Commentary on Ezra: Introduction and Part 1 [F015]

The Restoration under Ezra and Nehemiah

The Restoration under Ezra and Nehemiah plays a pivotal part on the Re-correction of the Temple and the Restoration of the Law and the Testimony. Their restoration begins a massive journey covering forty-nine Jubilees over the Ministry of the Messiah and the establishment of the Church of God to the return of the Messiah and the Fiftieth Jubilee is the First Jubilee of the Millennial system which we cover in the text The Golden Jubilee and the Millennium (No. 300). The falsification of the details of the Reconstruction of the Temple was created through a forgery in the textus Receptus and intruded into the KJV and other Bibles based on the forgery in Daniel 9:25 placing Messiah in the Seventy weeks of years and this has corrupted the work of many prominent scholars, usually Trinitarians. The History of the Reconstruction of the Temple is contained in the text Sign of Jonah and the History of the Reconstruction of the Temple (No. 013) which now follows.

“The Reconstruction of the Temple

There are three versions concerning the reconstruction of the Temple: the first is the Bible, the second is the Apocrypha at 1Esdras, and the third is by Josephus in The Antiquities of the Jews, Book XI, Chapters I to IV.

All are agreed that Cyrus delivered up the artefacts of the Temple to Sheshbazzar, the Prince (Ezra 1:8) or Governor (Ezra 5:15 or 1 Esdras) of Judea for safekeeping until the construction of the Temple was affected, and they were carried back with the returning exiles. Except for Josephus (The Antiquities of the Jews, Bk. XI, Ch. III, see note on Reign of the Magi), Zerubbabel is recorded as Governor later during the reign of Darius (at the relaying of the foundations), and the Apocryphal legend of the three guards, as also found in Josephus, which is set in this reign (Zerubbabel may have returned with others in the time of Darius I, but this is speculation).

The altar of the Lord was built in the Seventh month of the first year of their return. Most of the exiles went to their towns and not to Jerusalem (if not all the exiles in accordance with the prophecy; Ezra 3:1-3). The foundation of the Temple was not yet laid (v. 6). Work was begun in the second year with the foundation laid (v. 10). From this time onward, the Jews were frustrated in their attempts by the inhabitants of the area, the latter-day Samaritans, who were not Israelites but Cutheans and Medes, who were resettled in Israel after the Ten Tribes had been taken away as a deliberate policy by Esarhaddon, King of Assyria. Josephus says that they were transplanted from Cuthah and Media by Shalmaneser, King of Assyria. The policy of deliberate resettlement was a characteristic of all the Tigris-Euphrates Empires and affected countries as far removed as Ethiopia and Libya that were removed as far as the Indus Basin. Israel was resettled north of the Araxes. Remnants of Israel in the later years moved into hovels along the Euphrates and are found amongst Judah, giving rise to the assertion that Israel is scattered amongst Judah. This fallacy has been supported by some of the most eminent Rabbis of the East.

The Cutheans and Medes or ‘latter-day Samaritans’ adopted the Jewish religion, and in later years they established a city, Shechem, below Mt Gerizim, which was peopled by apostate Jews, i.e. those who were in fear of judgment for infringements of the Law in relation to the Sabbath and meats etc. (Josephus, The Antiquities of the Jews, Bk. XI, Ch. VII:2 and VIII:6-7; and Ezra 4:2).

The following table depicts the sequence of events according to the Bible, using currently accepted dates, although Josephus may differ significantly.

There was a Temple constructed in the middle of the fifth century BCE by the Samaritans. The foundations have been found to resemble the foundations at Jerusalem, which were laid on the return but not completed until the reign of Darius II a century later, and after the structure at Gerizim.

Josephus has been proven wrong on his dates about the works on Mt. Gerizim. Dr. Yitzhak Magen has excavated the original Temple and dated it to the mid-fifth century BCE. 13,000 Persian coins were found in the tithe area. There were 68 different coins, the earliest dated to 480 BCE. The pottery was fifth century through the fourth century. The bones of the sacrifices are dated to the fifth century. At the archaeology conference in Copenhagen in 2006, it was announced that Josephus was wrong with his dating (cf. Y. Magen, Mt Gerizim Excavations, Vol. I, Judea and Samaria Publications, JSP II, Israel Antiquities Authority 2004 ISBN 965-406-160-0 ISBN 13: 978-965-406-160-5). The details indicate a temple and priesthood active at Gerizim from the middle of the fifth century (say up to 343 years) prior to Hircanus's destruction, from 113 BCE. That is why the construction at Jerusalem was opposed so vehemently by these people, as the Bible states.

DATE	EVENT
539 BCE	Conquest of Babylon by Cyrus and Darius the Mede, son of Astyages (called Xerxes by Daniel), uncle of Cyrus and first regent, ruling from Babylon and Media, to where he took Daniel (Josephus, Antiq. of the Jews, Bk. X, Ch. XI:4).

538/7 BCE	Edict of Cyrus. Return of the exiles (date uncertain). They returned to the towns of Israel, but not to Jerusalem.

?	Sheshbazzar lays the foundation of the Temple (Ezra 5:16). The foundations may have had to be relaid by Zerubbabel when he commenced construction after constructing the altar (Ezra 3:2). It is probable that Sheshbazzar is the Shenazzar at 1Chronicles 3:17-19, son of Shealtiel and brother to Pediah, father of Zerubbabel. It is probable that Zerubbabel succeeded Sheshbazzar as Governor while still a young man. Matthew 1:12 records Zerubbabel as the son of Shealtiel, indicating that Pediah would have died young and Shenazzar or Sheshbazzar succeeded Shealtiel as Prince Regent of Judah and was in turn succeeded by Zerubbabel, either when he came of age or on the death of his uncle.

530-522 BCE	Reign of Cambyses. He reigned for one year jointly with Cyrus, his father. Josephus refers to a letter of complaint written to this king, but no record is found in the Bible. Attempts have been made to link him with the letter to Ahasuerus, but this is the Persian rendering of Xerxes and is rendered as such by Moffatt, NIV and others. Herodotus records that this King was mad.

525 BCE	Completion of the riddle of the prophecy of Pharaoh's broken arms in its first stage by Cambyses' occupation of Egypt (Ezek. Chs. 29-30 et seq.), i.e. eighty years from 605 BCE.

522 BCE	Reign of the Magi (Josephus records). The Magi were slaughtered after one year’s reign and Darius, son of Hystaspes, was elected as king by the seven principle Persian families. Zerubbabel returned from Judea for the vessels of God that were still at Babylon (possibly a contradiction). Smerdis, the Magus, was substituted for Smerdis, son of Cyrus, murdered at the order of Cambyses. He reigned for seven months until he and his brother, Patizeithes (the author of the substitution), were discovered and beheaded in the night of the slaughter of the Magi (the Magophonia). He was not a king in the true sense of the word and issued only one decree giving a three-year remission of taxes. He was confined to the palace for fear of discovery, which occurred regardless, because Cyrus had earlier cut off the ears of Smerdis the Magus for a serious crime. This pseudo-Smerdis is sometimes used as one of the alleged three kings mentioned in Daniel 11:2-4. The four kings mentioned are more likely to be Cambyses, Darius, Xerxes and Cyrus Artaxerxes. The remaining kings were not as involved although Darius II interfered in Greek affairs by entering into treaty with Sparta (Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, Bk. 8:5,6,36,37,57-59). Herodotus writes of the last three at Histories, Bk. 6, p. 100: During the three generations comprising the reign of Darius the son of Hystaspes and of his son Xerxes and his grandson Artaxerxes, Greece suffered more misery than in the twenty generations before Darius was born partly from the Persian wars, partly from her own internal struggles for supremacy. After Cyrus Artaxerxes, Persia was so committed to hostility with Greece that it was inevitable that Greek reaction came as it did in the form of Alexander.

