Ezra 1: 1-2
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the Word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled (Cp. Jeremiah 29: 10), the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom, and put it in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD has given me. And He commanded me to build Him a house (Temple) in Jerusalem which is in Judah.
NOTE: Jeremiah’s prophesy does not say that King Cyrus would be the one to issue the decree that the LORD’S house (Temple) would be rebuilt, but rather that the Babylonian captivity would end after seventy years (Cp. 2 Chronicles 36: 20-21; Jeremiah 29: 10). Again in 2 Chronicles 36: 22-23 and Isaiah 44: 28; 45: 1a does it specifically mention that the LORD would use Cyrus king of Persia to issue forth the decree to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple.
Daniel 9: 1-2, 16a, 17, 25
In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the Realm of the Chaldeans; in the first year of his reign I, Daniel understood by the books the number of years specified by the Word of the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. O LORD, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain. Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplication, and for the LORD’S sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.
NOTE: Daniel mentions about the prophesying of Jeremiah and the restoration of the Temple during the first year of Darius’ reign and not king Cyrus. In fact, the only mention about Cyrus king of Persia was in a relatively short Chapter 10, but he wrote a lot more about Darius, with whom it seems, he had a personal relationship as one of his appointed Governors of the 120 satraps throughout his entire kingdom (Cp. Daniel 6: 1-2, 13-14, 18-23).
Ezra 2: 1, 64-65
Now these are the people of the province who came back from the captivity, of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his own city. The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty, besides their male and female servants of whom were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred men and women singers.
2 Kings 24: 14, 16; 25: 11-12
And he carried into captivity all Jerusalem: all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths. None remained but the poorest people of the land. All the valiant men, seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths, one thousand, all who were strong and fit for war, these, the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon. Then Nebuzzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the rest of the people who remained in the city and the defectors who deserted to the king of Babylon with the rest of the multitude; But the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers.
NOTE: There were in excess of 18, 000 people of Jerusalem and Judah who were carried to Babylon, which consisted of the Academia, Military, royalty, skilled tradesmen, religious leaders (priests, Levites), lawyers (scribes), socially prominent families and the most physically fit. After seventy years of captivity, doubtless some of these crème of the crop Jews managed to have good lives in this foreign land and prospered, even having offspring from pagan wives as their numbers now swelled to 42, 360; not counting having acquired 7,337 male and female servants (slaves) during this period from a land where they were taken as prisoners and as booty from the spoils of war, initially.
Ezra 3: 10, 12
When the builders laid the foundation of the Temple of the LORD, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals to praise the LORD, according to the ordinance of David king of Israel. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first Temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy.
Ezra 4: 1, 2b, 3-5
Now when the adversaries (enemies) of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the Temple of the LORD God of Israel, they said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” But Zerubbabel and Jeshua [Yeshua??] and the rest of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, “You may do nothing with us to build a house (Temple) for our God; but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.” Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, and hired counselors to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even to the reign of Darius king of Persia.
NOTE: According to this account, Cyrus ruled Persia before Darius but in the Book of Daniel, he mentions that Darius the Mede replaced Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans (Cp. Daniel 5: 30; 6: 1), and he is later referred to as Belshazzar king of Babylon (Cp. Daniel 7: 1). It is possible that Chaldea was a territory within Babylon which Belshazzar ruled as sort of a Regent or Governor and later consolidated his power and became king of the Babylonian Empire after Nebuchadnezzar’s death. Also, Assyrian resettlement back into the region occurred on more than one occasion (Cp. Ezra 4: 9b-10; 2 Kings 17: 6, 24-41).
Ezra 4: 6-7a, 8
In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. In the days of Artaxerxes also, Bishlam, Mithredath, table and the rest of their companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes.
Ezra 4: 23-24
Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and all their companions, they went up with haste to Jerusalem against the Jews, and by force of arms made them cease. Thus the work of the house (Temple) of God ceased, and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
NOTE: This is only the second time the word “Jew” is used in the Scriptures. Before that, it has been ‘Hebrews’ or children of Israel (Israelites).
Ezra 5: 1-2, 5
Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesized to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the Name of the God of Israel, who was over them. So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua [Yeshua??] the son of Jehozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them. But the eye of their god was upon the elders of the “Jews,” so that they could not make them cease until a report could go to [King] Darius. Then a written answer was returned concerning this matter.
