E Z mi
ver at 9 pounds, make the whole to amount only to 75,500 pounds of our money: ed 100 priefis Sarments; which as they were laid up among treadds fo were neceffary for the fervice of the tea. ple.
¥. 70. So the priefts and the Levites, and fome of the people, and the fingers, and the Nethinim, dwelt in their cities, 8&cc.| Which were affigned to thein out of the feveral tribes, and in which they or their forefathers had dwelt b-fore the captivity: and all Yrael in their cities; as thofe of the tribes of Fu dab and Benjamin, fo of the other ten, as many as returned and joined thofé who were left in the land.
ae chapter relates how that the people Tjfraei returned from, captivity, gathered to Ferufalem, and {et up the altar; where facrifices were of|facrifices to the Lord, in hope that he would appear for them, and help them againft their enemies; or rather, as fome render the words 2 offered, ¥.1, 2, 3. and kept the feaft of tabernacles, and offered the facrifices of that, befides the fear was upon them, &c. yet they were not deterred from the work, worfhip, and fervice of God daily facrifice, and of other feftivals; and contributed to the workmen that prepared for the building of the temple, ¥. 4——7. and began it by laying the foundation:.of it; which to {ome was matter of joy, to others of grief, on different accounts, y¥. 8—13.
y¥.1. And when the feventh month was come,
4. They kept alfo the feaft of tabernacles, as it
is written, &c.| According to the rules prefcribed for the obfervation of it in Lev. xxiii. 34—42. this began on the 15th day of the feventh month: avd offered the daily burnt-offerings by number, according
&c.] The month Zi/ri, which anfwers to part of September and Oéfober, or when it was approaching *, to the cuftom, as the duty of every day required, for on all the eight days of the feaft; there was a cer- for before it was actually come fome following things were done, the people met, and an altar was built; for on the firft day of it facrifices wer. offered, ¥. 6. and the children of I/rael were in the cities; their refpective cities, fettling their domettic affairs: the people gathered themfelves together as one man to Ferufalem, the thing was univerfal, and done with as much difpatch, as if only one man was concerned; and it feems to denote as if they were under a divine impulfe, and came together, without any confultation, or knowledge of each other’s defigns, and without fummons, y.2. Then fiood up Fefoua the fon of Fozadak, &c.] Who was the high-prieft, and the proper perfon to give the lead in the following work: and his brethren the priefts; the common priefts, very fit tojoin him, and affift him init: and Zerubbabel, the fon of Shealtiel, the prince and governor of Yudab, whofe prefence was neceffary to give countenance to the work, and animate toit: and his brethren; the princes-and heads of the people, particularly thofe mentioned ch. ii. 2. and builded the altar of the God of Ijrael, the altar: of burntoffering, gave orders for the building of it, and directions about it: to offer burnt-offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Mofes the man of God; or prophet of God, as the Syriac verfion; fee Lev. i, I-17.
_¥. 3. And they fet the altar upon lis. bafes, &c.
Which might remain of the old altar; or the meaning is, that it was fixed’ and fettled on the tain number of facrifices fixed for every day; and exactly according to the law concerning them did hey offer.them at this time; fee Numb. xxix. (2 38. ¥. 5. And afterwards offered the continual burntoffering, 8&c.| Not after the feaft of tabernacles, as if they then began to offer the daily facrifice; for - that they did as foon as the altar was fet up, and on the firft day of the month, y. 3, 6. rather the fenfe is, that after the daily burnt-offering of the morning, they offered the other facrifices peculiar to the feveral days of the feaft of talernacles 5 they never neglected that, yea always began with it; all the reft were after it, and fo on other feftivals: both of the new moons, and of all the fet feafts of the Lord that were confecrated; to the fervice of the Lord, ‘and the honour of his name, as every firft day of the month, and every other appointed feftival, they offered the facrifices appropriate to each; but not to the neglect of that facrifice, and always after it sand of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the Lord; thefe they were careful alfo to offer in their proper time.
6. From the firft of the feventh month began
they to offer burnt-offerings unto the Lord, &c. And
which day was not only a new moon, but a grand feftival, the feaft of blowing of trumpets, Lev. Xxiti.24, 25. and no doubt but they obierved the roth day of this month, with all che rites of it, ~ which ‘was the day of atonement, Lev. xxili. 2732. but the foundation of the temple of the Lord fame fpot where it ftood ‘before: for fear was upon them, becaufe of the people of thofe countries; and ‘therefore they haftened to ereét an altar, and offer was not yet laid, they began firft with facrifices, that having thereby given thanks to God for their return to their own land, and for all the benefits
7 ‘ | they enjoyed; and made atonement for their fins in a typical way, they might be the more prepared and fit for the work of building, ‘the temple; or, tho’ the foundation of it was not laid*, yet they ofiered of the temple of the Lord, &¢.] The mafons, whofe work it was, ¥. 7. chey fet the priefis in their apparel with trumpets, thele were fet in a proper place by the prince and the high-prieft, in their prieftly the above facrifices. garments, with trumpets in their hands to blow _¥.7. They gave money alfo to the mafons, and to the carpenters, &c.] To buy ftone and timber 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, becaufe there was not plenty of fuch things in their country, as in the land of Jrael: to bring cedartrees from Lebanon to the fea of Foppa, as they did at the firft building of the temple by Solomon, they cut down cedars at Lebanon, which belonged toj1 them, and fent them by fea to Yoppa, the neareft fea-port to Ferufalem, about 40 miles from it; fee 2 Chron. ii. 16. according to the grant that they bad of Cyrus king of Perfia; for Tyre and Zidon being under his dominion as well as Yudea, he notonly gave leave to the Fews to get cedar-wood from Lebanon, but gave orders to the Zidonians and Tyvians to furnifh them with it, paying a valuable confideration for it; and fo fome * render the word, according to the commandment of Cyrus.
y. 10. And when the builders laid the foundation) with, as the foundation was laying: and the Levites > withthe fons of Aaph, with cymbals to praife the Lord, after the ordinance of David king of Ifrael; thefe were inftruments of brafs, and made a> tinkling found, and were by the order of David; and the perfons that made ufe of thems and the fongs of praife they were played upon unto; all by hisap— pointment, as weil as harps and pfalteries, which might now be ufed, though not exprefled; fee Chrom. xv. 16. and xxv. 1.° So the Meffenians, when the walls of their city were raifed by Epaminondas, and their houfes and temples erected, attended it with facrifices and prayer, and with piping and finging °. ae y. 11. And they fang together by courfe; 8ec.] They fang by-turns in refponies, and anfwered one another, as the word fignifies; when one company had performed’ their part, another took theirs: in praifing and giving thanks to the Lord; for returning them to their own land, and giving them opportunity, ability, and will, to fet about the rebuildingof the temple of the Lord, and reftoring the ews feem to have fetjthe pure worfhip of God: becau/e he is good, for bis mercy endureth for ever towards I/rael; which words are often repeated in Pf. cxxxvi, and which might be the pialm the. Levites now fung by refpontes: and all the people foouted with a great foout when they praifed the Lord; to exprefs their joy, inthe bef manner they could, on this folemn oceafion: decau/e the foundation of the houfe of the Lord was aid; which gave them hope the temple in due time would be rebuilt, and the fervice of it re+ ftored; fee Fob xxxviii. 6, 7.:
¥. 8. Now in the fecond year of their coming unto the houfe of God at Feru/alem, &c.) The place) where it formerly ftood;
out from Babylon, in the {pring of the preceding year, as it was now of this; which to Yeru/a/em was a journey of about four months, as Azra performed it, ch. vii. 9. but might take up longer time for fuch a body of people to do it in, being larger than that with him; wherefore after they had vifited their refpective cities, and fettled their affairs there, they came to Ferufalem on the 7th| month, or September, and kept the feaft of Taderuacles, andthen they returned to their cities again, the winter feafon being an improper ‘time tobegin the building of the temple; having given money to workmen to purchafe materials with, and no doubt left a fufficient number to clear away the rubbith, and get things ready by the returning {pring to fet about the work: iz the fecond month; the month Jjar, as Farchi obferves, anfwering to part of 4pril and May, having, as may be fuppofed, kept the paffover the month before: began Zerubbabel, thé Jon of Shealtiel, and Fefoua the fon of Fozadak, the prince, and the high prieft: and the remnant of their brethren, the priefis and Levites, and all. they. that were come out of the captivity unto Ferufalem, whofe names and numbers are given in the preceding} chapter: and appointed the Levites from 20 old and upwards, tofet forward the work of the houfe of ihe Lord; to put men to work upon it, and direct them what to do, and urge them to clofely to it 5 ever fince Davia’s time the Levites were employed at 20 years of age, when before not till 30, or 25 5 fee 1 Chron, xxiii. 24.
