‏ Ezra 1

Book of Ezra — Quick facts:

Purpose: To demonstrate God’s continued provision for his people and to show how to live when faced with foreign control, opposition, and pagan influence

Author: Ezra, according to tradition

Date: Records events that occurred around 538–457 BC

Setting: Jerusalem, beginning with the initial return of Jews from exile and ending with Ezra’s arrival there



Book of Ezra — Overview:

Setting
About 130 years before Ezra came to Jerusalem in 458 BC, God punished Judah’s persistent wickedness by sending the Babylonians to destroy the city, demolish the Temple, and take thousands into exile (see 2 Kgs 25:1-30  ^a). While in exile in Babylon, the Israelites were able to build homes, have gardens, and live a fairly good life with some religious freedom (Jer 29:4-5  ^b). Some attained positions of power (Dan 3  ^c, 6  ^d).
God had promised to return his people to the holy land after seventy years (2 Chr 36:21  ^e; Jer 25:12  ^f; 29:10  ^g). Around 559 BC, the Persian prince Cyrus II subdued the Medes and fused them into what would become the Persian empire. Then, in 539 BC, the Persians defeated the Babylonians, paving the way for this promise to be fulfilled. In 538 BC, Cyrus began to allow the Jewish people to leave Babylon. Sheshbazzar led the first group of exiles to return to their homeland (Ezra 1:1-8  ^h).
When the people of Israel and Judah had been deported to foreign lands, the Assyrians and Babylonians had settled other conquered peoples in the land of Israel. The returning Jewish exiles found these foreigners inhabiting the land that they sought to reclaim and rebuild. These foreigners claimed to worship the same God as the Jews, but they actually advocated a “melting pot” religion that combined pagan and Jewish ideas and practices. These foreigners wanted to worship with the returning Jews. The Jews recognized the spiritual compromise that would entail (4:3  ⁱ) and refused the foreigners any part in their community. As a result, the Jewish community experienced severe opposition from the foreigners living in the land. Although this stand led to many years of conflict and a delay in Temple reconstruction, the Exile had taught the Jews that compromising the purity of their faith would yield worse results.
Several decades later, Ezra arrived in Jerusalem. He found that some of the Israelites had compromised their faith by marrying foreigners (9:1-2  ^j). God had expressly forbidden such marriage because it would inevitably lead to adopting pagan religious beliefs (Deut 7:3-4  ^k; Josh 23:12-13  ^l). This sin would surely bring God’s judgment if it were not confessed and rectified (9:13-15  ^m; 10:14  ⁿ). Ezra led the people to separate themselves from the pagans and renew their covenant with God (10:1-11  ^o).


Chronological Summary
Ezra retraces events in Judah from 538 to about 450 BC.
538–536 BC. After Cyrus’s decree allowing Jews to return to their homeland (538 BC, 1:1-4  ^p), a group of about 50,000 returnees set out for Jerusalem, where they reestablished the Jewish community, built a new altar (1:5–3:6  ^q), and began rebuilding the Temple (3:7-13  ^r). These Jews refused to compromise their beliefs by joining together with local unbelievers. Local opposition soon halted all progress in their rebuilding effort (4:1-5  ^s).
520–515 BC. Almost two decades later, God used the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to motivate his people to continue rebuilding the Temple (5:1–6:12  ^t). The Jews responded, and with support from Persia, the Temple was completed in 515 BC without further interference (see also Hag 1:2-6  ^u; Zech 4:9  ^v; 6:12-15  ^w; 8:9  ^x).
486–445 BC. The Jews later experienced opposition during their initial attempt to rebuild the city and its walls (Ezra 4:6-23  ^y).
458 BC. Ezra traveled to Jerusalem to administer government affairs (7:1-26  ^z). He learned that some people were not following the laws of Moses but were marrying unbelievers and defiling Israel. After Ezra interceded for God’s mercy, he led an official judicial investigation of this matter. Many Israelites repented of their sins and divorced their pagan wives (9:1–10:44  ^aa).
445 BC. Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem and succeeded in rebuilding its walls amid much opposition and difficulty (see Neh 1–7  ^ab).


