Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that Yahweh’s word by Jeremiah’s mouth might be accomplished, Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
Parallel Translations
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Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that Yahweh’s word by Jeremiah’s mouth might be accomplished, Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
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Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
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NOW IN 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, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying:
Cross-references (9)
Passages linked to Ezra 1:1 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Jeremiah 29:10 For Yahweh says, “After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
- 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that Yahweh’s word by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, “Cyrus king of Persia says, ‘Yahweh, the God of heaven, has given all the kingdoms of the earth to me; and he has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all his people, Yahweh his God be with him, and let him go up.’ ”
- Jeremiah 25:12-14 “It will happen, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,” says Yahweh, “for their iniquity. I will make the land of the Chaldeans desolate forever. I will bring on that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations. For many nations and great kings will make bondservants of them, even of them. I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the work of their hands.”
- Ezra 6:22 and kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy; because Yahweh had made them joyful, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, to strengthen their hands in the work of God, the God of Israel’s house.
- Ezra 7:27 Blessed be Yahweh, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify Yahweh’s house which is in Jerusalem;
- Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is in Yahweh’s hand like the watercourses. He turns it wherever he desires.
- Jeremiah 33:7-13 I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first. I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against me. I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned against me and by which they have transgressed against me. This city will be to me for a name of joy, for praise, and for glory, before all the nations of the earth, which will hear all the good that I do to them, and will fear and tremble for all the good and for all the peace that I provide to it.’ ” Yahweh says: “Yet again there will be heard in this place, about which you say, ‘It is waste, without man and without animal, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without animal,’ the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, ‘Give thanks to Yahweh of Armies, for Yahweh is good, for his loving kindness endures forever;’ who bring thanksgiving into Yahweh’s house. For I will cause the captivity of the land to be reversed as at the first,” says Yahweh. Yahweh of Armies says: “Yet again there will be in this place, which is waste, without man and without animal, and in all its cities, a habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, in the cities of the South, in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again pass under the hands of him who counts them,” says Yahweh.
- Ezra 5:13-15 But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree to build this house of God. The gold and silver vessels of God’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, and brought into the temple of Babylon, those Cyrus the king also took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor. He said to him, ‘Take these vessels, go, put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let God’s house be built in its place.’
- Psalms 106:46 He made them also to be pitied by all those who carried them captive.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain That is, moved him, and gave him heart.
That is, moved him, and gave him heart.
After that he and Darius had won Babylon.
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Who promised them deliverance after that seventy years were past, Jer. 25:12.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Ezr 1:1 Now in the first year of Cyrus…
Ezr 1:1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and [put it] also in writing, saying,
Ver. 1. Now] Heb. And; for the former history, recorded in the Chronicles, is continued by Ezra, that ready scribe, and perfect in the law, Ezr 7:6. Yet not so prompt or perfect can I deem him, as that he should, by memory, restore the Bible that was burnt, together with the temple, by the Babylonians. And yet that was the opinion of many ancients, grounded upon some passages in that Apocryphal Esdras (Irenae., Tertull., Clem. Alex., Jerome, Aug., Euseb.). We read also of one Johannes Gatius Ciphaleditanus, who, out of the vain confidence of his learning and memory, was wont to give out, that if the Holy Scripture should be lost out of the world, he would not doubt, by God’s grace, to restore it whole again. Of Cranmer indeed (a far better man, and a profounder divine) it is storied, that he had memorised most of the New Testament by heart. And of Beza, that, being more than eighty years of age, he could say perfectly, without the book, any Greek chapter in St Paul’s Epistles (Mr Leigh, Annot. on Joh 5:39).
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In the first year] Heb. In the one year. The Hebrews oft use one for first. So do also the apostles in Greek, Mat 28:1-20 : Joh 20:1; Joh 20:19 1Co 16:1-24 : 2Ki 6:1; one being the first number; neither was it without a mystery that Pythagoras bade his scholars ever to have respect, εις μοναδα; as Moses also his, saying, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord," Deu 6:4.
Of Cyrus] Heb. Coresh, so named by God more than a hundred years before he was born, Isa 40:28, and so honoured by the Persians (as the founder of their monarchy) that they liked the better of all that were hawk-nosed, like unto him. See the like of Josiah, 1Ki 13:2. The Persian word signifieth a lord, or great prince, as Hen. Stephanus noteth; and thence the Greeks have their κυρος, authority, κυριος, lord; and we our word sir, as some will have it. Plutarch, in Artaxerxes, saith that the Persians call the sun Cyrus. And it may very well be so, for the Hebrews also call the sun הרס Cheres, from its glistering brightness.
King of Persia] So he had been more than twenty years before this, and done many great exploits; but this was the first year of his empire, of his cosmocraty {Ruler of the world}, of the monarchy translated from the Babylonians to the Persians. The greatest kingdoms have their times and their turns, their rise and their ruin, when they shall live by fame only. Persia, having oft changed her masters since Cyrus, remaineth a flourishing kingdom to this day; but wholly Mahometan. Which abominable superstition the Turks received from them when, in the year 1030, they won that country under their Sultan Tangrolipix. Where it is hard to say, saith mine author, whether nation lost more, the Persians, by the loss of so great a kingdom, or the Turks, by embracing so great a vanity. To this day they acknowledge the Persians better Mahometans than themselves, which maketh the Turks far better soldiers upon the Christian than upon the Persian.
That the word of the Lord] For it was he that spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, Luk 1:70, and his word cannot be broken, Joh 10:35, for he is the God of Amen, as the prophet David calleth him, Psa 31:5; and all his promises are the issue of a most faithful and right will, void of all insincerity and falsehood, Pro 8:8.
By the mouth of Jeremiah] That admirable preacher (as Keckerman calleth him), that most eminent prophet (as another), with whose writings, about this very restoration, Daniel consulted, and therehence collected, that the time was come, Dan 9:2, which put him upon that heavenly prayer; for he knew that God’s promises must be put in suit; and it was to him that the angel afterwards said, I came for thy word, Dan 10:14. God will come, according to his promise, but he will have his people’s prayers lead him. This liberty here granted to the Jews, after so long captivity, was the fruit of many prayers, founded upon the promise, Jer 25:12; Jer 29:10.
Might be fulfilled] As indeed it was exactly by the death of Belshazzar, slain by Cyrus, who succeeded him: Dan 5:30, "In that night was Belshazzar slain," because then exactly the seventy years were ended. So, for the same reason it is noted, Exo 12:40-41, that at midnight the firstborn of Egypt were slain, because just then the four hundred or four hundred and thirty years foretold were expired. So punctual is God in keeping his word. It is not here, as with men, A day breaketh no square, &c., for he never faileth at his time.
The Lord stirred up the spirit] It was the mighty and immediate work of God (in whose hand are the hearts of all, both kings and captives, lords and lowlies) to bring this wise and great prince, in the very first entrance into his monarchy, before things were fully settled, to dismiss so great and so united a people, in respect of their custom and religion, and so given to insurrection (as was generally held) into their own country, with such a fair and full patent. This was the Lord’s own work, and it was justly marvellous in the eyes of his people; who could hardly believe their own eyes, but were for a while like those who dream. Then was their mouth filled with laughter, and their tongue with singing, &c., Psa 126:1-2. Then was the great power and goodness of God, in stirring up Cyrus to do this, acknowledged. Then also was the king’s clemency and courtesy no less cried up and magnified than was that of Flaminius, the Roman general, at Athens, where, for delivering them from servitude, he was little less than deified; or that of our Queen Elizabeth, who, for her merciful returning home certain Italians that were taken prisoners in the eighty-eight invasion, was termed St. Elizabeth by some at Venice; whereof one told the Lord Carleton (afterwards Viscount Dorchester), being there ambassador, that although he was a Papist, yet he would never pray to any other saint but that St. Elizabeth.
That he made proclamation] Heb. He caused a voice to pass, sc. by his messengers and ministers. The posts went out, being hastened by the king’s commandment, Est 3:15, even those Angarii. The Lord Christ also proclaiming liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, Isa 61:1, causeth his word to run and to be glorified, to spread like a sunbeam, as Eusebius saith the gospel did at first; to be carried as on eagles’ wings, or on angels’ wings, as it was through all Christendom, when Luther first sent forth his book, De Captivitate Babylonica, of the Babylonish Captivity.
And put it also in writing] That it might be posted up, and everywhere published. Vox audita perit: littera scripta manet. Christ hath written for us also the great things of his law; and should they, then, be counted a strange thing? Hos 8:12. {See Trapp on "Hos 8:12"} His Gospel likewise he hath written to you that believe on the name of the Son of God, 1Jn 5:13, and ponder his passion especially, which is, therefore, so particularly set down by four faithful witnesses, that men may get it written, not on the nails of their hands (as one once did), but upon the tables of their hearts, there to abide as a perpetual picture; Non scripta solum, sedet sculpta, as he said; that we therein beholding, as in a glass, the love of our Lord, might be changed into the same image, till our hearts became a very lump of love to him who "loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and made us kings and priests unto God and his Father," Rev 1:5-6.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia,…
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to wit, of his empire or reign in Babylon; for he had now been king of Persia for many years. Stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, i.e. put into him a mind and will to his work.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain It will be proper for us here to consider,…
It will be proper for us here to consider, 1. What was the state of the captive Jews in Babylon. It was upon many accounts very deplorable; they were under the power of those that hated them, had nothing they could call their own; they had no temple, no altar; if they sang psalms, their enemies ridiculed them; and yet they had prophets among them. Ezekiel and Daniel were kept distinct from the heathen. Some of them were preferred at court, others had comfortable settlements in the country, and they were all borne up with hope that, in due time, they should return to their own land again, in expectation of which they preserved among them the distinction of their families, the knowledge of their religion, and an aversion to idolatry. 2. What was the state of the government under which they were. Nebuchadnezzar carried many of them into captivity in the first year of his reign, which was the fourth of Jehoiakim; he reigned forty-five years, his son Evil-merodach twenty-three, and his grandson Belshazzar three years, which make up the seventy years. So Dr. Lightfoot, It is charged upon Nebuchadnezzar that he opened not the house of his prisoners, Isa 14:17. And, if he had shown mercy to the poor Jews, Daniel told him it would have been the lengthening of his tranquillity, Dan 4:27. But the measure of the sins of Babylon was at length full, and then destruction was brought upon them by Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Persian, which we read of, Dan. 5. Darius, being old, left the government to Cyrus, and he was employed as the instrument of the Jews' deliverance, which he gave orders for as soon as ever he was master of the kingdom of Babylon, perhaps in contradiction to Nebuchadnezzar, whose family he had cut off, and because he took a pleasure in undoing what he had done, or in policy, to recommend his newly-acquired dominion as merciful and gentle, or (as some think) in a pious regard to the prophecy of Isaiah, which had been published, and well known, above 150 years before, where he was expressly named as the man that should do this for God, and for whom God would do great things (Isa 44:28; Isa 45:1, etc.), and which perhaps was shown to him by those about him. His name (some say) in the Persian language signifies the sun, for he brought light and healing to the church of God, and was an eminent type of Christ the Sun of righteousness. Some was that his name signifies a father, and Christ is the everlasting Father. Now here we are told,
I. Whence this proclamation took its rise. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus. Note, The hearts of kings are in the hand of the Lord, and, like the rivulets of water, he turneth them which way soever he will. It is said of Cyrus that he knew not God, nor how to serve him; but God knew him, and how to serve himself by him, Isa 45:4. God governs the world by his influence on the spirits of men, and, whatever good is done at any time, it is God that stirs up the spirit to do it, puts thoughts into the mind, gives to the understanding to form a right judgment, and directs the will which way he pleases. Whatever good offices therefore are, at any time, done for the church of God, he must have the glory of them.
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II. The reference it had to the prophecy of Jeremiah, by whom God had not only promised that they should return, but had fixed the time, which set time to favour Sion had now come. Seventy years were determined (Jer 25:12; Jer 29:10); and he that kept the promise made concerning Israel's deliverance out of Egypt to a day (Exo 12:41) was doubtless as punctual to this. What Cyrus now did was long since said to be the confirming of the word of God's servants, Isa 44:26. Jeremiah, while he lived, was hated and despised; yet thus did Providence honour him long after, that a mighty monarch was influenced to act in pursuance of the word of the Lord by his mouth.
III. The date of this proclamation. It was in his first year, not the first of his reign over Persia, the kingdom he was born to, but the first of his reign over Babylon, the kingdom he had conquered. Those are much honoured whose spirits are stirred up to begin with God and to serve him in their first years.
IV. The publication of it, both by word of mouth (he caused a voice to pass throughout all his kingdom, like a jubilee-trumpet, a joyful sabbatical year after many melancholy ones, proclaiming liberty to the captives), and also in black and white: he put it in writing, that it might be the more satisfactory, and might be sent to those distant provinces where the ten tribes were scattered in Assyria and Media, Kg2 17:6.
V. The purport of this proclamation of liberty.
1. The preamble shows the causes and considerations by which he was influenced, Ezr 1:2. It should seem, his mind was enlightened with the knowledge of Jehovah (for so he calls him), the God of Israel, as the only living and true God, the God of heaven, who is the sovereign Lord and disposer of all the kingdoms of the earth; of him he says (Ezr 1:3), He is the God, God alone, God above all. Though he had not known God by education, God made him so far to know him now as that he did this service with an eye to him. He professes that he does it, (1.) In gratitude to God for the favours he had bestowed upon him: The God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. This sounds a little vain-glorious, for there were many kingdoms of the earth which he had nothing to do with; but he means that God had given him all that was given to Nebuchadnezzar, whose dominion, Daniel says, was to the end of the earth, Dan 4:22; Dan 5:19. Note, God is the fountain of power; the kingdoms of the earth are at his disposal; whatever share any have of them they have from him: and those whom God has entrusted with great power and large possessions should look upon themselves as obliged thereby to do much for him. (2.) In obedience to God. He hat charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem; probably by a dream or vision of the night, confirmed by comparing it with the prophecy of Isaiah, where his doing it was foretold. Israel's disobedience to God's charge, which they were often told of, is aggravated by the obedience of this heathen king.
2. He gives free leave to all the Jews that were in his dominions to go up to Jerusalem, and to build the temple of the Lord there, Ezr 1:3. His regard to God made him overlook, (1.) The secular interest of his government. It would have been his policy to keep so great a number of serviceable men in his dominions, and seemed impolitic to let them go and take root again in their own land; but piety is the best policy. (2.) The honour of the religion of his country. Why did he not order them to build a temple to the gods of Babylon or Persia? He believed the God of Israel to be the God of heaven, and therefore obliged his Israel to worship him only. Let them walk in the name of the Lord their God.
3. He subjoins a brief for a collection to bear the charges of such as were poor and not able to bear their own, Ezr 1:4. "Whosoever remaineth, because he has not the means to bear his charges to Jerusalem, let the men of his place help him." Some take it as an order to the king's officers to supply them out of his revenue, as Ezr 6:8. But it may mean a warrant to the captives to ask and receive the alms and charitable contributions of all the king's loving subjects. And we may suppose the Jews had conducted themselves so well among their neighbours that they would be as forward to accommodate them because they loved them as the Egyptians were because they were weary of them. At least many would be kind to them because they saw the government would take it well. Cyrus not only gave his good wishes with those that went (Their God be with them, Ezr 1:3), but took care also to furnish them with such things as they needed. He took it for granted that those among them who were of ability would offer their free-will offerings for the house of God, to promote the rebuilding of it. But, besides that, he would have them supplied out of his kingdom. Well-wishers to the temple should be well-doers for it.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Now in the first year of Cyrus king of…
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia,.... Not in the first of his reign over Persia, for he had been many years king over that, and now had all the kingdoms of the earth given him, Ezr 1:2, but over Babylon, and the dominions belonging to it, which commenced with Darius upon the taking of Babylon; he reigned in all thirty years, as Cicero (g) from a Persian writer relates; or twenty nine, according to Herodotus (h); but in what year this was is not certain; Africanus (i), has proved, from various historians, that it was the first year of the fifty fifth Olympiad, perhaps about the twentieth of Cyrus's Persian government (k); See Gill on Dan 10:1,
that the word of the Lord, by the mouth of Jeremiah, might be fulfilled; which foretold that the Jews should return from their captivity at the end of seventy years, which fell on the first of Cyrus, reckoning from the fourth of Jehoiakim, and the first of Nebuchadnezzar, see Jer 25:1.
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The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia; who has the hearts of all men in his hands, and even of the kings of the earth, and can turn them as he pleases; he wrought upon him, put it into his heart, enlightened his mind, showed him what was right, and his duty to do, and pressed him to the performance of it; so that he could not be easy until he had done it, and he was made thoroughly willing, and even eager to do it:
that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing; gave it in writing to his heralds to read and proclaim throughout all his dominions:
saying; as follows.
(g) De Divinatione, l. 1. (h) Clio, sive, l. 1. c. 214. (i) Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 10. c. 10. p. 488. (k) Nic. Abrami Pharus, p. 303.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain The proclamation of Cyrus, for the release of the…
The proclamation of Cyrus, for the release of the Jews, and building of the temple, ver. 1-4. The return of many of them, ver. 5, 6. Orders given for restoring the vessels of the temple, ver. 7- 11.
Fulfilled - Nebuchadnezzar carried many of the Jews into captivity in the first year of his reign (the fourth of Jehoiakim). He reigned forty-five years, his son Evil-merodach twenty-three, and his grandson Belshazzar, three years, which make up the seventy years foretold by Jeremiah. First year - Of his reign in Babylon: for he had been king of Persia for many years.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Chronological Notes relative to this Book
THE BOOK OF EZRA
Chronological Notes relative to this Book
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-Year from the Creation, according to Archbishop Usher, whose system of chronology is most generally received, 3468.
-Year before the birth of Christ, 532.
-Year before the vulgar era of Christ's nativity, 536.
-Year of the Julian Period, 4178.
-Year since the flood of Noah, according to the English Bible, 1812.
-Year of the Cali Yuga, or Indian era of the Deluge, 2566.
-Year from the vocation of Abram, 1386.
-Year from the destruction of Troy, 649. This we collect from three passages in Dionysius of Halicarnassus, (who flourished in the Augustan ages) which state that an interval of four hundred and thirty-two years elapsed from the destruction of Troy to the building of Rome.
-Year from the foundation of Solomon's temple, 475.
-Year since the division of Solomon's monarchy into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, 439.
-Year of the era of Iphitus, who re-established the Olympic games, three hundred and thirty-eight years after their institution by Hercules, or about eight hundred and eighty-four years before the commencement of the Christian era, 349.
-Year since the conquest of Coroebus at Elis, usually styled the first Olympiad, (being the twenty-eighth Olympiad after their re-establishment by Iphitus,) 241.
-First year of the sixty-first Olympiad.
-Year of the Varronian or generally received era of the building of Rome, 218. This is upon the supposition that Rome was built in the last year of the sixth Olympiad.
-Year from the building of Rome, according to Cato and the Fasti Consulares, 217. Dionysius of Halicarnassus follows this account; for he says that the metropolis of the Roman work was built in the first year of the sixth Olympiad, which was the first year of Charops, the first decennial archon of the Athenians.
-Year from the building of Rome, according to Polybius, 216.
-Year from the building of Rome, according to Fabius Pictor, who lived about two hundred and twenty-five years before the Christian era, 212.
-Year of the Nabonassarean era, 212.
-Year since the destruction of the kingdom of Israel by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, 186.
-Year from the destruction of Solomon's temple by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, 53.
-Year of Servius Tullius, the sixth king of the Romans, and father-in-law of Tarquin the Proud, 43.
-Year of Ariston, king of Lacedaemon, and of the family of the Proclidae, or Eurypontidae, 29.
-Year of Anaxandrides, king of Lacedaemon, and of the family of the Eurysthenidae, or Agidae, 28.
N. B. The kings of the Lacedaemonians of the families of the Proclidae and the Eurysthenidae sat on the throne together for several hundred years.
-Year of Amyntas, the ninth king of the Macedonians, 12.
-Year of the reign of Cyrus, computing from the year in which he dethroned his grandfather Astyages, the last king of Media, 24. But this was only his first year, if with the Holy Scriptures, as well as Xenophon in the eighth book of his Institutes, we compute the years of his reign from the time in which he was put in possession of the whole Eastern empire. See Ezr 1:1.
-Year of the Babylonish captivity, 70. The years of this captivity are generally reckoned from 606 B.C., when Jehoiakim king of Judah was put in chains to be carried to Babylon; and are supposed to be terminated by the edict of Cyrus to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem. But others are of opinion that the seventy years' captivity are to be computed from the total destruction of the Jewish monarchy; and that they reach down to the second year of Darius king of Persia, at which time Zerubbabel and Joshua were encouraged by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to proceed with the rebuilding of the temple.
CHAPTER I
The proclamation of Cyrus for the rebuilding of the temple, 1-4.
The people provide for their return, 5, 6.
Cyrus restores to Sheshbazzar the vessels taken by
Nebuchadnezzar out of the temple of Solomon, 7-11.
In the introduction to this book the reader will find the history of Ezra detailed at considerable length. It is only necessary to say here that he is generally allowed among the Jews to have been of the sacerdotal family, and therefore he is called οιερευς, the priest by the Septuagint. Among the rabbins he passes for a most extraordinary critic, Divinely authorized to collect and arrange the different portions of the sacred writings, and digest them into a system. How far all they say on this subject is true, we cannot tell; he was, beyond all controversy, a very eminent man; and in all that he did, acted under the immediate direction and inspiration of the Almighty.
This history contains the transactions of about eighty-two years; from the first year of Cyrus in Babylon, according to Archbishop Usher, A.M. 3468, to the nineteenth year of Ardsheer Diraz Dest, or Artaxerxes Longimanus, who sent Nehemiah to Jerusalem, about A.M. 3550. For all other particulars, see the introduction.