y.12. But many of the priefs and Levites, “and chief of the fathers, who were antient men, 8zc.} Seventy or eighty years of age: that had fee the jirfi houfe; the temple built by Solomon, as they very well might, fince then it had been deftroyed — but 52 years; for thé 70 years captivity are to be reckoned from the 4th of Yehoiakim when it be-. gan, and which was 18 years before the deftruétion of ‘the temple; the beginning of the next claufe, when in the foundation, according to the Hebrew accents, is to be connected with this, that bad feen the firft houfe; not when firft founded, for that was ° 500 years ago, but iz its foundation.; they faw it tanding upon its foundation, in all its glory, and fo years) the Septuagint verfion; and we may read on, when this boufe was before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; feeing what it was like to be by the founda— attend)tion now laid, and was in their fight as nothing in comparifon. of the former; fee Hagg. ii. 3. but Aden Ezra connects this claufe as wedo, when the | foundation of this houfe was laid; not but that the dimenfions of this houfe ftriétly taken were as large as the former; fee ch. vi. 3, 4. but not the courts and appendages to it; befides what might affect them, there was no likelihood | of its bein fo richly decorated with gold and filver as the former temple, and many things would be wanting in ani-jit, as the Urim and Ihummim, &c. and a fhouted aloud for jay, of the youn fort, who had __ never feen the grandeur of the firft temple, and were highly delighted with the beginning of this, — and the hope of feeing it finifhed. -. ae
¥.9. Then food Fefoua, with bis fous, &c.] Not Fefoua the high-prieft before-mentioned, but efoua the Levite, ch. ii. 40. and his brethren, Kadmiel and bis fons, the fons of Fudab together; the fame with Hodaviab, ch. ii. 40. to fet forward the workmen in the houfe of God; to give them orders to begin and lay the foundation, and haften and mate them to it: the fons of Henadad with their fons and their brethren the Levites.; two of this man’s fons are mentioned in Neb. ili. 18, 24. and x.g.
they might have a claim to it as theirs, at leaft as fince they ought not to facrifice even to the Lord
“fur, who brought us up bither.; to Samaria, from
Chyiv. 3.17.2 '<. EZR & pat y. 13. So that-the people could not difcern the merous, the noife of fhouti: ere noife of the foout of joy, from the noife of the weeping noife of went ae rpg Seniaky gre
: & 3 andic was heard farther, and of the people, &c.| That is, not clearly and diftinét- diftance appeared more diftinétly to be ete nico ly, they were fo mixed and confounded together, fhouting, that of weeping not reaching fo far; and made fuch a jarring and difcord: for the people though Farchi is of opinion, that the noife of weephouted with a loud fboout, and the noi,e was heard ing was heard farther than the noife df fhouting, afar off; the fhouting being of young people, which is not likely.
whofe voice was ftrongeft, and they the moft nu- gis contents of this chapter are the offer the Samaritans made to the Jews, to affift them in building the temple, which having refufed, they gave them all the trouble they could, ¥. 1—6. and a letter of theirs to drtaxerxes, king of full of accufations of them, ¥. 7—16. and the anfwer of Artaxerxes to it, giving orders to.command the ‘Yews to ceafe building the temple, y. 17 22. which orders were accordingly executed, and the work ceafed till the 2d year ot Darius; y. »¥. 3. But Zerubbabel, and Fefbua, and thé rift of the chief of the fathers, faid unto them, &c.}] The prince and ‘high-prieft, and chief of the people: you have nothing to do with us, to build an houfe to our Perfia,)God; being neither of the fame nation, nor of the fame religion: but we ourfelves togetber will build to the Lord God of Ifrael, we and we only, who are together as one man, united in one body of people, and in the fame religious fentiments, being Ifraelites 3 we feparately, without admitting fran
235 24. gers among us, will build a temple to the God of "bs ony Tfrael: as king Cyrus, the king of Perfia, hath com-
¥.1. Now when the adverfaries of Fudab and Binjamin, &c | The Samaritans, as appears from y. 2,10. beard that the children of the captivity; manded us; thereby letting them Know that they acted by his authority, and the commiffion they had from him only “concerned themfelves, and not the Fews, who had been in captivity 70 years, and’ others. were juft come out of it, and ftill were not quite} ~-y. 4. Then the people of the land weaken-ad thé free, but under the jurifdiction and controul of the bands of the people of “Fudab, and troubled ‘them in king of Perfia: builded the temple unto the Lord God building;| By threatening them, or by diffuading of Ijrael, that they were going about it; and had the workmen ftom going on, by endeavouring*to laid the foundation of it, which might foon come to hinder their having materials from the Tyrians and their ears, the diftance not being very great. ‘fo-| Zidonians, or money out of the king’s revenues to fepbus * fays they heard the found of the trumpets, bear the expences as ordered; fee ch. vi. 4. U and came to know the meaning of it.. | yy. 5. And bired counfellors againft them, to fruy. 2. Then they came to Lerrubbabel, and the chief ftrate their purpofe, &c.| Either to advife and perof the fathers, &c.] Thefe they addrefied, as know- fuade the king of Perfia’s officers in thofe parts ing that if they could not prevail with them, they not to fupply them with money, or to influence could never fucceed in their defign; and thefe wete the great men at his court to get the edict revoked: no doubt the principal of the Samaritans that ap-' and this they did a// the days of Cyrus, Ring of Perplied: and faid unto them, let us build with you, fia; who though the hearty friend and patron of that is, the temple, they propofed to join with the Jews, yet being engaged in wars abroad with them, ‘and affift them in it; which propofal at firft the Lydians and Scythidus, and leaving his fon as fight might feem very agreeable and welcome, and vice-roy in his abfence, who was no friend unto would have been fo had they been fincere, but they |them, the work went on but flowly, attended with were not; they hoped by getting among them, tojinterruptions and difcouragements: eves until the have fown difcord among them, and -difunited| reign of Darius, king of Perfia; who was Darius them; and fo by thefe or other means to have re-| Hy/ta/pis, between whom and Cyrés were Cambyfes tarded the building; or if it went forward, that/the fon of Cyrus, and Smerdis the impoftor, who pretended to be Smerdis,; the brother of Camby/es, a {pace of about 14 years. ¥. 6. And inthe reign of Abafuerus, in the beginning of bis. reign, &c.| According to Farchi, this was Abafuerus the hufband of Effher; but, as moft think *, was Camby/es, the fon and fucceffor of Cyrus; fo Fofepbus*, who was an enemy tothe Egyptians 3 and fearing the Yews might take part with them, was no friend to them; their enemies theré- fore took the advantage of the death of Cyrus, and the firft opportunity after Camby/es reigned in his ownright: and wrote they unto him an accufation againft the inhabitants of Fudab and Ferufalem; full of hatred and enmity, fpite and malice, charging them as a turbulent, difobedient, and rebellious people. ¥. 7. And in the days of Artaxerxes, &cc.| The to fet up their own idols in a part of it; the reafons they gave follow: for we feek your God as ye do, which was falfe, for they did not worfhip him alone, but with idols, nor, in the fame manner as the ews did: and we do facrifice unto bim, but even that could not recommend them to the Jews, himfelf, but at Ferufalem: there is a various reading here; the textual reading is, we do not facrifice; that is, to idols; the marginal reading is; we /acrifice to him, which we follow; Aben Ezra takes in both, perhaps moft rightly: we do uot facrifice to any other, but to him; which was alfo falfe: fiuce the days of Efarhaddon, king of Af- who alfo is Camby/es, which is his name in heathen authors, Artaxerxes being a common name to the kings of Perfia; though fome ‘ think: this was Smerdis, the magician and impoftor, who was between Cambyfes and Darius, but as he reigned but feven months, it is not very likely that he fhould be wrote unto, and an aniwer received from him>; befides he fent to every nation he ruled over®, and fo to the Yews, and proclaimed to them freedom from tribute and the militia for three years, to ingratiate himfelf to them: wrote Bifblam,
Mithredath, Tabeel, and the reft of their companions;
or his company; for Yarchi thinks only one perfon is meant; that Mithredath Tabeel is the name of one of the adverfaries of Fudeb, and that Bifb- Jam is an appellative, and fignifies that he wrote in peace, or in a way of faluration and greeting; but they feem to be the names of governors in the cities of Samaria under the king of Perfia; thefe wrote to Artaxerxes, king of Perfia, inttigated by the Samaritans: and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue, or Chaldee, of which Ezra gives a copy in the Chaldee language; the meaning either is, that it was written both in Syriac letters and in the Syriae language 5 for fometimes words are written in one language and in the charaéter of another, as the Syria¢ is fometimes.written in Hebrew characters, and the Hebrew in Roman; or elfe there was a poftfcript added to this letter, explaining fome things init, which alfo was written in the fame language: fome take " the word Nifbtevan, rendred written, to be the name of a province on the borders of the country beyond Euphrates, whofe figure and characters were in high efteem, and fit to write in to kings; but the words and language ‘were Syrian, and needed interpretation.