Authorship
Traditionally, Ezra and Nehemiah are considered a single book written by Ezra. As a scribe, Ezra would have had access to many of the official documents included in the book.
Some also maintain that Ezra wrote Chronicles because the last verses in 2 Chronicles (2 Chr 36:22-23  ^ac) are very similar to the first verses in Ezra (Ezra 1:1-3  ^ad). The books have common vocabulary and similar theological viewpoints. Many scholars reject this conclusion, however, on the grounds that the linguistic and theological differences between Chronicles and Ezra—Nehemiah far outweigh the similarities.


Language and Sources
Most of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, but the book of Ezra contains two sections written in Aramaic (4:8–6:18  ^ae and 7:12-26  ^af), the common language of the Persian empire. The six official documents in these sections are: Rehum’s letter to King Artaxerxes (4:8-16  ^ag), Artaxerxes’ letter to Rehum (4:17-22  ^ah), Tattenai’s letter to King Darius (5:6-17  ^ai), Cyrus’s decree to build the Temple in Jerusalem (6:3-5  ^aj), Darius’s letter to Tattenai (6:6-12  ^ak), and Artaxerxes’ letter to Ezra (7:12-26  ^al). The authentic character of these documents helps verify the historical truthfulness of Ezra’s account.
Ezra also includes several documents written in Hebrew: the decree of Cyrus (1:2-4  ^am); a list of Temple vessels (1:9-11  ^an); a list of the Israelites who first returned to Jerusalem (2:1-69  ^ao); a list of those who returned with Ezra (8:1-14  ^ap); a list of treasures Ezra brought to Jerusalem with him (8:26-27  ^aq); and a list of the men who divorced pagan wives (10:18-44  ^ar). These lists assured the Jewish people that Ezra kept accurate records. Only the original holy objects would be used in the Temple, only those on the official list of Israelites could worship at the Temple, and only the men who divorced pagan wives would be included in the holy people of God. By including these details, Ezra took great care to distinguish between what was holy and what was not.


Meaning and Message
The people of God felt helpless as they returned to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon. They faced the threat of robbers on their long trip back to Jerusalem, opposition to their presence in Jerusalem from neighbors, an inability to influence Persian government policies, and the enormous task of rebuilding a nation in ruins. How could they follow God when so many things were out of their control? Ezra focuses on four key themes to explain how God accomplishes his will in the lives of his people.
1. Everything that happens results from God’s sovereign control over Israel’s history. God prompted Cyrus to allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem after seventy years of exile (Ezra 1:1-4  ^as). God also promised that treasures from other nations would flow to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple (Hag 2:7-8  ^at); this happened (Ezra 6:6-12  ^au) because God changed Darius’s heart (6:22  ^av). Later, when Ezra came to Jerusalem, God moved Artaxerxes to give Ezra everything he needed (7:6  ^aw). And it was God who protected the Jews from attack as they traveled to Jerusalem (8:22  ^ax, 31  ^ay). Ezra recognized that the future of the nation was in God’s hand (9:6-15  ^az). Only a believer who is convinced that God is sovereign over this world will be able to remain faithful to God in the midst of conflict, difficulty, and discouragement.
2. God’s people must be pure and separate from sinfulness in this world. Ezra, a priest from the line of Aaron (7:1-5  ^ba), was strong in his conviction regarding separateness. So were the early returnees who refused to cooperate with the local pagan people (4:1-5  ^bb). While this led to many years of frustration and conflict, the people knew that they could not compromise the purity of their faith and still remain the people of God. When Ezra later arrived in Jerusalem, this commitment was not evident among those living there (9:1-2  ^bc). Ezra recognized the crisis (9:3-15  ^bd) and led the people to renew their covenant with God and to separate themselves from pagans (10:1-11  ^be).
3. Following God’s word is of primary importance. As a scribe, Ezra was determined to study and obey the law of God and to teach it to others (7:10  ^bf). Ezra repeatedly explained his decisions by pointing to God’s instructions in Scripture. The king of Persia had instructed Ezra to teach and enforce the Mosaic laws (7:14  ^bg, 23-25  ^bh), and that is exactly what Ezra did (e.g., 8:35  ^bi; 9:1–10:17  ^bj).
4. Intercessory prayer invites God’s compassion and power. Ezra’s prayer of confession (9:6-15  ^bk) is a model of humility in seeking God’s grace. Ezra knew that these sinful people would not be moved by a sternly worded sermon condemning them. Instead, he tore his clothes, wept, and mourned over the sinfulness of the nation. God powerfully used his confession to pierce the hearts of the people, and a great revival took place (9:6–10:17  ^bl). Similarly, Ezra had earlier fasted and prayed for safety on their journey to Jerusalem, acknowledging that only God could protect them from attack (8:21-23  ^bm, 31-32  ^bn).