521 BCE	Darius I (the Great). There was little construction on the Temple (Ezra 4:4-5).

516 BCE	Prophecy of the seventy years expires (Jer. 25:8-14 and Dan. 9). Jerusalem could not have been inhabited until this date.

486 BCE	Xerxes I (Ahasuerus), fourth son of Darius I, first grandson of Cyrus. Letter written to him, but no reply is recorded (Ezra 4:6).

465 BCE	Artaxerxes I (real name is Cyrus, also called Macrocheir or Longimanus). Letter written to him by Bishlam, Mithredath and Tabe-el (Ezra 4:7); the leaders of the anti-Jewish restoration group during this king's reign. (These are different from the leaders mentioned by Nehemiah, further reinforcing the point that two different kings are involved.) Artaxerxes issued a decree ordering construction on the Temple to stop (Ezra 4:7-24). The Athenian invasion of Egypt with the League of Delos would have prompted the harsh control measures to be adopted. The revolt was put down in 454 BCE in Egypt and in other parts of the Empire. A fortified Jerusalem was obviously not desirable. The Greek war lasted from the burning of Sardis in 501 BCE to the seventeenth year of Artaxerxes in 448 BCE.

424 BCE	Xerxes II (no biblical record). Assassinated in 424 after 45 days by Sogdianus his illegitimate brother who reigned for 6½ months. He was assassinated by another illegitimate brother, Ochus, who became Darius II in late 424 BCE / early 423 BCE.

423 BCE	Darius II. Decree issued to commence construction in 422 BCE (Ezra 6:1 and 4:24) (i.e. his second year). 70 weeks of years commences. From Ezra 5 it appears that Haggai and Zechariah prophesy in 423 BCE and 422 BCE. 70 weeks of years commences from 423/22 BCE (i.e. first year of the new Jubilee period). Construction completed in sixth year of Darius the Persian (Ezra 6:15) in 3 Adar, i.e. March 418 BCE. Darius dies in the period end 405 to spring 404. The Temple at Mt. Gerizim may also have been commenced at this time, but probably not before 465 to 448 BCE (see above).

404 BCE	Artaxerxes II (Arsakes) faces Egyptian rebellion on accession in spring or Nisan 404 BCE.

402 BCE	Artaxerxes loses Egypt.

401 BCE	Civil war in Persia. Greeks defeated at Battle of Cunaxa and they retreat to the Black Sea coast.

398 BCE	Provisioning decree issued for the return of Ezra in seventh year, probably rewarding Jewish loyalty (Ezra 7:1-26).

387 BCE	Artaxerxes defeats the Spartans and stops their meddling. The king's peace sees Persia re-occupy Ionia.

385 BCE	Nehemiah is made Governor of Judea from 385-372 BCE when the city and walls were reconstructed (Neh. 5:14). Eliashib is High Priest (Neh. 3:1). This was the second letter or decree of Artaxerxes. This was for the reconstruction of the gates of the fortresses of the Temple and for the walls of the city (the Temple was already constructed - Neh. 6:10-11). The city would appear to have been damaged in the civil war in which the Babylonian and Israelitic Jews obviously supported the king.

375/4 BCE	This completes the prophecy at Daniel 9:25 of the first Anointed One of the 7 weeks of years, i.e. 49 years from 423/2 BCE - 375/4 BCE.

374/3 BCE	The Jubilee year commences at 374 BCE in 32nd year of Artaxerxes II. It is unclear whether the restoration of lands by Nehemiah was a Jubilee restoration. It seems likely that this was the case and that this, therefore, was the last known observed Jubilee.

374/3 BCE 323 BCE	Thirty-second year of Artaxerxes. Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem from Babylon and finds the Temple in disarray under Eliashib and Tobiah (Neh. 13:6). Nehemiah restores the Temple and provisions the Levites and singers who return to the Temple (Neh. 13:10-11). He re-establishes the tithe and cleanses the Sabbaths (Neh. 13:12-19). Ezra dies in the same year as Alexander the Great (Seder Olam Rabbah 30).

62/63 CE	End of 62 weeks of years [from Nehemiah i.e, 69 weeks of years.] and the effective elimination of the tithe and the reduction of the high priesthood to criminality with the execution of James, Bishop of Jerusalem in 62/63 CE.

70 CE	The end of the 70 weeks of years and the destruction of the Temple.

73 CE	Fall of Judea and the Masada.

Josephus has Zerubbabel returning immediately after the decree of Cyrus. The letter to Ahasuerus is the letter to Cambyses, and construction is completed in the reign of Darius I – with Ezra and Nehemiah returning in that reign, and the prophets Haggai and Zechariah being raised up in the second year of that reign also. According to him, construction would be completed in 516 BCE. 519-516 BCE was the very earliest time that was allowed for in the prophecy of seventy years made by Jeremiah and repeated by Daniel when giving the time for which Jerusalem would be desolate. The time sequence is too convenient and, had things gone according to the earliest contingency allowed by the prophecy, there would have been no need for the missions of Haggai and, to a lesser extent, Zechariah to order them to get on with the job (Hag. 1:2-15). Ezra 4:23 and 5:1-2 show that Haggai and Zechariah were appointed after the decree of Artaxerxes forced cessation of construction (see also 1Esdras 7:5).

Josephus further identifies the provisioning decree for the return of Ezra with Xerxes and the husband of Esther as Artaxerxes I. The problem is that Ahasuerus (or Ahasaerus) is the Persian of Xerxes. Artaxerxes I, who Herodotus states was called Cyrus, was named Artaxerxes by the Greeks (see also Josephus, Antiq. of the Jews, Bk. XI, Ch. VI:l).

Further information, which is illuminating, is that there were six generations of Levites involved from the return of Zerubbabel and the commencement until the completion in the reign of Darius the Persian (Neh. 12:1-22). Zerubbabel's life was prolonged by the Lord to oversee the completion (Zech. 4:9) and, after the message of Haggai and Zechariah he arose and completed the Temple with Jeshua, son of Jozadak.

From the arrival of Jeshua with Zerubbabel until the reign of Darius the Persian, it is recorded at Nehemiah 12:10-11 that Jeshua had a son, Joiakim, a grandson, Eliashib, a great-grandson, Joiada, a great-great-grandson, Jonathan, and a great-great-great-grandson, Jeddua.

From Nehemiah 12:22 we see that Jonathan did not succeed Joiada as chief priest, but rather Joiada's brother Johanan. Jonathan had married Sanballat, the Horonite's daughter, and was removed by Nehemiah (Neh. 13:28). However, it is conclusive that there were five generations born to Jeshua prior to the reign of Darius the Persian, who is the king that issued the decree for the construction of the Temple, and in whose reign it was completed. In spite of the fact that Jeshua had a number of sons who were present with him when the foundations of the Temple were laid after the second year (Ezra 3:9), it is unlikely that the Darius of the construction could have been Darius I as he reigned from 521-466 BCE, some 16 years after the return. It must therefore have been Darius II in 423-404 BCE, some 114 years after the return. Allowing 20 years per generation and allowing that Jaddua had himself become a priest prior to this king, Zerubbabel was approximately 120 years old and therefore Jeshua would have been approximately 140 years old at the construction; and they died shortly after. The use of the term arose at Ezra 5:2 suggests that Zerubbabel and Jeshua were of great age and retired from onerous duties, as Zechariah 4:9 also indicates.