MB, Scribe, wrote a letter againft Ferufalem to Artaxerxes the king in this fort.| This means the fame letter as before; which, according to Farchi, was fent in the name of Afithredath Tabeel and his company, was indited by Rebum, matter of words or fenfe, and written by Shim/bai the {cribe, whom he makes to be a fon of Haman‘; but it was written rather in all their names.
¥. 9. Then wrote Rebum the chancellor, and Shimfoai the [eribe, and the reft of their companions, &c.
Who all figned the letter; namely, the governors of the following nations; the Dinaites, the Apbar- JSathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharfites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Sufanchites, the Debawites, and the Elamites; which were colonies from feveral parts of Chaldea, Media, and Perfia, and were fettled in the feveral cities of Samaria, as feveral of their names plainly fhew, as from Perfa, Arech, Babylon, Shufhan, and Elimais; fome account for them all, but with uncertainty; according to R. Fofe*, thefe were the Samaritans who firft were fent out of five nations, to whom the king of Afpria added four more, which together make the nine here mentioned, fee 2 Kings xvii. 24.
¥. 10. And the reft of the nations whom the great)
~ and noble Afnapper brought over, &c.] The river Euphrates: and-fet in the cities of Samaria; placed there in the room of the J/raelites carried captive; this 4/napper was, according to Farchi and others ',
Rehum the chancellor, and Shimfhai the
Sennacherib, but with Grotius, Salmanefer; rather he was Efarbaddon, the fon of the former, and fon of the latter; fo Dr. Prideaux™,; tho might be only fome commander of the A/fyria monarch, who carried them over by his orders: and the reft that are on this fide the river; the river Euphrates: and at fuch a time; which may refpect the date of the letter, which, no doubt, was exprefied, though not here given; or this, as fome think, was the fame with our &c. fomething following, unto king Artaxerxes greeting, or fomething like that; thoagh Dawid de Pomis™ takes it to be the general name of the people beyond the river. i y¥. 13. This is the copy of the letter they fent anto kim, even unto Artaxerxes the king, &c.)| Which Ezra brought with him from Bedylon, and is contained in the five following verfes: thy fervants the men on this fide the river, and at fuch a time, this was the infcription of the letter, or the beginning y. 12. Be it known unto the king, &c.] Theintent of this letter was, that it might-be known to the king what follows: that the Fews which came up from thee to us, are come unto Jerufalem,; this ‘they obferve partly out of contempt of the Fews, having been lately captive in Babylom, and partly to infinuate what ingratitude they were guilty of; that having got their liberty, and come to Jeru/alem, they made ufe of it to the king’s detriment: building the rebellious and the bad city; as they fuggeft it had been to kings, even his predeceffors, in former times, y. 15. and have fet up-the walls thereof, and joined the foundations, which was a falfhood; for the moft they had done was fetting up the walls of their houfes in Ferufalem, and laying the foundation of the temple; as for the walls of the city, they had not as yet done any thing unto them. c
¥. 13. Be it known now unto the king, 8c.} And let it be ferioufly and thoroughly confidered by him and his counfellors: that if this city be builded, and its walls fet up again, then wall they not pay toll, tribute, and cufiom; being able to defend themfelves againft the king’s forces, fent to reduce them to their obedience; thefe three words take in all forts of taxes and levies ‘on perfons, goods, and merchandize: and fo thou fhalt endamage the revenue of the kings; not only his own, but his fucceffors; this they thought would be a very ftriking and powerful argument with him.
_¥. 14. Now becaufe we have maintenance from the king’s palace, &c.] Have pofts under the king, to which falaries were annexed, by which they we fupported, and which they had from the Be have we fent and certified the king, of the tt what is before related; and for the further con mation of it, refer him to the antient records the
¥.15. That fearch may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers, &c.) Thatis, his predeceffors in the Bavylontan monarchy; though, as the Afedes and Perfians were included in that, and joined the Hadylonians in their wars with others, and particularly with the Yews; the records of the Medes and Perfians might alfo be applied to: /o foalt thou find in the book of the records, and know, that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved fedition within the fame of old time, againft the king of Babylon, particularly in the times of Feboiakim and Zedekiah: for which caufe was this city deftroyed; as it was by Nebuchadnezzar; fee 2 Kings xxiv. 1. 20. and xxv. 1. 9.
y¥. 16. We certify the king, that if this city be builded again, and the walls thereof fet up, &c.] As it formerly was, and now attempted, as they fuggeft: dy this means thou fhalt have no portion on this fide the river; the river Euphrates; intimating that the Jews would not only fhake off his yoke, and refufe to pay tribute themfelves, but would feize on all his dominions on that fide the river, and annex them to their own.
y¥. 17. Then fent the king an anfwer unto Rebum the chancellor, and to Shimfhai the feribe, &c.] This affair, upon -gxamination, being found to be of importance, the king of -Perfia thought fit to fend an anfwer to the above letter, which was doing them an honour, and gave them the power and authority they wifhed to have: and to the reft of their companions that dwelt in Samaria, in the kingdom, province, and cities of Samaria: and unto the reft beyond the river, the river Euphrates, the reft of the nations before-mentioned, ¥. 9, 10. Peace, and at fuch a time, that is, all health and profperity, ec.
y. 18. The letter which ye fent unto us, &c.] The plural number is ufed, being now become courtly for kings thus to fpeak of themfelves: ath been plainly read before me by fuch that underftood both the Syrian and Perfian languages; the letter was written in the Syrian language, and the king being a Perfian, it was neceflary it fhould be interpreted and explained to him.
y. 19. And I commanded, and fearch hath been. made, &c.| In the records of his predeceffors, whether Chaldeans or Perfians: and it is found, that this city of old time hath made infurrettion againft kings, and that rebellion and fedition have been made therein; and yet this could not be carried higher than to the times of Zedekiab and Feboiakim, as before obferved, which was not 100 years ago, unlefs the rebellion of Hezekiah againft the king of Affria could be thought to be in thefe records, 2 Kings xviii. 7. and yet from hence it is concluded, as if in ages paft they had been guilty of rebellion and fedition, and even always.:
y. 20. There have been mighty kings alfo over Ferufalem, which have ruled over all countries beyond the river, &c.) As David and Solomon; and the| Hy account of thefe they had in their records, fee 2 Sam. viii. 1 Kings iv.21.24. and toll, tribute, and ta/pis, who fucceeded Camby/es the fon of Cyrus, there being only between, the fhort ufurpation of cuf-) Smerdis for feven months.
tom was paid unto them as appears from the places referred to; and this ferved to ftrengthen the infis nuation made to the king, that if theie people were fuffered to go on building, he would lofe his tribute and taxes in thofe parts.
¥. 24. Give ye now commandment to caujfe thefe men to ceafe, &c.} From building: aad that this city be not builded, until another commandment foall be given from mes he might fufpect that this cafe, in all its circumftances, was not truly ftated, and that hereafter he might fee reafon to recede frorn the prefent orders he gave; and the rather, as by fearching, and perhaps on his own Knowledge, mutt have obferved, that his father Cyrus had fhewn favour to the Hews, and had not only fet them at li+ berty, but had encouraged them to rebuild their temple; which might be what they were abour, and was the cafe, and nothing elfe, except their houfes to-dwell in.
¥. 22. Take heed now that ye fail not to do this, &c.] To put his orders into execution, and at once, without any lofs of time, oblige the Jews to defift from rebuilding the walls of their city, which he was told they were doing, though a great falfehood: why foould damage grow to the burt of the kings? of him and his fucceflors, to be deprived of their toll, tribute, and cuftoms, and to have infurrections, mutinies, and rebellions in the dominions belonging to them.
