1Then King Darius issued a decree, and a search was made in the house of the scrolls, where the treasures were stored in Babylon. 2And at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found, and in it a record was written thus: 3In the first year of King Cyrus, King Cyrus issued a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem: Let the house be rebuilt, the place where they offered sacrifices; and let the foundations of it be firmly laid, its height sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits, 4with three rows of heavy stones and one row of new timber. Let the expenses be paid out of the king's house. 5Also let the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and taken back to the temple in Jerusalem, each to its place; and deposit them in the house of God. 6Now therefore, Tatnai, governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and your associates the Persians who are beyond the River, keep yourselves far from there. 7Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God on its place. 8Moreover I issue a decree as to what you shall do for the elders of these Jews, for the building of this house of God: Let the king's riches from the tribute of the region beyond the River be diligently given to these men for their expenses, so that they are not hindered. 9And whatever they need; young bulls, rams, and lambs for the burnt offerings of the God of Heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the command of the priests who are in Jerusalem; let it be given them day by day without fail, 10that they may offer sacrifices of soothing aroma unto the God of Heaven, and pray for the life of the king and his sons. 11Also I issue a decree that whoever alters this edict, let a timber be pulled from his house and erected, and let him be hanged on it; and let his house be made a refuse heap for this. 12And may the God who causes His name to dwell there destroy any king or people who put their hand to alter it, or to destroy this house of God which is in Jerusalem. I, Darius, issue a decree; let it be done diligently. 13Then Tatnai, governor of the region beyond the River, Shethar-Boznai, and their associates diligently did according to what King Darius had sent. 14So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the command of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. 15And the house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. 16Then the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites and the rest of the sons of the captivity, carried out the dedication of this house of God with joy. 17And they offered at the dedication of this house of God, one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. 18They assigned the priests to their divisions and the Levites to their divisions, over the service of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses. 19And the sons of the captivity observed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. 20For the priests and the Levites were purified together; all of them were pure. And they slaughtered the Passover lambs for all the sons of the captivity, for their brethren the priests, and for themselves. 21Then the children of Israel who had returned from the captivity ate together with all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the nations of the land in order to seek Jehovah the God of Israel. 22And they observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for Jehovah had made them joyful, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary 1 We have here, I. The decree of Cyrus for the building of the temple repeated. To this the Samaritans referred because the Jews pleaded it, and perhaps hoped it would not be found, and then their plea would be over-ruled and a stop put to their work. Search was ordered to be made for it among the records; for, it seems, the tribes had not taken care to provide themselves with an authentic copy of it, which might have stood them in good stead, but they must appeal to the original. It was looked for in Babylon (
Ezra 6:1), where Cyrus was when he signed it. But, when it was not found there, Darius did not make that a pretence to conclude that therefore there was no such decree, and thereupon to give judgment against the Jews; but it is probable, having himself heard that such a decree was certainly made, he ordered the rolls in other places to be searched, and at length it was found at Achmetha, in the province of the Medes,
Ezra 6:2. Perhaps some that durst not destroy it, yet hid it there, out of ill will to the Jews, that they might lose the benefit of it. But Providence so ordered that it came to light; and it is here inserted,
Ezra 6:3-
Ezra 6:5. 1. Here is a warrant for the building of the temple:
Let the house of God at Jerusalem, yea,
let that house be built (so it may be read), within such and such dimensions, and with such and such materials. 2. A warrant for the taking of the expenses of the building out of the king's revenue,
Ezra 6:4. We do not find that they had received what was here ordered them, the face of things at court being soon changed. 3. A warrant for the restoring of the vessels and utensils of the temple, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken away (
Ezra 6:5), with an order that the priests, the Lord's ministers, should return them all to their places in the house of God.
II. The confirmation of it by a decree of Darius, grounded upon it and in pursuance of it.
1. The decree of Darius is very explicit and satisfactory.
(1.) He forbids his officers to do any thing in opposition to the building of the temple. The manner of expression intimates that he knew they had a mind to hinder it:
Be you far hence (
Ezra 6:6);
let the work of this house of God alone, Ezra 6:7. Thus was the wrath of the enemy
made to praise God and the remainder thereof did he restrain.
(2.) He orders them out of his own revenue to assist the builders with money, [1.] For carrying on the building,
Ezra 6:8. Herein he pursues the example of Cyrus,
Ezra 6:4. [2.] For maintaining the sacrifices there when it was built,
Ezra 6:9. He ordered that they should be supplied with every thing they wanted both for burnt-offerings and meat-offerings. He was content it should be a rent-charge upon his revenue, and ordered it to be paid every day, and this without fail, that they might offer sacrifices and prayers with them (for the patriarchs, when they offered sacrifice,
called on the name of the Lord, so did Samuel, Elijah, and others) for the life (that is, the happiness and prosperity) of the king and his sons,
Ezra 6:10. See here how he gives honour,
First, To Israel's God, whom he calls once and again the
God of heaven. Secondly, To his ministers, in ordering his commissioners to give out supplies for the temple service at the appointment of the priests. Those that thought to control them must now be, in this matter, at their command. It was a new thing for God's priests to have such an interest in the public money.