Nehemiah 12:26 shows that Joiakim was chief priest after Jeshua but implies his death well before Nehemiah and Ezra returned. Eliashib was the oldest High Priest alive at Nehemiah's return (Neh. 3:1). Johanan seems to have already exercised the high priesthood by Ezra's return (Ezra 10:6). The priesthood relinquished sacrificial duty at fifty years of age. Nehemiah also verifies Jaddua on the list of High Priests down to Darius the Persian. The Temple therefore could not have been constructed earlier than 417 BCE.

It should also be noted that Iddo returned with Zerubbabel. During the high priesthood of Joiakim, the priesthood had also passed two generations, so we see that Zechariah was named among the Levites, from the time of Iddo. He was in fact Iddo's grandson, the son of Berechiah, and he was a prophet in the second year of Darius. When Zechariah speaks of the plumb bob in the hands of Zerubbabel and of the High Priest Jeshua, it is as a marvel and a sign of God that not only should Zerubbabel lay the foundations but also that he should still hold a line at its completion. We know from Nehemiah 12 that Zechariah was priest under Joiakim. Therefore, the premise of activity from great age seems to stand.

The prophecy of Zechariah relates to the significance of the construction of the Temple and the seventy weeks of years from the reign of Darius II in the second year, and its development, completion and restitution.

Non-biblical Evidence

A most telling corroboration of the biblical narrative comes from Aramaic Letters, translated by H.L. Ginsberg and published in The Ancient Near East: An anthology of texts and pictures (ed. James B. Pritchard, Princeton, 1958, pp. 278-282), which were letters to and from the Jews at the Fortress of Elephantine. This fortress had been manned by Jews and other non-Jewish Semites since the days of the Egyptian kingdom preceding the invasion of the Medo-Persians.

An impressive Temple had been built there and was long standing when Cambyses invaded Egypt.

As stated previously, during the reign of Cyrus Macrocheir or Artaxerxes I, the Athenian invasion of Egypt was put down in 454 BCE, and the Satrap left in charge was a Medo-Persian named Arsames, who reigned as Satrap from 455/4 BCE to at least 407 BCE.

During at least some of that time the leader of the Jews of the garrison was a Jew by the name of Yedoniah. In the fifth year of Darius II, i.e. 420/419 BCE, Hananiah, a Jewish scribe to Arsames, wrote to Yedoniah at Elephantine informing him that Darius had sent word to Arsames authorising a festival of Unleavened Bread for the Jewish garrison, also giving details of the days of the calculation of the Feast commencing with 14 Nisan as follows:

So do you count from fou[rteen days of the month of Nisan and] obs[erve the passoverl], and from the 15th to the 21st day of [Nisan observe the festival of unleavened bread]. Be (ritually) clean and take heed. [Do n]o work [on the 15th or the 21st day, no]r drink [beer2, nor eat] anything [in] which the[re is] leaven [from the 14th at] sundown until the 21st of Nis[an for seven days it shall not be seen among you. Do not br]ing it into your dwelling but seal (it) up between these date[s. By order of King Darius. To] my brethren Yedoniah and the Jewish garrison, your brother Hanani[ah].

Note 1. psh in two ostraca from Elephantine.

Note 2. The instruction including beer is a construction based on Jewish tradition.

This celebration by order of Darius in the fifth year of his reign throughout the Jewish people even into Elephantine is that Passover celebration referred to in Ezra 6:13-22. This celebration took place on the dedication of the Temple, which from the letters at Elephantine would have occurred in 419/8 BCE.

The fifth year of Darius II was the year before the completion of the Temple, and it is curious that 123 men and women of the Jewish garrison at Elephantine on the 3rd of Phanenoth (a month in the Egyptian calendar) in year 5 took up a collection of two shekels per head, totalling 12 karash and 6 shekels (at 20 light shekels to the karash, this is 246 shekels). This collection was dedicated to the God, Yaho (Yah[o]weh). It is curious that the non-Jews of the garrison appear to have donated also to the extent of 7 karash for Ishumbethel, the male Aramean divinity, and 12 karash for Anathbethel, the female deity who was synonymous with Anath, wife of Baal.

This levy of the fifth year was the equivalent of a special levy and was probably for the decoration of the Temple at Jerusalem. Whether the other contributions went to other areas in the Levant to pagan temples or they were contributions to the Temple construction on behalf of the Aramean cults we can only guess. However, it may be an indication of the extent to which the people had mixed themselves with the Gentile populace, as we know happened from Ezra 9:1-4 and continued until Nehemiah.

What we do know is that on the 20^th Marheshwan in the 17^th year of King Darius, i.e. 408 BCE, a letter was sent to Jerusalem to Bagoas, Governor of Judah, detailing the sequence of events surrounding the return of Arsames, who had returned to Mesopotamia to the king. After Arsames had returned to Darius, the priests of the god, Khnub, in the fortress at Elephantine, conspired with the commander in chief, Vidaranag to wipe out the Temple of Yaho at Elephantine. His son, Nefayan, who was in command of the fortress at Syene, was summoned and ordered to destroy the Temple at Elephantine "in the Fortress of Yeb".

He and the Egyptians and other troops entered and razed the Temple to the ground and smashed the stone pillars and the five great gateways but leaving the doors standing. They carried off the basins of gold and silver and all the other artefacts.

The letter reveals that this Temple was the only one left standing from Cambyses’ invasion. Vidaranag was later killed and eaten by dogs.

The letter also reveals that when the disaster occurred a letter was sent to the High Priest in Jerusalem, who was named Johanan, so that we now know that the High Priest in the year 410 BCE was Johanan. This establishes beyond doubt that the Darius the Persian referred to at Nehemiah 12:22 was Darius the Second.

The letter also reveals that they wrote to Ostanes, the brother of Anani, and the nobles of the Jews. These gentlemen did not reply ("Never a letter have they sent to us."). The Jews at Elephantine wore sackcloth and fasted from Tammuz of the 14^th year of Darius, i.e. 411 BCE, to the date of the letter, i.e. in 408 BCE.

They requested assistance to rebuild their Temple in a most appealing manner, and also informed the Governor that they had written to Delaiah and Shelemiah, the sons of Sanballat, the Governor of Samaria. Presumably they wanted them to intercede for them with the Governor. This Sanballat was the Horonite mentioned at Nehemiah 2:10 and his daughter had married the son of Joiada, the son of Eliashib, the High Priest.

This had disqualified him from office as High Priest. Eliashib, the High Priest, was still alive at Nehemiah's return (Neh. 3:1), but Johanan had already exercised the position of the high priesthood at Ezra's return and certainly in 410 BCE. It can only be concluded that Eliashib was the oldest of the High Priests left alive at Nehemiah's return and is thus head of the priesthood, but had long since ceded duties to Joiada and then Johanan (replacing his nephew) and later Jaddua, who appears to have succeeded to the high priesthood, according to Nehemiah 12:22, in the reign of Darius the Persian (II).