Summary for Ezra 1:1-3: 1:1-3  ^bo The first three verses of Ezra appear almost verbatim in 2 Chr 36:22-23  ^bp, suggesting continuity between the books. 1:1  ^bq King Cyrus II reigned over Persia from 559 to 530 BC. Cyrus and his Persian forces defeated the city of Babylon in October, 539 BC, just as Daniel had predicted (Dan 5  ^br).

• the prophecy ... through Jeremiah: God had promised to return his people after seventy years in exile (Jer 25:11-12  ^bs; 29:10  ^bt).

• God’s power over the heart and mind of this pagan king moved him to enact the decree that follows (see also Isa 13:17  ^bu; 41:2  ^bv, 25  ^bw; Jer 50:9  ^bx). God is sovereign, even when rulers and nations do not recognize his authority (Isa 10:5  ^by, 12-14  ^bz).
1:2  ^ca Though Cyrus speaks of the Lord, the God of heaven, Cyrus actually was a Zoroastrian. His proclamation, written in Hebrew, was probably political propaganda to gain Jewish support for his rule. In a similar statement to the Babylonians, Cyrus claimed to worship their chief god, Marduk. However, his words here do reflect that God had appointed him to build him a Temple at Jerusalem (see Isa 44:28  ^cb; 45:1  ^cc, 13  ^cd). He might have learned of such prophecies from Daniel, who served in his court as a high government official (Cyrus is apparently referred to by his Median name, Darius, in Dan 6:1-28  ^ce; 9:1  ^cf). God had long planned to raise up Cyrus and give him a vision to restore worship at Jerusalem (Isa 44:28  ^cg; 45:13  ^ch; 48:14-15  ^ci).
1:3  ^cj Any of you who are his people may go: The Assyrians and Babylonians had ruled their empires by deporting people and spreading them out in cities throughout their empires. The Persians, by contrast, returned exiled people to their homelands, expecting the returned people to be thankful, obey the Persians, and pay their taxes.
1:4  ^ck Cyrus was probably not urging Babylonian neighbors of the Jewish remnant to help the Hebrews. Rather, he was encouraging Jews who had decided to stay in Babylon to help their countrymen who were returning to Jerusalem.
Summary for Ezra 1:5-6: 1:5-6  ^cl As he had done with the heart of Cyrus (1:1  ^cm), God stirred the hearts of Israel’s leaders.

• Very few priests and Levites actually responded (see 2:36-42  ^cn). Most of the people who did respond were from two tribes, Judah and Benjamin. Persian documents show that many Jews stayed in Babylon, where they had homes, businesses, and relatives. A dangerous four-month trip back to the desolate city of Jerusalem, now inhabited by foreigners, was not an inviting choice compared to their comfortable life in Babylon. It was much easier to give many valuable gifts and voluntary offerings to those who did return.
1:7  ^co Many articles ... from the Lord’s Temple had been taken to Babylon (see 2 Chr 36:7  ^cp; Dan 1:2  ^cq). By putting these items in his pagan temple, Nebuchadnezzar had attempted to show his god’s power over the Hebrew God. However, God had promised the return of all the stolen items (see Jer 27:16-22  ^cr). The items from the Temple were holy utensils, acceptable to God for worship and very valuable to the returning worshipers.
1:8  ^cs Sheshbazzar was the Persian-appointed governor of Judah who laid the foundation of the Temple (5:14-16  ^ct). Some believe that Zerubbabel (3:2  ^cu, 8  ^cv) was the same person with a new name (cp. Dan 1:7  ^cw). However, both names are Babylonian, so it is more likely that these two leaders worked together on the Temple foundation and that Zerubbabel later took over as governor when Sheshbazzar died.
Summary for Ezra 1:9-11: 1:9-11  ^cx 5,400 articles of gold and silver: The numbers listed total only 2,499 items. A parallel account, in the apocryphal book 1 Esdras 2:13-15, lists 5,469 items, while a list in the Jewish historian Josephus’s Antiquities 11.15 lists 5,220 objects. Ezra’s shortened list illustrates the kind of items included but does not include every item. Keeping track of consecrated utensils reduced the possibility of confusing these sacred items with the pagan utensils used in the worship of other gods.