¥. 23. Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes letter was read before Rebum, and Shimjbai the fcribe, and their companions, &c.] By him or them. to whom it was particularly directed: they went up in hafte to Ferufalem unto the Jews; not only in obedience to the king’s command, but from an eagernefs of fpirit to put a {top to the proceedings ‘of the Jews, to whom they had an averfion, inftigated by the Samaritans: and made them to ceafe by force and power; from going on with the building of the temple, which they reckoned a part of the city, and within their commiffion; this they did by fhewing the power and authority they had under the king’s hand, and by the forces they brought with them to compel them to it, fhould they refufe to obey; or however, they threatened them highly what they would do, if they did not defift.
¥. 24. Then ceafed the work of the boufe of God, which is at Ferufalem, &c.}. How far they had proceeded is not faid, whether any farther than laying the foundation of it; though probably, by this time, it might be carried to fome little height; however, upon this it was difcontinued: /o it ceafed unto the fecond year of the reign of Darius king of Perfia; not Darius Notbus, as fome think, for from the firft of Cyrus to the fixth of his reign, when the temple was finifhed, was upwards of 100 years; yea, according to fome, about 140; which would carry the age of Zerubbabel, who both laid the foundation of the temple, and finifhed it, and the age of thofe who faw the firft temple, to a length that is not probable; but this was Darius
HIS chapter relates, how that the people of the the Yews were ftirred up by the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah to fet about the building of the temple again, notwithftanding the orders contrary from the deputy-governors of the king of Perfia; nor could the prefent ones caufe them to ceafe from it; though it mutt be owned they betojhaved towards them in a better manner than the former ones did, ¥. 15. and who, upon the anfwers received from the Yews, wrote a letter to Darius, to know the truth of things; and in which they feem to ftate fairly the cafe of the Fews, as they had it from them, fo far as they underftood y. 1. Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the fon of Iddo, &c.} The grandfon of Iddo, for he was the fon of Barachiah, Zech. i. 1. prophefied unto the Fews that were in Fudab and Ferufalem, in the name of the God of I/rael, this they both did in the fecond year of Darius; the one began in the fixth month, and the other in the eighth month of the year, Hag. i. 1. Zech. i. 1. even unto thems; or againft them, as De Dieu, reproving them for their floth and neglect of building the temple, when they were careful enough to raife up goodly houfes for themfelves to dwell in; and for being intimidated by the command of the king of Perfa, which only forbid the building of the city, that is, the walls of it, but not the temple any more than their own houfes; and befides, there was now a new king, from whom they had not fo much to fear. y. 2. Then rofe up Zerubbabel the fon. of Shealiiel, and Fefhua the fon of Fozadak, &c.) Whole fpirits were ftirred up and quickened by the miniftry of the prophets, the Lord accompanying it by his fpirit, Hag. i. 12.14. and began to build the houfe of God which is\at Ferufalem, to go on with the building of its for they had laid the foundation before, and perhaps had carried it up to fome little the next claufe may be read without an interrogation, and the fenfe be, that they told them not only that they acted according to an edict of Cyrus king of Perfia, for this was faid, as appears from ¥. 13, but they declared what were the names of the men that did make this building, or employed them in it, namely, Zerubsabel, ‘fefoua, and the chief men of the Fews; they made no fcruple of telling them who they were; neither afhamed of their mafters nor of their work, nor afraid of any ill - confequences following hereon.: ¥. 5. But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Fews, &c] He in his providence looked favourably at them, fmiled upon them, encouraged — them. in the work by his good {pirit, and by the prophets, and gave them fucceis, and protected and defended them, fee 2 Chron. xvi. 9. Zech. iii. g. and iv. 10. that they could not caufe them to céafe, till the matter came to Darius, they were not intimidated by what the governour and thofe with him faid to them, but went on in their work; nor did the governor attempt to interrupt them, they - having referred him and their caufe to Darius for the truth of what they had faid, and for farther information from him: and then they returned anfwer by letter concerning this matter; that is, Tatnai and thofe with him fent a letter to Darius about this affair, to which they had an anfwer, which are both related in this and the following chapters, ~ ¥. 6. The copy of the letter that Tatnai, governor on this fide the river, and Shethar-boznai, and bis companions the Apbarfachites, which were on this height at leaft, before they ceafed from it, ch, ii. /de the river, &c.| Which is thought by fome to
10. and with them were the prophets of God helping them; with words of counfel, comfort, and exhortation, directing and encouraging them, and promifing them protection and fuccefs; thefe are the prophets before named.
Vv. 3. At the fame time came to them Tatnai, governor on this fide the river, and Shethar-boznai, and their companions, &c.| Thefe were new governors and officers under the king of Perfa in thofe parts, the old ones, Rehum, Shim/bai, &ec.
eing either dead, or removed upon this new king be one of the nations mentioned, ch. iy. 9. the name being pretty near alike to two of them; but perhaps might be a diftinét colony in thofe parts Tatnai was governor of: thefe feut unto Darius the king; and is as follows.
y¥. 7. They fent a letter unto him, wherein was written thus, &c.] Or this was the infeription of it: Unto Darius the king, all peace; withing him all kind of happinefs and profperity.
¥. 8. Be it known unto the king, 8&c.| This feems to have been the ufual form of beginning a coming to the throne: thefe came to the Fews, and faid thus unto them, Who hath commanded you to build this houfe, and to make up this wall? for it feems by this time they had raifed up the walls of letter to a king in thofe days, ch. iv. 12. that wa went into the province of Fudea, which froma. kingdom was reduced to a province, and was become a part of the Babylonian, now Perfian, mo- the temple from its foundation to fome height; for of thefe it muft be underftood, fee ¥. 8. 9. for it can hardly be thought they were as yet inclofing it with a wall round about it; now they afked them by what authority they did this? who fet them to work? and what were their names? for that this queftion was afked, though not here exprefied, is clear from y¥. 10. and to which an anfwer is given in the next verfe.
¥.4. Then faid we unto them after this manner, &c.
In anfwer to theis queftions; namely, Ezra and other “Yews replied; for though Ezra is faid after this to come from Badylon in the 7th year of Artaxerxes, he might go thither on fome bufinefs, and then return again at that time; fome indeed think thefe are} the words of Tatzai and thofe with him; fo Ben Melech, which feems to.be favoured by ¥, 10. and by reading the words-with an interrogation, as we doy Aben Ezra {ays they are either the words of the builders, or of the fcribes, the fecretaries that came to queftion them; but they are the words of the former, as order requires, or otherwife no an- narchy, fee ch. ii. 1. to the houfe of the great God; as the ‘Fews called the Lord their God; and even the heathens had a notion that there was one fupreme God, though they worfhipped inferior ones 3 and fome had a notion that Febovab the God of the Jews was he: which is builded with great floness marble ftones, as Yarchi %, flones of rolling, as it may be rendered; which, according to Aben Ezra, were fo large and heavy, that they could not be carried, but were obliged to roll them: and timber is laid in the walls; cedar wood, as Aben Ezra in- - terprets it, for beams, for flooring and raftering; or rather, is put upon the walls, for the lining wainfcotting of them, which was done with cedar-. wood: and this work goeth fajft on, and profpereth in their hands; and unlefs timely prevented, will. foon be ‘finifhed. 2 +2
¥. 9. Then afked we thofe elders, &c.| The ders of the province of Fudea; the chief men of it ¢
‘fwer would be returned, at leaft as exprefied; and
Who commanded you to build this houfe, and to make
Ch.v. y. ti 3T7. E Z names of the elders, thofe that et men about this work: to certify that we might write the names of tie men that were the chief of them, take the names of them in writing, that they might with certainty acquaint the king who they were, and that if it was neceffary they might “be called to an account for what they were doing.
¥. 11. And thus they returned us anfwer, Sec.) To the purpofe and in the manner following: /aying, We are the fervants of the God of heaven and earth, fignifying that they were doing his work, in obedience to his will, and to whom they were accountable: and build the houfe that was builded thefe many years ago; even 500 years ago, or thereabout; fo that they were not erecting a building where there was none before, but were rebuilding what was in ruins: which @ great king of Ifrael builded and fet up; king Solomon, who was a great King for wifdom, honour, riches, peace, profperity, and extent of his kingdom.
