has been suggested that valuable records were hastily transferred from Babylon to Ecbatana during the short and disturbed reign of Pseudo-Smerdis, who would wish to destroy the edic... [ Continue Reading ]
the same _Cyrus the king_ R.V. CYRUS THE KING. See Ezra 5:13. _made a decree_concerning _the house of God at Jerusalem, Let &c._ R.V. MADE A DECREE; CONCERNING &c., LET &c. The words -concerning the house of God at Jerusalem" form a kind of heading to the memorandum, of which what follows is a tran... [ Continue Reading ]
_a row of new timber_ R.V. marg. -According to the Sept. _one row of timber_." It has been much disputed what -the three rows of great stones and the row of timber" can mean. (1) Some explain by three _storeys_of stones surmounted by one of wood, the elevation of the Temple. (2) Others by -three _la... [ Continue Reading ]
_and place_them _in the house of God_ R.V. AND THOU SHALT PUT THEM IN THE HOUSE OF GOD. The A.V. does not mark the abrupt transition to the 2nd pers. sing. The use of the 2nd pers. sing. and the occurrence of the same word -put" as in the parallel context of Ezra 5:15 show that Sheshbazzar is here a... [ Continue Reading ]
The decree of Darius; the prohibition, no interference. _Tatnai … Shethar-boznai_, &c. R.V. TATTENAI … SHETHAR-BOZENAI. See Ezra 5:3. Observe the sudden change into the direct address to the governor. Darius's decree is attached to the copy of Cyrus's decree, without any prefatory words to mark the... [ Continue Reading ]
The injunction; official support, (_a_) money for the building. _I make a decree_ cf. Ezra 6:11; Ezra 4:19; Ezra 7:13. _of the king's goods_, even _of the tribute beyond the river_ The king addressing the governor of the whole country W. of the Euphrates refers to that portion of the territorial t... [ Continue Reading ]
(_b_) Material for the maintenance of the worship. _young bullocks_, &c. Cf. Ezra 7:17. _for the burnt offerings of_ R.V. FOR BURNT OFFERINGS TO. The king is speaking generally of burnt offerings as one chief class of offering, and not particularly of the Levitical system. _wheat, salt, wine, and... [ Continue Reading ]
The king's special desire, propitiatory sacrifice and intercessory prayer to be offered on behalf of his dynasty. _sacrifices of sweet savours_ R.V. SACRIFICES OF SWEET SAVOUR. One word in the original; it occurs also in Daniel 2:46 -Then the king Nebuchadnezzar … worshipped Daniel, and commanded th... [ Continue Reading ]
The penalty. _Also I have made a decree_ The same words as in Ezra 6:8; Ezra 4:19. _whosoever shall alter_ See especially Daniel 6:15. The word -alter" here probably includes infringement of the decree as well as alteration of its terms. _let timber be pulled down_ R.V. LET A BEAM BE PULLED OUT,... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the God that hath caused his name_, &c. A Hebrew phrase (see Deu 12:11; 1 Kings 8:29; Nehemiah 1:9; Jeremiah 7:12) introduced by the Jewish Compiler into his paraphrase of Darius's decree. _destroy all kings and people_ R.V. OVERTHROW ALL KINGS AND PEOPLES. The word rendered -destroy" here by... [ Continue Reading ]
Darius's decree executed: (_a_) The Temple completed, (14, 15), (_b_) duly consecrated and dedicated (16 18) 13. _according to that which Darius the king had sent_ R.V. BECAUSE THAT. R.V. marg. - _because of that which_". The A.V. fails to give the meaning of the original. The rendering of the R.V.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the elders of the Jews_ cf. Ezra 5:5. _and they prospered_ R.V. AND PROSPERED. Cf. Ezra 5:8. _through the prophesying_ i.e. the success of the work was due in great measure to the encouragement and support rendered by the two prophets. The LXX. and 1 Esd. render as if the meaning were -in the tim... [ Continue Reading ]
The date here given is the 3rd of Adar (the 12th month) in the 6th year of Darius (516 515). The month Adar is about equivalent to our March. The name seems to be derived from an Assyrian god -Adar", which appears in such names as Adrammelech. Haggai (Haggai 1:15) mentions that the work had been rec... [ Continue Reading ]
_the children of Israel_ Cf. the application of the term -Israel" in Ezra 2:70; Ezra 3:1. In its special religious significance, its use here is appropriate to the sacredness of the event, in which the people were engaged, while it tends to clear the Jewish community from the charge of exclusiveness... [ Continue Reading ]
_and offered_ R.V. AND THEY OFFERED. A fresh sentence: Ezra 6:16 treated of the general festivities: this verse describes the special sacrificial offerings. _at the dedication of this house_ These words evidently imply a comparison between the modest sacrifices offered at this dedication and the eno... [ Continue Reading ]
_the priests in their divisions_, &c. The verse refers to the organization of the priests and Levites described in 1 Chronicles 23-26. According to this arrangement, the service of the Temple was distributed by periods, of a week each, among the courses and divisions of priests and Levites (see 2 Ki... [ Continue Reading ]
The Hebrew is here resumed. _the children of the captivity_ cf. Ezra 6:16; Ezra 8:35. _kept the passover_ on the 14th of the 1st month (Nisan) as was commanded in Exodus 12:6. Very few celebrations of the Passover are recorded. Besides the original occasion of the Passover, we only read in the O.T.... [ Continue Reading ]
The explanatory -for" means that this celebration of the Passover could take place, because the priests and Levites had duly prepared themselves for it by ceremonial purification. _the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them_were _pure_ R.V. THE PRIESTS AND THE LEVITES HAD PURIF... [ Continue Reading ]
Those who partook of the Passover are described as belonging to two classes; (1) those who had returned from captivity, (2) those who had -separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land". "The heathen of the land" (goyyê ha-ârec̣) is to be compared with "the peoples o... [ Continue Reading ]
_seven days_ see Exodus 12:15. _had made them joyful_ the same phrase in the original as that rendered in 2 Chronicles 20:27, "for the Lord had made them to rejoice" R.V. Nehemiah 12:43, "For God had made them rejoice". _and turned the heart_ R.V. HAD TURNED THE HEART. Vulg. "convertit cor", cf. s... [ Continue Reading ]