‏ Ezra 2

Summary for Ezra 2:1-70: 2:1-70  ^cy This chapter is the first of Ezra’s major digressions from the main story line. The returning exiles needed to keep track of who the true Jews were so that the community could maintain its identity (by knowing whom they could marry) and theological purity (by knowing who could worship at the Temple). This list is not an initial list (cp. Neh 7:6-73  ^cz) of all the Jews who returned to Jerusalem but a slightly later list (after Sheshbazzar had died) of people who had settled in their towns.
2:2  ^da Jeshua (a variant spelling of Joshua), son of Jehozadak (3:2  ^db, 8  ^dc), from the line of Aaron, was the high priest (Hag 1:1  ^dd; Zech 3:1  ^de). The Nehemiah mentioned here is not the person who later built the walls of Jerusalem, nor is this Mordecai the famous relative of Esther.
Summary for Ezra 2:3-20: 2:3-20  ^df The family of: In the ancient Near East, an individual’s identity was closely connected to the question, “Who are your father and your family?” Ultimately, the priests were identified as the sons of Aaron. If this link could not be verified, they were barred from service (2:61-62  ^dg). Others were identified by a well-known elder in their group.
Summary for Ezra 2:21-35: 2:21-35  ^dh The people of ... The citizens of: Some of the returnees were identified by their towns of origin. Apparently, not all knew their genealogical histories or had large families with renowned leaders. Most of the cities mentioned were concentrated in a relatively small area in the vicinity of Jerusalem.
Summary for Ezra 2:36-42: 2:36-42  ^di the priests ... the Levites: Only seventy-four Levites returned to Jerusalem—a very low number. Ezra later worked hard to get thirty-eight more to come with him (see study note on 8:18).
Summary for Ezra 2:41-42: 2:41-42  ^dj The singers played instruments and sang for worship at the Temple (1 Chr 25:1-31  ^dk; Pss 73–83  ^dl) while the gatekeepers regulated the Temple gates and storehouses (1 Chr 9:26-27  ^dm; 2 Chr 23:19  ^dn; Neh 12:25  ^do).

• Asaph was one of the three Levites David had appointed to conduct music at the Temple (1 Chr 16:5  ^dp, 7  ^dq), and he wrote a collection of psalms (Pss 50  ^dr, 73–83  ^ds). His family carried on his work (1 Chr 25:1-7  ^dt).
Summary for Ezra 2:43-54: 2:43-54  ^du The Temple servants were probably descendants of the Gibeonites (Josh 9:23-27  ^dv). They assisted the Levites (8:20  ^dw) by carrying water and wood and by sweeping floors.
Summary for Ezra 2:55-58: 2:55-58  ^dx The descendants of the servants of King Solomon are connected with the Temple servants (2:43-54  ^dy). Their names might indicate their responsibilities: e.g., Hassophereth (“the scribe”) probably kept inventories, and Pokereth-hazzebaim (“gazelle-hunter”) likely hunted game.
Summary for Ezra 2:59-60: 2:59-60  ^dz Some returnees believed in Israel’s God but had no genealogical records to prove that they were Israelites. Without this information, the other Israelites did not know whether to treat them as brothers and intermarry with them or to treat them as outsiders. The genealogies in 1 Chr 1–9  ^ea illustrate how carefully many family histories were kept.
Summary for Ezra 2:61-63: 2:61-63  ^eb were not found: The lack of a genealogy was problematic for three families (2:61-62  ^ec). They were excluded from priestly privileges or responsibilities until the high priest received divine direction through the use of the Urim and Thummim to determine the will of God (see Exod 28:30  ^ed; Num 27:21  ^ee). Although using the Urim and Thummim resembled throwing dice or drawing straws, when done by the priest, the result was a divine decision rather than blind chance.
Summary for Ezra 2:64-66: 2:64-66  ^ef 42,360 people: This number, which does not match the total of individuals (28,774) listed in 2:3-42  ^eg, might include children.