NOTES ON CHAP. I
Verse 1. Now in the first year] This is word for word with the two last verses of the preceding book; which stand here in their proper place and connection, but there are entirely destitute of chronological connection and reference.
Cyrus] This prince, so eminent in antiquity, is said to have been the son of Cambyses king of Persia, and Mandane, daughter of Astyages king of the Medes; and was born about six hundred years before Christ. Josephus accounts for his partiality to the Jews from this circumstance; that he was shown the places in Isaiah the prophet where he is mentioned by name, and his exploits and conquests foretold: see Isa 44:28; Isa 45:1, c. Finding himself thus distinguished by the God of the Jews, he was anxious to give him proofs of his gratitude in return and so made the decree in favour of the Jews, restored their sacred vessels, gave them liberty to return to their own land, and encouraged them to rebuild the temple of Jehovah, c.
It is very probable that when Cyrus took Babylon he found Daniel there, who had been long famed as one of the wisest ministers of state in all the East and it is most likely that it was this person who pointed out to him the prophecy of Isaiah, and gave him those farther intimations relative to the Divine will which were revealed to himself. Of his death there are contradictory accounts. Herodotus says, that having turned his arms against the Massagetes, and killed the son of Tomyris their queen, the mother, impatient to avenge the death of her son, sent him a defiance; promised to glut him with blood; and, having attacked him, pretended to be worsted and to fly; and thus she drew him and his army into an ambuscade, where he was routed and slain, and a considerable part of his army destroyed. The enraged queen having found his body, cut off his head, and threw it into a vessel full of human blood, with this most bitter sarcasm: -
Ευ μεν, εμευ ζωσης τε και νικωσης ες μαχην,
απωλεσας παιδα τον εμον, ἑλων δολῳ· σε δ' εγω,
καταπερ ηπειλησα, αἱματος κορεσω. - HEROD. Clio, c. 214.
"Although living and victorious, thou hast destroyed me in slaying my son, whom thou hast overcome by deceit; but, as I have threatened, I will now slake thy thirst with blood."
Cyrus, thy thirst was blood, now drink thy fill.
By-Jeremiah] This prophet, Jer 25:12; Jer 29:11, had foretold that the Babylonish captivity should last only seventy years: these were now ended; Cyrus had given the Jews permission and encouragement to return to Judea, and rebuild the temple of the Lord; and thus the prediction of Jeremiah was fulfilled.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Ezr 1:1. Now in the first year of Cyrus,…
Ezr 1:1. Now in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia — This is that famous Cyrus who, one hundred and forty years before the temple was destroyed, and two hundred years before he was born, was mentioned by name in the prophecies of Isaiah, as raised up, and appointed by God, for the restoration of his people, Isa 44:28; Isa 45:1; Isa 45:4. This remarkable prediction, it is probable, Daniel showed to Cyrus, and that it induced him to give forth the following edict. So Prideaux thinks, with many other learned men. Cyrus, it appears, at his first coming to Babylon, found Daniel there, an old minister of state, famed for his great wisdom over all the East; and hence he not only himself employed him as such, but, upon settling the government, made him first superintendent, or prime minister of state, over all the provinces of the empire. In this station of life Daniel must have been a person of great authority at court, and highly in the esteem of his prince; and, as there could be no doubt but he would use his good offices in behalf of the enlargement of the Jews, so it is not likely he should use them in vain, especially if he showed Cyrus the prophecies just mentioned, which, it is evident from the decree itself, that Cyrus had seen. It must be observed that, strictly speaking, this decree was not given forth in the first year of Cyrus’s reign; for then the Jews were not his subjects; but in the first year after his conquest of Babylon, where the Jews then lived in captivity.
That the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled — Who foretold that after seventy years the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans should be destroyed, and the people of Judah restored to their own land. This prophecy was first delivered in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar; and the same year Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judea, besieged and took Jerusalem, made Jehoiakim his subject and tributary, transported the finest children of the royal family and of the nobility to Babylon, to be bred up there for eunuchs and slaves in his palace, and also carried away the vessels of the house of the Lord and put them in the temple of his god at Babylon. Seventy years from this time will bring us down to the first year of Cyrus, (2Ch 36:22; Ezr 1:3,) when he made his proclamation for the restoration of the Jews, and for the building of the temple at Jerusalem. This computation of the seventy years captivity appears to many to be the truest and most agreeable to Scripture. But, if we fix the commencement of these seventy years at the time when Jerusalem was burned and destroyed, their conclusion will fall about the time when Darius issued his decree for rebuilding the temple, after the work had been suspended and stopped. Or, if we fix their commencement at the time when Nebuzaradan carried away the last remainder of the people, and completed the desolation of the land, their conclusion will fall about the time when the temple was finished and dedicated, and the first passover was solemnized in it. “So that,” as Dean Prideaux says, “taking it which way we will, and at what stage we please, the prophecy of Jeremiah will be fully and exactly accomplished concerning this matter.” It may be said to have been accomplished, indeed, at three different times, and in three different manners, and therefore, possibly, all might have been intended, though the first, without doubt, was the principal subject of the prophecy.
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The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia — God, who had long before designed him for this work, now suggested these thoughts and intentions to him, and excited him to begin to prosecute them, (for it was not all accomplished in the first year of Cyrus,) which he did, not only by causing his will and pleasure to be proclaimed, but to be put in writing, that none might mistake his meaning.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain By the first year of Cyrus is to be…
By the first year of Cyrus is to be understood the first year of his sovereignty over the Jews, or 538 B.C.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain In. Hebrew, "And (Calmet) or But in," as [in]…
In. Hebrew, "And (Calmet) or But in," as [in] 2 Paralipomenon xxxvi. 22. (Haydock) --- Thus the historical works are connected. Spinosa infers, from this book being inserted after Daniel in the Hebrew Bible, that the same author wrote both. But the order of the books in the Septuagint and Vulgate is far more natural, (Calmet) and this has often varied in Hebrew, &c. (Kennicott) See 2 Paralipomenon xxxvi. 23. (Haydock) --- First. The design was only put in execution the following year. (The year of the world 3468.) --- Cyrus (Hebrew coresh, (Haydock) or Koresch) means "the sun," according to Ctesias and Plutarch. Josephus ([Antiquities?] xi. 1.) informs us that this prince became a friend of the Jews, in consequence of having seen the prediction of Isaias (xliv. 28., and xlv. 1.) fulfilled in his own person. He took Babylon, the year of the world 3466, and established the Persian empire, which was subverted by Alexander. (Calmet) --- he had before ruled over Persia 27 years, and only reigned three as sole monarch at Babylon. (Tirinus) --- The Lord; every good notion, even in infidels, proceeds from him. (Du Hamel) --- Cyrus was one of the best and greatest conquerors of antiquity. He was the son of Cambyses, by Mandane, princess of Media. Xenophon informs us that he died in his bed; (Haydock) and had been lately conquered. (Tirinus)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures 1864 · Public Domain The Temple as the Place of the Lord. (Period…
PART FIRST
The Temple as the Place of the Lord. (Period previous to Ezra)
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Chaps. 1–6
FIRST SECTION
The Most Important Fundamental Facts
Ezra 1, 2
A.—THE DECREE OF CYRUS—THE DEPARTURE FROM BABYLON–THE RESTITUTION OF THE SACRED VESSELS
Ezr_1:1-11
I. The Decree of Cyrus. Ezr_1:1-4
1Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, 2Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him a 3 house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem. 4And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, besides the free-will offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.
II. The Departure from Babylon. Ezr_1:5-6
5Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. 6And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.
III. The Restitution of the Vessels of the Temple Ezr_1:7-11
7Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods; 8Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of 9Judah. And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand 10chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives, Thirty basins of gold, silver basins of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand. 11All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Shesh bazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Ezr_1:1-4. The decree of Cyrus placed here at the beginning constituted the basis of all that followed, first of all, of the re-establishment of the temple and the renewal of the congregation. And although this decree was issued by a heathen prince, it yet involved a great act of fulfillment on the part of the Lord. It is manifest from the first verse that the Lord was there present and acting to fulfil His word.
Ezr_1:1. And in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia.—The וְ (and), which under other circumstances might be deemed unimportant, here, in view of 2Ch_36:22, connects the subsequent re-establishment with the previous destruction. The first year of Cyrus naturally refers to that first year, in which he began to come into consideration as ruler with reference to the Jews, that is, over Babylon, and indeed not mediately, as the sovereign of Darius the Mede, in view of Dan_6:1, but immediately. It was the year 536 B. C.—[Rawlinson contends that “by the first year of Cyrus is to be understood his first year at Babylon, which was the first year of his sovereignty over the Jews. This was B. C. 538.”—Tr.]—כּוֹרֶשׁ corresponds with the old Persian kurus, the Greek κῦρος, and is perhaps connected with kurus the name of prince in ancient India [and the kuru race, according to Rawlinson, who also thinks that the Masoretic pointing is incorrect for כּוּרֶשׁ.—Tr.].—Vid. Delitzsch, Com., Isa_44:28. פָּרַם (in the best editions with pathah under resh, for which we have qametz in strong pause, as with silluq, Ezr_4:3) is in the cuneiform inscriptions Paraça, in the native dialect Parça, vid. Schrader, Keilinschriften, S. 244 [Rawlinson, Appendix to Com. on Persian words in Ezra.—Tr.].—That the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled.—לִכְלוֹת would generally be rendered: in order that it might be completed. The subject would then be properly regarded as the period of seventy years which the divine word had determined (so Berth, and Keil); yet as this is not the subject, but rather the word of the Lord itself, we are compelled to render: in order that it might be fulfilled. כָּלָה means properly to be ready, and thence, on the one side, to be finished, e. g. Exo_39:32, especially of buildings, as of the temple, 1Ki_6:38, but likewise of predicted events, Dan_12:7; in the Piel, to finish, 1Ki_7:1 sq.; in Pual, to be completed, Gen_2:1; on the other side, to pass away. Taking it thus, לִכְלֹות is essentially the same as לְמַלּאוֹת, which is used as its synonym, 2Ch_36:21 (Vulg. ut compleretur), although this term rests on a different idea. The word of God is not as with מַלּאוֹת to be regarded as a measure to be filled full, but as the vital beginning of that which is to be carried out.—That our author, as well as the author of Dan_9:1, brings into consideration above all the prophecy of Jer_25:11 sq. and Jer_29:10, not that of Isa_41:2-4; Isa_41:25; Isa_44:24-28; Isa_45:1-6; Isa_45:13; Isa_46:11; Isa_48:13-15, is to be explained from the fact that he is concerned, as we see from 2Ch_36:21, not merely with the deliverance after the exile, but likewise with the time of that deliverance, that is, with its beginning, after the expiration of the seventy years of the exile, which is foretold in Jeremiah alone. Besides the prophecies of Jeremiah were the more popular as they were older and more fundamental.1 The seventy years of the exile, to the first year of Cyrus, can only be made out by going back to the first beginning of all the Chaldean wars, conquests and captivities of Israel—that is, to the victory of Nebuchadnezzar over Pharaoh–Necho at Carchemish in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, 606 B. C. [Rawlinson and Smith both make the date 605 B. C. The former contends that seventy is a round number sufficiently fulfilled by sixty-eight years, which he makes between 605 and 538.—Tr.], when Jeremiah first uttered the prophecy under consideration. (comp. Jer_25:1 sq. and Jer_46:1). We are fully justified in doing this, as is now again generally recognized. That already in the fourth year of Jehoiakim there was really a conquest of Jerusalem and a carrying into captivity of Jews of the principal families, is shown not only by the fact that this year had to Jeremiah the significance of an important crisis, comp. Ezra 25, not only, moreover, from the statement, 2 Kings 26:1, that Nebuchadnezzar made a first expedition against Jehoiakim, and then reduced him to submission for a long time, but likewise from the combination of very definite historical statements. Here belongs especially the remark of Jer_46:2, that Nebuchadnezzar defeated Pharaoh Necho in the fourth year of Jehoiakim at Carchemish, and in connection therewith the account of Berosus, that he pursued the Egyptians in conquest into their own land, and then when the account of the death of his father recalled him, had carried away captive the Jews among other nations. Besides, 2Ch_36:6 may be adduced as an evidence of this fact (with Bertheau), since the account there manifestly taken from ancient sources, that Nebuchadnezzar had ordered Jehoiakim to be bound with an iron chain, in order to bring him to Babylon, cannot be referred to the last campaign against Jehoiakim, in which he perished in his native land, but only to a previous expedition. The fact that Jeremiah makes no mention of a capture of Jerusalem in the fourth year of Jehoiakim cannot count for the contrary opinion; for Jeremiah touches upon the history of Jerusalem only in so far as it determined his own history; and there is no more importance to be given to the fact that Jeremiah, Jer_36:9 sq., caused to be read in the fifth year of Jehoiakim and the ninth month a prophecy that Nebuchadnezzar would come and destroy the land. Jehoiakim was ever thinking of rebellion, and the people were of like spirit, and would not believe that ruin actually threatened them from the Chaldeans. They were therefore still in especial need of such a threatening, even if the misfortune had already begun. It might also under these very circumstances be as unwelcome to them as it appears from Jer_36:11 sq. In contrast with their hopes and efforts it was certainly the most undesirable (against Bähr on 2Ki_24:1). At that time they held a fast, and that they thereby would lament a misfortune already suffered, and not merely avert one that was to be feared, is in connection with the false security so natural to them, and their effort to suppress those gloomy thoughts that were anywhere about to have vent, is at least highly probable.—The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus.—This does not mean that Cyrus was influenced in the same way as were the prophets, upon whom, with their greater susceptibility, the Spirit of the Lord came; but yet an influence in consequence of which Cyrus made the will of God his own will, and executed it in the things under consideration. God gave him the resolution and the desire to execute His intention, comp. 1Ch_5:26; 2Ch_21:16; Hag_1:14 sq. That the Lord at this time chose a heathen, and indeed the ruler of a heathen empire, as His instrument, was in accordance with the new position that the empires of the world were henceforth to assume with reference to the kingdom of God.—He made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also (made known) by writing. Usually הֶעֱכִיר קוֹל means “to cause to be made known through heralds,” comp. Ezr_10:7; Neh_8:15; 2Ch_30:5; Exo_36:6; that it is to be taken here in the same sense is clear from the use of גַּם before בְּמִכְתָּב, which is thus adjoined in zeugma, so that we must supply a new verb with a general meaning, such as “he made known.”
Ezr_1:2. The decree of Cyrus immediately following was not merely designed for the Jews; accordingly was by no means merely to be communicated to them secretly; but, according to Ezr_1:4, it was directed to all the subjects of the Persian empire. All the more striking therefore is the open confession of Jehovah, which Cyrus makes at the very beginning.—All the kingdoms of the earth hath Jehovah the God of heaven given me, and He hath charged me to build Him a house.—We are not therefore to suppose that the author simply imputed to Cyrus the acknowledgment of Jehovah or indeed that he altogether invented this entire edict. Chapter Ezr_5:17; Ezr_6:3 suffice to disprove this supposition. It is not to be supposed, indeed, that Cyrus spake in his edict of Jehovah as the God of heaven who had given him the lands; for his subjects would have regarded it as an apostasy from the Persian religion, which might have been fatal to him; moreover such a thing would be without any analogy.2 Against this view there cannot be cited the case of that king of Hamath who in the inscription of Sargon at Khorsebad and Nimrud is called Jahubihd, in another inscription however Ilubihd‚ who thus seems not only to have employed the name of El., but likewise of Jehovah. Comp. Schrader, l. c., S. 3 sq. Without doubt the Persians had an entirely different self-consciousness from the Syrians, who as a matter of course were much more closely related to the Israelites. Notwithstanding this, however, it is clear from the fact of the edict itself and the dismission of the Jews, that Cyrus tolerated the religion of Jehovah, at least as much as so many others in his wide realm, yea we may certainly conclude therefrom that he favored it. He would not only have Jehovah recognised as a God alongside of other gods; for such a polytheistic syncretism would have accorded but little with the strong monotheistic bent of the Persian religion, and would still less accord with that recognition of Jehovah which is declared in the decree before us. Cyrus might very well have regarded the Jewish religion as a method of worshipping the highest God, which deserved a preference above many other sensuous conceptions of the Deity. He might have seen in Jehovah, so to speak, only another name for Ahura mazda, and might have been so much the more inclined to this conception, as the Persians had an idea of God which in itself was purer than that of other nations, which has been obscured for the first time by more sensuous religious elements, pressing in upon them from Media and the West. Comp. Döllinger, Heidenthum und Judenthum, S. 351 sq. [also Rawlinson’s Ancient Monarchies, III., p. 97]. A good impression in this respect might have been made upon him by the fact that his conquest of Babylon had been very desirable to the Jews, yea that they had placed their hopes at once in him as their deliverer. It is then but probable that they made their disposition and expectations known to him, and if they laid before him, as Josephus (Arch. IX., i. 7) informs us, at once likewise the prophecies referring to him in Isa_41:2-4; Isa_41:25 sq.; Isa_44:24-28; Isa_45:1 sq., this must have given him a very favorable disposition towards them. Moreover, as Cyrus recognised in the Jewish God, so might the Jews easily find in the Persian God one closely related to their own, yea identical with Him. Without regard to the fact that the divine name Ahura = asura, from as = esse, to a certain extent coincides with יְהוָֹה (compare Böttcher, Rudimenta mythologiæ semiticæ, spec. I.), the Zoroastrian religion was nearer to the religion of Jehovah than any other, and it is very remarkable that it is predicted in Isa_41:25; Isa_45:3, not only that Cyrus will call upon and proclaim the name of the Lord; that he will recognise Jehovah as the one who has chosen him, but likewise that he will be a mighty instrument in the hand of the Lord for overcoming the respect of the Chaldean gods. In fact, since Cyrus and the establishment of the Persian empire, the temptation to the rude worship of idols has declined as never before, not only in Israel, but likewise there gradually came over the other nations, even over the Greeks and Romans from that time forth more and more a spirit of enlightenment that certainly paved the way for the agency of the second great instrument of God, the servant of the Lord foretold in Isaiah 42.—The introduction given by Cyrus to his decree: “all the kingdoms of the earth hath Jehovah the God of heaven given me, and hath charged me with building him a house in Jerusalem,” corresponds with the beginnings of the proclamations of the Persian kings, as they are preserved to us in the cuneiform inscriptions. These likewise frequently begin with the confession that they owe their dominion to the highest God, the creator of heaven and earth. (Comp. I assen, Die altpersischen Keilinschriften, Bonn, 1836, S. 172; and more recently Joach. Menant, Expose des elements de la grammaire Assyrienne, Par., 1868, p. 302 sq., according to whom the trilingual inscription of Elvend begins thus: deus magnus Aüra-mazda, qui maximus deorum, qui hanc terram creavit, qui hoc cœlum creavit, qui homines creavit, qui potentiam (?) dedit hominibus, qui Xerxem regem fecit, etc. [Also Rawlinson’s Monarchies, III., 348, and his Com. on Ezra, where he gives the inscription of Darius: “The great God, Ormazd, who is the chief of the gods; he established Darius as king; he granted him the empire; by the grace of Ormazd is Darius king.”—Tr.]). The words: “all the kingdoms of the earth” are explained from the wide extent of the Persian empire. When Cyrus conquered Babylon, he had already subjugated to himself almost the entire eastern Asia, even to the Indian Ocean (according to Berosus in Joseph, c. Ap.). Afterwards he pressed southward also, and entered even into Egypt and Ethiopia. The words of Cyrus: “He hath charged me to build Him a house,” would be possible and justified even if he had merely felt himself charged by circumstances to build the temple at Jerusalem, but is still better explained if the Jews, as Josephus, l. c., says, laid before him Isa_44:24; Isa_44:28; Isa_45:1 sq. [So also Rawlinson, who says: “It is a reasonable conjecture that, on the capture of Babylon, Cyrus was brought into personal contact with Daniel, and that his attention was drawn by that prophet to the prophecy of Isaiah.—Cyrus probably accepted this prophecy as a ‘charge’ to rebuild the temple.” Keil also refers to Daniel 6., which states that Darius the Mede made Daniel one of the three presidents of the one hundred and twenty satraps of the empire, and valued him greatly at court.—Tr.]. J. H. Michaelis therefore explains the passage thus: mandavit mihi, nimirum dudum ante per Jesaiam, cap. Isa_44:24-28; Isa_45:1-13. The reference to these prophecies is all the more apparent since there, as well as here, the same fundamental fact is so strongly and repeatedly emphasized, namely, that the Lord gave to him the kingdoms of the earth, comp. especially Isa_41:2-3; Isa_41:25; Isa_45:1 sq. Comp. A. F. Kleinert, Ueber die Echtheit sämmtacher in dem Buch Jesaia enthaltenem Weissagungen, Berlin, 1829.
Ezr_1:3. Cyrus would first call upon the Jews, but yet turn to all his subjects with his address; because he had something to say to those also who were not Jews, but were dwelling with the Jews.—Who among you, of all His people, etc. With all the people of Jehovah he also properly includes the descendants of the ten tribes. Yet these seem not to have been thought of, nor does it seem that any important element of them made use of the permission of Cyrus. The blessing:—His God be with him—thus emphatic in position, shows that that which follows is not so much command as permission, as if he would say: His God be with him should he go up and build. Besides, this wish involves not only the permission to build the temple, but at the same time the consent to all that was necessarily connected therewith, especially the emigration to Palestine.3 The additional clause, He is the God who is at Jerusalem, which would give the motive for building the temple of Jehovah, does not mean that Jehovah is present only in Jerusalem, and only has power in Canaan, for Cyrus has already ascribed to Him the power over the kingdoms of the earth—but it simply expresses the idea that. He has chosen Jerusalem, above all other places, as the holy place which He would have distinguished for His worship. [Compare the confession of Darius, Dan_6:26, “He is the living God.”—Tr.]