Nehemiah 12:22 appears to divide the five periods into two eras.

The first era was of the watches in the days of Joiakim, son of Jeshua, and the current era was referred to as "the days of Nehemiah, the Governor and Ezra the priest, the scribe". This appears to further confirm the division of time around the high priesthood who were dead (i.e. Joiakim was the father of Eliashib), and the current era of the living priesthood, which included Eliashib as the oldest of the living high priesthood.

On Ezra's return Jaddua is not mentioned; only Jehohanan is recorded as having a chamber, implying that he was still the High Priest. Jaddua appears to be included at Nehemiah 12:22 as having held the priesthood, which could have been on a temporary basis as Nehemiah included all the priesthood down to the reign of Darius the Persian, who is without doubt Darius II. Ezra writes as though Johanan (or Jehohanan) and Jaddua were absent and that he occupied Johanan's chamber in his absence.

The impression from both biblical and non-biblical sources is that the high priesthood deteriorated after the days of Joiakim. Eliashib, Johanan and Jaddua do not appear to have devoted due diligence to their duties. The non-reply to the Jews at Elephantine by Johanan and the lack of participation in the activities of Ezra and Nehemiah indicate that they neglected their duties. The intermarriage, pollution, and desecrations are further substantiated by the letters from Elephantine. A memorandum recorded that Bagoas and Delaiah wrote to the garrison instructing that Arsames be informed that the Temple was to be rebuilt at Elephantine with the meat offering and incense to be made on the altar as it used to be.

No mention of sacrifice was made so as not to affect the sensitivities of Arsames, a Mazdean who would have regarded the contact of fire with dead bodies as profane. It is further recorded that the Jews at Elephantine under Yedoniah in the end had to petition Arsames, promising no burnt offerings in the Temple and a payment of a thousand ardabs of barley (texts in Pritchard, ibid.).

It seems as though the Temple was finished in 417 BCE. The elders of the high priesthood died and some form of lack of direction occurred, with Eliashib, Johanan and Jaddua inactive to some degree.

What is important about these texts is that they provide corroborative texts of biblical information, and they demonstrate the literal accuracy of the Bible. They also demonstrate that the tradition of the 516 BCE construction date is an impossibility.

Another important corroboration of the biblical text is found in the Aramaic Letters. Mibtahiah, daughter of Mahseiah, son of Yedoniah, had married Pi, son of Pahi (Phy), the builder of the fortress of Syene where Mahseiah was serving in Varizata's detachment. This demonstrates the extent of intermarriage occurring up to Ezra and Nehemiah.

In the 25^th year of Artaxerxes, the couple were divorced, and the agreement is preserved among the Aramaic Letters. Mibtahiah was even forced to make oath by an Egyptian goddess (Sati) for the dissolution, and the split of her dowry is recorded.

The destruction of the Temple at Elephantine was the start of a series of anti-Semitic Egyptian uprisings, which commenced in 410 BCE and continued until the reign of Artaxerxes II, who faced an Egyptian rebellion on his ascension in 404 BCE; and in 402 BCE he lost Egypt. In 401 BCE he fought a civil war in Persia and, throughout this, the Jews remained loyal, accounting for their favourable treatment.

The Myth of the Decree of Artaxerxes

The Bible at no stage mentions any decree by Artaxerxes that was related to the construction of the Temple except to cease construction, as related in Ezra 4:23. When the provisioning decree was issued, the Temple had already been constructed, regardless of whether the decree was issued by Xerxes I or Artaxerxes I or II. In no version known to ancient history, either biblical or non-biblical, is Artaxerxes I credited with any decree favourable to the construction of the Temple or provisioning the Levites. This is a more modern invention.

Theologians who make claim for Artaxerxes I, especially in relation to the 2,300 days or to the seventy weeks of years at Daniel 9:25 (which contains a mistranslation in the King James and others [from the forgery in the Receptus], but is rendered correctly in the RSV), are in error.

Where the Bible differs from historical sources it is consistently being proved more correct as knowledge increases.

Seventy Weeks of Years

The significance of the prophecy of the seventy weeks of years at Daniel 9:25-27 is that, when taken from the decree of Darius II, it ends in 70 CE, commencing from the surrounding of Jerusalem by Titus’ army on 1 Nisan, and continues to the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE – the same day, tradition has it, that it fell to the Babylonians (see Moffatt's translation). The matter ends with the closure of the Temple at Leontopolis in Egypt (see below).

The first Anointed One is Nehemiah, who re-established the Temple priesthood by 372 BCE (7 weeks of years) and cleansed the Sabbaths and re-instituted the tithe. He completed the walls of the fortress of the Temple and the walls of the city and reorganised Jerusalem.

The second Anointed One is of Messiah's ministry. However, the prophecy refers to Jerusalem and to the function of the Temple, not to the times of Messiah's ministry. Atonement for sin and everlasting righteousness could not be deemed to have been brought in or completed while the ceremonial law was still being enacted. The completion of the prophecy, therefore, was dependent upon removal or elimination of the place of sacrifice.

For, while sacrifice still continued in the Temple, the Messiah was not yet supreme or his sacrifice could not be said to have truly eliminated the daily sacrifice, even though it was effected by his death. This prophecy has still not ended, and not as a split week as some claim, but in the fact that the decreed end has not yet been poured out upon the desolator, i.e. the Roman system. This will be, as Revelation reveals, when the city is destroyed and the seventh/eighth empire of ten kings is finally destroyed.

If the decree was taken from 516 BCE from the reign of Darius 1 to follow on directly from the 70 weeks of years, then the end of the prophecy was in 26 BCE, which seems to relate to nothing. Modern Christianity tries to tie the matter to 27 CE and assert that Christ’s ministry began then, which it did not. Josephus is clearly wrong regarding the commencement, and his extensions of the Chaldean dynasty seem to be aimed at extending their reigns to extend dates of the Persian kings to give the prophecy of 70 weeks of years some meaning from Cyrus. Amongst the Sons of Zadok, the 70 weeks of years had an entirely different meaning related to the ages of men, but that is beyond the scope of this work (see Appendix for an analysis of Josephus).

The alteration of the construction of the Temple from Darius II to Darius I appears to be a post-Christian contrivance (adapted by Josephus) which attempts to undermine the significance of the prophecy of the 70 weeks of years, and is probably the intention of the apocryphal 1 Esdras, which is in error.

The 70 weeks of years did not commence from the reign of Darius I or from a non-existent decree of Artaxerxes I, but rather from Darius II. It is the positive proof of the Messiahship of Christ and does not require non-scriptural juggling of three-and-a-half or uncompleted seven-year periods.

The OARSV held that there were four stages of the return: (1) a return under Cyrus (about 538 B.C.) led by Sheshbazzar, who commenced rebuilding the temple but, under local opposition, had to leave it unfinished; (2) a return under Darius 1 (521-485) led by Zerubbabel and Jeshua, who also encountered opposition but, with encouragement from the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, completed the temple; (3) a group led by Nehemiah who came twice under Artaxerxes 1 (464-423/2) to build the walls of Jerusalem, still against opposition from the local groups, and to attempt to establish purity of community and worship; (4) a return under Artaxerxes II (404-358) led by Ezra, who brought a codification of the Mosaic law, and found a community which had again backslidden. An alternate solution of difficult textual problems places Ezra’s return under Artaxerxes I, before Nehemiah. See 7.7 n. Neh. 2.1-20 n.”