¥. 12, But after that our fathers bad provoked the God of heaven unto wrath, &c.] By their idolatries; which accounts for it, how it was that they who were the fervants of the great God of heaven and earth, and this temple built for the honour of his name, were not preferved by him; but they were carried captive,and this houfe left defolate: it was for their fins for which Je (God) gave them into the band of Nebuchadnézzar the king of Babylon the Chaldean, who deftroyed this boufe, and carried the people away into Babylon; fee 2 Chron. xxxvi.
os 13. But in the firft year of Cyrus the king of
Babylon, &c.] That is, the firtt year he was king of Babylon, having taken it, otherwife he was king of Perfia many years before: the fame king Cyrus made a decree to build this houfe of God, fee ch. i. bs 2, 35 4-
¥. 14,15. And the veffels alfo of old'and filver of fare either way, as he thought fit,
ARIUS, on receiving the letter from his officers in Samaria, fearched for the decree of
Cyrus, and found it, and which he confirmed, y. 1—7. and made a frefh decree,.and ordered expences to be given out of his tribute for the building of the temple, and for the facrifices of it; and that whofoever altered it fhould be hanged on the timber of his own houfe, and imprecated a curfe on thofe that fhould deftroy the houfe of God, ¥. 8—12. upon which the building went on, and was finifhed, ¥. 13, 14,15. andthe temple was dedicated to God in afolemn manner, ¥. 16, 17, 18. and the paflover was kept by all the people, y¥. 1g —22.
¥. 1, Then Darius the king made a decree, &c.] To make enquiry after the edi& of Cyrus, to fearch the public records for it: aud fearch was made in the houfe of the rolls; or books*, ina public library or mufeum: where the treafures were laid up in Badylon, where things of worth and value were repofited; notonly gold, filver, jewels, and precious ftones, and things rare and curious, but all forts of writings
‘relating to the monarchy and the dominions belonging toit; but it feems it could not be found here, and therefore the king ordered {earch to be madeelfewhere.
the hotife of God, 8c.) Of which, and of what is faid concerning them, and particularly of the delivery of them to Shebbazzar, whom Cyrus made governor of ‘Fudab, and ordered-him to carry them to Ferufalem, and build the temple there, and put them in it, fee ch. i, grr,
¥. 16. Then came the Jame Shefobazzar, and laid the foundation of the bouje of God which is in Feru- Jalem, &c.] Which makes it clear, that by She/bbazzar is meant Zerubbabel, for he it was that laid the foundation of the temple, or at leaft by whofe order it was laid, fee Zech. iv. 9. and fince that time even until now, from the rift of Cyrus to'the 2d of Darius, a {pace of about 18 years, and juft 70 from the deftruétion of the temple: bath it been in building, and yet sf is not jinifbed; the work going on flowly, not without interruption and in+ termiffion, through the enmity of the Samaritans unto them, who had made falfe reprefentations of them; but thefe men, Tatnai and thofe with him, as the Fews gave them a very particular account of things, as above, fo they fairly and fully related them in this their letter to the king.
¥. 17. Now therefore, if it feem good to the king, let there be fearch nade in the king’s treafure-houfe, which is there at Babylon, &c.] Where were the archives of the kingdom, where the laws, decrees, edicts, and proclamations, and other things relating tothe ftate were laid up, that recourfe might be had to them upon occafion:
whether it be fo, thet @ decree was made of Cyrus the king, to build this
houfe of God at Ferufalem 5 which the ¥ews affirmed was made by him, and upon which they proceeded: and let the king fend bis plesfure tous concerning this matter whether the Fews fhould be allowed to go on with the building of their temple, and finith it, or whether they fhould be reftrained from ics fignifying they were ready to do his will and plea«
¥. 2. And there was fonud at Achmetha, 826.) Which Farchi and Aben Ezra take to be the namé of a veflel in which Jetters and writings were put for fafety; but it was no doubt the name of a place; the Vulgate Latin verfion has it Ecbatana; amd fo Fofephus*; which was the name of a city in Media, where the kings of that country had their refidence in the fummer-time *; for it has its name from heat"; the Perfian kings dwelr at Shijfhan ir the winter, and at Echatana in the fummer *; hence they are compared by ian * to cranes, birds of paffage, becaufe of their going to and from the above places: in the palace that is in the province of the Medes, here was found a rol/ 3 wWhich- was the decree of Cyrus, which perhaps he took with him when he went thither: and therein was a record thus written; as follows.
¥. 3. In the firft year of Cyrus the king, the fame Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the houfe of God at ferufalem, Let the houfe be builded, Sec. } See chei. r—4, Jf xliv. 28. the place where thiy offered facrifices; to God in times paft, ever fince it was built by Solomon: and let the foundations thereof be fivongly laid, {o as to bear and fupport the building erected on them, as the word fignifies: she
: height V.L. in bibliotheca librorum, Tigurine verfion; in domo li-
Ry. | — ia — 108 EZR A Ch.vi #.4—t1. an hucktter, ‘as Camby/es had the name of Lord, ° and Cyrus that of father; the fame writer gives an account of the feveral nations he received it from, — and the particular fums, which in all amounted to 14,560 Eudoic talents of gold; among whom are mentioned all Phenicia and Syria, called Palefine, the tribute of which parts is the tribute beyond the river here referred to: and this king was well difpofed to the Yewi/a nation, temple, and worthip before he was king, if what Fo/ephus * fays is true, that while a private man, he vowed to God, that if he fhould be king, he would fend all the facred veffels that were in Babylon to the temple at Ferufalem: and out of the above tribute, it is ordered, that forthwith expences be given unto thefe men, thgt they be not hindered, from going on with the building, for want of money to buy materials, and pay the workmen. ¥..9. And that which they have need of, both soung bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for the burnt-offerings of the God of heaven, &c.] All which were ufed' for burnt-offerings, fee Lev. i. wheat, falt, wine, and oil; wheat, or fine flour, for the Minchab or meat-offering; felt, for every offering; wine, for the drink-offerings; and o7/, to be put upon the meat-offerings, fee Lev. 2. according to the appointmeyt of the priefis which are at Ferufalam, Jet it be given them day by day without fail, for the daily facrifice, and the meat and drink-offerings which attended it, Exod. xxix. 38—4t. ¥. 10. That they may offer facrifices of feet favours unto the God of heaven, &c.|] Such as will be acceptable to him, Gen. viii. 21. and pray for the life of the king, and of bis jons; prayer being wont to be made at the time of the morning and evening-incenfe; and the Yews uled to pray for other people befides themfelves, and efpeciall when defired, and particularly for kings and civil magiftrates, to whom they were fubject, fee! Fer. XXix. 7. 1 Tim. ii 1,2. the fons of Darius Hyftafpis, for whofe life, as well as his own, he would have prayer made, were, according to Herodotus *, three by his firft wife, the daughter of Gobryas, before he began to reign, the eldeft of which was Artobazanes,; which fons muft be hére meant, fince this was towards the beginning of his reign; he had afterwards four more by 4¢o/Ja the daughter of Cyrus, the eldeft of which was Xerxes, who fucceeded him: many of the heathens had an high opinion of the God of the Fews, and of their prayers to him for them; even the emperor Fulian * {tiles him the beft of all the Gods, and defired the | Fews to pray to him for the welfare of his kingdom; nor need it feem ftrange that Darius fhould height thereof 60 cubits; which were 30 more than the height of So/omon’s temple, 1 Kings vi. 2. tho” 60 lefs than the height of the porch, which was 120, 2 Chron. iii. 4. and which fome take to be the heighth of the whole houfe’; and hence it may be obferved what Herod faid’, that the temple then in being wanted 60 cubits in height of that of Solomon’s: and the breadth thereof 60 cubits; whereas the breadth of So/omon’s temple was but 20, 1 Kings vi. 2. but fince it cannot reafonably be thought that the breadth fhould be equal to the height, and fo very difproportionate to Solomon’s temple; many learned men underftand this of the extenfion of it as to length, which exactly agrees with the length of the former temple, 1 Kings vi.
y. 4. With three rows of great flones, &c.) Which archi interprets of the walls of it, and thefe ftones of marble; and fo Ben Melech: and a ' row of new timber, of cedar wood upon the rows of ftone, fee 1 Kings vi. 36. or for the lining and wainfcotting the walls: and let the expences be given out of the king’s boufe, treafury, or exchequer; but it does not appear that this part of the decree was obferved, at leaft hitherto; but the Zews built at their own expence, and perhaps did not exactly obferve the directions given as to the dimenfions of the houfe.