Ezr_1:4. And as for every one of the survivors, let the people of his place assist him, etc.—The heathen, on their part, are to assist. כָּל־הַנִּשְׁאָר, is accusative absolute, placed before for emphasis. The designation of the exiles as survivors, properly those left over, is connected with the thought of the great and severe judgments that had overtaken Israel, and is found therefore especially among the Israelites themselves, comp. Neh_1:2 sq.; Hag_2:3 sq. This thought, however, was natural enough even for the heathen. The words: From all the places where he sojourneth, can only be connected with the subsequent clause. The Piel נִשָּׂא here means to assist, as in 1Ki_9:11, etc.—With silver and with gold, and with goods (here perhaps clothing or tents) they are to enable the departing to emigrate.—Besides the free-will offering. This was something additional (עִם comp. Ezr_1:6) to the gifts, by which they were to contribute directly to the building of the house of God. Comp. Ezr_8:25; Exo_35:29; Lev_22:25. [Rawlinson regards the free-will offering as that of Cyrus himself.—Tr.]
Ezr_1:5. The permission to march to Jerusalem was made use of by the heads of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites.—We are to conclude as a matter of course that with the heads of the fathers4 the fathers themselves set out, and with the fathers their families; that is, that the divisions of a higher and lower degree accompanied their heads. But it does not mean that all of the heads of the three tribes mentioned set out, but all whose spirit God had raised.—It certainly must have been the most of them, otherwise it would not have been said so distinctly the heads of the fathers. The simple לְכָל (to be distinguished from וּלְכָל, Ezr_7:28) does not serve, in enumerations, to add in a short and summary way all the others, which have not yet been mentioned, as if the meaning were that besides the heads there were others also who set out (Berth. [A. V.]), but it adds to that which has been already said a still closer definition, which is important to the context, (comp. Neh_11:2; 1Ch_13:1; 2Ch_5:12), so that it corresponds with our “namely,” “that is” [Ew. § 310 a]. ל properly here, as elsewhere, indicates the belonging to a class or kind. The author has then, in a manner peculiar to himself, subordinated the following relative clause to the כָּל־ without אֲשֶׁר. God must awake the spirit of those who would ascend, that is, must make them willing (comp. Ezr_1:1); for the return home was not a matter that required no consideration. Their native land lay either desolate or occupied with heathen and barbarous nations. Great dangers threatened the little nation, that would put itself in opposition with the inhabitants and indeed severe tasks awaited them. In Babylon, on the other hand, their circumstances had become such that they could very well endure them, yea, they were favorable, as we can see from Isa_56:11-12, hence πολλοί κατέμειναν ἐν τῇ βαβυλῶνι τὰ κτήματα καταλιπε͂ιν ὀυ θέλοντες. (Many remained behind in Babylon, unwilling to relinquish their property (Joseph. Arch.XI. 1, 1).
Ezr_1:6. All they that were about them.—The call to assist the returning exiles was obeyed and their neighbors, who certainly included the Israelites, who remained behind, who if they had means, would especially contribute with liberality (comp. Zec_6:9) in order to a certain extent to make up for what they seemed to neglect by their remaining behind. But there were surely heathen, also, whom Cyrus had chiefly in view, under the supposition that the Israelites could not let his permission go by without using it. The example of the king and his exhortation must have already made them willing, but there were certainly here and there some who were influenced by their friendly relations to the departing. חִזַּק בִּידֵיהֶם means, like הֶחֱזִיק בְּיָד first of all to take by the hand, in order to hold or support (Berth., Keil), then passes over as the German “jemanadem unter die Arme greifen,” immediately to the meaning “assist” (although he construction with בְּ is against a full equivalence of the expression with the frequently–occurring חִזַּק יָד) as is clear from the context, which demands the meaning, assist, the בְּ before כְּלֵי־כֶסֶף the following noun זָהָב, and the נִשָֹּא corresponding to it in Ezr_1:4—Besides all that was willingly offered.—לְבַד is here connected with עַל, (which properly would have sufficed by itself), for the usual מִןGen_32:12. Comp. Exo_12:37; Num_29:39. כָּל־ after עַל is certainly to be taken as neuter. הִתְנַדֵּב which is closely connected with the foregoing must have supplied not only אֲשֶׁר, but also the subject “what” he, namely, the giver, gave as an offering. הִתְנַדֵּב means properly “ to act freely,” is frequently used in this sense by our author, so likewise here “to give freely”, comp. 1Ch_29:9; Ezr_2:68; Ezr_3:5, and indeed in the liturgical sense “give for the temple,” to a certain extent as an offering, נְדָבָה. Comp. Ezr_1:4.
Ezr_1:7-11. It was Cyrus himself who especially helped the returning exiles by bestowing upon them the vessels that had been plundered from the temple. These vessels might have been taken away by Nebuchadnezzar, at the very first capture of Jerusalem in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, comp. 2Ch_36:7; Dan_1:2. That nothing of the kind is mentioned either in 2 Kings 24, or by Jeremiah, is explained naturally from the fact that in general so little is expressly said with reference to that first campaign of Nebuchadnezzar. When Jehoiachin (Jechoniah) was carried away captive, there was certainly a plundering of the temple, and that seemed more worthy of mention, 2Ki_24:13; Jer_27:16; Jer_28:1 sq.; whilst it is expressly said, 2Ki_24:13, that Nebuchadnezzar at this time brake off the gold of the vessels, which seems to indicate that there were no longer vessels of massive gold, but merely vessels overlaid with gold. When Zedekiah was set aside by the governor of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan (2Ki_25:13 sq.; Jer_52:18 sq.), the vessels remaining were mostly of brass.
Ezr_1:8. Cyrus delivered over the vessels by the hand of the treasurer Mithredates.5—עַל־יַד, that is, so that he had at the same time to take them in his hands to inspect them, to recognize them as the vessels of the temple at Jerusalem, accordingly under his supervision. Comp. Ezr_8:33; Est_6:9. גִזְבָּר is the Zend gaza–bara, treasurer, whilst the other form, נִּדְבָּר pl. גְּדָבְרִיןDan_3:2-3, corresponds with the old Persian gada-bara (gaint bara, modern Persian geng’ war) from gada or ganda. Comp. Keil, Dan. 5:36, Anm. 1.—Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah, to whom Mithredates counted out the vessels, meets us again in the Chaldee passage, Ezr_5:14; Ezr_5:16, and indeed as pecha or governor of the new community in Judea, who laid the foundation of the new temple, so that without question he is identical with Zerubbabel (Ezr_2:2; Ezr_3:8; Ezr_4:3) the son of Shealtiel (Ezr_3:2; Ezr_3:8; Ezr_5:2; Hag_1:1, etc., comp. also Mat_1:12; Luk_3:27), who, 1Ch_3:19, is likewise a son of Pedaiah, a brother of Shealtiel, and belongs to the family of Daniel. Alongside of the more Chaldee name of Sheshbazzar, Zerubbabel was used as a more Hebrew name. The latter occurs even in the Chaldee part of the book, Ezr_5:2. In the same way Daniel and his three companions had with their Chaldee names, which they received when they entered into the service of the king of Babylon, likewise Hebrew names, Dan_1:7. The meaning of Sheshbazzar is still more uncertain than that of Zerubbabel. Not even the pronunciation of the word is certain. The Alex. version has, in most accordance with the Masoretic form Σασαβασάρ, but likewise Σαβαχασάρ, and Σαναβάσσαρος. The latter form is found in accordance with the best MSS. Esdras, where the reading alongside of it is Σαμανασσάρ.
Ezr_1:9. In the enumeration of the vessels their names, as well as their numbers, afford difficulties. Instead of the usual names for temple vessels, others are chosen here, perhaps, because they were preferred as more comprehensive and popular terms. The detailed numbers do not correspond with the sum total in Ezr_1:11. Thirty golden and one thousand silver אֲנַרְטָלִים were numbered first of all, according to the Alex. version ψυκτῆρες (wine coolers), Ezr_2:11,σπονδεῖα, cups for drink-offerings, according to the interpretation of the Talmud in Aben Ezra from אָגַד to collect, and טָלֶה, lamb, vessels for collecting the blood of lambs, which is certainly untenable. Probably we have in the Arabic kirtallat, Syriac kartolo, Greek κάρταλλος, the same term, accordingly a basket coming to a point below (see Suidas). The twenty-nine מַחֲלָפִים which follow, are judged according to their small number merely a subordinate kind of the preceding, which differed from them in some special kind of decoration or arrangements, thus not cultri, sacrificial knives (Vulg.), according to rabbinical interpretation, from חָלַף to penetrate, to cut in two, but rather according to מַחֲלָפוֹת= braids, Jdg_16:13; Jdg_16:19, adorned with net work (Ew.) or provided with holes above, designed for incense (Berth.), or likewise from חלף in Piel and Hiph. to change, sacrificial dishes serving for the pouring out of the blood of the sacrifices.
Ezr_1:10. The thirty golden cups כְּפוֹרִים (properly covered vessels, 1Ch_28:17) are followed by silver ones in parallelism with verse 9. מִשְׁנִים has been taken by the ancient and more recent interpreters as an adjective in the sense of secundarii, as if the silver cups were thereby compared with the golden as expressive of a less good, merely second sort and quality. Since this closer definition seems strange and at any rate superfluous, it is more appropriate to suppose that משׁנים (pointing it, as it were, as a Piel participle) designates a subordinate kind of cups, corresponding with the מַהֲלָפִים in the previous ver. and with essentially the same meaning, which likewise served for pouring out; or it has arisen from a numeral, perhaps אַלְפַיִם (Ezr_2:12), so that not 410 but 2410 silver cups were returned. If we find a subordinate sort indicated by משׁנים, then the number must be supplied to the previous principal sort. Of the subordinate sort there were 410, and of other vessels 1,000 more.
Ezr_1:11. The sum total, 5400, is more than double the detailed numbers given in our text of the 9th and 10th verses, 2499, and can only be made out by conjecturing the number of the silver cups as 1000 or 2000. If we supply 2000, the sum total of 4499 results, thus in round numbers 4500, and it is possible this may be the correct sum, arisen from 5400 by transposition of numbers. But at any rate the LXX. already favored the text, as we have it, and Esdras which has 1000 golden and 1000 silver σπονὁ͂εῖα; 29 silver θυΐσκαι, 30 golden, and 2410 silver φιάλσι, and 1000 other vessels, in all 5469, has ventured to conjecture, in order to reach the sum total in some measure. [So Keil, but Ewald, Gesch. IV. p. 88, Bertheau et al. more properly find the key to the difficulty in Esdras.—Tr.]. It is however possible that the author, as J. H. Michaelis asserts against Clericus, passed over many subordinate vessels in the detail, but in the sum-total has taken them all into consideration. [Rawlinson thinks the sum-total in our passage a corruption.—Tr.].—All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with (or at) the bringing up of the captives.—(הֵעָלות is the infin. Niph. with passive meaning as in Jer_37:12). This statement passes over lightly the long and difficult journey from Babylon to Jerusalem. It is possible that the documents used by our author, contained something more on this subject. But the author himself has hardly given anything more that has been lost, but he hastens to his proper topic, to come to the building of the temple in Jerusalem. In Ezr_5:1-6 some verses are found respecting the journey of those who returned under Darius. Darius sent with them 1000 cavalry, in order to bring them in peace to Jerusalem, with musical instruments, with kettledrums and flutes, and all their brethren played, etc. Fritzsch and Bertheau are of the opinion that these verses were taken from a Hebrew original and conjecture that they originally stood in our book of Ezra, and referred to the return under Cyrus. But their contents are so cheerful that we have no reason for finding any greater authority for them than that afforded by 1Ch_13:8, and similar passages.
THOUGHTS UPON THE HISTORY OF REDEMPTION
Ezr_1:1. That it might be fulfilled.—This chapter contains nothing less than the beginning of the fulfilment of all the great and glorious prophecies with which the prophets before the exile brightened the gloomy night of the severe judgments of God—the dawning light of the grace of God in all its greatness, that would re-awaken the people of God from death and the grave, and enable them to live a new and glorious life—the glorious liberty of the children of God in the fullest and highest sense. What a great revolution of affairs was now to be expected! What a fulness of salvation after the night of misfortune—the entire extent of Messianic redemption! The beginnings were very small, very insignificant. There was no king to rule in strength out of Zion and conquer the world, to restore the ancient theocracy in the political sense, if it were only in the old proportions, not to speak of greater proportions and a more complete form. There were no people, great and strong, of their own increase in numbers, breaking through their boundaries and imparting themselves to the world (comp. Mic_2:12-13). There was no territory, broad and free, yea, not even a little piece of land, that the people could really call their own, on which they could really feel that they were free. In other cases, when the Lord had redeemed His people from severe afflictions, or had intended to produce a new and better beginning of their development, He had awakened from their midst an instrument endued with an especial fulness of the Spirit and power. But now even this failed them. It was the heathen king whom He used as His instrument. Moreover not the people as such, but only a small portion of them, were permitted to re-people Jerusalem. The reorganization of a political commonwealth was not allowed, but only the re-establishment of the temple and its worship. Instead of a people, who might have organized and vindicated themselves as such, there could now only be a religious congregation in Jerusalem and Judah. Faith in God’s faithfulness and truth, in Israel’s lofty destiny and future glory, so far as it at all existed, or was about to awaken afresh, was now once more put to a severe test, even when its confirmation seemed to be in prospect. But if the Lord had so often and so long been obliged to wait until Israel turned in repentance to Him, how unreasonable and presumptuous would it have been, if now Israel had been unwilling likewise to wait and see whether the Lord would yet again turn in grace to them. The Lord was obliged to have such extraordinary patience with men, that men, if they knew themselves even to a very limited extent, could never find reason or justice in being impatient with the Lord. Besides it was very well calculated for those who were to be placed on a higher stand-point and have the eyes of their faith made more sensitive, and certainly for those who came after them, who might look over these small beginnings, in connection with their results, because of its very insignificance, to enable them to foresee, or at least forebode therein, the indications of the highest and brightest end, and to wonder all the more at the really divine operation of God; as indeed it was permitted to more than one pious singer, looking at the glorious end, to raise already his triumphal cry and ever re-echo it anew: the Lord is King, He clothes Himself with salvation. Comp. Psa_93:1; Psa_96:10; Psa_97:1; Psa_99:1 (on the basis of Isa_52:7).
The word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah.—All the previous prophecies of the impending judgments of God, and the temporary ruin of Israel, had again combined in the words of Jeremiah, and developed into the greatest definiteness. As a great prophet, who on the ἀκμή of a critical period, yea, immediately on the brink of the abyss, had caused the call to repentance once more to sound forth with mighty power, and bad brought the prophecy of the impending judgment to a conclusion; like Elijah he became typical of the angel which the Lord would send before Him, before the coming of the great and terrible day, Mal_3:1. As the Jews expected Elias, so did they Jeremiah, before the advent of the great Messianic events, Mat_16:14; Luk_9:19; Bertholdt’s Christol. S. 58. Now it was just this preacher of repentance and chastisement who had become for the exile times and those immediately following, the most important preacher of salvation, as is clear likewise from Dan_9:2. The Lord could not limit through him the duration of the time of chastisement without therewith at the same time predetermining the time of the beginning of the period of redemption, so that, so long as the question of the time seriously occupied the soul, the references were made chiefly to Jeremiah. Thus in fact the divine word of chastisement ever goes hand in hand with His word of salvation, and His negative with His positive working. His chastening is in truth ever a helping; yea, His killing is a making alive. He puts to death only the dead.
The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia.—The Lord had hitherto made use of the heathen nations and their kings, when He would chastise Israel. They had been His rods and had been obliged to act in a negative relation to Israel. Now, on the other hand, He makes the mightiest empire of the world, yea, its greatest king, to assist in the accomplishment of very positive ends, in the realization of His most important and greatest designs of redemption. Egypt had once been obliged to help Israel with her possessions (Exo_11:2), being a weak type, so now the heathen who had previously plundered Israel were obliged to restore a part of their possessions; and Cyrus, the king of the same empire that had robbed Israel of her most sacred possessions, was obliged to restore the holy vessels, in order to assist in rebuilding the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. Comp. Esth. 8:25 sq.; 2Ma_3:35; 2Ma_13:23. This was in fact much more and bore stronger witness to the truth of the Lord and His final victory over the heathen world and its idolatry than the awakening of a great king and prophet in Israel. It already involved something of what the great prophet had uttered in the severest times of affliction as the greatest consolation, that the same heathen who threatened to tread Israel as a worm under their feet, should bring the children of Israel near in their bosom; yea, in that the mightiest king of the earth, the great king of Persia, had assisted Israel even to the accomplishment of their highest and noblest task, the honoring of their God, the word that the kings should be the nursing fathers of Israel, and their queens their nursing mothers (Isa_49:22-23), already received the very best fulfilment. But it involved something still greater and more important. Since Israel remained in such a weak and dependent position, and was no longer able to give their spiritual blessings political security by a mighty commonwealth of their own; it must be shown, as never before, that the truth, whose bearers they were called to be, was able to stand by its own indestructible power, and was strong enough of its own fulness and glory to protect the congregation of its adherents and preserve them, notwithstanding their external dependence, in internal freedom and independence.
Ezr_1:2. With exalted self-consciousness Cyrus could say not only that all the kingdoms of the earth had been given to him, but also that God the Lord Himself had given them to him. Moreover he says this with humility, for it is with the feeling and recognition of the task thereby imposed upon him by God of building His temple. Naturally enough, he does not behold,—yea, he does not even surmise, what a high mission he has, that he is thereby bringing into existence the bud out of which the kingdom of God in its time is to break forth as the loveliest blossom and noblest fruit as well to the blessing of all nations, as for the complete glorification of the divine name; but however little he understood this, he yet nevertheless in praiseworthy respect before the holiest things of a nation reached forth his hand full of help, and fulfilled unconsciously the highest mission of a temporal prince. What he accomplished was indeed still something in embryo, but we can see in the covering still wrapped about it already the sprouting forth of the richest and most wonderful life. Hence it is that the sacred Scriptures have accorded him a significance that is given to no other foreign king. The Lord does not call him His servant as Nebuchadnezzar (Jer_25:9; Jer_27:6; Jer_43:10), but His shepherd, who will fulfil all His pleasure, yea, His mashiah (Isa_44:28; Isa_45:1). It has been said that in Isaiah 40-48. Cyrus comes into consideration even for Messianic prophecy; for the servant of the Lord is placed in prospect for the accomplishment of the higher Messianic hopes, Cyrus for the lower. This is correct, inasmuch as the external political work that is necessary for the accomplishment of salvation is assigned chiefly to him, since indeed the proper mediator of salvation is to execute a higher spiritual ministry. It may therefore be said with a certain propriety (Starke) that he is a type of Christ in His royal office. Placed at the beginning of a new period, when the congregation was to be constituted no longer as a political, but as a religious body, he is the first of those who put external political affairs in such a relation to that body, that whilst something different from, they are yet friendly, supporting and protecting; and he is well adapted to represent for all time this ministry of the patron. His name has been incorrectly explained as “sun.” In modern Persian the sun is char; in Zend, hvare; sunshine is charsid, with a weak initial ch, which, according to Rawlinson, Spiegel, et al., would lead us to expect in ancient Persian uwara, whilst Cyrus on the monuments is kuru or khuru, on a block of marble in the valley of Murghab, near the tomb of Cyrus; K’ur’us, so likewise Beh. 1:28, 39 etc. (comp. Schrader, l. c., S. 244), with initial hard k. But the prophet did actually view him as possessed of a sunny nature and activity, since he represents the Lord as inquiring with reference to him; who raised up righteousness from the east; called him to his foot, etc. (Isa_41:2), and is constantly putting him in relation to the sunrise (Isa_41:25; Isa_46:11).
Ezr_1:3. Let him go up and build.—In former times Israel had needed external political independence and a government of their own, simply because they were still too weak to preserve the pound entrusted to them for the entire human race, without external props and means of protection; because the sweet and saving kernel which was to develope in Israel could only ripen as it were in a sufficiently firm shell. The danger of their giving themselves over internally to heathenism was for the most part overcome by their having been externally abandoned in exile among the heathen. The tendency to heathenism, that previous to the exile broke out again and again with ever-increasing strength, and which in the previous centuries could have been overcome with difficulty, owing to the fact that it had the appearance of being an advance in enlightenment beyond the ancient faith of their fathers, had been rendered disgusting to them by the cruelty and severity of the heathen themselves. Thus it was now possible that there should be a new form of life and activity entirely different from any thing previous. It was the most important change of affairs that could take place at any time before Christ (comp. Ewald, Gesch. Israels IV. S. 35). The task of establishing a grand independent form of government for the national life, and securing it by the development of power externally, could now be abandoned; the task of cultivating the worship of the true God could be made much more preponderating in its influence; Israel could become a religious congregation instead of a political commonwealth; they could—expressing the idea with the words of Cyrus—go up and build the temple of the Lord. That this great change was now actually accomplished, in that there was so little cohesion in Israel itself, and, for the most part, there was so little thought of again constituting a powerful body externally, whilst Cyrus, on his part, did not afford them political freedom, but only religious liberty; that was in truth no hindrance to the development of the kingdom of God, but an indication of what the Lord would accomplish with His people, a preparation of the kingdom of God as a kingdom which is not of this world, which in truth deserves to be called the kingdom of heaven. The blessing that was to come from Israel upon the families of the earth was thus too spiritual and internal to be brought about among the nations through a government with external means. Israel’s proper and highest task could henceforth only be to let the external opposition to the nations of the world more and more pass away, to subordinate themselves more and more in external and temporal things; at the same time disappearing among them as an external body, in order to permeate them so much the more internally with the holy and divine things committed to their trust.