The Introduction above shows why the OARSV is wrong. The fifth edition of the OARSV also carried on the sequence from the earlier dates in 538 BCE and the Temple in 522 with completion in 515 BCE. They then continue to develop the thesis based on the false premises exposed above.

The OARSV (1^st ed.) also alleges that “The text of the Chronicler’s supplement has been dislocated in transmission, some of the Nehemiah material appearing in Ezra, and Ezra material in Nehemiah, so that it no longer reads chronologically. Often the order is better preserved in the apocryphal book 1 Esdras. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah are more intelligible if read in the order Ezra ch.1; 2.1-70 (Neh.7.6-73a); 3.1-4.6; 4.24-6.22; 4.7-23; Neh. 1.1-7.5; chs.11-13; 9.38-10.39; Ezra ch. 7-10; Neh. 8.1-9.37. An editor about 300 B.C.E, faced with this textual confusion, endeavored to ease it by supplying connecting sentences and by insertions, such as the name of Nehemiah in Neh. 8.9 and Ezra in Neh. 12.26, 36.” We examine this below.

Introduction by E.W. Bullinger

EZRA.

THE REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE.

Ezra 1:1-4. THE PEOPLE. EMANCIPATION.

Ezra 1:-Ezra 2:70. THE RETURN UNDER ZERUBBABEL.

Ezra 3:1-6. THE ALTAR. BUILDING AND FEAST.

Ezra 3:7; Ezr 3:22 . THE TEMPLE. BUILDING AND FEAST.

Ezra 7:1 - Ezra 8:36 . THE RETURN UNDER EZRA.

Ezra 9:1 - Ezra 10:44 . THE PEOPLE. DEDICATION. REFORMATION.

NEHEMIAH. THE REBUILDING OF THE WALLS.

Ezra 1:1 - Ezra 6:19 . THE WALL. REBUILDING. DISORDERS OVERCOME.

Ezra 7:1-4 . JERUSALEM. CHANGE OVER.

Ezr 7:5-73 -. THE RETURN UNDER ZERUBBABEL.

Ezr 7:73 - Ezra 8:18 . FEAST OF THE SEVENTH MONTH (426 B.C.).

Ezra 9:1 - Ezra 10:39 . FEAST OF THE SEVENTH MONTH (404 B.C.).

Ezr 11:1-36 . JERUSALEM. RESIDENTS IN.

Ezr 12:1-26 . THE RETURN UNDER EZRA.

Ezr 12:27 - Ezr 13:31 . THE WALL. DEDICATION. DISORDERS OVERCOME

* In Hebrew manuscripts of the Bible, and the early printed editions of the Hebrew text, these two books are always treated and reckoned as one book: the 685 verses being numbered from the first verse of Ezra to the last verse of Nehemiah; the middle verse of the one book being given by the Massorites as Nehemiah 3:3 ; while of the ten Sedarim (or Cycles for public reading), the fourth begins at Ezra 8:35 and ends with Nehemiah 2:10. See note at foot of p. 632. Moreover, the notes which the Masaorites place at the end of each book are placed at the end of Nehemiah, and not at the end of Ezra. Cp. note on the books of SAMUEL, KINGS, and CHRONICLES, p. 366. The Structure of the one book is set forth as above, the two Divisions being given in their CANONICAL ORDER. EZRA confines himself mainly to the events connected with the TEMPLE. NEHEMIAH confines himself mainly to the events connected with the WALL and the CITY. Ezra comes first in the Canonical Order, because the TEMPLE is more important than the WALL, morally and spiritually. Nehemiah follows, because the WALL is of secondary importance. When the whole of the events are looked at in their CHRONOLOGICAL and HISTORICAL order, a different Structure is necessarily observed: this Structure is determined by certain fixed points, common to both Orders. These fixed points determine the place of the remaining events recorded in the two parts respectively. See Table of Events and CHRONOLOGICAL Structure on p. 618, and the Harmony of Events in Appdx-58. CERTAIN FIXED POINTS IN THE TWO DIVISIONS OF THE JOINT BOOKS May be exhibited as follows, in brief: a complete list of all the events will be found in Appendix 58.

Introduction

From the Jewish Virtual Library:

Ezra (480–440 BCE), also called Ezra the Scribe (Ezra ha-Sofer) and Ezra the Priest in the Book of Ezra, was a Jewish scribe and a priest. According to the Hebrew Bible he was a descendant of Seraiah (Ezra 7:1) the last high priest to serve in the first temple (kings 2 25:18), and a close relative of Joshua the first High Priest of the second temple (chronicles 1 5:40-41. see also Ezra 3:2). He returned from the Babylonian exile and reintroduced the Torah in Jerusalem Ezra 7–10 and Neh 8). According to 1 Esdras, a Greek translation of the Book of Ezra still in use in Eastern Orthodoxy, he was also a high priest. Rabbinic tradition holds that he was only a common priest.

Several traditions have developed over his place of burial. One tradition says that he is buried in al-Uzayr near Basra (Iraq), while another tradition alleges that he is buried in Tadif near Aleppo, in northern Syria.

His name may be an abbreviation of Azaryahu, "God-helps".

The Book of Ezra describes how he led a group of Judean exiles living in Babylon to their home city of Jerusalem (Ezra 8.2-14) where he is said to have enforced observance of the Torah. He was described as exhorting the Israelite people to be sure to follow the Torah Law so as not to intermarry with people of particular different religions, a set of commandments described in the Pentateuch.

Ezra, known as "Ezra the scribe" in Chazalic literature, is a highly respected figure in Judaism.

The books of Ezra–Nehemiah were originally one scroll. (Nehemiah 3:32, footnote) Later the Jews divided this scroll and called it First and Second Ezra. Modern Hebrew Bibles call the two books Ezra and Nehemiah, as do other modern Bible translations. A few parts of the Book of Ezra (4:8 to 6:18 and 7:12-26) were written in Aramaic, and the majority in Hebrew, Ezra himself being skilled in both languages. Ezra, a descendant of Seraiah the high priest, was living in Babylon when in the seventh year (c. 457 BCE) of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, the king sent him to Jerusalem to teach the laws of God to any who did not know them. Ezra led a large body of exiles back to Jerusalem, where he discovered that Jewish men had been marrying non-Jewish women. He tore his garments in despair and confessed the sins of Israel before God, then braved the opposition of some of his own countrymen to purify the community by enforcing the dissolution of the sinful marriages. Some years later Artaxerxes sent Nehemiah (a Jewish noble in his personal service) to Jerusalem as governor with the task of rebuilding the city walls. Once this task was completed Nehemiah had Ezra read the Law of Moses (the Torah) to the assembled Israelites, and the people and priests entered into a covenant to keep the law and separate themselves from all other peoples.

(Ezra the Scribe (jewishvirtuallibrary.org)

Note: The wrong date for Artaxerxes is recorded here. It refers to Artaxerxes I not II which is the correct king involved.

Ref: Reading the Law with Ezra and Nehemiah (No. 250).

This text is important in understanding how the Books fit together and how they relate to the Messiah and the period to the final destruction and the Sign of Jonah See also The Sign of Jonah and the History of the Reconstruction of the Temple (No. 013).