Thirdly, To prayer:
That they may pray for the life of the king. He knew they were a praying people, and had heard that God was nigh to them in all that which they called upon him for. He was sensible he needed their prayers and might receive benefit by them, and was kind to them in order that he might have an interest in their prayers. It is the duty of God's people to pray for those that are in authority over them, not only for the good and gentle, but also for the forward; but they are particularly bound in gratitude to pray for their protectors and benefactors; and it is the wisdom of princes to desire their prayers, and to engage them. Let not the greatest princes despise the prayers of the meanest saints; it is desirable to have them for us, and dreadful to have them against us.
(3.) He enforces his decree with a penalty (
Ezra 6:11): Let none either oppose the work and service of the temple or withhold the supports granted to it by the crown upon pain of death. If any alter this decree, let him be (
hanged before his own door as we say), hanged upon a beam of his own house, and, as an execrable man,
let his house be made a dunghill. (4.) He entails a divine curse upon all those kings and people that should ever have any hand in the destruction of this house,
Ezra 6:12. What he would not do himself for the protection of the temple he desired that God,
to whom vengeance belongs, would do. This bespeaks him zealous in the cause; and though this temple was, at length, most justly destroyed by the righteous hand of God, yet perhaps the Romans, who were the instruments of that destruction, felt the effects of this curse, for that empire sensibly declined ever after.
2. From all this we learn, (1.) That the heart of kings is in the hand of God, and he turns it which way soever he pleases; what they are he makes them to be, for he is
King of kings. (2.) That when God's time has come for the accomplishing of his gracious purposes concerning his church he will raise up instruments to promote them from whom such good service was not expected.
The earth sometimes helps the woman (
Revel 12:16), and those are made use of for the defence of religion who have little religion themselves. (3.) That what is intended for the prejudice of the church has often, by the overruling providence of God, been made serviceable to it,
Phili 1:12. The enemies of the Jews, in appealing to Darius, hoped to get an order to suppress them, but, instead of that, they got an order to supply them. Thus
out of the eater comes forth meat. The apocryphal Esdras (or Ezra), Book 1 ch. 3 and 4, gives another account of this decree in favour of the Jews, that Darius had vowed that if ever he came to the kingdom he would build the temple at Jerusalem, and that Zerubbabel, who was one of his attendants (whereas it is plain here that he was now at Jerusalem), for making an ingenious discourse before him on that subject (
Great is the truth and will prevail ), was told to ask what recompence he would, and asked only for this order, in pursuance of the king's vow.
13 Here we have, I. The Jews' enemies made their friends. When they received this order from the king they came with as much haste to encourage and assist the work as their predecessors had done to put a stop to it,
Ezra 4:23. What the king ordered they did, and, because they would not be thought to do it with reluctance, they
did it speedily, Ezra 6:13. The king's moderation made them, contrary to their own inclination, moderate too.
II. The building of the temple carried on, and finished in a little time,
Ezra 6:14,
Ezra 6:15. Now the
elders of the Jews built with cheerfulness. For aught I know, the elders themselves laboured at it
with their own hands; and, if they did, it was no disparagement to their eldership, but an encouragement to the other workmen. 1. They found themselves bound to it
by the commandment of the God of Israel, who had given them power that they might use it in his service. 2. They found themselves shamed into it by the commandment of the heathen kings, Cyrus formerly, Darius now, and Artaxerxes some time after. Can the elders of the Jews be remiss in this good work when these foreign princes appear so warm in it? Shall native Israelites grudge their pains and care about this building when strangers grudge not to be at the expense of it? 3. They found themselves encouraged in it by the prophesying of Haggai and Zechariah, who, it is likely, represented to them (as bishop Patrick suggests) the wonderful goodness of God in inclining the heart of the king of Persia to favour them thus. And now the work went on so prosperously that, in four hears' time, it was brought to perfection.