Ezr_1:5. “And the heads of the fathers arose.”—It was also already a step nearer to the end and a hint of what must transpire in greater and greater proportions, that Israel no longer as such, or according to an external necessity of nationality, but that only a part of Israel by virtue of free resolution marched to Jerusalem to constitute the new religious community at that place. Individual freedom, and accordingly the importance of the single person and the right of the personal subject, have their proper place in the kingdom of God. Only those marched up whom the Spirit of God awakened, that is, only the zealous and the awakened, whose spirits allowed themselves to be filled from God with courage and joy to overcome all the difficulties that opposed them, and with a longing for the land of their fathers that outweighed every other consideration. This limitation was, moreover, entirely in accordance with the divine purpose. They must bring with them a zeal for the service of the true God that could not be quenched, at least entirely by the difficult and gloomy circumstances in Judea, that might be enkindled and fed in some of them by these very circumstances. For although those remaining behind still retained an importance with reference to the kingdom of God, yet the most direct and greatest importance was henceforth to be given to the congregation in Judea; they were to constitute first and chiefly the ground in which the highest and noblest things might become possible.
Ezr_1:6. “And all their neighbors helped them.” The world generally will be pleased only with the worldly members of the congregation, the lukewarm and faint-hearted. The more decided and zealous provoke opposition, and are often enough met with hostility, oppression and affliction. Yet there are times when the world is obliged to make manifest the fact that they have more respect for the zealous than for the indifferent, when they cannot but show their goodwill and friendship, yea, act favorably towards those very efforts that are directed towards divine things. Even the men of the world have, so long as they have not become entirely hardened, two kinds of hearts within them, and it is only necessary that a suitable impulse should be given them, that the better heart may assert itself within them. Even they have a certain feeling that their best and deepest needs can only be satisfied by God and His Spirit, as He comes near to them in the true congregation.
Ezr_1:7-11. And Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord.—Israel had not then been brought so far as to have been able to recognize with full clearness their pure spiritual calling, as to have been able to separate altogether with entire certainty the spiritual and the divine, in which their calling consisted, from the external, earthly and temporal. The time when God would have His place of worship neither in Jerusalem nor on Gerizim, could only come with a new and higher stage of the divine revelation of Himself, yea, only with the fulfillment of that revelation. Until that time the Lord had Himself ordered, in accordance with the lower and limited stand-point of His people, that one particular, chosen place, a special sanctuary, with its vessels, and a priesthood set apart from the people, should to a certain extent share in the sanctity which was properly appropriate only to the Holy One Himself. As the Lord brought about the restoration of the temple itself, so He did also the restitution of the sacred vessels; and the great numbers of them given back to the returning exiles, although in itself unimportant, yet was notwithstanding an evidence that He could re-establish His worship in a magnificence and dignity as great as possible in accordance with the ideas of the times.—In connection with the awakening of the enthusiasm for the ancient and honorable sanctuaries, it might easily happen that their sanctification might be overdone, yea, that they might take the place of the essence of religion itself, so that the externalizing of religion, although in a new form, might creep in anew, that a hierarchy might arise instead of the kingdom of God; but a congregation, in which the only truly holy one has once been recognized so decidedly as in Israel, carries the kernel of reformation ever in itself. And by the fact that the hierarchy also shows itself as something unsatisfying, empty and vain, the hunger after that of which it is the mere phantom must be awakened with all the more strength, at least in the souls of the more spiritual.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
The pledges of redemption possessed by the congregation of the Lord even in the severest afflictions: 1) God’s unchangeable faithfulness, which fulfils the promises He has given at the right time; 2) God’s infinite grace, which chastises indeed, but does not give over to death, but, on the contrary, breaks forth anew in its time in spite of the severest judgment; 3) God’s unsearchable wisdom, which advances towards the end, even in the most improbable manner; 4.) God’s all-conquering power, which even makes use of the powers of the world and their means. The redemption from Babylon a type of the redemption from the bonds of the devil and hell: 1) With reference to the Redeemer; He breaks into the kingdom of the enemy (Babylon) and conquers it; 2) With respect to the Redeemed; the susceptible arise in order to march home; 3) With respect to the end of redemption; the temple of the Lord, a tabernacle of God among men, is built. Or: 1) With reference to its occasion; the greatness of the misery excites God’s compassion; 2) With reference to its source; it is the divine grace notwithstanding human sin; 3) With reference to its extent; the susceptible are awakened to accept redemption; 4) With reference to its end; it is the glorious freedom and blessedness in the internal communion with the Lord. Brentius remarks respecting those remaining behind in Babylon: adumbrant omnes illos, qui fiduciam suam in hunc mundum collocant, satius esse existimantes, felicitate hujus mundi frui, quam per infelicitatem ad perpetua gaudia ingredi.—Divine grace after wrath: 1) Its time; it waits until God’s chastening judgment has been accomplished, but does not tarry, but rather corresponds with the divine veracity; 2) its method; it works often secretly, but shows itself to be all the more appropriate and glorious whether we regard the instruments that it uses or the persons in whose behalf it is employed, or the gracious acts that proceed from it; 3) its end; it is the highest and noblest that there is, the building of the temple, that is, the reconciliation of man with God for their salvation and His glory.—God’s wonderful ways, that He chooses in leading His people: 1) Out of the depths up on high; 2) By changing enemies into friends; 3) From small beginnings to a glorious end.
Ezr_1:2. The universality of God’s revelation of Himself: 1) To whom made; even the heathen, even a Cyrus; 2) What it reveals: a) that God is the author of all things, the source of all power and strength; b) That He is the end of all things, that every one is obligated to honor Him.—The prince endowed with God’s grace: 1) He derives his power from God: 2) He puts himself at the service of the divine honor.—Man in his true subordination to God: 1) he ascribes his possessions to God; 2) he employs them in the divine honor.
Ezr_1:3. The work of the redeemed: 1) to be pilgrims, namely, on the march to the holy city; 2) To build the temple of God; 3) To honor God therein and be saved.
Starke: Ezr_1:1. No one will be ashamed who patiently waits for divine help (Psa_25:3; Sir_2:7; Sir_16:13). The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord as brooks of water, and He inclines it whither He will (Pro_21:1; Job_12:24). God often touches the hearts even of unbelieving princes, etc.; therefore let us ever pray for them (1Ti_2:12).
Ezr_1:2. As Cyrus was of humble origin, lived in his childhood as an humble shepherd, and then God had been with him in a truly wonderful manner, used him, moreover, to deliver the people of God from captivity, so all this is to be found in Christ, although in a much more extraordinary manner. It is a very easy thing for God to make His enemies the benefactors of His Church (Pro_16:7).
Ezr_1:6. We are bound, in whatever station in life we may be placed, to employ our means for the advancement of the true worship of God (1 Chron 30:6; 2Ch_24:4; 2Ch_31:10).
[Scott: When God has work to do, they whom He hath chosen to perform it find their minds enlarged to entertain noble designs.—That which is devoted to the service is entrusted to the protection of the Lord.—Henry: Those are much honored whose spirits are stirred up to begin with God and to serve him in their first years.—Well-willers to the temple should be well-doers for it.—Our spirits naturally incline to this earth and to the things of it; if they move upwards in any good affections, or good actions, ’tis God that raiseth them.—Wordsworth: Cyrus is contrasted with Pharaoh, who resisted God’s Spirit.—Egypt gave up its gold and silver and jewels to Israel at their Exodus; Babylon gave back the vessels of gold and silver to God’s house. The enemies of Christ will one day be made subjects tributary to Him (Act_2:35; 1Co_15:25).—Tr.]
Footnotes:
[1][The author adopts the view of Ewald, Hitzig, et al., that the second part of Isaiah was written by “the great unknown in the latter part of the exile.” This view is to be rejected, and the unity of Isaiah maintained with most evangelical critics. Hence the author’s statement of the priority of Jeremiah falls.—Tr.]
[2][We have here not a citation of the very words of the decree, as is so often the case in Ezra and Nehemiah, but rather a free reproduction of it.—Tr.]
[3]I see no sufficient ground, with Ewald, Lehrbuch, § 734, either to strike out entirely יְהִי or change it into יַהֶוֶה, after 2Ch_34:23. In Ezr_2:5 we have for it ἔστω.
[4][רָאשֵׁי הָֽאָבוֹת for the fuller form רָאשֵׁי בֵית הָֽאָבוֹת, Exo_6:14, that is, heads or chiefs of the fathers’ houses or families, which were subdivisions of the מִשְׁפָּחוֹת, as the latter were of the שְׁבָטִים or tribes. Thus the fathers’ houses of the going up from Babylon are in striking contrast with the tribes of the going up from Egypt.—Tr.]
[5][Mithredath. Rawlinson: “The occurrence of this name, which means given by Mithra.” Persian Mithradata=Mithra, “the Sun-God,” and data past part. of da= “to give,” or dedicated to Mithra, is an indication that the sun worship of the Persians was at least as old as the time of Cyrus. (Comp. Xen, Cyrop. Ezr_8:3, § 24.”—Tr.]
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical), ed. John Peter Lange, English translation edited by Philip Schaff (1864–1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain
SECTION FIRST.
THE REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE. — CHAPS. 1-6.
Read full note →
CYRUS’S PROCLAMATION TO REBUILD THE TEMPLE, 1-4.
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1. The first year — Not the first year of his becoming sovereign of the Persians, but the first of his immediate rule over Babylon, and the provinces of Western Asia, which had previously belonged to the Babylonian empire. Upon the fall of Babylon, Darius the Mede had taken that kingdom, (Dan_5:31; Dan_9:1; Dan_11:1,) and reigned there for a year or more before Cyrus assumed direct control. Dan_6:28.
Cyrus king of Persia — Concerning the birth and early life of this illustrious man the ancient authors (Herodotus, Xenophon, Ctesias, and Nicolaus Damascenus) disagree, and it is impossible to decide with certainty whose account is most correct; but all agree that with him the Persian empire arose from comparative insignificance to be the greatest power that had ever ruled all Western Asia. Cyrus’s first great act was to defeat Astyages — his grandfather, according to Herodotus and Xenophon — and subject the Medes to the Persians. Soon after, he conquered and added to his empire the ancient kingdom of Lydia, in Asia Minor. Then followed the fall of Babylon and of other kingdoms before his victorious armies. When he began to reign at Babylon he doubtless heard of Daniel, and, perhaps, had personal intercourse with him. Some have thought, and not without reason, that this prophet called his attention to Isaiah’s oracles concerning him, (Isa_44:28; Isa_45:1,) that he should restore the Jews and rebuild the temple, and thus show himself Jehovah’s “shepherd” and “anointed” one.
Word of the Lord by… Jeremiah — See especially Jer_25:12 : “When seventy years are accomplished, I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity.” Reckoning from the first invasion of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar, more than a year before he became sole king of Babylon, (2Ki_24:1, note,) we find just seventy years had elapsed at the first year of Cyrus. Thus Nebuchadnezzar 45, Evil-Merodach 2, Neriglissar 4, Nabonadius 17, Darius the Mede 2=70.
Thus the seventy years of Jewish captivity synchronized very closely with the seventy years of the Babylonian empire. Differences of opinion prevail, however, as to the period covered by the seventy years’ captivity. Some reckon them from the destruction of the first temple to the completion of the second, 588 to 515 B.C. But Jeremiah’s prophecy seems clearly to make the fall of Babylon the terminus ad quem of the seventy years, and this would place the terminus a quo at Nebuchadnezzar’s first invasion of Palestine, when Daniel and other Jewish captives were taken to Babylon. See note on 2Ki_24:1. Hence, when Babylon fell and Darius was set over that realm, Daniel understood that the seventy years were about expired. Dan_9:1.
The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus — Probably by the words of Daniel, who may have called his attention to Isaiah’s prophecies concerning him. It is interesting to observe in this connexion that the religion of the early Persians was monotheistic — the comparatively pure system of Zoroaster; and this may explain the sympathy which Cyrus seems to have had for the Jews, and his readiness, at so early a period of his reign, to allow them to return from exile and rebuild their temple. See on the next verse.
Made a proclamation — Literally, caused a voice to pass in all his kingdom; that is, announced by criers. Not only was the announcement made orally, but it was published also in writing, and probably laid up among the archives of the kingdom, from which a copy of it was taken by our author.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 1. Now] or ‘and’. At first sight a strange…
1. Now] or ‘and’. At first sight a strange word with which to open a book. It implies the resumption or continuance, not the commencement, of a history. The use of it, however, receives explanation from either hypothesis mentioned in the preceding note. Regarding our book as having been compiled with the books of Chronicles, we see the precise usage of the word here by a reference to the context in which it stood 2Ch_36:22. Reasons of a similar character explain the same word beginning Joshua, Judges, 1 Sam., 1 Kings.
in the first year of Cyrus] i.e. in the same year that Cyrus captured Babylon and became master of the Babylonian Empire. To the Jews and other subject races it would be ‘the first year of Cyrus’. This year is generally computed to have been 538 b.c. Cyrus was born about 590 b.c. He ascended the throne of Elam 558, conquered Media 549, Persia about 548, overthrew Crœsus and became king of Lydia 540, captured Babylon 538, died 529. The Jewish ‘first year of Cyrus’ was therefore about the twentieth of his reign over the Elamites and the tenth of his reign over Persia.
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Cyrus king of Persia] The Hebrew pronunciation of the name of the great Persian king is generally supposed to have been ‘Kôresh’. There is, however, good reason for preferring ‘Kûresh’, which corresponds more closely with the Greek ‘Kuros’ (κῦρος), Latin ‘Cyrus’. In Persian the name seems to have been ‘Kurusch’. The Babylonian Inscriptions speak of him as ‘Kurasch’. The name is said to be derived from that of a mythical Persian hero ‘Kuru’.
Recent discoveries have shown that Cyrus, prince of Anzan, a province of Elam, became first, probably by rightful succession, King of Elam, and styled himself by this title in his inscriptions. This fact explains how it happened that Susa, the old Capital of Elam, continued to be the seat of the Medo-Persian Empire along with Ecbatana, the Capital of the Median Kingdom.
Cyrus, then, the conqueror and King of Persia, was an Elamite by birth, a Persian by descent. His greatgrandfather Teispes was a Persian. But although he was thus descended from a Persian ancestor, it seems to be a mistake to impute to him the Monotheistic views which characterised Persian Zoroastrianism.
He is called ‘the King of Persia’, not because he was born a Persian prince, but because the Persian Kingdom was the most important of his conquests.
that the word of the Lord] The Divine purpose. This thought is well illustrated by reference to Psa_102:13-22, beginning ‘Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion; for it is time to have pity upon her, yea, the set time is come’.
by the mouth of Jeremiah] Literally, ‘from the mouth of’. The word proceeds ‘from the mouth’. It is declared ‘by the mouth’, as in the reading of 2Ch_36:22, the parallel passage. The reference here is to Jeremiah’s prophecy of the 70 years, Jer_29:10, ‘For thus saith the Lord, After seventy years be accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place’, cf. Jer_25:11.
It is clear that in the writer’s opinion ‘the 70 years for Babylon’ were completed at the occupation of Babylon by Cyrus. This period of 70 years has been computed in different ways. (1) By some the attempt is made to discover an exact interval of 70 years between the third year of king Jehoiakim (cf. Dan_1:1) and the taking of Babylon by Cyrus. (2) By others the term is understood to express an interval of time in round numbers, commencing (a) either, in the year 605, with the battle of Carchemish, and the supremacy of Babylon, and the reign of Nebuchadnezzar; (b) or in the year 598, when the king Jehoiachin and the mass of the population were carried away captive; (c) or in the year 587, when the city and Temple of Jerusalem were destroyed. Our verse certainly implies that the period terminated with ‘the first year of Cyrus’ (538).
might be fulfilled] R.V. accomplished, i.e. brought to a conclusion. Referring to the substance of the utterance, touching the 70 years.
The word in the original is different from that in 2Ch_36:21 (R.V. rightly ‘fulfil’), and Jer_29:10, where the R.V. unfortunately renders the same word by accomplished. The completion of the thing predicted is here emphasised rather than the fulfilment of the prediction.
the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus] The act of Divine interposition, taking effect in the domain of spirit, of will and desire. Cf. Exo_35:21. The phrase occurs in a hostile sense, e.g. 1Ch_5:26; 2Ch_21:16; Jer_51:11; but, as here and Ezr_1:5, with a favourable meaning in Hag_1:14.
that he made a proclamation] A peculiar phrase in the original, occurring again in Ezr_10:7; Neh_8:15; 2Ch_30:5; Exo_36:6, meaning literally, ‘he caused a voice to pass’. Here used of proclamation by herald.
all his kingdom] i.e. nearly the whole of Western Asia; the kingdoms of Elam, Media, Persia, Lydia and Babylon.
and put it also in writing] This is added not so much to express that written copies of the proclamation were forwarded to the various officials of the Empire, as to record the fact, which to the Jew was of so much importance, that the edict, so far from being a Jewish invention, had been written at the command of Cyrus, and was accessible among official papers. (Cf. Ezr_6:2.)
saying] The decree itself would have been written in Persian or Aramaic. The following verses (2–4) contain the substance of the decree translated into Hebrew and adapted to Jewish readers. It is a popular reproduction rather than a literal translation.
Ch. Ezr_1:1-4. The Decree of Cyrus
The history of the time throws light upon the action of Cyrus, whose Decree gave life to the seemingly lifeless bones of Israel (Ezekiel 37) and restored the scattered flock to their pasture (34). Except by his personal attendants, the fall of Nabonidus, the last king of Babylon, had been hailed by all with satisfaction. The priests had been alienated from him by his neglect of the defences of the great temples. The generals and nobles despised a king, who absented himself from his capital and his troops, and entrusted to his son the chief command. The poorer classes had no respect for a weak monarch, who failed to protect them from the invader and only imposed on them heavy tasks of building. Cyrus was welcomed in Babylon as Deliverer and saluted as ‘the Great King.’ The Jewish colony who, although they had been taught by their prophets to expect Cyrus’ ultimate success, could hardly have foreseen so easy a victory, so bloodless a capture of Babylon, as that which the Inscriptions describe, would have been among the most demonstrative in their rejoicing over his success. They saw before them the possibility of the near realization of their hopes.
Cyrus was too shrewd a sovereign to throw away any opportunity of cementing together the various elements of his newly conquered empire. He could cheaply earn the affection of many a subject race by gratifying its hopes and removing from Babylon the symbols of its servitude. He gave permission therefore to those of this class resident in the Capital, to take back their gods that had been forcibly removed to Babylon, and to set them up in their former homes. To the Jews he granted corresponding (and, perhaps, in recognition of their special services in his cause, peculiar) privileges. He gave permission to the worshippers of Jehovah to return to their own country, to resume the worship and to rebuild the Temple at Jerusalem. They had no images or gods to carry with them. But the sacred vessels, regarded with deep veneration, which had been carried off from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, were given back once more into the keeping of the priests.
Ezr_1:1-3 (as far as the words ‘let him go up’) are almost word for word the same as 2Ch_36:22-23. The very slight differences clearly arise from errors of transcription. We have here (a) Ezr_1:1, the short form ‘Yirm’yah’ instead of the longer ‘Yirmyahu’—(both of which are found for Jeremiah): (b) Ezr_1:1 ‘by the mouth’ instead of ‘at the mouth’: (c) Ezr_1:3, ‘his God be with him’ instead of ‘the Lord his God be with him’.
The fact, that the book of Ezra opens with the same passage as closes the books of Chronicles, has been differently explained.
(1) On the hypothesis, that Ezra-Nehemiah are a separate composition from the books of Chronicles, it is supposed that the compilers of both works made use of the same written documents.
(2) On the hypothesis, that Ezra-Nehemiah come from the hands of the same compiler as the books of Chronicles, we must suppose (a) that there was a time when Chronicles-Ezra-Nehemiah, in some form or another, constituted a single work: (b) that Ezra-Nehemiah were detached for the purpose of completing the history of the people, narrated in 2 Kings, by an account of the Return from Captivity and of the foundation of the new Jewish Constitution: (c) that afterwards, when the books of Chronicles were added as a sort of historical appendix to the Jewish Canon, they were made to conclude with the opening words of Ezra-Nehemiah. The records of the People thus ended, not with the reminiscence of captivity, but with the announcement of release. Furthermore Chronicles, though placed in the Jewish Canon after Ezra-Nehemiah, thus retained, by means of the concluding verses, a witness to its identity of origin with the books which preceded.
The second hypothesis, for reasons given in the Introd., appears to be the preferable.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (1-4) The decree of Cyrus: marking an epoch of…
I. THE FIRST RETURN UNDER ZERUBBABEL.
(1-4) The decree of Cyrus: marking an epoch of very great importance, and therefore repeated almost word for word from the end of Chronicles.
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(1) The first year.—Cyrus became king of Persia in B.C. 559. Twenty years afterwards he took Babylon from Belshazzar; and this first year of his rule in Babylon was his beginning as an agent in Jewish affairs and for the Kingdom of God.
Stirred up.—By a direct influence, probably through the instrumentality of Daniel. This prophet we may suppose Cyrus to have found in Babylon, and to have had his mind directed to the express prediction of Isa_44:28, where his name is mentioned. But the writer, who again and again records the prophetic intervention of Haggai and Zechariah (Ezr_5:1; Ezr_6:14), makes no allusion to the part that Daniel the earlier prophet had taken. He refers only to the Divine prediction by Jeremiah, which must be fulfilled: “And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon” ( Jer_25:12); “For thus saith the Lord, that after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place” (Jer_29:10).