• The large number of servants and animals shows that some of the Jews who returned were wealthy.
Summary for Ezra 2:68-69: 2:68-69  ^eh As when the Tabernacle was built (Exod 25:2-7  ^ei; 35:4-9  ^ej) and the Temple was renovated (2 Kgs 12:1-21  ^ek), the people gave voluntary offerings to finance this effort. These funds supplemented the provincial grant by Darius (Ezra 6:8  ^el) and gifts from Israelites who stayed in Babylon (1:6  ^em). Each gave as much as he could based on his resources.
2:69  ^en Each of the gold coins (Hebrew darics) was worth a month’s wages for a professional soldier.

• 6,250 pounds (Hebrew 5,000 minas): Each mina weighed 20 ounces and was equal to 60 shekels of silver; each shekel was worth an average worker’s monthly wages.

‏ Ezra 3

Summary for Ezra 3:1-4:5: 3:1–4:5  ^eo After resettling in various towns in Judah, the community turned to restoring the worship of God at Jerusalem. They quickly rebuilt the altar and began regular sacrifices in time to celebrate the Jewish festivals (3:4  ^ep), and then they began the more difficult task of rebuilding the Temple itself (3:8  ^eq). Soon they faced opposition from local foreigners (4:1-5  ^er). 3:1  ^es Festivals in early autumn (literally in the seventh month) included the Festival of Trumpets (see Lev 23:23-25  ^et), the Day of Atonement (see Lev 16  ^eu), and the Festival of Shelters (see Lev 23:34-36  ^ev).
3:2  ^ew Jeshua (Hag 1:1  ^ex; Zech 3:1  ^ey) was the high priest (Neh 12:1  ^ez). However, Ezra never used this title (Ezra 2:2  ^fa; 3:2  ^fb; 4:3  ^fc; 5:2  ^fd), which suggests that the title was given after the Temple was completed (6:15  ^fe).

• Zerubbabel served as the Persian-appointed governor of Judah (Hag 1:1  ^ff), most likely after the death of Sheshbazzar (see study note on Ezra 1:8). He was the grandson of King Jehoiachin of Judah (1 Chr 3:17  ^fg).
3:3  ^fh The local residents were foreigners resettled from abroad by the Assyrian king Esarhaddon (680–669 BC) after the people of the northern kingdom of Israel were exiled in 722 BC (2 Kgs 17:24-40  ^fi). Some had moved into the Jerusalem area during Judah’s seventy-year exile. A pagan altar might have been erected on the site, and it needed to be torn down before the new one, dedicated to the Lord, could be built.

• at its old site (Literally on its foundations): It was important to place the altar at the exact sacred spot where Solomon’s altar had been to connect with the authentic worship carried on before the Exile.

• Daily morning and evening sacrifices (see Exod 29:38-42  ^fj; Num 28:3-8  ^fk) dedicated the day to God.
3:4  ^fl The seven-day Festival of Shelters ... prescribed in the Law (Lev 23:33-36  ^fm; Num 29:12-38  ^fn; Deut 16:13-16  ^fo) reminded the people of God’s guidance and care during the forty years the nation spent in tents during the wilderness journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. This festival was especially significant to those who had just experienced a similar journey from a foreign land, living in tents as they walked to the Promised Land.
Summary for Ezra 3:5-6: 3:5-6  ^fp The catalog of sacrifices, offered even before the Temple’s foundation was laid, showed the people’s enthusiasm for faithfully worshiping God at every opportunity. They did everything exactly as they were instructed in the law.

• The new moon celebrations took place on the first day of every Hebrew month; the sacrifices and blowing of trumpets reminded the people of God’s covenant with them (Num 10:10  ^fq; 28:11-15  ^fr).