¥.5. And alfo let the golden and filver veffels, &c.} See ch. i. 7—11. and which confirms what the Fews faid to Tatnai, ch. v. 14, 15.
y. 6. Now therefore Tatnai, governor beyond the river, &c.] The river Euphrates, that fide of it towards the land of. I/rael; Fofepbus* calls this man, mafter of the horfe: Shethar-boznai, and your companions the Apharfachites, which are beyond the river, be ye far from thence, keep at a diftance from the ews, and give them no difturbance, nor interrupt them in their work of building of the temple, but mind your own bufinefs and government,
¥. 7. Let the work of this boufe of God alone,
‘&c.] Suffer them to go on with it, and don’t hinder them, it looks, by thefe expreffions, as if he had fome fufpicion or hint given him, that they were inclined to moleft them, or that there were
‘ fome that ftirred them up to it, and were defirous of it: Jet the governor of the Fews, and the elders of the fews, build this boufeof God in his place; where it formerly ftood; that is, goon with the building y. 8. Moreover, I make a decree, what: ye fhall do to the elders of thefe Fews, for the building of this houfe of God, &c.} This muft be confidered 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 Fo/ephus * fays, 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 ¥. 12. was contained in the decree: shat of the king’s goods, ‘even of the tribute beyond the river; what was col- Jected out of his dominions on that fide the river Euphrates, towards the land of J/rael: according to Herodotus*, this Darius was the firft of the kings of Perfia that exacted tribute; under Cyrus and Cambyfes only prefents were brought; but he impofed a tribute, and was therefore called xamnaos, defire the fame, fince he was a devout prince; his father Hy/fa/pes is fuppofed by fome to be the fame that was one of the moft famous among the Per-_ - /ian Magi, or minifters in facred things; and Darius himfelf had fo great a veneration for the men of that facred order, that he commanded that it fhould be put upon his fepulchral monument, that he was matter of the Magi‘; and by his familiarity with the priefts of Egypt, and learning their divinity, had the honour, whilft alive, to have deity afcribed to him ®. oo, y. 11. Alfo 1 have made a decree, that whofoever — fhall alter this word, &c.] A& contrary to this command, will not obey it, but as much as in him lies changes and revokes it: /et timber be pulled down from his houfe, and being set up, let him be banged 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 bis houfe be made a dunghil for this; be pulled down, and never rebuilt more, fee the note on Daz. iii. 2. 9..
v.12. And the God that hath caufed his name to dwell there, &c.) Whofe name is not only called upon there, and that called by his name; but who grants his prefence, and caufes his Shekinah, or divine majefty, to dwell there, as in Solomon’s temple, which Darius had fome knowledge of: deffroy all kings and people; \et them be who they will, high or low: that fhall put to their band to alter and to defirey this houfe of God, which is at Ferufalem, this he faid to deter from hindering the building of it now, and from attempting to deftroy it hereafter: I Darius have made a decree, let it be done with Speed be carried immediately into execution, efpecially with refpect to the difburfement for the building of the temple, and for the facrifices of it.
¥. 13. Then Tatnai, governor on this fide the river, Shethar-boznai, and their companions, &c.] Having received and read the above letter: according to that which Darius the king had fent, fo they did /peedily, acquainted the ews with what the king had written; were fo far from hindering the work going forward, that they encouraged it; and made difburfements to them out of the king’s tribute, and furnifhed them with every thing neceffary for facrifice; and this they did immediately, without delay.
y. 14. And the elders of the Fews builded, &c.] Went on with the building of the temple: and they profpered through the prophefying of Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the fon of Iddo, or grand{on, as before; being animated and encouraged by them; and as they foretold and promifed it would be, fo it was; they had fuccefs in their work, the Lord over-ruling the heart of Darius the king and his council in their favour: and they builded, and finifbed it; that is, the temple: according to the commandment of the God of Ijrael; by the above prophets, who fpoke to them, and prophefied in his name: and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Perfia; the commandment of Cyrus is in ch. i. 1. that of Darius in this, ¥. 8. but who Artaxerxes is, and his commandment, is not eafy to fay; he cannot be the Artaxerxes between Cyrus and Darius, but one that followed the latter; befides, he was a hinderer of the building, ch. iv. 21—24. fome think this was Xerxes the ton and fucceffor of Darius, ang who might be partner with his father in the empire at this time, and fo is joined with him in this commandment; which is more probable, than that he fhould be his grandfon Artaxerxes Longimanus, in whofe reign the temple, it is fuppofed, was beautified and ornamented, though the exterior building of it was before finifhed; and fo he ‘is fpoken of by anticipation; and ftill more plaufible, than that he fhould be, with others, Artaxerxes Mnuemon, the fon of Darius Nothus; but after all, Tam moft inclined to think with Aben Ezra, that he is Darius himfelf; and the words to be read, ‘Darius, that is, Artaxerxes king of Perfia, Artaxerues being, as he obferves, a common name of the kings of Perfia, as Pharaoh was of the kings of
F gypt; though this is by fome rejected *; and who goes by this name in the continuance of this hiftory, in whofe feventh year, the year after this, Ezra went up to Ferufalem, and in the 20th of his reign, Nebemiah, ch. vii. 1—7. Neb ii. 1, and I find Dr, Lightfoot * was of the fame mind; and according to Diodorus Siculus *, the kings of Perfia were called by the name of Artawerxes after Muemon; and fo they might before; Camby/es is fo called in ch. iv. 7. Herodotus ' fays the name fignifies a mighty warrior. '
¥. 15. And this houfe was finifhed on the third day of the month Adar, &c.] The 12th month of the year with the Yews, and anfwers to part of our February and part of March: which was in the fixth year of the reign of Darius the king; four years after the decree came forth...
¥. 16. And the children of Ifrael, &c.] Thofe of the ten tribes that remained after the body of the people were carried captive, or came with the Fews at their return: the priefts and the Levites, and the reft of the children of the captivity; thofe of the tribes of Fudab and Benjamin: kept the dedication of this houfe of God with joy; they fet it apart for facred ufe and fervice, with feafting and other expreffions of joy and gladnels, as follows.
¥. 17. And offered at the dedication of this house of God, 100 bullocks, 200 rams, 400 lambs, &c.] Hecatombs of various forts, which were always reckoned grand facrifices, even among heathens, of which Homer fometimes fpeaks; fome of thefe were for burnt-offerings, and others peace-offerings, by way of thankfulnefs to God for the finifhing of the temple; part of which, belonging to the offerers, they feafted upon it with great gladnefs of heart: and for a fin-offering for all Ifrael, 12 he- Soats, according to the number of the tribes of Ifrael for though the ten ‘tribes were carried captive by Salmanefer, yet, as before obferved, there were fome of them that remained in the land, and others that went and returned with the two tribes; and therefore a fin-offering was made for them all, for the typical expiation of guilt contracted fince they had been in an heathen land, and temple-fervice had ceafed.
y. 18. And they fet the priefts in their divifions, and the Levites in their courfes, for the fervice of God, which is at Ferufalem, &c] All in their proper claffes and courfes, to do the work of the temple at Yerufalem in their turns: as it is written in the book*of Mofes; fee Numb. iii,6.. and viii. 11, 14, 15. from hence it is plain the’Pentateuch was not written by Ezra, as fulpected by Spinofa ™, but by Mojes; fee the argument of the book of Genefis.