Ezra Chapters 1-3 (RSV)

Chapter 1

End of the Babylonian Captivity

¹In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: ²“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. ³Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem; ⁴and let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.” ⁵Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, every one whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem; ⁶and all who were about them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered. ⁷Cyrus the king also brought out the vessels of the house of the LORD which Nebuchadnez′zar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods. ⁸Cyrus king of Persia brought these out in charge of Mith′redath the treasurer, who counted them out to Shesh-baz′zar the prince of Judah. ⁹And this was the number of them: a thousand basins of gold, a thousand basins of silver, twenty-nine censers, ¹⁰thirty bowls of gold, two thousand] four hundred and ten bowls of silver, and a thousand other vessels; ¹¹all the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand four hundred and sixty-nine. All these did Shesh-baz′zar bring up, when the exiles were brought up from Babylonia to Jerusalem.

Intent of Chapter 1

vv. 1-4. Proclamation of Cyrus (cf. 2Chr.36:22-23; Ez. 6:2-5.

Cyrus – Persian king (559-530 BCE), conquered Babylon 539 BCE (OARSV says 538 BCE. The Edict was issued in 538 BCE. Seemingly to fulfil Jer. 29:10 (2Chron. 36:21) under Divine direction (Isa. 44:28; 45:1-3).

v. 2. God of Heaven: a postexilic title (Neh. 1:5; Dan. 2:18). Here Cyrus acknowledges that he was gifted his control over all nations over which he was given power by Israel's (here Judah's and Benjamin's) God, whose centre is at Jerusalem (see also 6:12). The Temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE (5:12).

v. 3. His people: worshippers of Israel’s God.

Are now permitted was a command to go up (2Chr. 36:23).

vv. 5-8. The people’s response.

vv. 7-11. Return of the sacred vessels taken by Nebuchadnezzar (2Kgs. 25:14-16).

v. 8 Mithredath Mithridates was temple treasurer and Sheshbazzar is the Babylonian name of a Jewish Court official (also OARSV n.) The number given in

vv. 9-11 vary in different texts (e.g. 1Esdras 2:13-14).

Chapter 2

List of the Returned Exiles

¹Now these were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnez′zar the king of Babylon had carried captive to Babylonia; they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town. ²They came with Zerub′babel, Jeshua, Nehemi′ah, Serai′ah, Reel-ai′ah, Mor′decai, Bilshan, Mispar, Big′vai, Rehum, and Ba′anah. The number of the men of the people of Israel: ³the sons of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two. ⁴The sons of Shephati′ah, three hundred and seventy-two. ⁵The sons of Arah, seven hundred and seventy-five. ⁶The sons of Pa′hath-mo′ab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Jo′ab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve. ⁷The sons of Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four. ⁸The sons of Zattu, nine hundred and forty-five. ⁹The sons of Zac′cai, seven hundred and sixty. ¹⁰The sons of Bani, six hundred and forty-two. ¹¹The sons of Be′bai, six hundred and twenty-three. ¹²The sons of Azgad, one thousand two hundred and twenty-two. ¹³The sons of Adoni′kam, six hundred and sixty-six. ¹⁴The sons of Big′vai, two thousand and fifty-six. ¹⁵The sons of Adin, four hundred and fifty-four. ¹⁶The sons of Ater, namely of Hezeki′ah, ninety-eight. ¹⁷The sons of Be′zai, three hundred and twenty-three. ¹⁸The sons of Jorah, one hundred and twelve. ¹⁹The sons of Hashum, two hundred and twenty-three. ²⁰The sons of Gibbar, ninety-five. ²¹The sons of Bethlehem, one hundred and twenty-three. ²²The men of Neto′phah, fifty-six. ²³The men of An′athoth, one hundred and twenty-eight. ²⁴The sons of Az′maveth, forty-two. ²⁵The sons of Kir′iathar′im, Chephi′rah, and Be-er′oth, seven hundred and forty-three. ²⁶The sons of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one. ²⁷The men of Michmas, one hundred and twenty-two. ²⁸The men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred and twenty-three. ²⁹The sons of Nebo, fifty-two. ³⁰The sons of Magbish, one hundred and fifty-six. ³¹The sons of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four. ³²The sons of Harim, three hundred and twenty. ³³The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-five. ³⁴The sons of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five. ³⁵The sons of Sena′ah, three thousand six hundred and thirty. ³⁶The priests: the sons of Jedai′ah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three. ³⁷The sons of Immer, one thousand and fifty-two. ³⁸The sons of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven. ³⁹The sons of Harim, one thousand and seventeen. ⁴⁰The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kad′mi-el, of the sons of Hodavi′ah, seventy-four. ⁴¹The singers: the sons of Asaph, one hundred and twenty-eight. ⁴²The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hati′ta, and the sons of Sho′bai, in all one hundred and thirty-nine. ⁴³The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasu′pha, the sons of Tabba′oth, ⁴⁴the sons of Keros, the sons of Si′aha, the sons of Padon, ⁴⁵the so ns of Leba′nah, the sons of Hag′abah, the sons of Akkub, ⁴⁶the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shamlai, the sons of Hanan, ⁴⁷the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Re-ai′ah, ⁴⁸the sons of Rezin, the sons of Neko′da, the sons of Gazzam, ⁴⁹the sons of Uzza, the sons of Pase′ah, the sons of Besai, ⁵⁰the sons of Asnah, the sons of Me-u′nim, the sons of Nephi′sim, ⁵¹the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Haku′pha, the sons of Harhur, ⁵²the sons of Bazluth, the sons of Mehi′da, the sons of Harsha, ⁵³the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sis′era, the sons of Temah, ⁵⁴the sons of Nezi′ah, and the sons of Hati′pha. ⁵⁵The sons of Solomon’s servants: the sons of So′tai, the sons of Hasso′phereth, the sons of Peru′da, ⁵⁶the sons of Ja′alah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, ⁵⁷the sons of Shephati′ah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Po′chereth-hazzeba′im, and the sons of Ami. ⁵⁸All the temple servantsand the sons of Solomon’s servants were three hundred and ninety-two. ⁵⁹The following were those who came up from Tel-me′lah, Tel-har′sha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, though they could not prove their fathers’ houses or their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: ⁶⁰the sons of Delai′ah, the sons of Tobi′ah, and the sons of Neko′da, six hundred and fifty-two. ⁶¹Also, of the sons of the priests: the sons of Habai′ah, the sons of Hakkoz, and the sons of Barzil′lai (who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzil′lai the Gileadite, and was called by their name). ⁶²These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but they were not found there, and so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean; ⁶³the governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food, until there should be a priest to consult Urim and Thummim.⁶⁴The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty, ⁶⁵besides their menservants and maidservants, of whom there were seven thouand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred male and female singers. ⁶⁶Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six, their mules were two hundred and forty-five, ⁶⁷their camels were four hundred and thirty-five, and their asses were six thousand seven hundred and twenty. ⁶⁸Some of the heads of families, when they came to the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, made freewill offerings for the house of God, to erect it on its site; ⁶⁹according to their ability they gave to the treasury of the work sixty-one thousand darics of gold, five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priests’ garments.⁷⁰The priests, the Levites, and some of the people lived in Jerusalem and its vicinity; and the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their towns, and all Israel in their towns.

Intent of Chapter 2

2:1-70 The List of Returnees. Repeated in Nehemiah 7:6-73a. Covering five groups: leaders, laymen, and Temple officials, those of dubious genealogy, servants (and animals). Sons of and men of are equivalent phrases.