(2) Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia.—In the interpretation of this decree two courses are open. We may suppose that “the spirit” of Cyrus was so effectually “stirred up” by the Spirit of God, through the prophecies of Isaiah, as to send out a written proclamation avowing his faith in Jehovah-Elohim, and thus publicly accepting the prediction: “He hath charged me to build.” In this case the parenthesis of Ezr_1:3 (He is the God) may be compared with the confession of his father-in-law, Darius the Mede: “He is the living God” (Dan_6:26). Or we may assume that “Ormazd” in the original was reproduced in the Hebrew version that accompanied it by its equivalent, “Jehovah.” The latter supposition avoids the difficulty involved in making Cyrus disavow the national faith in the presence of his empire. The decree itself runs much in the style of those found in the majority of Persian inscriptions, such as “By the grace of Ormazd is Darius king;” and the spirit of tolerance! and piety in it is perfectly in harmony with all ancient testimonies to the character of Cyrus.
(4) Whosoever remaineth.—As to all the Remnant in all places. There is a singular correspondence between this and the beginning of Nehemiah; but there this familiar name for the survivors of the great national catastrophe is used of those who had returned to Jerusalem, while here it is used for the dispersion in all the provinces of the empire (Neh_1:3).
Where he sojourneth.—Every individual Jew is thus significantly supposed to be only an exile.
Let the men of his place help him.—The heathen subjects of Cyrus are required to assist the departing sojourner, and expected also to send freewill offerings to the Temple. Note that in all these terms the spirit and phrase of the Hebrew people are used; and that there was more in the decree than is here given, as appears in the sequel. Cyrus was under strong influence, both human and Divine.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain THE DECREE OF CYRUS. (Ezr_1:1-4) The origin of the…
THE DECREE OF CYRUS. (Ezr_1:1-4) The origin of the return is found in an exertion of Divine influence on the mind of a heathen king, who was moved thereby to put forth a proclamation or decree, addressed to all the people of the Lord God of Israel dwelling in any part of his dominions, granting them free permission to return to their own land, and at the same time recommending his other subjects to expedite their departure by giving them out of their abundance gold, silver, goods, and cattle, so that none should be hindered by poverty from taking advantage of the king"s kindness. Many things are remarkable in this decree:
1. Its promulgation by a heathen king, spontaneously as it would seem;
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2. Its recognition of a single supreme God, "the Lord God of heaven;
3. Its declaration that the supreme God had "charged" the king to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem; and
4. Its actual origination in a "stir" of the king"s spirit by God himself.
The secret government of the world by Jehovah is, in part, opened to us, and we see how great political events, anteriorly improbable, are brought about by his action on men"s hearts; we see that he does not leave, has never left, the heathen wholly to themselves, but condescends to put thoughts into their minds, and bend their wills, and so bring about his purposes. We see, moreover, that the heathen were not universally without some knowledge of the true God; and especially we perceive that in Persia at this date (B.C. 538) there was a distinct recognition of a single supreme Deity, and an identification of this Deity with Jehovah, the God of the Jews. This fact throws light on the whole history of the Jews under the Persians on the friendly tone of the decrees of Darius (Ezr_6:6-12) and Artaxerxes, (Ezr_7:12-26) on the amicable relations between the latter king and Nehemiah, (Neh_2:2-8) on the position occupied by Mordecai under Ahasuerus, (Est_10:2, Est_10:3) on the quiet submission of the entire people to the Persian yoke for above two centuries, and on their faithful adherence to the cause of the last Persian king when he was attacked by Alexander (Joseph. "Ant. Jud:," 11:8, 3). A religious sympathy, it is clear, united the two nations. We must not, however, carry this notion too far, or regard the Persian religion with too favourable an eye. The native literature shows that the Persians worshipped more gods than one, although one was supreme, and that their religion was moreover dualistic, involving a belief in a principle of evil, co-eternal and almost co-equal with the principle of good.
In the first year of Cyrus. The context shows that it is the first year of Cyrus at Babylon which is intended. Cyrus the Great became King of Persia by his final defeat and capture of Astyages, in B.C. 559 probably. His conquest of Babylon was, comparatively speaking, late in his reign (Herod., Xenoph.), and is fixed by the Canon of Ptolemy to B.C. 538. He took the city on the night of Belshazzar"s feast, (Dan_5:30) when Daniel had just been appointed to the third place in the kingdom (ibid. ver. 29), and was practically at the head of affairs. Thus the great king and the great prophet of the time were brought into contact, and naturally conferred together, as may be gathered from Josephus. ("Ant. ud:," 11:1)
That the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled. The reference is to Jer_25:11, Jer_25:12, and Jer_29:10. Jeremiahhad prophesied not only the fact, but the date of the return, by assigning to the captivity a duration of "seventy years." There might be some doubt when exactly this term would run out, since the year of 360 was in prophetic use no less than the year of 365 days ("Dict. of the Bible," s.v. YEAR), and, moreover, the exact date of the commencement of the captivity admitted of question; but Daniel appears to have calculated in B.C. 538 that the term was approaching its termination. (see Dan_9:2-19) If the captivity were regarded as commencing in the third year of Jehoiakim, (Dan_1:1, Dan_1:2) which was B.C. 606-605, and if years of 360 days were regarded as intended, this would clearly be so, since 360 x 70 = 25, 200, and 365 68 = 24, 820, so that in B.C. 538 only another year was wanting. For the prophecy to be fulfilled, it was requisite that the first steps towards bringing about the return and the cessation of desolation should not be delayed beyond the close of B.C. 538. The Lord, accordingly, in this year stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia. As God in earlier times had worked on the minds of Abimelech. (Gen_20:3) and Balaam, (Num_23:5, Num_23:16) and more recently of Nebuchadnezzar, (Dan_2:28) so now, it would seem, he directly influenced the heart and will of Cyrus. This is the less surprising, as Cyrus was, in the Divine counsels, fore-ordained to do this work, and had been raised to his high station for the purpose. (Isa_44:28 Isa_45:1-4) Cyrus was thus induced to make a proclamation (literally, "to make to pass a voice") throughout the whole kingdom, which reached from the Aegean Sea to the borders of India, and from the Caucasus to the Persian Gulf, and even to put it in writing, bmiktab, that so it might be sure to become generally known. Writing was probably of recent introduction into Persia; but there is positive evidence in the native remains of its use by Cyrus. His proclamation was probably issued in at least two languages, Persian and Chaldee.
Ver. 1.
The crisis.
The very first word of this book (literally "and," Keil, Wordsworth, etc.) has its importance. It shows the book to be an additional and continuous portion of that most important of all histories, the history of the Jews. How large is the place of that history in the Bible, beginning at Genesis 12. and hardly passing again to that of the Gentiles at Acts 10. How interesting a story in itself! No people so favoured (Amo_3:2; Rom_3:1 Rom_11:28) No people so exalted (Exo_4:22; Jer_31:9; Joh_1:47) How important a story to us! So instructive. (1Co_10:11, etc., etc.) So vital (Gen_12:1-3; Num_24:9, etc.) We are all the better or the worse for the lessons of the story of the Jewish people. This opening verse of Ezra introduces us to this singular people at a very important juncture, and relates, in connection with their history, a very momentous event.
I THE IMPORTANCE OF THE JUNCTURE. We find the people, e.g. , in very great tribulation. They are under the rule of a stranger, counting the years of their history by the years of a "king of Persia." This not so in former days. (see 2Ch_34:8 2Ch_35:19; and, as perhaps an instance of transition in this respect, Jer_52:12) We are thus pointedbackward to the invasions of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar, and to those three successive waves of desolation which came over the land under him. See 2Ch_36:6, 2Ch_36:7; Dan_1:1, Dan_1:2, for the first invasion, in the days of Jehoiakim or Eliakim, about 607 B.C. For the second, in the days of Jeconiah or Jehoiachin, about 599 B.C., see 2Ki_24:13; 2Ch_36:9, 2Ch_36:10. For the third, in the reign of Zedekiah, B.C. 588, see 2Ki_25:14; Jer_52:8. Some idea of the desolation thus caused in the land itself may be inferred from what is said in 2Ki_24:14, of only "the poorest sort of the people" remaining after the second incursion; and from what is said in Jer_42:2, after the third; as also from what we are told respecting the "few" mentioned there in Jer_43:5-7 No wonder we read the prophet lamenting, as in Lam_1:1 Lam_5:18. Awful indeed was that gray and silent Sabbath which had fallen on Judah"s cities and fields! As to the people thence carried away, equally desolate were their hearts. How grievous their reproach and "confusion of face". (Dan_9:7, Dan_9:8) How bitter their recollections. (Lam_1:10 Lam_4:10, Lam_4:20, etc.) How inconsolable their anguish. (Psa_137:4) Could any sorrow be worse? (Lam_1:12; Dan_9:12) At the precise moment, however, when our story begins there was a little light in this darkness. Some of the people evidently were in expectation of some change for the better. The name of the king mentioned seems to show this to begin. Also the fact of its being the "first year" of his reign. Now that he had come to the throne, what would he do? See, for evidence of the great interest elsewhere attached to this date, Dan_1:21, as compared with Dan_6:28 and Dan_10:1. How exceedingly natural is this interest if we believe Isa_41:25; Isa_44:28, etc., according to the best commentators, to be prophecies of this Cyrus by name! What a great turning-point in the history of the exile, his capture of Babylon, and subsequent coming to the throne. Another ground of great expectation at this juncture is also hinted at in the text. The prophecies of Jeremiah, a prophet whom many of the exiles may have heard for themselves, had foretold seventy years of sorrowful "rest" to the land. (see Jer_25:12 Jer_29:10, compared with 2Ch_36:21, and Lev_26:34, Lev_26:35, Lev_26:43) The end of those seventy years coincided with this first year of King Cyrus. There was one at least amongst the exiles who knew this "by books". (Dan_9:2) This same man had been the tried friend and chief adviser of the immediate predecessor of Cyrus, (Dan_6:3, Dan_6:14, Dan_6:26) and had a deep thought and constant love for his people and land. (Dan_6:10) From a man of such a character, and with such influence and knowledge, what might not be hoped for at such a time? And how exceedingly welcome, in such a condition of misery, would be any such hope!
II The EVENT RELATED was quite in accordance with these natural expectations. While the people were thus anxiously listening, there came a sound on their ears. This new ruler had spoken; he had issued a proclamation no unimportant thing in itself. We do not expect kings to speak unless they have something to say. It was also, as they would soon learn (a more important point still), a proclamation about themselves. Further yet, it was made in two ways, each worthy of note. On the one hand, to make it public, it was made orally, by word of mouth (see margin, "caused a voice to pass"), throughout all his kingdom, for the information of all who could hear. (comp. Dan_3:4) On the other, to make it sure, it was "put in writing," as a thing meant to abide. (comp. Dan_6:8, Dan_6:10) How momentous, therefore, even thus far, the thing which had happened. It was a loud knocking at the door of their prison-house, whatever it meant. Observe, in conclusion
1. The fulness of God"s word. How much here (apparently) beneath the surface; viz., the prophecies of Isaiah; the influence of Daniel; also in the reference to the Sabbatical years, the legislation of Moses; and, finally, in the appearance of Cyrus as a predicted restorer and deliverer, the promise of Christ himself.
2. The consistency of God"s word. How many, how various, and from what widely-distant parts of it are the stones, as it were, thus brought together. Yet how admirably they fit together, and what a whole they compose.
3. The promptness of God"s mercy. Many centuries passed before God visited his people for their neglect of the Sabbatical years; but as soon as the seventy years of enforced compensatory rest are concluded, that moment his mercy shines forth. See this characteristic illustrated in the case of Israel (Gen_15:16; Exo_12:41) In the case of the world. (Gal_4:4)
HOMILIES BY J.A. MACDONALD. Ver. 1.
The sovereignty of God.
Dualities are everywhere seen. Amongst these are things passive and active; things ruled over and things ruling. The mechanical heavens are active and rule the passive earth. In animated nature rulers and subjects are individualized; most remarkably so in the kingdom of men. Passing into the spiritual world, we still find order and rule; "principalities and powers in the heavenlies amongst angels of light, also amongst angels of darkness. But behind all these sovereignties and over them is the glorious sovereignty of God.
I THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD IS ALL-CONTROLLING.
1. "The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus.
(1) This he did by means. Josephus says that Cyrus was shown the places in Isaiah where he was mentioned by name and his exploits indicated about a century before he was born. (see Isa_44:28 Isa_45:1-5) Possibly Daniel, who was in Babylon when Cyrus entered it, and the fame of whose wisdom was far-reaching, may have pointed them out to him.
(2) By his Spirit God made the means he employed effective. "The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus." "He can turn the hearts of princes as the rivers of the south." Means are ineffectual without his blessing. That blessing should be sought upon all our undertakings.
2. By means of Cyrus God moved the Persian empire.
(1) The royal edict was issued.
(2) It was vocally proclaimed. Hebrews, caused a voice to pass, etc. This form of proclamation is for the multitude. For the multitude God causes his gospel to be preached.
(3) It was also written. This was for the magistrates. Also for reference. The word of the truth of the gospel is also written. This fixes its certainty.
3. The sequel shows how cordial was the response. As the exodus from Egypt was a figure of the emancipation of the believer in Christ from the bondage of sin, so was the return from the captivity of Babylon.
II THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD IS ALL-PERVADING.
1. He rules the world according to a grand plan.
(1) This fact is seen in the Scriptures of prophecy. Broad outlines of future history of the world drawn. (see for example Gen_9:25-27) Here consider "the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah". (see Jer_25:12 Jer_29:10)
(2) Further seen in the conversion of prophecy into history. Examples abound. Example before us in the restoration of Judah from the captivity of Babylon. The time was "in the first year of Cyrus." This was B.C. 536. Add to this the seventy years of Jeremiah"s prophecy, and we have the year B.C. 606, the very year in which "Nebuchadnezzar carried Jehoiakim and the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon. (see 2Ch_36:6, 2Ch_36:7)
2. The plan of Providence includes the means to be employed for the accomplishment of his purposes.
(1) Stirs up the spirits of men to study his word. (see Dan_9:2) Stirred up the spirit of Cyrus also. Daniel was stirred up to pray; Cyrus, to act. It is God"s order that his people should pray for their blessings. (see Eze_36:37) There is often a connection between the prayers of the good and the better actions of the wicked.
1. Learn that there is no such thing as chance.
2. Afflictions do not spring out of the dust. See the hand of God in our deliverances.
3. Learn that providences are often retributive.
(1) The seventy years of captivity were in retribution for seventy sabbatic years in which selfishness refused the land her rest, and consequently the poor their privileges. (comp. Lev_25:1-6, and 2Ch_36:21)
(2) If we open our eyes we may see the operation of retributive providences every day. "Be sure your sin will find you out. J. A. M.
HOMILIES BY W. CLARKSON
Vers. 1-4, 7-11.
The wide reach of the rule of God.
We are accustomed to pray that the kingdom of God may come; we desire, and therefore ask, that men may offer themselves in willing subjection to the service of their Divine Sovereign. For this we must labour and pray, and always shall do so the more earnestly as we ourselves are the more unreservedly subject to his benign and gracious rule. Meantime there is a sense in which God"s rule is a present thing. The kingdom of God is among us; the arms of his power are around us; the hand of his skill is directing our affairs. And this rule of the Supreme is wider than some suppose; its reach is far beyond the thought of many, perhaps of most of us. These verses will suggest to us how far it goes.
I FURTHER THAN THE CHURCH IS APT TO THINK. "The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus," etc. "The Lord God of heaven hath charged me" (Cyrus) (vers. 1-4). The Jewish Church was slow to believe that God had much to do with any nation beside Israel. Jehovah was, in their thought, the God of Abraham and of his seed in a very distinctive if not positively exclusive sense. His action on those outside the sacred pale was, they popularly imagined, to punish or subdue rather than to control or rule them. They did not expect him to manifest himself to "the uncircumcised," or to use them in his service. But he was governing those outside nations, and he did act upon others than the children of the faithful. He who inspired Balaam to utter those exquisite words of poetic prophecy (Nu 23 Nu 24) now "stirs up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia;" makes this heathen monarch "his shepherd, performing his pleasure"; (Isa_44:28) calls him his "anointed one whose right hand he has holden" (strengthened), (Isa_45:1) and constrains him to render signal service to his people which had great and enduring issues. The Christian Church is slow to believe that the hand of God is at the helm of all national and international affairs, and that he lays that hand of Divine power and wisdom upon men and things whether these be counted among his own servants or not. "Upon whom doth not this light arise?" It was by his all-wise direction that Greece prepared her thought and her language, and Rome her highways for the gospel in the "fulness of times." We know not to whom God is speaking, or whose hand he is guiding, in civilized or savage lands, but we may be sure that he is where we do not suspect his Presence, and is acting through men we should not have ranked among his servants, as the end will one day show. "His kingdom ruleth over all.
II FURTHER THAN THE WORLD SUPPOSES (ver. 2). We smile now as we read that Cyrus imagined that God had given him "all the kingdoms of the earth" (ver. 2). The heathen monarch little dreamt what God was doing elsewhere, and what strong workmen he had in other spheres that were outworking his holy will, his gracious and redeeming purposes. Little does the world know, greatly does it under-estimate, the work which God is doing in the midst of it.
III FURTHER IN INDIVIDUAL MEN THAN THEY ARE THEMSELVES AWARE. Cyrus did not know what use the Lord was making of him. "I girded thee, though thou hast not known me". (Isa_45:5) The Persian king could not foresee that God was inducing him to take a step which should have not only wide and lasting, but worldwide and everlasting, issues and influences. God may be prompting us to take steps as he has with many since the days of Cyrus which, when taken, will lead on to the most happy and fruitful consequences, stretching on far into the future, reaching wide over land and sea.
IV THROUGH THE HEART AND MIND TO THE HAND OF MEN (vers. 3, 4, 7-11). God so acted on Cyrus that that king was
(a) inclined in his heart to take the generous course of liberating the Israelites and causing the temple to be rebuilt. It was generous on his part, for he was thus denuding his country of many of his most industrious and skilful subjects, and he was acting on behalf of a religion somewhat different from his own. And, thus disposed, he
(b) took every necessary and desirable step for its thorough execution. He
(1) issued a proclamation, which he put into writing, authorising all Jews in his kingdom to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the house of the Lord (vers. 2, 3);
(2) invited his subjects to aid the Israelites with money, cattle, and other valuable gifts (ver. 4); and
(3) restored the sacred vessels which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem (vers. 7-11).
God may use us whether we know it or not, whether we will or not. He may employ us in his service even if, like Cyrus, we have a very partial knowledge of his will, and some inclination to do it, though we are not fully and wholly on his side. We may be, as many among the heathen have been, instruments in his hand. But how much better to be, as Ezra and Nehemiah were, agents of his, deliberately opening our minds to his truth, fixedly and finally yielding our hearts and lives to his service, consciously and rejoicingly working with him in his beneficent design. It is only such co-workers that will win his final acceptance and, hearing his "well done," enter into his glory. C.
HOMILIES BY J.S. EXELL. Vers. 1-11.
The beginning of a great religious movement.
Israel had experienced long bondage in a foreign land under a heathen king; this would have a beneficial influence.
1. It would tend to cultivate within them a right view of the sorrow consequent upon sin. Their captivity was a punishment for idolatry. Sin sends men into slavery.
2. It would tend to cultivate within them a right view of the external in religion. Solomon"s temple was the pride of Israel. They prided themselves in the magnificent masonry, in the richly-coloured garments, in the lofty altar; but now all is in ruins, and they in bondage, will they not learn to worship God in simplicity, in spirit and in truth? The sensuous religion leads to slavery. It is well sometimes that our temple should be destroyed; God lays the outward in ruins that we may see the inward. The Church has often to go into captivity to learn the meaning of the spiritual.
3. It would tend to cultivate within them a right view of the Divine in worship. Israel thought that the temple was the one place of worship; but in captivity the scattered people learn that God will hear their cry from heathen cities and in desert places.
4. It would cultivate within them a right view of the sympathetic feeling which should prevail in their midst. Israel had been sore rent by faction; in captivity they are one. The Church is united by its sorrows. We observe respecting great religious movements
I THAT THEY OFTEN TAKE THEIR RISE IN THE STIRRINGS OF AN INDIVIDUAL SOUL. "The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia.
1. A Divine commencement. Here we see the beginning of the great movement of Israel"s restoration to fatherland. History is unveiled and God is seen. The voice of God is heard in the proclamation of Cyrus. The human historian can only write the proclamation of the king; the inspired historian makes known the secret working of God. We know nothing of the Divine heart-stirrings which precede the great movements of our age. God is behind the king and we see him not. The political serves the spiritual. Let us rightly interpret our heart-stirrings; God is in them, they have great meanings. They are more than the beatings of a pulse, they are the beginnings of spiritual liberty. Heaven has various ways of stirring our souls.
2. A secret commencement. The restoration of Israel began in the secret stirrings of one heart. It did not begin with the crowd, but with the individual. And so great religious movements generally commence in the secret awakening of the one man. See the power of a God-moved heart. The kingdom of God cometh not with observation. Restorations are in the heart before they are in the world.
3. An unlikely commencement. The Jews were looking for a rod out of the stem of Jesse to restore them; God sent an ahem deliverer. A man of war becomes a man of peace; a man of conquest becomes an emancipator of the people. God employs unexpected agencies. Great religious movements often have unlikely beginnings.
4. An effectual commencement. The stirring of the heart of Cyrus had great possibilities in it it expanded into a temple of worship; its pulsations are felt in our own age.
II THAT THEY ARE TIMED BY THE FAITHFUL PROVIDENCE OF GOD. "That the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled." Thus the captivity of Israel terminated in the set time of God.
1. The mercy of God. In the proclamation of Cyrus to the wretched slaves see the Divine mercy to those most undeserving of it; the word of God is a merciful message to man, it is a word of liberty, that the ruined temple of life may be rebuilt.