¥. 19. And the children of the captivity kept the paffover upon the 14th day of the firft month. The
month Nifan or Abib, which was the month following that in which the temple “was finifhed, ¥. 15. this paffover was kept at the exact time the law commanded, Exod. xii. 2. 6.
y¥. 20. For the priefts and the Levites were purtfied together, all of them were pure, Sc.) They were all to a man pure, and all purified as one man; all were of one mind to purify themfelves, and took. care to do it, and did it with as much difpatch as if only one man was purified; fo that they were more generally prepared for fervice now than in the and killed the paffover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the pritfs, and for them/élves; which feems to have been done by ‘ Levites, for themfelves and for the priefts, and for all the people, who were not fo pure as the priefts and Levites; or otherwife they might have killed it themfelves, Exod. xii. 6. as Bochart” thinks. | yt. 21, And the children of Ifrael, which were come again out of captivity, &c.) The tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with fome of the ten tribes mixed with them: and all fuch as bad feparated themfelves unto them, from the filthine/s of the beathen of the land, to feek the Lord God of Ifrael, did eat; fuch of the Gentiles in the dominions of Badylon, and came with the Fews from thence, who} were enlightened into the knowledge and worthip of the true God, and not only renounced their idolatry, here called filthinefs, but were circumcifed, and embraced the religion of the ews, and {fo were profélytes of righteoufnefs, as they call them; or y.22. And kept the feaft of unleavened bread fever days with joy, &c.) Which immediately followed thejupon the paflover, Exod. xii. 18, 19. for the Lord 4ad made them joyful; the building of the temple being finifhed, and the fervice of it reftored to its original purity: and turned the heart of the king of « Affyria unto them, to firengthen their hands in the — work of the boufe of God, the God of Irael; by giving them leave to go on in building the temple, and by encouraging and aflifting them in it till they.had finifhed it; this was Darius Artanerwes, who, though called king of Per/ia, was alfo king — of Afyria, being pofitfled of the Arian monarchy, as his predeceflors were upon the taking of Badyon, and the fame is therefore called alfo the king of, Babylon, Neh. xiii. 6. God, the God of J/rael, who has the hearts of all men in his hands, and fo the hearts of kings, and can turn them at his pleafure, inclined his heart to do them good, which was matter of joy unto them, fee ch. vii. 27.
otherwife they would not have been allowed to eat upon an emhafly to the king from the chief men at Ferufalem;, perhaps the governors of Syria had not fo fully made the difburfements the king in his decree had required them to make, fince the following commiffion chiefly refpects fuch things and he was. fent on that errand to acquaint the king with it, as well as to perfuade thofe that remained to return, and to obtain leave for it.: ¥. 7. And there went up fome of the children of Yrael, &c.] Perhaps fome of the ten tribes, as well as others of the tribes of Zudab and Benjamin; who, notwithftanding the edict of Cyrus, chofe to remain in Badylon, and in the countries of it, until they faw how things would go in Fudea; and hearing that the temple was finifhed, and that thofe that had returned had built them houfes in their feveral cities, and profpered, thought fit to return alf: and of the priefis, and the Levites, and the fingers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, unto Ferufalem; to take their places, and execute their offices in the temple now built; for of the Levites cfpecially, fome of which were fingers, and others porters, and of the Nethinim, there were but few that wenc up with Zerubdabel: now this journey of theirs was taken inthe. 7th year of Artaxerxes the king; that, is, of Darius Artaxerxes, and this was the year after the temple was finifhed; though it is thought by many learned men, and not without fome fhew of reafon, that Artaxerxes Longimanus is meant.. | ¥. 8. And be came to Ferufalem in the fifth month, &c.]. With the above company; this was the month 4:4, an{wering to part of Yuly and part of Auguft: which was in the feventh year of the king 5 as in the preceding verfe., wi ¥.9. For upon the firft day of the firft month began be to go up from Babylon, &c.| The month Nifan, anfwering to part of March and part of April, this was new year’s day: and on the frjft day of the fifth month came he to Ferufalem, the rh, of the month 4, as in the preceding verfe; fo that he was juft four months on his journey: according to the good band of bis Ged upon him, his power and providence, which gave him and: his,: company —
N this chapter we have the lineage and character of Ezra defcribed, ¥. 1—6. his expedition to terufalem, and of many others with him, ¥. 7—10. a copy of the commiffion king Artaxerxes gave him to execute,. 11 —26. and his thankfulnefs, 27, 28.
y. 1. Now after thefe things, &c.] The finithing of the temple, and the dedication of it, and keeping the paflover: in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Perfia; in the 7th year of his reign, ¥. 7, 8. who is the fame with Darius in the preceding chapter; fo farchi and Aben Ezra, {ee the note on ch. vi. 14. Ezra the fon of Seraiah; the high-prieft, flain by Nebuchadnezzar, Fer. lii. 24. 27. this Ezra was a younger fon of his, brother to o/edech, and uncle to fo/hua, who were high-priefts in fucceffion; his pedigree is carried in the afcending line up to Aaron, in this and the four following verfes; only fix generations, for brevity-fake, are omitted, between Azariah and Meraioth, which may be fupplied from 1 Chron. vi. 7—10. fee the notes there, y. 6. This Ezra went up from Babylon, &c.] A fecond time; for that he went up with Zerubbabel is clear from Ned. xii. 1. and is plainly intimated, ch. v. 4. aad he was a ready fcribe in the law of Mo- Jes, which the Lord God of Ifrael had given; the meaning is, not that he had a quick hand in writing out copies of it, but was well verfed in the knowledge of it; had ftudied it thoroughly, well inftructed in it, and was abundantly qualified to teach it others; he was an eminent doctor of the law; fo fcribes, in the New Teftament, who are the fame with the lawyers, were fuch as were teachers of the law; the word here ufed in the Arabic language figmifies to be expert, as Farchi ° learned from one of their doctors: and the king granted him all bis requeft, according to the hand of the Lord bis God upon him, either upon Ezra, giving him favour with the king, and fo fuccefs and profperity; or it may. denote the divine influence of the God of Ezra upon the heart of the king, moving him to grant what he afked of him, even every thing he-defired: he feems to have'been fent company health and ftrength, fupplied them with every thing neceffary, directed, protected, and defended them, and brought them in fafety to their journey’s end.
y. 10. For Ezra had prepared his heart to feek the law of the Lord, &c.| To attain to the knowledge of it, that he might be mafter of it, -and expert in it, and know what was not to be done, and what to be done; he had fet his heart upon this, bent his {tudies this way, and taken a great deal of pains in fearching into it, in reading of it, and meditating. on it: and to doit; he was not only concerned to get the theory of it, but to put it in praétice, to exercife himfelf in it, that it might be habitual to him; aad the rather, as his view and intentions were not merely for the fake of himfelf, but zo teach in Ifrael flatutes and judgments; and therefore it was not only neceffary that he fhould have a large and competent knowledge of the laws, moral, ceremonial, and civil, -but that he fhould act according to them himfelf, that fo by his example, as well as by his inftructions, he might teach the people.
y. 11. Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes. gave unto Ezra the prief#, &c.] This title relating to his office is juftly given him, fince he was the fon of an high-prieft, and lineally defcended from Aaron, as the above account of his pedigree fhews: the fcribe, even a fcribe of the words of the commandments of the Lord, and of bis ftatutes to Ifrael; the doubling of the word fcribe fhews that he was very wife and learned in the law, in the commandments and ftatutes of it the Lord gave to [/rael; not only in the language of it in which it was written, but in the matter and fubftance of it, in the things contained in it; for dibre fignifies things as well as words.
¥. 12. Artaxerxes king of kings, &c.| Having feveral kings and kingdoms fubjeét:and tributary to him; for this was not merely a proud haughty title which the eaftern kings ” affumed, particularly the Perfians; for after Cyrus they were fo in fact, who took this title alfo, and had it put on his fepulchral monument, “Here I lie, Cyrus, king of kings*;” this title was given to Grecian kings, particularly Agamemnon is called king of kings", he being general at the fiege of Tray, under whom the reft of the kings fought; if*this;was Darius Hyftafpis, of him Cyrus dreamt ‘that he had wings on his fhoulders, with one he covered Afa, and with the other Ezrope‘: Unto Ezra the prieft, a fcribe, of the law of the God of heaven of which titles fee’ in the preceding verfe: perfec? peace, and at fuch a time; the word perfed belongs to Ezra’s title.as a fcribe, fignifying that he was ‘a moft learned and compleat feribe or teacher of the law of God;
peace is not in the text, and the phrafe at fuch a time refpects the date of the letter, though not exprefied, or is only an ef cetera, fee the note on ch. iv. 10.;
which are minded of their own free will to go up to
Ferufalem, go with thee, this decree did not oblige them to go whether they would or no; for they might, notwithftanding this, continue if they pleafed; it only gave them leave to make ufe of the prefent opportunity of. going along with Ezra, if they chofe it.
