CHAPTER ONE PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS See if you can find answers to these questions, or figure them out for yourself, as you read the first chapter of this book, and the first chapter of Ezra in your Bible. 1. How did it come about that a completely defeated people were freed to return to their hom... [ Continue Reading ]
TEXT AND VERSE-BY-VERSE COMMENT I. The Captives Return Under Zerubbabel (Ezra 1:1 to Ezra 2:70) A. Authority is given by King Cyrus, and the captives who wish to return to Israel. 1. Cyrus issues a decree. TEXT, EZRA 1:1-4 1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the... [ Continue Reading ]
2. The people return and begin to rebuild. TEXT, EZRA 1:5-11 5 Then the heads of fathers-' households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites arose, even everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go and rebuild the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem. 6 And all those about them... [ Continue Reading ]