2. The fidelity of God. Israel had the promise of liberty fulfilled; so all the promises of God respecting the future glory of the Church will be accomplished.
3. The purpose of God. The captives were not to go out of bondage merely for their own freedom and enjoyment; but to build the temple of the Lord. Men are freed from the tyranny of sin that they may establish the kingdom of heaven; they must be liberated before they can build. This is the Divine purpose in the salvation of men, that they may engage in promoting spiritual good.
III THAT THEY OFTEN REVEAL IN MEN UNEXPECTED EXCELLENCES OF MORAL CHARACTER.
1. The hidden excellences of men. The Jews probably did not expect much aid from Cyrus; but he had excellences of knowledge, of grace, they little suspected. God saw this and used him. Men are often better than we know, and are more prepared to aid the work of God than we suppose.
2. The revealed excellences of men. Cyrus incidentally shows by his proclamation the good that is in him. Times of religious revival reveal unexpected abilities in men; then the dull man becomes brilliant; the man of little opportunity becomes rich in knowledge; the cold man becomes generous in gift.
3. The utilised excellences of men. All that is good in men God uses for the welfare of his Church.
IV THAT THEY ARE OFTEN FURNISHED WITH NEEDFUL MATERIAL AID IN THE MOST UNEXPECTED MANNER (ver. 6). The departure of such a people would require great preparation, and would necessitate great expense. How are the captives to meet it? The proclamation of Cyrus provides for it. A wondrous providence often causes the world in unexpected ways to minister to the temporal needs of the Church; men of the world often help to erect a temple in which they are little interested, and into which they will never enter.
V THAT AT SUCH TIDIES SPIRITUAL THINGS ARE RESTORED TO THEIR RIGHTFUL SERVICE (ver. 7). The vessels of God were brought from the heathen temple and given to the returning Jews. In times of religious revival money, talents, children, all are brought from the possession of sin and placed in the service of God. Heaven now proclaims liberty to the captive! E.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain Now in the first year of Cyrus king of…
Ezr_1:1-11
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord.
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The discipline of the captivity
The captivity is clearly represented as Gods judgment upon His people for their sins, but it was a judgment so tempered with mercy that it brought them much of blessing in the way of spiritual development. Their trials became a means, in various ways, of spiritual discipline. Losing the temple with its solemn ritual they found that God was a spirit and could be worshipped anywhere; at Jerusalem they had been able to hear His voice in the holy ordinances, but now they were dependent upon the revealed Word; hence diligent attention was paid to the preservation and transcription of the sacred writings, a service which prepared the way for the arrangement, not long after, by Ezra of the Old Testament canon. All such good impulses helped to work out a gradual but sure deliverance from their old sin of idolatry. In Judea the service of idols had become strangely confused with the service of Jehovah. It was thought by many not so very wrong to worship images if at the same time they worshipped God. The evils which assail us now are different in form, but are working along the same line; we have other idols, but the same snare. Natural history has an interesting chapter called Mimicries of Nature, the description of certain creatures which have, in a wonderful degree, the appearance of vegetable life and are able thereby to seize more surely upon their unsuspecting prey. It illustrates the peril that surrounds us on many sides in the moral world; evil takes the shape of good; pleasures that seem harmless hide the sting of death, etc. Through such subtle temptations among the Jews idolatry became almost universal. But when they came to Chaldea they saw idolatry in all its naked deformity; it was not confused with true worship, it stood alone. They saw how it denied and despised Jehovah, and it filled them with horror. If idolatry bore such fruit their course was clear; they would have nothing to do with it. Not likely there were some whose religion in Judea had not been very pronounced who in Chaldea were among the foremost champions of Jehovah. In any Christian community there are good citizens who take no sides in the conflict between Christianity and unbelief. But imagine one of them suddenly removed to a community where infidelity prevails, where Christian worship is prohibited, where the Bible is dishonoured, where the prevailing sentiment is that of defiant atheism--how long would it be before he would be found standing out resolutely among the friends of Christ? In a recent revival multitudes signed this simple covenant: I am trying to live a Christian life, and am willing to be counted on that side. An impulse like this must have come to many of the Jews in Babylon. The contempt heaped upon their religion strengthened their constancy, and they refused to sing the Lords song in a strange land. It is not meant that their harps were kept silent through all those years; but they would never sing the songs of Zion for anybodys sport; they would die first. Their spirit recalls the drummer-boy in the Irish Rebellion of 1798 who, being ordered by some rebels who had captured him to play for their entertainment, laid his instrument on the ground and leaped into it, tearing the parchment to shreds, and exclaiming, God forbid that the kings drum should be beaten for rebels! whereupon they spiked him to death. (Sermons by Monday Club.)
Returning from the captivity
God rules. His throne is the centre of history. His sovereignty is the key of all the mysteries in providence and grace. We look behind and speak of history; before and speak of prophecy; but He looks neither behind nor before. Yesterday and to-morrow are alike to Him. One glance sweeps the whole horizon. Does ii seem wonderful that Cyrus should have been called and commissioned two centuries before his birth? We forget that telling and foretelling are the same with God. The map of eternity and the universe has always been spread out before Him.
I. The captivity. It was in the year 604 b.c. that Nebuchadnezzar reduced Jerusalem and returned with his first deportation of captives. The date is important because it furnishes the prime factor in all calculations respecting the deliverance from Babylon. The captivity was for an appointed time, seventy years. There was a special reason why it should be precisely seventy years. The Lord had required of Israel the observance of every seventh year as a season of Sabbatic rest; for a period of four hundred and ninety years this injunction had been practically ignored. Seventy Sabbatic years have been desecrated, seventy years of Babylonish chastisement shall expiate the sin. So true is retribution. Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. But the captivity was not mere retribution, it was discipline. Its purpose was not so much to punish as to reform. Bearing a filial relation to God, the chosen people experienced the childrens portion of chastisement (Heb_12:6-11). The Jews had a mission. God had called them from among the nations to take charge of His oracles. Monotheism must be kept until Christ. For this Abram was chosen out of Ur of the Chaldees. However superior to other tribes and nations in many particulars, they had not been loyal to their trust. They needed chastening. God had no alternative but to inflict it. Hence the captivity. Nor was the discipline vain. It will be profitable to note some of the lessons which they learned in captivity.
1. They were cured of idolatry. They had previously been unable to resist the imposing rites and ceremonies of their pagan neighbours. Familiarity with the abominations of the Babylonish gods nauseated them. They longed for the living God, saying, When shall we return and appear before God?
2. They con-calved a new devotion to the Lords sanctuary. Its holy ordinances had once been a weariness; but now they were homesick for Zion. The institution of the synagogue is traced to this period.
3. They learned the value of the Scriptures (Neh_8:1-18.)
4. The stock of Israel was culled and improved. Only the choicest and best joined the restoration.
5. They were greatly knit together during the captivity. One touch of nature make the whole world kin. A common sorrow will erase the enmity of years. Pain is a mighty solvent. The Jews of to-day scattered abroad over the earth are a living witness to the unifying power of adversity.
6. The heart and intellect of the nation were broadened. This widening of vision is manifest in all their subsequent history. Thus it appears that the captivity was an essential part of the Divine plan.
II. The proclamation of Cyrus. This also was in pursuance of the Divine plan. The clock struck at precisely the right moment. Jerusalem was taken by Nebuchadnezzar in 604 b.c. The proclamation was issued 586 b.c., leaving time for the beginning of the second temple in May of the year 534 b.c. The intervening period was just seventy years. Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyprus. How?
1. By the voice of His Spirit in the inner man.
2. Probably Daniel brought the matter to his attention. He may have read to him the prophecy of Jeremiah (Jer_29:10) and the prophecies of Isaiah (Isa_44:24-28; Isa_45:1-4).
3. It may have shaped itself in his mind as a suggestion of policy,
4. Or possibly there was a religious motive. He was a monotheist. He may have received the message and commission from Jehovah as from his own Ormuzd.
III. The return to Jerusalem. It was a voluntary movement. None were compelled to go. All were encouraged. They set forth prayerful and hopeful. In the 126th Psalm we have one of the songs of this pilgrimage. (D. J. Burrell, D. D.)
The exile ended
We may safely conclude from the events stated in this and the following chapters--
I. That the long exile of the Jews had done its appointed work. God sent them into captivity partly to punish and partly to purify them. They had now been sufficiently chastened and they had been cleansed from their iniquity.
1. We may argue from the fact of the Jews commending themselves so much as they did to Cyrus that their lives were estimable and honourable.
2. We know that after the captivity in Babylon they left idolatry behind them for ever. Trouble will sometimes teach us what nothing else will. The Church and the school may have failed to lead us into the kingdom of Christ, but the sadness of orphanage or the loneliness of the first absence from home may lead us to find a refuge in the God of all comfort, in the unfailing Friend of the human heart.
II. That God acts with gentle power on the minds of men.
1. On those of His own people. He raised the spirit of many of the Jews (Ezr_1:6). He caused them to feel deeply how excellent a thing it would be to repeople the city of Jerusalem and to rebuild the temple of God. He kindled in their hearts the fires of patriotism and of piety. He lifted them up above unworthy and unmanly fears. He made them brave and strong.
2. On those outside the Church. He girded Cyrus though that king knew Him not (Isa_65:5). It was by His all-wise direction that Greece prepared her thought and her language, and Rome her highways for the gospel in the fulness of time. Therefore--
(1) Let us ask of God that He will inspire us in our time of need. We may have before us some difficult task at school, some trying ordeal to pass through, some new sphere to enter upon, and we may shrink from going forward, but if we ask of God He will raise our spirit and make us equal to the effort.
(2) Let us intercede with God for others; they may appear to be quite outside all holy influences, but they are not without the reach of that mighty Hand that can enlighten the darkest mind and soften the hardest heart and renew the most obdurate and stubborn will.
III. That at the call of god we should be ready to undertake arduous or dangerous work. It was a long journey and a perilous one to Jerusalem.
1. It was uncertain what they would find when they reached the city of their fathers; no such tidings came to them as now come daily to our countrymen in England who are emigrating to America; they went forth not knowing what would await them. Moreover, they left behind them some home, kindred, occupation, property. Where God clearly calls us we need not be daunted by danger or by difficulty. He who summons us will clear the way, and will sustain us under every trial.
IV. That those who cannot render the greater are welcome to offer the smaller service. Of those who declined to return there would be some who might have gone but would not, either because they were too timid or because they had attachments which they were unwilling to break away from. Others there were that would have gone but could not, either because they were too aged or infirm, or because they had ties which they felt it would be wrong to sunder. Of the latter there were many who, as they could not do the best possible, did the best practical thing. They could not swell the number of the returning, but they could strengthen the hand of those who went (Ezr_1:6). We may be unable to serve Christ by missionary or ministerial or evangelistic labours, but we can strengthen the hands and cheer the hearts of those who can. We can give them gold or silver or pence. We can speak the inspiring word. We can pray for them and let them know that we are praying. We can write to those who are absent or send them that which others have written.
V. That when we obey the voice of our Master we do more than we know. The Jews who returned from Babylon no doubt believed that they were acting as patriots and were serving their country; but they could have had no conception of all that would grow out of their courageous conduct. We never know what will be the long and large result of a true and brave course. Carey did not foresee the fruits of his self-denying seal, nor Wesley of his more abundant labours, nor Livingstone of his travels and his lonely death. It is a cheering and inspiring thought that our present faithfulness may be a living seed from which a large harvest of blessing may spring.
VI. That there is a better restoration than that of precious vessels to the house of God. It was a kindly act of Cyrus (see Ezr_1:7-11), and the Jews rejoiced greatly when they saw those ancient and hallowed vessels beneath the roof of the new temple which they built. But there is a deeper joy in heaven, and there well may be on earth, when a human heart that has been taken away from the service of Christ is brought back again and is included among the spiritual treasures of the kingdom of God. (W. Clarkson, B. A.)
The captivity of evil
Sin may be conceived of as an object, but also as a power--as something to which our actions are directed, but also as something from which our actions proceed. Sin is an internal principle, and he who commits sin, who lives in it, obeys it in this sense--obeys it as a force. The whole and constant tendency and bias of the soul is a despotic rule. It is more than an external authority or verbal law. It has a more vigorous and relentless rule. It is more besetting; has a more constant presence and constraining power; it acts directly on the will; it controls and stimulates volition. That is a great bondage that overbears the will, which brings it against itself into subjection, which ignores and defies its active choice, but that is a greater far which corrupts and perverts it. There is no slavery like that in which the very seat and source of freedom is held captive. It is the salt losing its savour; it is the light leading astray; it is the king and leader falling in battle. (A. J. Morris.)
The return from the captivity--an argument for Daniels history of the Jews in Chaldea being true
The return of the Jews from the captivity of Babylon is not only a proof of the Divine authority of the Scriptures, considered as the accomplishment of a prophecy, but it is an additional proof of it in this light, that it affords a strong internal presumption that the history which Daniel gives of the manifestations of Divine power in Chaldea, during the residence of the Jews in that country, were true. That we may place this argument in a stronger light, let us consider the full importance of the measure which Cyrus now adopted, and of the benefit which he conferred upon the Jews. The practice of slavery among the ancient nations is well known. The slaves were, in that period, one great branch of property. The slaves cultivated the land, did the household business, exercised the necessary trades, and, in general, performed all that labour in which the mass of the people are now employed. The slaves, therefore, formed one great portion of private property, and of the national stock. The slaves arose chiefly, among ancient nations, from the captives taken in war. This was the great fund from which they were supplied, and constituted a very considerable branch of the profits which accrued to the conquerors in the ancient wars. They estimated the profits of the war, not more by the extent of territory which they gained than by the number of slaves whom they captured. From this view we will be enabled to conceive how very difficult it must have been in ancient times for men who were once reduced to slavery to regain their liberty. The interests of the State, as well as the rights and properties of individuals, were all against them. Where there were so many interests to be consulted, so many properties to be separated, and so many private rights to be resumed, we may conclude that the liberating of the slaves, among the ancient nations, must have been a very arduous State measure. This accounts perfectly for the difficulty which the Jewish nation found in their attempt to emigrate from Egypt. Private persons have sometimes given a slave his liberty as a reward for some distinguished service; but it was impossible, under the ancient manners, for any considerable body of men to be set free without some cause which was very extraordinary. In the edict of Cyrus, then, and the return of the Jews from Babylon, we have a very uncommon piece of history presented to us. That conqueror, among the other valuable property of the vanquished empire, found a whole nation of slaves. This, according to the ideas of these times, was an immense acquisition. It was, in fact, an immense property, the value of which, to a political prince like Cyrus, must have been fully known. Yet we find this politic and wise prince giving liberty at once to this whole nation, and sending them back, after seventy years captivity, into their own country. It is this extraordinary circumstance which Isaiah describes, and of the value of which he appears fully sensible, when he says, in his prophecy of Cyrus, He shall build My city, and he shall let go My captives, not for price nor reward. Nor was this a sudden resolution. It was not adopted in the moment of victory, nor meant to exhibit a momentary triumph over the vanquished, The Jews remained in the same state in which they had lived under the Chaldeans during one entire reign of the new empire. I say, then, that this transaction affords a strong proof of the credit in which the Jewish nation then were in Babylon, and that the history which Daniel gives of the manifestations of Divine power which were made, during that period, and by the agency of that nation, in the province of Chaldea, were true. The transaction proves itself. There are no data here necessary, but to believe that the nation of the Jews were in Babylon, and that they returned from it. Their return proves the history. It supposes all that is related, and cannot otherwise be accounted for. It is affirmed that, in this period, the God of the Hebrews wan acknowledged throughout the extensive provinces of Chaldea and Persia. At last the body of the Jews, whom the people they lived with regarded as a sacred nation, obtain their liberty, and are restored to their country. This is the history which is presented to us by their own writers; and the actual return of the Jews from their captivity, and resettlement in their own country, in opposition to so many complicated rights, in opposition to so many great interests, and in opposition to the universal practice of mankind in that period, suppose this history, and are a full proof of its authenticity. (J. Mackenzie, D. D.)
The first year of Cyrus
After making himself master of Persia and building up an empire in Asia Minor and the north, Cyrus swept down on the plains of Chaldea and captured Babylon in the year b.c. 538. To the Jews this would be the first year of his reign, because it was the first year of his rule over them, just as the year a.d. 1603 is reckoned by Englishmen as the first year of James I., because the king of Scotland then inherited the English throne. (Walter F. Adeney, M. A.)
Cyrus
The valley of the Euphrates was the centre of three out of the five great empires of antiquity--the Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian. In the eighth and seventh centuries before Christ the first of these was in its strength, and from its capital, Nineveh, dominated peoples and lands from the Persian Gulf on the south to the Euxine Sea on the north; from Palestine on the west to the Caspian on the east. But among the many subject cities and tribes there was one city and there was one tribe which with special impatience bore the yoke and with special vehemence sought to east it off. The rival city was Babylon, some three hundred miles further south, situated on and watered by the Euphrates, as Nineveh was by the Tigris. In the province of Babylonia one caste or tribe, the Chaldeans, became distinguished for its energy and enterprise and gradually imprinted its character and its name upon the people of the whole province. But despite all efforts to throw off the yoke, the Assyrian grip held fast. Nineveh ruled Babylon; the Assyrian dominated the Chaldean. The rival tribe was that of the Medes, to the east and north of the province of which Nineveh was the centre. Closely allied with and kindred to the Medes was another tribe, destined through Cyrus to give a famous name to history--the Persians. As yet the more civilised Medes have the mastery, and the hardier warriors follow the standard of the Median king; but both perforce acknowledge the supremacy of the lord of Nineveh. Thus it was till nigh the close of the seventh century b.c. A common policy and hatred and the presence of two able leaders then brought Babylonians and Medes into a temporary alliance. The city of the south and the tribes of the east joined hands and forces. Nineveh was besieged and taken, and the Assyrian empire ended. Babylon now entered upon a brief but brilliant career. Hers is the Golden Empire of antiquity. Under Nebuchadnezzar she mounted to the very zenith of her greatness. Meanwhile the Median kingdom became consolidated; and still the Median supremacy over the Persians is unchallenged. But about 560 b.c. a youthful hero-prince named Cyrus summoned the archer horsemen of the clans to arms. A long and bloody struggle ensued; in the end, by the aid of the young commanders genius, the conquerors were conquered and the foundations laid of the mighty Persian Empire. Cyrus is one of the most benign figures of history. His name (from the sun, the sunny one) indicates his nature. When Xenophon sought a sovereign of sagacity and piety to sit as a model for his ideal king he found what he sought in Cyrus. On the downfall of the Medes, he conciliated the good-will of the vanquished by permitting one of their own race to be titular king, whilst the real power of both nations resided in himself. The nominal king reigns but Cyrus rules at Ecbatana. Powerful as he is, his position is one of even greater danger than power. An alliance of three out of the four Great Powers of the day is formed against him. The young lion awaits not the huntsman but prepares to spring. He selects as his first foe Croesus, the king of Lydia. He surprises and storms the city of Sardis, Croesus is taken prisoner, and the Lydian dominion is ended. The Greek cities that fringe the coast of Asia Minor next feel his power and acknowledge his sway. Then he turned his attention to the east, and compelled the Bactrian and Parthian warriors to own him as their master. Cyrus is now free for the great enterprise of his career, the struggle which is to decide whether the Persian or the Chaldean is to rule in Babylon, the seat of the worlds empire. He is now brought within the sweep of the Biblical record. There is an ethnological as well as a religious interest attached to this Persian advance upon Babylon. It is the first great collision on which clear light of history falls between two great families of nations, the final result of which was to push back the Semitic races from the front rank of humanity and to place in their stead the Aryan nations who were henceforth to occupy the high places of the field. Aryan and Semitic thus meet in arms before the walls of Babylon. It is most fitting that the advent of the leader of a movement which had such far-reaching results should be inaugurated with so sublime an expectation as that with which Cyrus is hailed by Isaiah. He was the Morning Star of the Aryan races. Persia made way for Greece, and Greece prepared for Rome, and out of Rome has sprung the modern world, and in the modern world the most vigorous branch of the Aryan stock more and more unmistakably rules. On the downfall of Babylon, Cyrus does not immediately take possession of the position he has won. With the same politic end in view as had previously caused him to make a Median Prince precede him at Ecbatana, he now places another of the same nationality upon the vacant throne of Babylon. For two years Darius reigns, then dies; and Cyrus quietly takes possession as the sole ruler of the territories he had inherited and conquered. Henceforth the Persian who rules from Babylon is The Great King. The edict for the return of the exiles and the rebuilding of the temple was issued 536 b.c. It was the Declaration of the Imperial Policy, and the basis of all that came after. It announced by implication friendship between the empire and the Jews--a friendship to which the Jews remained faithful till, two hundred years afterwards, Alexander the Great erected the Brazen Empire upon the ruins of that of Silver. Cyrus was a man of war to the close, and died in battle, disastrous according to one account, victorious according to another. (G. M. Grant, B. D.)
That the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled.
The fulfilment of the word of the Lord
Here are four things which claim our attention.
I. The Regard of God for His word. Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, etc. (Jer_29:10; Num_23:19). Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away. The Word of the Lord endureth for ever. He abideth faithful; He cannot deny Himself. We have in this--
1. An assurance that the prophecies and promises of His Word will be fulfilled. As the architect progressively executes every part of the plan which he has delineated, till the whole design is completed, so God in His providence performs in due order all the prophecies of His Word: a great proportion of His great scheme has already been accomplished, and revolving ages will hasten the performance of all the rest in the appointed periods.
2. An encouragement to trust in Him. Whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be set on high (Psa_22:4-5; Psa_18:2).
II. The mercy of God to His people. This mercy is seen--
1. In the design and effect of the captivity. Thus the Divine word of chastisement, says Schultz, ever goes hand in hand with His word of salvation.
2. In the release from captivity.
(1) As to its time.