• Voluntary offerings were such gifts as money for building the Temple (Exod 35:29  ^fs; 36:3  ^ft). The Hebrew term can also refer to peace offerings of meat or bread that were eaten to celebrate fellowship with God (Lev 7:11-21  ^fu).
3:7  ^fv Tyre and Sidon: Few tall and straight trees grew in the dry climate of Judah, and those that had grown in Israel had already been cut down. Therefore, skilled laborers were hired in countries that had tall trees (see also 1 Chr 22:1-5  ^fw; 2 Chr 2:7-16  ^fx).
3:8  ^fy In midspring, the dry season was beginning and workers would not have to contend with mud.

• The second year after they arrived was probably 536 BC. The delay in rebuilding reflects the time it took to get wood from Lebanon to Jerusalem.

• The work force was made up of everyone: This showed the spirit of unity among the returned exiles. Putting the Levites ... in charge ensured that the work was done according to God’s specifications.
Summary for Ezra 3:10-11: 3:10-11  ^fz The music at this dedication ceremony sounded similar to the singing when Solomon first brought the Ark into the Temple (2 Chr 5:12-13  ^ga). Both events caused the worshipers to givesing praise and thanks ... to the Lord for his faithful covenant love and goodness.

• as King David had prescribed: See 1 Chr 25:1-7  ^gb.
3:12  ^gc Those who wept aloud either were disappointed that the foundation of the Temple wasn’t as wonderful as the old one had been (cp. Hag 2:3  ^gd) or were deeply moved with joy at seeing the Temple of the Lord restored.

‏ Ezra 4

4:1  ^ge Judah and Benjamin: Most of the exiles who had returned were from these two tribes of Israel (1:5  ^gf).
4:2  ^gg King Esarhaddon of Assyria (680–669 BC) had deported the people of Israel to foreign lands and had relocated other conquered peoples to the land of Israel during the reign of King Manasseh in Judah. These foreigners had learned about the Lord when they entered the land of Israel but had also continued to worship their old gods (2 Kgs 17:27-34  ^gh, 40-41  ^gi).
4:3  ^gj The key political, religious, and tribal leaders spoke with a unified voice against the foreigners’ proposal, which would have opened the door for their idolatrous beliefs. The Jews did not want to make the same mistake as their ancestors, who were sent into exile as a result of worshiping the false gods of the Canaanites.

• as King Cyrus of Persia commanded us: See 1:2-4  ^gk.
4:4  ^gl Realizing that they would have no way to influence an established Jewish community (4:1-3  ^gm), the foreigners took hostile measures to neutralize the growing political power of the Israelites.
4:5  ^gn The people paid a heavy price for their uncompromising commitment to holiness.

• King Cyrus reigned until 530 BC. Darius (Darius I) took the throne of Persia in 521 BC. Work on the Temple resumed in 520 BC and was finished in 515 BC (see 6:15  ^go).
Summary for Ezra 4:6-23: 4:6-23  ^gp These verses are a parenthetical discussion of later opposition to Jewish rebuilding efforts. The account actually belongs with much later events in the reign of Xerxes (486–465 BC) and Artaxerxes I (465–424 BC), but it is included here because it fits with the theme of opposition. Chronologically, 4:6  ^gq fits between chs 6  ^gr and 7  ^gs, while 4:7-23  ^gt fits before Neh 1  ^gu.
4:7  ^gv The exact date of these events is unknown, but they might have occurred around the same time as an Egyptian revolt in 448 BC (a few years before Artaxerxes I sent Nehemiah to Jerusalem in 445 BC). If so, the enemies of Judah and Artaxerxes probably thought that the Jews would revolt as the Egyptians had.

• Aramaic was the international diplomatic language of the Persian Empire.
4:9  ^gw Adding greetings from an assortment of key political figures and local ethnic leaders would give credibility to the letter’s accusations and ensure that the message would have maximum political weight.

• Judges were trusted court officials who knew the Persian laws.

• Having the support of people from the Mesopotamian cities of Babylon and Erech and the Persian city of Susa would make the case against the Jews more persuasive.
4:10  ^gx Ashurbanipal had deported people from other conquered lands into the lands of Israel and Aram (see 2 Kgs 17:24-41  ^gy).

• The city of Samaria was the former capital of the northern kingdom of Israel.

