Ezr 6:13-22 | TNotes

6:15 ^a 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 ^b 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 ^c). Similar sacrifices were offered when Moses dedicated the Tabernacle (Num 7 ^d) and when Solomon dedicated the first Temple (2 Chr 7:1 ^e, 4 ^f).

• for the twelve tribes of Israel: Although most returnees were from Judah and Benjamin (Ezra 1:5 ^g; 4:1 ^h), people from the priestly tribe of Levi are also mentioned (1:5 ⁱ; 2:40 ^j, 70 ^k). 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 ^l prescribed in the Book of Moses: See Exod 29 ^m; Lev 8 ⁿ; Num 3 ^o. The Temple personnel operated according to the organization instituted by David (1 Chr 23–27 ^p).

• This verse concludes the Aramaic section that began in Ezra 4:8 ^q.
6:19 ^r 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 ^s). This occasion was the first time any of these people had celebrated a joyous national festival.
6:20 ^t purified themselves: They acted in accord with the law of Moses (see Lev 9 ^u; Num 8 ^v; 2 Chr 29 ^w).
6:21 ^x and by the others in the land who had turned from their immoral customs: The exclusion of foreigners in 4:1-5 ^y was due to their pagan religious practices, not their ethnicity (see also 9:1-2 ^z).
6:22 ^aa Passover was the beginning of the seven-day Festival of Unleavened Bread (see Exod 12:15-20 ^ab; Lev 23:6-8 ^ac), 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.