2:36-39 There are only four priestly groups as opposed to 1Chron. Ch. 24 which has 24 groups in the priesthood. These 24 groups had to be reformed in Judah and Benjamin from the four groups left to them after the captivity of Israel in 722 BCE. Most of the Levites are now scattered throughout Israel in Europe. So also, some 52% of Ashkenazi Levites are actually R1a Khazzars that entered ca. 630 CE.

2:43-53 The Temple Servants are the nethanim being those given (i.e. to the temple) as in 1Chr. 9:2; Josh 9:27, and the captives at Ezra 8:17,20) (see also the Gibeonites F006ii).

v. 63 The governor (Sheshbazzar). The sacred lots are the Urim and the Thummin (1Sam. 14:41; Dt. 33:8)

v. 64 The number exceeds the numbers of the various groups and doubtlessly includes others unmentioned.

v. 69 A Daric was a Persian gold piece, a mina is a Mesopotamian weight for precious metals. The amount differs from that mentioned in Neh. 7:70-72. The gold and silver differ. The difference is also in the number of the priest’s garments, which indicates two separate groups arriving. Nehemiah's total may actually be the total of the two groups.

Chapter 3

Worship Restored at Jerusalem

¹When the seventh month came, and the sons of Israel were in the towns, the people gathered as one man to Jerusalem. ²Then arose Jeshua the son of Jo′zadak, with his fellow priests, and Zerub′babel the son of She-al′ti-el with his kinsmen, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings upon it, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. ³They set the altar in its place, for fear was upon them because of the peoples of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings upon it to the LORD, burnt offerings morning and evening. ⁴And they kept the feast of booths, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the ordinance, as each day required, ⁵and after that the continual burnt offerings, the offerings at the new moon and at all the appointed feasts of the LORD, and the offerings of every one who made a freewill offering to the LORD. ⁶From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid. ⁷So they gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the Sido′nians and the Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant which they had from Cyrus king of Persia.

Foundation Laid for the Temple

⁸Now in the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerub′babel the son of She-al′ti-el and Jeshua the son of Jo′zadak made a beginning, together with the rest of their brethren, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. They appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to have the oversight of the work of the house of the LORD. ⁹And Jeshua with his sons and his kinsmen, and Kad′mi-el and his sons, the sons of Judah, together took the oversight of the workmen in the house of God, along with the sons of Hen′adad and the Levites, their sons and kinsmen. ¹⁰And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the directions of David king of Israel; ¹¹and they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever toward Israel.” And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. ¹²But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy; ¹³so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard afar.

Intent of Chapter 3

3:1 – 6:22 Stage 1 of the reconstruction.

vv. 1-7. Rebuilding the altar; as the centre of the Temple and the sacrifices. Once the Morning and Evening Sacrifices were commenced under the law the temple could be rebuilt.

v. 2 The OARSV asserts that this law of Moses was not the actual Pentateuch but other associated writings of Moses. However no evidence is offered.

vv. 3-6 Resumption of worship prompted by hostility of the other peoples (Cutheans and Medes).

v. 4 Feast of Tabernacles or Booths was kept in September-October.

3:8-13 Second Step -founding the second Temple.

v. 7 Compare Solomon's preparations in 2Chr. 2:1-11.

v. 8 Second year 537 or 536 (Hag. 2:18 dates this as 520 BCE allocating it to the Second Year of Darius which is asserted to be Darius I Hystaspes which is impossible for all the reasons outlined in Ezra and Nehemiah and the fact that Construction of the Temple was stopped in the reign of Artaxerxes I (who was called that by the Greeks and his name was Longimanus and construction was stopped until the reign of Darius the Persian (Darius II). The correct detail of the construction is contained in the paper Sign of Jonah and the History of the Reconstruction of the Temple (No. 013). The fiction of the academics is based on the forgery in Daniel 9:25 in the Receptus and its attribution to Messiah which is false.

vv. 10-11 The Laying of the foundations was celebrated with music and praise. For the directions given by David previously, see 2Chron. 29:25-30.

v. 12 The people who had seen the First Temple wept and those others shouted for joy and one could not distinguish the noises as it was so great.

So also, will it be under Messiah at the final rebuilding for the Millennium (see Rev. Ch. 20ff).

Bullinger’s Notes on Chs. 1-3 (for KJV)

Chapter 1

Verse 1

Cyrus. The son of Astyages and Esther. See App-57 , on the genealogy of the Persian kings. So named Neh 200 years before he was born (Isaiah 44:28 ). The book of Esther precedes the book of Ezra-Nehemiah, and Nehemiah 1:1 Nehemiah 7:4 precedes Ezr 1:1-14 . See note on Nehemiah 1:2 .Esther 3:8 ; Esther 10:3 , and App-57 .

the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .

mouth . Compare 2 Chronicles 36:21-23 .Jeremiah 29:10-14 .

spirit. Hebrew. ruach. App-9 .

Verse 2

God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4 .

God of heaven. See note on 2 Chronicles 36:23 . Appropriate in the mouth of Cyrus, and in contrast with all heathen inscriptions.

hath given me. The son of Astyages (the venerable king = Ahasuerus) and Esther. Trained by Mordecai and Nehemiah, he was brought up in the knowledge of God and His Word.

charged me to build. Compare Isaiah 44:24-28 ; Isaiah 45:1-6 , Isaiah 45:13 .

an house. This proclamation put first, as it is the great subject treated of by Ezra.

Verse 3

Who is there . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .

build = rebuild.

Verse 4

whosoever [of the captive people] remameth in any place, &c. Note the Figure of speech Ellipsis.

remaineth = is left.

the men of his place: i.e. his Persian neighbours.

God. Hebrew. Elohim. (with Art.) = the [true] God, App-4 .

Verse 5

the chief of the fathers: i.e. those named in the next chapter.

chief = heads.

judah and Benjamin. But the other tribes found representatives. Compare Ezra 2:59 , Ezra 2:70 , where the terms "of Israel" and "all Israel" are used. In 1 Chronicles 9:3 , Ephrairn and Manasseh are mentioned by name. See note on 1 Kings 12:17 .

Verse 6

their hands = them. Put by Figure of speech Synecdoche (of Part), for themselves.

Verse 7

which Nebuchadnezzar had brought. Compare 2 Kings 24:13 ; Ezr 25:14 . 2 Chronicles 36:1 .Jeremiah 27:18-22 ; Jeremiah 28:6 ; Jeremiah 52:18 , Jeremiah 52:19 . Daniel 1:2 ; Daniel 5:2 .

Verse 8

Sheshbazzar = the Chaldean name of the prince of Judah. Not Zerubbabel, which means born at Babel. Probably = Nehemiah, for he was the son of Hachaliah and Zidkijah (Nehemiah 10:1 ), and therefore a "prince of. Judah".

Verse 9

chargers = basons or bowls. Hebrew. 'agartal. In Numbers Ke'arah, plate or dish. Eng. "charger", from French charger, to load. Hence used of both a dish and a horse.

Chapter 2

Verse 1

these are. This chapter is parallel with Nehemiah 7:69 . See the Structure, p. 617, and App-58 .

children = sons.

the Province: i.e. the Persian province of Judah. Compare Nehemiah 1:3 .

and Judah. Some codices read "and unto Judsea". Compare Nehemiah 7:6 .

one. Hebrew ' Ish . App-14 .