NOTE: Haggai and Zechariah are two of the post-exilic prophets and their writings have to be considered in this context; albeit they were undoubtedly among the captives taken during Babylon or perhaps they might have actually been born in Babylon during those seventy years. Although Jeshua [Yeshua??] the son of Jehozadak is credited with beginning building the house [Temple] of God, and Zechariah 4: 9 states that Zerubbabel laid the foundation of the Temple, it was Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah who actually first laid the foundation of the Temple (Cp. Ezra 1: 8; 5: 16)
Ezra 6: 1-3, 7, 10-12
Then king Darius issued a decree, and a search was made in the archives [house of scrolls], where the treasures were stored in Babylon. And at Achmetha [Ecbatana the ancient capital of Media], a scroll was found, and in it a record was written thus: In the first year of King Cyrus, King Cyrus issued a decree concerning the house (Temple) of God at Jerusalem: “Let the house be rebuilt, the place where they offered sacrifices; and let the foundations of it be firmly laid. . . Let 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 site. And I issue a decree that whoever alters this edict, let timber be pulled from his house and erected, and let him be hanged on it; and let his house be made a refuse heap because of this. And 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 (Temple) of God which is in Jerusalem. I Darius issue a decree; let it be done diligently.
NOTE: When King Artaxerxes made a search in the records of his fathers [presumably the ancient archives or scrolls in the capital of Media], he had a different reaction towards the rebuilding efforts in Jerusalem, and ordered the work to cease (Cp. 4: 11-24). Did King Artaxerxes fail to notice the edict issued by his predecessor King Cyrus of Persia, and if he read it, why did he disregard it and not honor it like King Darius?
Ezra 6: 14-18
So 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 commandment of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. Now the Temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. Then the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites and the rest of the descendants of the captivity, celebrated the dedication of this house (Temple) of God with joy. And they offered sacrifices at the dedication of this house (Temple) 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. They 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.
COMMENTARY: It is curious that King Artaxerxes is mentioned among the kings who supported rebuilding the Temple because he is the one who had the work stopped by force of arms (Cp. Ezra 4: 23-24). Also, according to a quote from Jewish historian Flavius Josephus in his book, Antiq. 4: 7-11 and in 1 Erdras, the Dedication of the Second Temple took place on the 23rd of Adar [Month twelve of the sacred Jewish calendar, or “February” of the secular calendar].
The Temple was built in the 6th year of King Darius' reign, but which King Darius? Acording to the "Bible Dictionary' by Smith and Peloubet, Zondervan Publishing House, there are possibly four King Darius's. King Darius the Mede (538 BC); King Darius Hystaspes (521 BC); King Darius the Persian [II] Nothus Ochus (424-404 BC); or King Darius III Codomannus (336-330 BC), foe of Alexander the Great. The decree from King Cyrus of Persia to rebuild the Temple was around 539 BC, the first year of his reign over Babylon. Using the secular historical record this means the Temple could have been completed in 533 BC at the earliest and 515 BC at the latest [in the sixth year of King Darius' reign], by either of the two king Daruis's who were more kindly disposed toward the Jews.
The offering of 100 bulls + 200 rams + 400 lambs=700 ["7" the sacred number of completion], but the additional 12 male goats as a sin offering is curious. In 1 Kings 8: 62, King Solomon offers 22,000 bulls + 120,000 sheep=142,000 ["7" the sacred number of completion] for the dedication for the First Temple. The LORD'S response is recorded in 1 Kings 9: 3, which goes as follows: And the LORD said to him: "I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house [Temple] which you have built to put My Name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually." But pertaining to the narrative in the Book of Ezra, there appears to be no recorded Divine acknowledgement of the dedication of the Second Temple by Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Sheshbazzar and company.
Also, The Jewish study Biible has an interesting interpretation pertaining to the rebuilding of the Temple and the appearance of "mashiah" (Messiah), which in this case is another name for an anointed religious leader, and not the expected LORD and Redeemer of Israel.
Daniel 9: 25-27
You must know and understand: From the issuance of the word to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the time [time of the] anointed leader is seven weeks; and for sixty-two weeks it will be rebuilt, square and moat ["the streets and the wall"-NKJV], but in a time of distress. And after those sixty-two weeks, the anointed one will disappear and vanish ["be cut off"-NKJV]. The army of a leader who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary [Temple], but its end will come through a flood. Desolation is decreed until the end of war. During one week he will make a firm covenant with many. For half a week he will put a stop to the sacrifice and meal offering. At the corner of the altar will be an apalling abomination until the decreed destruction will be poured down upon the apalling thing (JSB). There are two words in Hebrew which are translated as 'weeks'; one is "shav'uim" (weeks) and the other is "shiv'im" (seventy).
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
January 24, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