• The province west of the Euphrates River included Syria, Israel, and Judah.
Summary for Ezra 4:11-22: 4:11-22  ^gz Ezra includes a copy in Aramaic of the letter sent to Artaxerxes and his reply.
4:13  ^ha A tribute was an annual fixed tax, customs were probably sales taxes, and tolls were probably charges for using roads. Previous rulers had collected considerable revenue from the region (4:20  ^hb; cp. 1 Kgs 10:14-15  ^hc).
4:14  ^hd Since we are your loyal subjects: The Aramaic phrase we eat the salt of the palace was a metaphor for taking an oath of loyalty to the king.

• The letter’s authors claimed that their only interest was to preserve the honor of the king, but they were actually grasping for power and political advantage over the Jews.
Summary for Ezra 4:15-16: 4:15-16  ^he The Persians had access to Babylonian records, which described Jerusalem’s revolts against Nebuchadnezzar (see 2 Kgs 24:1-7  ^hf).

• The claim that the Persians would lose the whole province west of the Euphrates was an exaggeration: The Jews actually comprised a small minority in that province.
4:18  ^hg The letter was translated from Aramaic to Persian, the king’s native language.
Summary for Ezra 4:19-20: 4:19-20  ^hh King Jehoiakim (609–598 BC) had rebelled against Babylon in about 601 BC, and King Zedekiah (597–586 BC) had rebelled in about 588 BC (see 2 Kgs 25:2  ^hi).
4:21  ^hj except at my express command: Work on the walls remained stopped until 445 BC, when Nehemiah, Artaxerxes’ cup-bearer, gained his permission to resume reconstruction (see Neh 2:1-6  ^hk).
4:23  ^hl A military unit probably forced the Jews to stop building and enforced the king’s wishes. Part of the rebuilt wall might have been torn down at this time (cp. Neh 1:3  ^hm).

• This verse ends the parenthetical section that began in Ezra 4:6  ^hn.
Summary for Ezra 4:24-5:5: 4:24–5:5  ^ho Ezra now returns to telling about the building of the Temple in 520–515 BC. 4:24  ^hp The events of the following verses occurred approximately sixteen years after the events up through 4:5  ^hq.

‏ Ezra 5

5:1  ^hr Haggai first prophesied on August 29, 520 BC (Hag 1:1  ^hs). Zechariah began prophesying about two months later (Zech 1:1  ^ht). The books of Haggai and Zechariah record their messages (see also Ezra 6:14  ^hu).
5:2  ^hv The Jewish leaders had not led by faith (see Hag 1:1  ^hw, 12  ^hx). Now God’s Spirit stirred them up (Hag 1:14  ^hy), and they obeyed by getting to work.

• Zerubbabel and Jeshua figure prominently in the books of Haggai and Zechariah.
5:3  ^hz Who gave you permission? Unlike the hostile opposition recorded in ch 4  ^ia, this seems to have been a routine inquiry to make sure that everything was done according to official requirements.
5:5  ^ib God was watching over them: All credit goes to God’s sovereign control of events, not to any human leader or prophet. God had promised that the ruins would be rebuilt (Isa 44:26  ^ic).
Summary for Ezra 5:6-17: 5:6-17  ^id Ezra includes a copy in Aramaic of Tattenai’s letter to King Darius. Unlike the letter of 4:11-16  ^ie, this letter was a straightforward inquiry into the validity of the Jews’ activity. 5:6  ^if other officials: A Persian term for inspectors or investigators.
5:8  ^ig the great God: This title was a Persian way of referring to an important high deity; it does not indicate that the provincial authorities believed in Israel’s God.

• Following the pattern of Solomon’s Temple (1 Kgs 6:36  ^ih), after every three rows of prepared stones, a layer of timber was laid in its walls (see Ezra 6:4  ⁱⁱ) to reduce potential damage from earthquakes.
5:11  ^ij the God of heaven: This title would be understood by the Persians: He was the universal high God, not an insignificant local deity.

• a great king of Israel: Solomon (see 1 Kgs 5–8  ^ik).
5:12  ^il destroyed this Temple and exiled the people: See 2 Kgs 25:9-17  ^im.
5:13  ⁱⁿ a decree: See 1:1-4  ^io.
Summary for Ezra 5:14-15: 5:14-15  ^ip The Jews provided detailed information that the Persians could check for accuracy (see 1:7-11  ^iq).
5:16  ^ir Most likely, Sheshbazzar began the work and Zerubbabel finished it (see study note on 1:8).