Verse 2

came with Zerubbabel. But not till after Nehemiah 1:1 Nehemiah 7:4 . See note on Nehemiah 1:2 , Nehemiah 1:3 . In Nehemiah 7:4 no houses built, but in Haggai 1:4 , houses built and yet Temple lying waste.

Jeshua. The great helper of Zerubbabel. Nehemiah. Compare Nehemiah 1:1 ; Nehemiah 10:1 . See note on "Shesh-bazzar", Ezra 1:8 .

Seraiah = Azariah (Nehemiah 7:7 ). Not Seraiah the high priest, put to death with Zedekiah (2 Kings 25:18-21 ).

Mordecai. He had been taken in Jehoiachin's deportation (Esther 2:5 , Esther 2:6 ).

the People of Israel. See note on Ezra 1:5 . Son 2:59 , Son 2:70 ; Song of Solomon 3:1 ; Song of Solomon 7:13 ; Son 9:1 ; Son 10:5 . Compare 1 Kings 12:17 .

Verse 25

Kirjath-arim. Now Khan 'Er'ma. Some codices, with Septuagint and Vulgate, read "Kirjath-jearim".

Verse 36

Jedaiah. The head of the ninth course (1 Chronicles 24:11 ).

Verse 37

Immer. The head of the sixteenth course (1 Chronicles 24:14 ).

Verse 38

Pashur. Compare Jeremiah 20:1 ; Jer 20:21 .Jeremiah 20:1; Jeremiah 20:1 and 1 Chronicles 9:12 . Probably belonging to the fifth course, as son of Malchijah. Compare 1 Chronicles 24:9 with Nehemiah 11:12 .

Verse 39

Harim. The third course. These four were subdivided into six each, making the twenty-four.

Verse 43

Nethinims = men given to God or His service. Temple servants. Compare Ezra 2:58 ; Ezra 7:7 , Ezra 7:24 ; Ezra 8:17 , Ezra 8:20 . Nehemiah 3:26 ; Nehemiah 10:28 ; Nehemiah 11:21 . 1 Chronicles 9:2 .

Verse 46

Shalmai. Some codices, with one early printed edition, Septuagint and Syriac, read "Selami".

Verse 59

of Israel. See note on Ezra 2:2 , and compare 1 Kings 12:17 .

Verse 62

as polluted, put. Revised Version = deemed polluted and put. Hebrew. gaal, to pollute; not ga'al, to redeem. Supply Ellipsis thus: "therefore were they [rejected] from the priesthood as polluted", So in Nehemiah 7:64 ; Nehemiah 13:29 . Isaiah 59:3 ; Isaiah 63:3 .Lamentations 4:14 .Zephaniah 3:1 . Mai. Ezra 1:7 .

Verse 63

Tirshatha = governor (Persian title). Here refers to Nehemiah, as in Nehemiah 8:9 ; Nehemiah 10:1 ; Nehemiah 12:26 . The Hebrew title is Pechah (Nehemiah 5:14 , Nehemiah 5:18 ; Nehemiah 12:26 ). Whence the Turkish Pashah. See note on Ezra 5:3 .

not eat of the most holy things: i.e. the remains of the meal offering, sin offering, and right shoulder of the peace offerings. Compare Leviticus 2:3 ; Leviticus 10:12-14 , Leviticus 10:16 , Leviticus 10:17 . Numbers 18:9 , Numbers 18:10 .

holy. See note on Exodus 3:5 .

with = for. Urim and with Thummim. See note on Exodus 28:30 . Numbers 26:55 .

Verse 64

congregation = assembly, or muster.

forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore. This number (42,360) agrees with Nehemiah 7:66 . The two lists of names are not alike; but there is no "discrepancy". The two lists, while they agree in the numbers, and vary in names, yet have the totals identical. This shows the independence of the two accounts.

Numbered in Ezra 2:0…………………........42,360

Named In Ezra………………29,818

Named in Nem.not Ezra ……..1,765………31,583

Difference between names & numbers ……10,777

Numbered in Neh. 7:0………………………42,360

Named in Nem………………31,089

Named in Neh not Ezra………...494……… 31,583

Differene between names & numbers............10,777

Verse 65

maids = handmaids.

Verse 68

some = a portion. Ezra mentions what one portion gave. Nehemiah ( Ezr 7:70 ) mentions what he and two other portions gave. Hence the numbers "perforce" cannot be the same, and there is no "discrepancy".

chief = heads.

the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah.

God. Hebrew. Elohim. (with Art.) = the [true] God. App-4 .

Verse 69

treasure = treasury.

Verse 70

all Israel. See note on Ezra 2:2 , and 1 Kings 12:17 .

Chapter 3

Verse 1

seventh month. Tishri. See App-51 .

Children = sons.

of Israel. See note on Ezra 2:2 , and 1 Kings 12:17 .

the cities. Some codices, with Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulg, read "their cities".

to = in. Therefore this was after Nehemiah 7:1-4 .

Verse 2

Jeshua . The high priest. Spelled Joshua in Haggai 1:1 ; Haggai 2:2 .Zechariah 3:1 .

Jozadak. The son of Seraiah (1 Chronicles 6:14 , 1 Chronicles 6:15 ). But Ezra was the son of Seraiah (Ezra 7:1 ). Therefore Ezra was brother to Jozadak and uncle to Joshua the high priest.

Zerubbabel. Compare Matthew 1:12 .Luke 3:27 , called Zorobabel.

God. Hebrew. Elohim. (with Art.) = the [true] God. App-4 .

offer = offer up. Hebrew. 'alah . App-43 .

written in the law of Moses. See note on Exodus 17:14 , and App-47 .

the man Of God (with Art.) = the [true] God. See note on Deuteronomy 33:1 ; and App-49 .

Verse 3

people = peoples.

the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .

Verse 4

kept, &c. As recorded also in the parallel passage (Nehemiah 8:1-18 ).

as it is written. See Leviticus 23:34-43 .Deuteronomy 16:13-15 , and compare 1 Kings 8:2 , 1 Kings 8:65 .

Verse 7

and. Note the Figure of speech Polysyndeton ( App-6 ), to emphasize each detail.

carpenters = artificers.

bring cedar trees. Compare 1 Kings 5:6 . 2Ch 2:8 , 2 Chronicles 2:10 .

Joppa. Compare Joshua 19:46 . Acts 9:35 , 3 John 1:3; 3 John 1:3 .

grant. Occurs only here.

Of = from. Genitive of Origin. See App-17 .

Verse 8

God. Hebrew. Elohim. (with Art.) the [true] God. App-4 . set forward = oversee.

Verse 9

Judah: or Hodaviah, as in Ezra 2:40 .

Verse 10

they set the priests: or, the priests took their stand.

cymbals. Hebrew mziltayim. Dual form, meaning two metal discs struck together, making a clashing sound. Not zilzilim, which = timbrels, but is translated cymbals in 2 Samuel 6:5 and Psalms 150:5 , from the rustling sound. See note on 1 Chronicles 13:8 .

Verse 11

mercy = lovingkindness, or grace.

shouted with a great shout. Figure of speech Polyptoton. App-6 .

Verse 12

chief = heads.

who were. Some codices, with one early printed edition and "Vulgate, read "and the".

shouted aloud for joy. Thus fulfilling Jeremiah 33:10 , Jeremiah 33:11 .