(2) As to its meaning.
It was an assurance of the Divine forgiveness of their sins. Their release was also the commencement of many and great blessings. What a fulness of salvation after the night of misfortune--the entire extent of Messianic redemption.
III. The influence of God upon the spirit of man. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia.
1. The nature of this influence. This does not mean, says Schultz, that Cyrus was influenced in the same way as were the prophets, upon whom, with their greater susceptibility, the Spirit of the Lord came; but yet an influence in consequence of which Cyrus made the will of God his own will, and executed it in the things under consideration. God gave him the resolution and the desire to execute His intention. All the good in human life is the result of Divine influence.
2. The subject of this influence: Cyrus king of Persia. The kings heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water; He turneth it whithersoever He will. He is now using the powers of the world to promote the interests of His cause.
3. The design of this influence. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, that he made a proclamation, etc. In all the inspirations and impressions He imparts to man, His aim is to save and bless him, and to make him an agent in blessing others.
IV. The suitable response of man to the influence of God. Cyrus made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, etc. (W. Jones.)
The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus.--
Inspiration tested
The soul of man is the great arbiter. We need not, therefore, bow down before every man or woman who claims inspiration. We listen respectfully to the claim, and say, What does it amount to? what end would you accomplish? to what purpose does this inspiration you claim point? and if in answer there should come replies indicative of reform, progress, purification, liberation, enlargement, beneficence, verily the answer will prove the inspiration that is claimed. No man is inspired who wishes to do evil. Disclaim and repudiate, not with sorrow, but with indignation, the inspiration that would seek to curtail liberty, arrest progress, hinder the mission of philanthropy--that would overload the weak, still further impoverish the poor, and shut off from the meanest dwelling any beam of daylight. (J. Parker, D. D)
Divine communications
Last week I was in the office of one of our great Glasgow merchants, and, while we were conversing together, he suddenly asked to be excused for a moment, as there was a summons to speak with another Glasgow firm. Without moving from his seat, without being put about in the slightest, or even turning his head, he lifted from before him the telephone connection. A few minutes passed: not a word did I hear of that conversation except Goodbye. That was all I heard; but I knew that the man to whom I was talking had been put in possession of a fact which I knew nothing about, and yet all the while I had been in his presence. He had heard, through the special connection that he had, the business and the object of the firm with which he was in communication. Ah me! Sometimes at your side a man gets a communication from Almighty God that you know nothing about, and that is the reason of his activity, and that is the programme that he resolves to carry out at all hazards. He has heard from God; he has been in communication with the Almighty. (John Robertson.)
Cyrus selected
It seems strange at first that this man should have been chosen for such commission. God might have employed some one of His own people, Ezekiel, for instance, investing him with supernatural power, as Moses was invested when he delivered the nation from its first captivity in Egypt. But no; He selected rather a pagan king, whose appoint ment had been foretold by Isaiah more than a hundred years before. Often since then God has pursued a like course, employing for His purposes those who were not His professed servants--men of wealth, of learning, of position, of power. He does not count their service as excuse for withholding from Him the trust and obedience which are His due; He does not condone their idolatry; but He permits them to be His helpers, sometimes, it would seem, in order that, brought thus in line with His beneficent designs, they may be persuaded to come heartily into His kingdom. (T. J. Holmes.)
Divine stirrings in the human soul
It is taught that, besides the general moral influences, unconscious and diffused--as it were distilled, like the dew, in silence and darkness--there is an active energy, arousing, filling, impelling the souls of men. It is said that the Spirit of the Lord came upon judges, that it came upon kings, upon prophets, upon apostles--came mightily and stirred them all up. As sudden and mighty winds make trees rock, and wrench them, and even overturn them, so, as by a mighty rushing wind, the Spirit of God has descended on men--on Samuel, on David, on Isaiah, on Paul. It is taught likewise that, while this energy of the Divine mind prepared certain men for emergencies, and prepared them to act official parts, all true Christians, all godly souls, are opening to a quickening influence, if not so mighty, yet of the same general kind--an influence which stimulates, assists, ripens, and so finally sanctifies.
Revivals
There have been great awakenings in literature. Suddenly a nation has, so to say, sprung to its feet and said, Let us read! That is a mere matter of what is called profane history. Ages have passed in which men cared not to read, or write, or think; if there were any books to be opened, as a rule they lay untouched; but quite suddenly there has been what is termed a literary revival. Is such a thing possible? If it is possible to have a literary revival--that is, a revival of the love of learning, the love of reading, the love of writing--why may there not be such a thing as a religious revival, in which men shall say suddenly, but unanimously, Let us pray? And when men so moved to pray they shorten the distance between earth and heaven. It would be perhaps most difficult to believe in a religious revival if there had not been analogous revivals--revivals of learning, revivals of art. (J. Parker, D. D)
That he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom.--
The edict of Cyrus
I. The devout acknowledgment of Gods sovereignty.
1. In the bestowment of His favours.
2. In the authority of His commands.
II. The magnanimous emancipation of gods people.
1. The spirit in which this emancipation was made.
(1) It was generous.
(2) It was pious.
2. The purpose for which the emancipation was made.
III. The generous exhortation to assist Gods people,
1. Its purport.
2. The persons to whom it was addressed.
3. The pattern by which it was enforced. Rawlinson regards the free-will offering for the house of God as the gift of Cyrus himself.
He not only wished them well, but helped them to realise his wishes. Lessons:
1. Be prepared to acknowledge and appreciate moral excellence outside of the visible Church of God (Luk_7:1-10; Act_10:22).
2. Imitate Cyrus in his practical acknowledgment of the sovereignty of God.
3. When we cannot offer our labours in good enterprises, let us cheerfully offer our gifts. (William Jones.)
The proclamation of Cyrus
View it--
I. In a way of literal interpretation.
1. The person by whom this proclamation was issued.
2. The proclamation itself.
II. In a way of spiritual improvement.
1. What a sad state the men of the world at large are in. They are slaves, being in bondage to their lusts, to the world, to Satan, and to the grave (Rom_6:12; Rom_8:21; Eph_2:2; 2Ti_2:26; 2Pe_2:19; 1Jn_5:19.)
2. What an invaluable blessing the gospel is.
3. What will be necessary to obtain what it offers?
4. What is our bounden duty when it has become effectual for our good? God is said to raise the spirits of such as are ambitious for liberty; and it need not be mid to whom we are indebted if we differ from others (1Co_4:7; 1Co_15:10; Jam_1:17). (William Sleigh.)
The proclamation of Cyrus and the proclamation of the gospel minister compared
The text suggests to us a resemblance between the proclamation of Cyrus and that of a gospel preacher.
I. The proclamation of both is merciful. The proclamation of Cyrus meant restoration.
1. Restoration of lost liberty; and--
2. Of lost religious privileges. The gospel preacher has to preach deliverance to the captives and set men to rebuild the temple of the soul that has fallen into ruins by reason of sin.
II. The proclamation of both is divine. The God of heaven gave Cyrus this commission--it did not spring out of his own policy or philanthropy; it had its origin in God. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus. The true gospel minister is a messenger of heaven. He has not to proclaim his own theories, but the Word of God. No man is a true gospel preacher whose spirit has not been stirred up by the Lord, and who does not feel that necessity has been laid upon him. How does God stir up a man to preach now?
1. By a powerful revelation to his soul of the miserable moral condition of humanity. He is made to see all men in bondage and in ruin.
2. By firing him with the spirit of Christly philanthropy. The love of Christ is made to constrain him, etc.
III. The proclamation of both is universal. The proclamation of Cyrus was to every Jew. Not one excluded. It is so with the gospel minister: his message is to all Go ye into all the world. He calls upon every man to repent, to believe; he invites every man to liberty and peace.
IV. The proclamation of both is practicable. Cyrus laid down no terms difficult to fulfil.
1. The power to return every Jew possessed. All necessary helps were promised.
2. Cyrus furnished them liberally with the means to rebuild their own temple (Ezr_1:7-11), so every man is enabled to obey the gospel.
V. The proclamation of both is extensively disobeyed. (Homilist.)
To build Him an house at Jerusalem.--
God is calling men to build
God is calling men to build--not necessarily in wood and stone and iron, but to build character, life, utility. And this can be done everywhere. Not to public building are all men called. What sweet homes some men have built! The moment you pass within the door you feel the genius of home welcoming and blessing you; the traveller says, I must tarry here; the hungry man says, There is bread within these wails; I know it though I do not see it. What businesses some men are building, marked by high policy, reputable for known morality, uprightness, straightforwardness--compli-cated businesses, yes every line palpitating with conscience. This kind of building is not always recognised as it ought to be; but it ought to be pointed out as a possibility to every man. We cannot all build upon the mountain-top or in the great thoroughfares of the city, but we can build privately, quietly, secretly: we can build up broken hearts, we can be confirming feeble knees, we can be towers of strength to men who are enfeebled and impoverished. (J. Parker, D. D)
Gods house built for the sake of man
What need had God for a house? He made the stars; He wears the constellations as a garment; the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot sin, in him: what does He want with a house? Nothing; but He knows that we do; He knows that the building of the house is necessary for our education. What need has He of our prayer? None. Cam we tell Him anything? No. Does He not know what things we have need of before we ask Him? Yes. Why, then, should He call upon us to tell Him what He knows, to ask Him for what He well understands we need? Why should there be any throne of grace or altar of prayer? For our sakes. This is a means of education. We lean things by doing them. (J. Parker, D. D)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Expositor's Bible 1887 · Public Domain THE remarkable words with which the Second Book of…
CYRUS
Ezr_1:1
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THE remarkable words with which the Second Book of Chronicles closes, and which are repeated in the opening verses of the Book of Ezra, afford the most striking instance on record of that peculiar connection between the destinies of the little Hebrew nation and the movements of great World Empires which frequently emerges in history. We cannot altogether set it down to the vanity of their writers, or to the lack of perspective accompanying a contracted, provincial education, that the Jews are represented in the Old Testament as playing a more prominent part on the worlds stage than one to which the size of their territory-little bigger than Wales-or their military prowess would, entitle them. The fact is indisputable. No doubt it is to be attributed in part to the geographical position of Palestine on the highway of the march of armies to and fro between Asia and Africa; but it must spring also in some measure from the unique qualities of the strange people who have given their religion to the most civilised societies of mankind.
In the case before us the greatest man of his age, one of the half-dozen Founders of Empires, who constitute a lofty aristocracy even among sovereigns, is manifestly concerning himself very specially with the restoration of one of the smallest of the many subject races that fell into his hands when he seized the garnered spoils of previous conquerors. Whatever we may think of the precise words of his decree as this is now reported to us by a Hebrew scribe, it is unquestionable that he issued some such orders as are contained in it. Cyrus, as it now appears, was originally king of Elam, the modern Khuzistan, not of Persia, although the royal family from which he sprang was of Persian extraction. After making himself master of Persia and building up an empire in Asia Minor and the north, he swept down on to the plains of Chaldaea and captured Babylon in the year B.C. 538. To the Jews this would be the first year of his reign, because it was the first year of his rule over them, just as the year A.D. 1603 is reckoned by Englishmen as the first year of James I, because the king of Scotland then inherited the English throne. In this year the new sovereign, of his own initiative, released the Hebrew exiles, and even assisted them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their ruined temple. Such an astounding act of generosity was contrary to the precedent of other conquerors, who accepted as a matter of course the arrangement of subject races left by their predecessors; and we are naturally curious to discover the motives that prompted it.
Like our mythical King Arthur, the Cyrus of legend is credited with a singularly attractive disposition. Herodotus says the Persians regarded him as their "father" and their "shepherd." In Xenophons romance he appears as a very kindly character. Cicero calls him the most just, wise, and amiable of rulers. Although it cannot be dignified with the name of history, this universally accepted tradition seems to point to some foundation in fact. It is entirely in accord with the Jewish picture of the Great King. There is some reason for believing that the privilege Cyrus offered to the Jews was one in which other nations shared. On a small, broken clay cylinder, some four inches in diameter, discovered quite recently and now deposited in the British Museum, Cyrus is represented as saying, "I assembled all those nations, and I caused them to go back to their countries." Thus the return of the Jews may be regarded as a part of a general centrifugal movement in the new Empire.
Nevertheless, the peculiar favour indicated by the decree issued to the Jews suggests something special in their case, and this must be accounted for before the action of Cyrus can be well understood.
Little or no weight can be attached to the statement of Josephus, who inserts in the very language of the decree a reference to the foretelling of the name of Cyrus by "the prophets," as a prime motive for issuing it, and adds that this was known to Cyrus by his reading the Book of Isaiah. Always more or less untrustworthy whenever he touches the relations between his people and foreigners, the Jewish historian is even exceptionally unsatisfactory in his treatment of the Persian Period. It may be, as Ewald asserts, that Josephus is here following some Hellenistic writer; but we know nothing of his authority. There is no reference to this in our one authority, the Book of Ezra; and if it had been true there would have been every reason to publish it. Some Jews at court may have shown Cyrus the prophecies in question; indeed it is most probable that men who wished to please him would have done so. Plato in the "Laws" represents Cyrus as honouring those who knew how to give good advice. But it is scarcely reasonable to suppose, without a particle of evidence, that a great monarch, flushed with victory, would set himself to carry out a prediction purporting to emanate from the Deity of one of the conquered peoples, when that prediction was distinctly in their interests, unless he was first actuated by some other considerations.
Until a few years ago it was commonly supposed that Cyrus was a Zoroastrian, who was disgusted at the cruel and lustful idolatry of the Babylonians, and that when he discovered a monotheistic people oppressed by vicious heathen polytheists, he claimed religious brotherhood with them, and so came to show them singular favour. Unfortunately for his fame, this fascinating theory has been recently shattered by the discovery of the little cylinder already referred to. Here Cyrus is represented as saying that "the gods" have deserted Nabonidas-the last king of Babylon-because he has neglected their service; and that Merodach, the national divinity of Babylon, has transferred his favour to Cyrus; who now honours him with many praises. An attempt has been made to refute the evidence of this ancient record by attributing the cylinder to some priest of Bel, who, it is said, may have drawn up the inscription without the knowledge of the king, and even in direct opposition to his religious views. A most improbable hypothesis! especially as we have absolutely no grounds for the opinion that Cyrus was a Zoroastrian. The Avesta, the sacred collection of hymns which forms the basis of the Parsee scriptures, came from the far East, close to India, and it was written in a language almost identical with Sanscrit and quite different from the Old Persian of Western Persia. We have no ground for supposing that as yet it had been adopted in the remote southwestern region of Elam, where Cyrus was brought up. That monarch, it would seem, was a liberal-minded syncretist, as ready to make himself at home with the gods of the peoples he conquered as with their territories. Such a man would be astute enough to represent the indigenous divinities as diverting their favour from the fallen and therefore discredited kings he had overthrown, and transferring it to the new victor. We must therefore descend from the highlands of theology in our search for an explanation of the conduct of Cyrus. Can we find this in some department of state policy?
We learn from the latter portion of our Book of Isaiah that the Jewish captives suffered persecution under Nabonidas. It is not difficult to guess the cause of the embitterment of this king against them after they had been allowed to live in peace and prosperity under his predecessors. Evidently the policy of Nebuchadnezzar, which may have succeeded with some other races, had broken down in its application to a people with such tough national vitality as that of the Jews. It was found to be impossible to eradicate their patriotism-or rather the patriotism of the faithful nucleus of the nation-impossible to make Jerusalem forgotten by the waters of Babylon. This ancient "Semitic question" was the very reverse of that which now vexes Eastern Europe, because in the case of the Jews at Babylon the troublesome aliens were only desirous of liberty to depart: but it sprang from the same essential cause-the separateness of the Hebrew race.
Now things often present themselves in a true light to a newcomer who approaches them with a certain mental detachment, although they may have been grievously misapprehended by those people among whom they have slowly shaped themselves. Cyrus was a man of real genres: and immediately he came upon the scene he must have perceived the mistake of retaining a restless, disaffected population, like a foreign body rankling in the very heart of his empire. Moreover, to allow the Jews to return home would serve a double purpose. While it would free the Euphrates Valley from a constant source of distress, it would plant a grateful, and therefore loyal, people on the western confines of the empire-perhaps, as some have thought, to be used as outworks and a basis of operations in a projected campaign against Egypt. Thus a far-sighted statesman might regard the liberation of the Jews as a stroke of wise policy. But we must not make too much of this. The restored Jews were a mere handful of religious devotees, scarcely able to hold their own against the attacks of neighbouring villages; and while they were permitted to build their temple, nothing was said in the royal rescript about fortifying their city. So feeble a colony could not have been accounted of much strategic importance by such a master of armies as Cyrus. Again, we know from the "Second Isaiah" that, when the Persian war-cloud was hovering on the horizon, the Jewish exiles hailed it as the sign of deliverance from persecution. The invader who brought destruction to Babylon promised relief to her victims; and the lofty strains of the prophet bespeak an inspired perception of the situation which encouraged higher hopes. A second discovery in the buried library of bricks is that of a small flat tablet, also recently unearthed like the cylinder of Cyrus, which records this very section of the history of Babylon. Here it is stated that Cyrus intrigued with a disaffected party within the city. Who would be so likely as the persecuted Jews to play this part? Further, the newly found Babylonian record makes it clear that Herodotus was mistaken in his famous account of the siege of Babylon where he connected it with the coming of Cyrus. He must have misapprehended a report of one of the two sieges under Darius, when the city had revolted and was recaptured by force, for we now know that after a battle fought in the open country Cyrus was received into the city without striking another blow. He would be likely to be in a gracious mood then, and if he knew there were exiles, languishing in captivity, who hailed his advent as that of a deliverer, even apart from the question whether they had previously opened up negotiations with him, he could not but look favourably upon them: so that generosity and perhaps gratitude combined with good policy to govern his conduct. Lastly, although he was not a theological reformer, he seems to have been of a religious character, according to his light, and therefore it is not unnatural to suppose that he may have heartily thrown himself into a movement of which his wisdom approved, and with which all his generous instincts sympathised. Thus, after all, there may be something in the old view, if only we combine it with our newer information. Under the peculiar political circumstances of his day, Cyrus may have been prepared to welcome the prophetic assurance that he was a heaven-sent shepherd, if some of the Jews had shown it him. Even without any such assurance, other conquerors have been only too ready to flatter themselves that they were executing a sacred mission.
These considerations do not in the least degree limit the Divine element of the narrative as that is brought forward by the Hebrew historian. On the contrary, they give additional importance to it. The chronicler sees in the decree of Cyrus and its issues an accomplishment of the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah. Literally he says that what happens is in order that the word of the Lord may be brought to an end. It is in the "fulness of the time," as the advent of Christ was later in another relation, {Gal_4:4} The writer seems to have in mind the passage-"And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment: and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans: and I will make it desolate forever" {Jer_25:11-12} as well as another prophecy-"For thus saith the Lord, After seventy years be accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you, and perform My good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place." (Jer_29:10) Now if we do not accept the notion of Josephus that Cyrus was consciously and purposely fulfilling these predictions, we do not in any way diminish the fact that the deliverance came from God. If we are driven to the conclusion that Cyrus was not solely or chiefly actuated by religious motives, or even if we take his action to be purely one of state policy, the ascription of this inferior position to Cyrus only heightens the wonderful glory of Gods overruling providence. Nebuchadnezzar was described as Gods "servant" {Jer_27:6} because, although he was a bad man, only pursuing his own wicked way, yet, all unknown to him, that way was made to serve Gods purposes. Similarly Cyrus, who is not a bad man, is Gods "Shepherd," when he delivers the suffering flock from the wolf and sends it back to the fold, whether he aims at obeying the will of God or not. It is part of the great revelation of God in history, that He is seen working out His supreme purposes in spite of the ignorance and sometimes even by means of the malice of men. Was not this the case in the supreme event of history, the crucifixion of our Lord? If the cruelty of Nebuchadnezzar and the feebleness of Pilate could serve God, so could the generosity of Cyrus.
The question of the chronological exactness of this fulfilment of prophecy troubles some minds that are anxious about Biblical arithmetic. The difficulty is to arrive at the period of seventy years. It would seem that this could only be done by some stretching at both ends of the exile. We must begin with Nebuchadnezzars first capture of Jerusalem and the first carrying away of a small body of royal hostages to Babylon in the year B.C. 606. Even then we have only sixty-eight years to the capture of Babylon by Cyrus, which happened in B.C. 538. Therefore to get the full seventy years it is proposed to extend the exile till the year B.C. 536, which is the date of the commencement of Cyruss sole rule. But there are serious difficulties in these suggestions. In his prediction of the seventy years Jeremiah plainly refers to the complete overthrow of the nation with the strong words, "This whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment." As a matter of fact, the exile only began in earnest with the final siege of Jerusalem, which took place in B.C. 588. Then Cyrus actually began his reign over the Jews in B.C. 538, when he took Babylon, and he issued his edict in his first year. Thus the real exile as a national trouble seems to have occupied fifty years, or, reckoning a year for the issuing and execution of the edict, fifty-one years. Instead of straining at dates, is it not more simple and natural to suppose that Jeremiah gave a round figure to signify a period which would cover the lifetime of his contemporaries, at all events? However this may be, nobody can make a grievance out of the fact that the captivity may not have been quite so lengthy as the previous warnings of it foreshadowed. Tillotson wisely remarked that there is this difference between the Divine promises and the Divine threatenings, that while God pledges His faithfulness to the full extent of the former, He is not equally bound to the perfect accomplishment of the latter. If the question of dates shows a little discrepancy, what does this mean but that God is so merciful as not always to exact the last farthing? Moreover it should be remarked that the point of Jeremiahs prophecy is not the exact length of the captivity, but the certain termination of it after a long while. The time is fulfilled when the end has come.