‏ Ezra 6

6:2  ^is The fortress at Ecbatana, the king’s summer home, was located about 300 miles northeast of Babylon. This suggests that Cyrus wrote the scroll in the summer of 538 BC.

• Media was a mountainous area north of Persia and east of Assyria. This area is now inhabited by the Kurds (descendants of the Medes).

• Texts introduced by the term Memorandum tended to be summaries that listed the main facts of an event for the royal archives (cp. 1:9-10  ^it).
6:3  ^iu This decree is recorded in Ezra 1:2-4  ^iv.

• The Temple’s height will be ninety feet, and its width will be ninety feet: The emendations given in the NLT textual note would make these measurements match those of Solomon’s Temple (1 Kgs 6:2  ^iw, 17  ^ix, 20  ^iy). But the larger measurements given here might represent the maximum size that the Persians would fund.
6:4  ^iz All expenses will be paid by the royal treasury. Although it seems surprising that the Persians would do this, it was consistent with Persian practice elsewhere (e.g., at Sais and Elephantine in Egypt, and at Ur in Mesopotamia). Such generosity was designed to ensure loyalty to Persia.
6:8  ^ja You must pay the full construction costs: This command fulfilled God’s promise through Haggai (Hag 2:7  ^jb).
6:10  ^jc pray for the welfare of the king and his sons: In the Cyrus Cylinder (a Persian account of Cyrus’s defeat of Babylon), King Cyrus requests, “May all the gods whom I have resettled in their sacred cities ask [the Babylonian gods] Bel and Nebo daily for a long life for me” (see 1:1-4  ^jd).
Summary for Ezra 6:11-12: 6:11-12  ^je Those who violate this decree: Inscriptions and official decrees often included curses on those who opposed the will of the king (cp. Dan 2:5  ^jf).
6:15  ^jg Israel’s second Temple was finished approximately seventy years after its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC. Herod the Great remodeled and expanded this Temple at the time of Christ. The Temple stood for approximately 585 years until the Roman army of Titus destroyed it in AD 70.
6:17  ^jh 12 male goats ... a sin offering: This blood sacrifice brought God’s forgiveness for unintentional sins, ceremonial uncleanness, or thoughtless wrong acts (Lev 4–5  ^ji). Similar sacrifices were offered when Moses dedicated the Tabernacle (Num 7  ^jj) and when Solomon dedicated the first Temple (2 Chr 7:1  ^jk, 4  ^jl).

• for the twelve tribes of Israel: Although most returnees were from Judah and Benjamin (Ezra 1:5  ^jm; 4:1  ^jn), people from the priestly tribe of Levi are also mentioned (1:5  ^jo; 2:40  ^jp, 70  ^jq). It is also likely that there were returnees from some of the ten northern tribes of Israel. Even if all tribes were not physically represented, the twelve sacrifices emphasized the desire for God to maintain his covenant relationship with all Israel.
6:18  ^jr prescribed in the Book of Moses: See Exod 29  ^js; Lev 8  ^jt; Num 3  ^ju. The Temple personnel operated according to the organization instituted by David (1 Chr 23–27  ^jv).

• This verse concludes the Aramaic section that began in Ezra 4:8  ^jw.
6:19  ^jx The Passover celebration commemorates God’s sparing of the firstborn of each family that put blood on the doorposts of their home (Exod 12–13  ^jy). This occasion was the first time any of these people had celebrated a joyous national festival.
6:20  ^jz purified themselves: They acted in accord with the law of Moses (see Lev 9  ^ka; Num 8  ^kb; 2 Chr 29  ^kc).
6:21  ^kd and by the others in the land who had turned from their immoral customs: The exclusion of foreigners in 4:1-5  ^ke was due to their pagan religious practices, not their ethnicity (see also 9:1-2  ^kf).
6:22  ^kg Passover was the beginning of the seven-day Festival of Unleavened Bread (see Exod 12:15-20  ^kh; Lev 23:6-8  ^ki), a time of feasting in remembrance of the unleavened bread eaten when Israel left Egypt.

• the Lord had caused: Although Darius I was the powerful king of a vast empire, God directed his heart to help rebuild the Temple of God.