Ye 14. Forafmuch as thou art fent of the king, and
of kis feven counfellors, &c.| Such a number the kings of Perfia ufed to have from the times of Darius f1yfta/pis, who was chofen out of feven nobles to be king, and ever after the Perfian kings had feven counfellors privileged, as thofe nobles were, Efther i. 14. and Ezra had the honour to be fent with a commiffion from this king and his feven counfellors, ¢o enquire concerning Fudah and Ferufelem; the inhabitants thereof, whether they. had knowledge of, and behaved according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand, a copy of which he had with him, and was very expert in and converfant with, and could readily and at once pafs judg ment, whether they acted according to it or not. ¥.15. And to carry the filver and gold, which the king and bis counfellors have freely offered unto the God of Ifrael, whofe habitation is in Ferufalem.} In the temple built there; for the fervice of which, either for purchafing and procuring veffels that were wanting in it, or for facrifices to be offered in it, the king and his nobles had made a voluntary contribution, and entrufted and fent Ezra with it. ¥. 16. And all the filver and gold that thou canjt jimd.in all the province of Babylon, 8c.) Not that he might take it wherever he found it, whether the owners of it were willing he fhould have it or not; but whatever was freely offered by them, as Farchi, that he was allowed to take, whatever. he coul, get in that way: with the free-will-offering of the people; of the people of the Jews, who thought fit to,continue in the province: and of the priejis, offering willingly for the boufe of their God, which is in Ferufalem; thofe free-will-offerings, whether of the natives of Babylon, or of any of the Fewz tion, for the fervice of the temple at Feru b naalem, he had leave and a commiffion to carry with him.
y¥. 17. That thou mayeft buy fpeedily with this money, &cc.}_ Thus:freely contributed by one and another: dullocks, rams, lambs; which were for burnt-
‘offerings; with their meat-offerings, and their drinkofferings; which always went along with the burntofferings, according to the law of Mo/és; and which the king feemed to have a right knowledge.of, being, no doubt, inftruéted by Ezra, or fome other Jew in his court: and offer them upon the altar of the houfe of your God which is in Ferufalem, the altar ‘of burnt-offering in the temple there.
¥. 18. And whatfoever fhall feem good to thee, and to thy brethren, &c.] ‘The priefts, that jhe fhould think fit to take in to his affittance in this work: to do with the reft of the filver and gold; which fhould be left after the facrifices were offered up: shat.do y. 13. I make a decree, &c,) Which, saccord..| ing to the laws of the’ Medes and Perfians, when figned, might not be changed, Dan. vi. 8. thatall they of the people of Ifrael, and of bis priefts,,and Levites in my realm, who-remained there, and took ‘not the benefit of the edi€teof Cyrus, which gave them leave to. go; but neglecting the opportunity, it feems as if they could not now go out of the realm without a frefh grant, which is hereby given: after the will of your God, as they fhould be diieCted\by thim, or was prefcribed by him in the law..
y. 19. The veffels alfo that were given thee for the fervice of the houfe of thy God, &c.] Thefe were veflels of filver, bafons of gold, and veffels of fine copper; not what formerly belonged to the temple, they were delivered by Cyrus to Shefbbazzar, but what the prefent king and his counfellors freely of- fered at this time, fee ch. vill. 25, 26. thofe deliver thou before the God of Ferufalem, perfect and compleat, the full number of them, as the word fignifies '; meaning not to be delivered before him, or in his prefence, as a witnefs thereof, but that they fhould be dedicated and devoted to his fervice, who was worfhipped in the temple at Feru/alem, and by the inhabitants of it; he feems asif he thought him a topical deity, the God of that particular place, which was the notion of the heathens, fee 1 Kings xx. 23. though he alfo {peaks of him as the God of heaven.
¥. 20. And whatfoever more fhall be needful for the houe of thy God, which thou foalt have occafion to beftow, &c.] For the beautifying and ornamenting the temple, ¥. 27. deftow it out of the king’s treafure-houfe; where the money collected by tribute, tax, and cuftom was depofited; his exchequer, as it may be called, fee ch. vi. 8.
y. 21. And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do
the priefts in Egypt.”, and the Druids here in Bri~ tain*. rive y¥.25. And thou, Ezra, after the wifdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, &c.|. Which he hada large fhare of from the Lord, and could readily make ufe of to good purpofe; and this may be
| meant of the law of God made with the higheft wifdom, and to know and obferve which is an in- {tance of wifdom in men, Deut. iv. 6. fet magifirates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all fuch as know the laws of thy God; fuch as God, in his great wifdom, direéied to in his wife law to be appointed over the people, to judge righteous judgment; to inform them in all matters of controveriy that might arife among them, and decide them according to it, and lead them into a greater and better knowledge of it, Deut. xvi. 18. and xvii. 9. Farchi takes the word for fet to be a comparative, and the fenfe to be, that the wifdom of Ezra was gteater than the make a décree to all the treafurers which are beyond judges that judged the people, than them that knew the river, &c.] The receivers of his tribute, tax, and cuftom beyond the river Euphrates, on that fide towards the land of J/rael: that whatfoever Ezra the prieft, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven; fee y. 12. fhall rejuire of you, it be done fpeedily which feems at firft a grant at large for whatfoever he fhould want or demand, but is limited and re- {trained by what follows.
"cording to Farchi, were to buy the offerings or facrifices with: and 100 meafures of wheat, or cors, the fame meafure with the Homer, each of which held 10 ephahs, or 75 wine-gallons, 5 pints, and upwards; thefe, according to the fame writer, were for meat-offerings, made of fine flour, wr rather bread-offerings, as they may be called: and to 100 baths of wine; which was the fame meafure in liquids as the Ephah in things dry, a tenth part of the Cor or Homer, and held feven wine-gallons five pints, and upwards"; thefe were for the drinkofferings; and to 100 baths of oil, the fame meafure as before; thefe were to mix in the meat-offerings: and falt without preferibing how much; becaufe it was ufed in all offerings, and was cheap, and therefore no meafure is fixed, but as much as was wanting was to be given, fee Lev. ii. I—13.
Mey 3. Whatfoever is commanded by the God of heaven, &c.| In the law given by Mo/es to the people of I/rael: let it be diligently done, for the houfe of the God of heaven; for the fervice of it, particularly facrifices: for why fhould there be wrath againft the realm of the king and his fons? through the neglect of the fervice of God in the temple, and by reafon of the default of the king’s treafurers.
¥. 24. Allo we certify you, that touching any of the priefis and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or minifters of this boufe of God, &c.| The king had a-right and perfect knowledge of the diftinct offices and fervices of thofe perfons, fee ¥. 7. it
-fhall not be lawful to impofe toll, tribute, or cuftom, upon them, that they might be the lefs incumbere with the affairs of life, and be more at leifure to attend ‘divine fervice, and do it the more readily and freely; it was ufual with the heathens to ‘ecclefiaftics from taxes, tributes, and impofts; fo except ews with him as were willing go: and I was frrengthened as the hand of 4 the law: and teach ye them that know them not; fuch, people that were ignorant thereof; though the above writer interprets this of ignorant judges, “ the judge that knows not to judge, make him know judgment to do it.”
¥. 26. And whofoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, &c.| Either the judge who delays judgment, or does not execute it according to the law of God, and of the king; or the people, that don’t obey the law of God in matters of religion, and the law of the king in civil things, Zadea being now a province of the Perfan empire; though fome think. the law of the king only refers to this law or deeree of the king, which gave the ews power to execute their own laws:. let judgment be executed {peedily upon him; immediately, without delay, according to the nature of his crime: whether it be unto death; if guilty of a capital crime, deferving death, let him be put to death: or to banifbment, from his native country to a foreign diftant land; or to rooting out”, as the word fignifies; an utter extirpation of him and his family, a deftroying him root and branch; or, as Farchi exprefies it, a rooting him out of the world, his feed and family: or to confifcation of goods, to payment of mulcts and fines: or to imprifenment; for fuch a term of tite; all according to the breach of what law he may be guilty of; thus far the king’s decree..
y¥. 27. Blefed be the Lord God of our fathers, &c.} This is £zra’s thank{giving to God for the above decree: which hath put fach a thing as this in the king’s heart; which he rightly took to be of God, who wrought in him to’ will and to doz) fo beautify the boufe of the Lord whichis in Ferufalem, to provide for the ornamenting of it, for veffels in it, as well as for facrifices; for as for the building of it, that was finifhed. t-20 alte y¥. 28. And hath extended mercy unto me, before the king aud his counfellors, and before all the king*s mighty princes, 8c.) Before Artaxerxes, his feven counfellors, ¥. 14. and the nobles of his realm, in being appointed by them to carry their free-willofferings to Ferufalem, and the king’s commands to his treafurers, with leave to take as many of the
Lord my God was ¥ —t te Set © MOE upon me; animated to undertake this work, execute this commiffion, being under the influence of divine favour and protection: and I gathered together out of Ifrael, chief men to go up with me; he went about in the feveral parts where J/raelites and)dwelt, and perfuaded fomeé of thé principal men among them to go along with him to Yerufalem fhewing them the king’s “decree, which gave them leave; and their names and numbers are deferibed in the next chapter.