As for God, his work is perfect. The gospel church, that spiritual temple, is long in the building, but it will be finished at last, when the mystical body is completed. Every believer is a
living temple, building up himself in his most holy faith. Much opposition is given to this work by Satan and our own corruptions. We trifle, and proceed in it with many stops and pauses; but he that has
begun the good work will see it performed, and will
bring forth judgment unto victory. Spirits of just men will be
made perfect. III. The dedication of the temple. When it was built, being designed only for sacred uses,
they showed by an example how it should be used, which (says bishop Patrick) is the proper sense of the word
dedicate. They entered upon it with solemnity and probably with a public declaration of the separating of it from common uses and the surrender of it to the honour of God, to be employed in his worship. 1. The persons employed in this service were not only
the priests and Levites who officiated, but
the children of Israel, some of each of the
twelve tribes, though Judah and Benjamin were the chief, and
the rest of the children of the captivity or
transportation, which intimates that there were many besides the children of Israel, of other nations, who transported themselves with them, and became proselytes to their religion, unless we read it,
even the remnant of the children of the captivity, and then, we may suppose, notice is hereby taken of their mean and afflicted condition, because the consideration of that helped to make them devout and serious in this and other religious exercises. A sad change! The
children of Israel have become
children of the captivity, and there appears but a remnant of
them, according to that prediction (
Isa 7:3),
Shear-jashub -
The remnant shall return. 2. The sacrifices that were offered upon this occasion were
bullocks, rams, and lambs (
Ezra 6:17), for burnt-offerings and peace-offerings; not to be compared, in number, with what had been offered at the dedication of Solomon's temple, but, being according to their present ability, they were accepted, for,
after a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy, and their deep poverty, abounded to the riches of their liberality, 2Cor 8:2. These hundreds were more to them than Solomon's thousands were to him. But, besides these, they offered twelve he-goats for sin-offerings, one for every tribe, to make atonement for their sins, which they looked upon as necessary in order to the acceptance of their services. Thus, by getting iniquity taken away, they would free themselves from that which had been the sting of their late troubles, and which, if not removed, would be a worm at the root of their present comforts. 3. This service was performed with joy. They were all glad to see the temple built and the concerns of it in so good a posture. Let us learn to welcome holy ordinances with joy and attend on them with pleasure. Let us serve the Lord with gladness. Whatever we dedicate to God, let it be done with joy that he will please to accept of it. 4. When they dedicated the house they settled the household. Small comfort could they have in the temple without the temple service, and therefore they
set the priests in their divisions and
the Levites in their courses, Ezra 6:18. Having set up the worship of God in this dedication, they took care to keep it up, and made
the book of Moses their rule, to which they had an eye in this establishment. Though the temple service could not now be performed with so much pomp and plenty as formerly, because of their poverty, yet perhaps it was performed with as much purity and close adherence to the divine institution as ever, which was the true glory of it. No beauty like the beauty of holiness.
IV. The celebration of the passover in the newly-erected temple. Now that they were newly delivered out of their bondage in Babylon it was seasonable to commemorate their deliverance out of their bondage in Egypt. Fresh mercies should put us in mind of former mercies. We may suppose that they had kept the passover, after a sort, every year since their return, for they had an altar and a tabernacle. But they were liable to frequent disturbances from their enemies, were straitened for room, and had not conveniences about them, so that they could not do it with due solemnity till the temple was built; and now they made a joyful festival of it, it falling out in the next month after the temple was finished and dedicated,
Ezra 6:19. Notice is here taken, 1. Of the purity of the priests and Levites that
killed the passover, Ezra 6:20. In Hezekiah's time the priests were many of them under blame for not purifying themselves. But now it is observed, to their praise, that
they were purified together, as one man (so the word is); they were unanimous both in their resolutions and in their endeavours to make and keep themselves ceremonially clean for this solemnity; they joined together in their preparations, that they might help one another, so that all of them were pure, to a man. The purity of ministers adds much to the beauty of their ministrations; so does their unity. 2. Of the proselytes that communicated with them in this ordinance:
All such as had separated themselves unto them, had left their country and the superstitions of it and cast in their lot with the Israel of God, and had
turned from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, both their idolatries and immoralities,
to seek the Lord God of Israel as their God, did eat the passover. See how the proselytes, the converts, are described. They separated themselves from the filthiness of sin and fellowship with sinners, joined themselves with the Israel of God in conformity and communion, and set themselves to seek the God of Israel; and those that do so in sincerity, though strangers and foreigners, are welcome to eat of the gospel feast, as
fellow-citizens with the saints and of the household of God. 3. Of the great pleasure and satisfaction wherewith they
kept the feast of unleavened bread, Ezra 6:22.
The Lord had made them joyful, had given them both cause to rejoice and hearts to rejoice. It was now about twenty years since the foundation of this temple was laid, and we may suppose the old men that then wept at the remembrance of the first temple were most of them dead by this time, so that now there were no tears mingled with their joys. Those that are, upon good grounds, joyful, have therefore reason to be thankful, because it is God that
makes them to rejoice. He is the fountain whence all the streams of our joy flow. God has promised to all those who take hold of his covenant that
he will make them joyful in his house of prayer. The particular occasion they had for joy at this time was that God had
turned the heart of the emperor to them, to
strengthen their hands. If those that have been, or who we feared would have been, against us, prove to be for us, we may rejoice in it as a token for good, that
our ways please the Lord (
Prov 16:7), and he must have the glory of it.