But the action of Cyrus is not only regarded as the accomplishment of prophecy; it is also attributed to the direct influence of God exercised on the Great King, for we read "the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia," etc. It would indicate the radical scepticism which is too often hidden under the guise of a rigorous regard for correct belief, to maintain that because we now know Cyrus to have been a polytheist his spirit could not have been stirred up by the true God. It is not the teaching of the Bible that God confines His influence on the hearts of men to Jews and Christians. Surely we cannot suppose that the Father of all mankind rigidly refuses to hold any intercourse with the great majority of His children-never whispers them a guiding word in their anxiety and perplexity, never breathes into them a helpful impulse, even in their best moments, when they are earnestly striving to do right. In writing to the Romans St. Paul distinctly argues on the ground that God has revealed Himself to the heathen world, {Rom_1:19} and in the presence of Cornelius St. Peter as distinctly asserts that God accepts the devout and upright of all nations. {Act_10:34-35} Here even in the Old Testament it is recognised that God moves the king of Persia. This affords a singular encouragement for prayer, because it suggests that God has access to those who are far out of our reach; that He quite sets aside the obstruction of intermediaries-secretaries, chamberlains, grand-viziers, and all the entourage of a court; that He goes straight into the audience chamber, making direct for the inmost thoughts and feelings of the man whom He would influence. The wonder of it is that God condescends to do this even with men who know little of Him: but it should be remembered that though He is strange to many men, none of them are strange to Him. The Father knows the children who do not know Him. It may be remarked, finally, on this point, that the special Divine influence now referred to is dynamic rather than illuminating. To stir up the spirit is to move to activity. God not only teaches; He quickens. In the case of Cyrus, the king used his own judgment and acted on his own opinions: yet the impulse which drove him was from God. That was everything. We live in a God-haunted world; why then are we slow to take the first article of our creed in its full meaning? Is it so difficult to believe in God when all history is alive with His presence?
William Robertson Nicoll, ed., The Expositor's Bible (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1887–1910) — public domain. 65 of 66 books (1 Corinthians is not separately keyed, as that volume carries no machine-parseable verse references); section-level commentary keyed to the opening verse. Introductory and overview sections not keyed to a specific passage are excluded.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.] In this chapter we have…
CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.] In this chapter we have (i.) the proclamation of Cyrus (Ezr_1:1-4); (ii.) the preparation of the Jews for availing themselves of it (Ezr_1:5-6) and (iii.) the restoration of the sacred vessels (Ezr_1:7-11).
Ezr_1:1. Now, Heb. וְ, and] The conjunction connects the history of the restoration of the Jews with the history of the destruction of their capital and kingdom, as in 2Ch_36:22. In the first year of Cyrus] i.e. the first year of his rule over Babylon, which was 536 B.C. Cyrus, כּוֹרֶשׁ is the Hebrew for the ancient Persian Kurus, Greek Κῦρος. “As to the meaning of the name,” says Fuerst, “the ancients have already observed that it is an expression for the sun. The sun was called in old Persian Khor, Khur. ֶשׁ is the sign of the Persian nominative s or ush. In cuneiform inscriptions the name is Khurush.” Persia] “פַּרַם signifies in Biblical phraseology the Persian Empire (comp. Dan_5:28; Dan_6:8, &c.)”—Keil. That the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah] &c. The prophecy referred to is in Jer_25:11-12; Jer_29:10. The seventy years began in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, when Nebuchadnezzar first took Jerusalem and carried Daniel and others, with part of the vessels of the house of God, to Babylon (2Ki_23:36 to 2Ki_24:4; 2Ch_36:5-8; Jer_46:2; Dan_1:1-2). This was the year 606 B.C. And, as we have seen, the first year of the rule of Cyrus over Babylon was 536 B.C., which completes the seventy years. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus] i.e. God inspired within him the desire and the determination (comp. 1Ch_5:26; 2Ch_21:16; Hag_1:14). Made a proclamation] Margin: “Caused a voice to pass.” The expression signifies to make known by heralds (comp. Exo_36:6; 2Ch_30:5; chap. Ezr_10:7; Neh_8:15). And put it also in writing] Schultz: “And also (made known) by writing.” In addition to the proclamation by heralds, Cyrus issued written edicts.
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Ezr_1:2. All the kingdoms of the earth] These words, which are not to be taken literally, “are explained, from the wide extent of the Persian Empire. When Cyrus conquered Babylon, he had already subjugated to himself almost the entire eastern Asia, even to the Indian Ocean (according to Berosus in Josephus, c. Ap.). Afterwards he pressed southward also, and entered even into Egypt and Ethiopia.”—Schultz. He hath charged me] &c. “It is a reasonable conjecture,” says Rawlinson, “that, on the capture of Babylon, Cyrus was brought into personal contact with Daniel, and that his attention was drawn by that prophet to the prophecy of Isaiah (Isa_44:24-28; Isa_45:1 seq.) Cyrus probably accepted this prophecy as a ‘charge’ to rebuild the Temple.”
Ezr_1:3. All His people] Not Judah only, but also the descendants of the ten tribes. He is the God which is in Jerusalem] does not mean that His presence was confined to that place, but that He had chosen it as the chief seat of His worship (comp. Neh_1:9, last clause; Psa_48:1-2; Psa_132:13-14).
Ezr_1:4. And whosoever remaineth] &c. Schultz: “And as for every one of the survivors” (comp. Neh_1:2; Hag_2:3). The men of his place] signifies those who were not Israelites. Help him] Margin: “Heb. lift him up.” Both Keil and Schultz give the meaning “to assist.” Goods] Fuerst: “Movable property.” Schultz: “Here perhaps clothing or tents.” Beside the freewill offering] &c. i.e. in addition to the gifts intended for the rebuilding of the Temple.
Ezr_1:5. With all] &c. Keil would render this, “in short,” or, “namely, all whose spirit,” &c. He says, “the לְ in לְכל serves to comprise the remaining persons, and may therefore be rendered by, in short, or namely.” Many elected to remain in Babylon.
Ezr_1:6. All they that were about them] both their heathen neighbours and the Jews who preferred to remain in Babylon. Strengthened their hands] The idea is correctly expressed in the margin: “that is, helped them.”
Ezr_1:7. The vessels of the house of the Lord] &c. Most probably those mentioned in 2Ch_36:7, and Dan_1:2.
Ezr_1:8. Mithredath] According to Rawlinson, the Persian is Mithradata, and is made up of Mithra, “the sun-god,” and data past part. of da, “to give,” and signifies “given by Mithra.” ’ Sheshbazzar] is the Chaldee name of Zerubbabel. The etymology and meaning of the name are uncertain. The prince of Judah] He was of the royal family of Judah (1Ch_3:19; Mat_1:12), and was the recognised head of that tribe at this time.
Ezr_1:9-10] The usual names for the sacred vessels are not used here, and consequently there is much uncertainty as to their meaning.
Ezr_1:11. Five thousand and four hundred] This total is more than double the numbers which are given in detail in Ezr_1:9-10. The statement of Keil may be correct: “The difference between the two statements has certainly arisen from errors in the numbers, for the correction of which the means are indeed wanting.” But we prefer the suggestion of J. H. Michaelis, “that the author passed over many subordinate vessels in the detail, but in the sum total has taken them all into consideration.”
THE FULFILMENT OF THE WORD OF THE LORD
(Ezr_1:1)
Here are four things which claim our attention:—
I. The regard of God for His word. “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled,” &c. The word referred to is in Jer_29:10 : “Thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform My good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.” The seventy years were now accomplished, and God proceeds to perform His word to His people. He is punctual in the fulfilment of His promises. “God is not a man, that He should lie” &c. (Num_23:19). “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.” “The word of the Lord endureth for ever.” “He abideth faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” We have in this—
1. An assurance that the prophecies and promises of His word will be fulfilled. “As the architect progressively executes every part of the plan which he had delineated, till the whole design is completed, so God in His [providence performs in due order all the prophecies of His word: a great proportion of His great scheme has already been accomplished, and revolving ages will hasten the performance of all the rest in the appointed periods.”—Scott. (a)
2. An encouragement to trust in Him. “Whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be set on high.” “Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust.” See Psa_22:4-5; Psa_18:2. (b)
II. The mercy of God to His people. This mercy is seen—
1. In the design and effect of the captivity. The captivity was the punishment of their many sins, and especially their idolatry; and was designed to eradicate their apparently inveterate tendency to idolatry. And in this it was thoroughly successful. “Prone before on every occasion to adopt the idolatrous practices of the adjacent nations, the Jews now secluded themselves from the rest of the world, in proud assurance of their own religious superiority. The law, which of old was perpetually violated or almost forgotten, was now enforced by general consent to its extreme point, or even beyond it. Adversity endeared that of which in prosperity they had not perceived the value. Prone, the mass of them, all but the wiser and more enlightened, who worshipped Jehovah, to worship Him but as a national God, greater and mightier than the gods of other nations (a conception in itself polytheistic), they threw aside this lower kind of pride to assume that of the sole people of the One True God.” In this way the punishment of their sins was an expression of the Divine mercy to them. “He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.” “Thus the Divine word of chastisement,” says Schultz, “ever goes hand in hand with His word of salvation. His chastening is in truth ever a helping; yea, His killing is a making alive. He puts to death only the dead.”
2. In the release from captivity.
(1.) As to its time. The emancipation was not delayed one moment longer than was necessary. As soon as the exile had accomplished its purpose, the Lord brought it to a conclusion. “Though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion, according to the multitude of His mercies.”
(2.) As to its meaning. It was an assurance of the Divine forgiveness of their sins. Isaiah clearly expresses this: “Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God,” &c. (Isa_40:1-2). Their release was also the commencement of many and great blessings. “This chapter contains,” says Schultz, “nothing less than the beginning of the fulfilment of all the great and glorious prophecies with which the prophets before the exile brightened the gloomy night of the severe judgments of God—the dawning light of the grace of God in all its greatness, that would reawaken the people of God from death and the grave, and enable them to live a new and glorious life—the glorious liberty of the children of God in the fullest and highest sense. What a great revolution of affairs was now to be expected! What a fulness of salvation after the night of misfortune—the entire extent of Messianic redemption!”
III. The influence of God upon the spirit of man. “The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia.”
1. The nature of this influence. “The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus.” “This does not mean,” says Schultz, “that Cyrus was influenced in the same way as were the prophets, upon whom, with their greater susceptibility, the Spirit of the Lord came; but yet an influence in consequence of which Cyrus made the will of God his own will, and executed it in the things under consideration. God gave him the resolution and the desire to execute His intention.” All the pure desires and noble resolutions of men’s hearts are Divine inspirations. All the good in human life is the result of Divine influence. (c)
2. The subject of this influence. “Cyrus king of Persia.” Cyrus was the greatest king of the mightiest empire of the world; he was a heathen, but, in common with his countrymen at this period, was probably a pure Theist, believing in One Supreme Being. As a prince, he was distinguished for his justice, and for the mildness and kindness of his administration. His relations to the people of God, and the terms by which they are described in the Scriptures, are very remarkable. He is spoken of as “the righteous man” (Isa_41:2); “My shepherd” (Isa_44:28), and “The Lord’s anointed” (Isa_45:1). God employed this celebrated heathen monarch in the accomplishment of His purposes, in the emancipation of His people, and the rebuilding of His Temple. (d) “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will.” He is now using the powers of the world to promote the interests of His cause. We have in this an earnest of His final victory over all heathen powers. “The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents,” &c. (Psa_72:10-11).
3. The design of this influence. “The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, that he made a proclamation,” &c. Divine influence was exerted upon Cyrus to cause him to do an act of great generosity and nobility. The intention of the action of God upon the spirit of man is always gracious. In all the inspirations and impressions which He imparts to man, His aim is to save and bless him, and to make him an agent in blessing others.
IV. The suitable response of man to the influence of God. “Cyrus made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom,” &c. God’s influence upon the spirit of man is not irresistible. He impresses man, but He does not coerce him. He inspires man, but He does not compel him. Divine influence does not invade human freedom. Man may harden himself against it, may resist it to his own injury. “Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost,” was a charge brought by Stephen against the Jews. Or, like Cyrus, man may yield to this influence, and suitably and heartily respond to it. When this is the case the Divine influence results in rich blessings. “Quench not the Spirit.” “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God.” (e)
ILLUSTRATIONS
(a) Is God all-mighty? Then be assured that the throne of right shall stand upon the ruins of all wrong; but here God is apparently at a disadvantage, because you cannot kill evil with the sword. The abolition of evil is a work of time, requiring the combination, the conspiring of innumerable moral influences and educational forces; but that conspiring is going on. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promises, as some men count slackness.”—Joseph Parker, D.D.
(b) “I will go before thee.” This was a Divine promise made to Cyrus; and God has made the same promise to all who put their trust in Him. It is surely something to have a Father’s promise singing in the heart. Many of us know the inspiration even of a human promise; many of us know that we never could have endured this bitter trial, or surmounted that overshadowing difficulty, had we not enjoyed the presence and hopefulness of some friendly promise in the heart. What we want to feel is the triumphant faith that says definitely to God, “Thou didst promise this, and we will wait for its fulfilment.”—Ibid.
(c) It is taught that, besides the general moral influences, unconscious and diffused—as it were distilled, like dew, in silence and darkness—there is an active energy, arousing, filling, impelling the souls of men. It is said that the Spirit of the Lord came upon judges, that it came upon kings, upon prophets, upon apostles—came mightily and stirred them up. As sudden and mighty winds make trees rock, and wrench them, and even overturn them, so, as by a mighty rushing wind, the Spirit of God has descended on men—on Samuel, on David, on Isaiah, on Paul. It is taught, likewise, that, while this energy of the Divine mind prepared certain men for emergencies, and prepared them to act official parts, all true Christians, all godly souls, are opening to a quickening influence, if not so mighty yet of the same general kind—an influence which stimulates, assists, ripens, and so finally sanctifies.
The Divine Spirit works along the line of a man’s own thinking power, along the channel of a man’s own motive power, and wakes up in the man that which was in him. It is not said that God’s thought rolls along and becomes a part—a material part—of the current of our thought; on the contrary, it is said that God makes us think, makes us will, makes us feel. What is the formula? “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” That is, work, work in earnest, as men do about a thing which they are afraid they shall not accomplish. Why? Because “it is God that worketh in you”—what? putting His own will there and His own thought?—because “it is God that worketh in you to will and to do.” There is the point in which the Divine influence expends itself, according to the explicit testimony of Scripture, for the development in man of that which he had in him of dormant power.—H. W. Beecher.
(d) One of the designations of Cyrus, “the man that executeth My counsel,” furnishes the key to the prophetic view of his character and position—a view which pervades all that is said of him, and promised to him. This forms the most striking and the most sustained of the instances in which the Lord not only asserts His supremacy in the government of the world, but reveals to us the mode in which that government operates, and the form in which it is most usually conducted. The marked manner in which Cyrus and his Persians are represented as set apart to execute the purposes of the Lord, while they considered themselves pursuing their own objects, cannot fail to suggest many interesting reflections respecting the manner in which the Lord acts in executing the high purposes of His will—often by agents who little think whom they are serving, and who are, it may be, as in this case, ignorant even of His name.
The greatest difficulty is supposed to be found in the designation of Cyrus, a heathen, as a “righteous man.” But this title, which indicates one who acts with habitual rectitude, who would not consciously inflict wrong—a just man, is not in Scripture confined to Israelites; and, what is more, it correctly describes the character of Cyrus, which, not less than his military exploits, caused his name to be long held in honour by his countrymen.… In fact, as Dr. Henderson remarks: “It is not a little remarkable, that of all the virtuous princes of antiquity, he alone was thought worthy of being exhibited as a model of just government. Not only was he exemplary in private life, but his victories and conquests had for their object the vindication of law and justice. He is even said to have been an object of the Divine love (Isa_48:14). His destruction of the Babylonian Empire and liberation of the Jews were special acts of righteousness; and the abolition of idolatry, which in a great measure followed the success of the Persian arms, comes also under the same head.” …
… But the Lord had not only called Cyrus by his name—He had “surnamed” him, as our translation somewhat vaguely renders it. What is meant is, not that He had given him any surname—for the name already mentioned was his own proper name—but that He had made honourable mention of him, and bestowed upon him titles of high honour, such as no heathen prince had ever received. What were these titles and honourable distinctions? One of them, “The righteous man,” has already engaged our attention. Two more occur in the passage last extracted (Isa_44:28; Isa_45:1-4): “My shepherd” and “Mine anointed.”
As to the first of these titles, that of “shepherd,” we know that good kings and rulers are called shepherds in Scripture, as they are in the ancient classics. It is a fact, however, that David, Cyrus, and Christ in His Messianic character, are the only sovereigns to whom the title is personally given. In other instances it is applied to the office of sovereign rather than to the person of any particular king. What is more remarkable is, that this very title was one to which Cyrus was partial, and the purport of which he fully appreciated. Xenophon describes him as saying, “The business of a good king and a good shepherd are much alike. The shepherd ought, before all things, to provide for the welfare and safety of his flock, and to make use of these creatures consistently with their happiness; and a king ought, in the same manner, to make men and cities happy, and in the same manner to make use of them.”
Cyrus, again, is called “the Lord’s anointed,” in reference to the ancient custom of anointing kings with oil at their inauguration. To be merely the “anointed,” was, therefore, no peculiar distinction to Cyrus, but to be “the Lord’s anointed” was a very high distinction; and it is given to him obviously because the Lord had, in His providence, appointed him to be the prince under whose rule the Jews were to be restored, and the other purposes of His will accomplished.—John Kitto, D.D.
(e) When we see a casket wrenched open, the hinges torn away, or the clasp destroyed, we mark at once the hand of the spoiler; but when we observe another casket deftly opened with a master key, and the sparkling contents revealed, we note the hand of the owner. Conversion is not, as some suppose, a violent opening of the heart by grace, in which will, reason, and judgment are all ignored or crushed. This is too barbarous a method for Him who comes not as a plunderer to his prey, but as a possessor to His treasure. In conversion, the Lord who made the human heart deals with it according to its nature and constitution. His key insinuates itself into the wards; the will is not enslaved but enfranchised; the reason is not blinded but enlightened; and the whole man is made to act with a glorious liberty which it never knew till it fell under the restraints of grace.—C. H. Spurgeon.
We are not forced to have God; we can deliberately take up our pen and strike His name out of the page on which we intend to record our life; or, on the other hand, we can say, “We are of yesterday, and know nothing; we are so wise as not to be able to tell what will occur to-morrow; we are so empty and barren as to carry our little earthly immortality in our nostrils. Lord, lead, and we shall follow; we accept Thy mercy; we will go where Thou goest.” So, then, religion is no tyranny; it is no pitiless compulsion of understanding and heart which we resent, but a blessing which first makes us poor, that it may afterwards enrich us with unwasting riches of purity, and strength, and love.—Joseph Parker, D.D.
RESEMBLANCE BETWEEN THE PROCLAMATION OF CYRUS AND THE GOSPEL
(Ezr_1:1)
I. In the disposition from which it originated. The motive which actuated the Persian emperor was benevolence. The love of Christ.
II. In the deliverance which it announced. From Babylon to Canaan. From the captivity of Satan and sin to a state of salvation here and hereafter.
III. In the terms which it specified. No pecuniary compensation for liberty. Salvation by grace.
IV. In the universality of its offers. Every Hebrew captive. Every sinner is invited.
V. In the aids it promised. Provision of help for the journey. Providential and spiritual aid for Christians. There were some who did not welcome the proclamation of Cyrus.—George Brooks.
THE EDICT OF CYRUS
(Ezr_1:2-4)
Notice:
I. The devout acknowledgment of God’s sovereignty.
1. In the bestowment of His favours. “Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth.” The Persian Empire at this time was very vast in its extent. In Isa_41:2, the Lord is represented as giving the nations to the righteous man from the East, and making him ruler over kings. The prophecy was remarkably fulfilled in Cyrus. (a). His attention was probably called to it by Daniel; and, perceiving its striking applicability to himself, he speaks of his wide dominions as given to him by Jehovah the God of heaven. (b). “The Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will.” “His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation; and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven,” &c. (Dan_4:32; Dan_4:34-35). “Promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south: but God is the Judge; He putteth down one, and setteth up another.” God bestows His gifts according to His own wise and righteous will. (c).
2. In the authority of His commands. “And He hath charged me to build Him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.” In Isa_44:28, it is predicted that Cyrus would say “to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the Temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.” Josephus (Ant. xi. i. 1, 2) states that Cyrus having read the prophecies by Isaiah on this matter, “an earnest desire and ambition seized upon him to fulfil what was so written.” He accepted it as a charge from God. Moreover, it is probable that God charged him by His own immediate action upon his spirit. As He stirred up his spirit to make the proclamation, He also probably charged his spirit to rebuild the Temple. And the king acknowledged His authority, accepted the charge, and proceeded to execute it. (d). All the commandments of the Lord are righteous, and are ever binding He is infinitely holy, and His will is ever authoritative on all moral beings everywhere. (e).
II. The magnanimous emancipation of God’s people. “Who is there among you of all His people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, He is the God which is in Jerusalem.” The edict of Cyrus does not grant political freedom to the Jews, but full religious liberty, with permission to go up to Jerusalem to rebuild the national Temple and restore the celebration of its worship.
Notice:
1. The spirit in which the emancipation was made.
(1.) It was generous. “Who among you of all His people?” He does not attempt to keep back any. All are quite at liberty to depart if they are so minded.
(2.) It was pious. “His God be with him.” Thus he wishes them the presence and blessing of God; and having these, they would be sure to succeed.
2. The purpose for which the emancipation was made. “Let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, He is the God which is in Jerusalem.” He sets them free, not for purposes of war, but of worship; not for his own aggrandisement, but for the honour of God; that they might build a temple, not to Ormuzd the god of the Persians, but to Jehovah the God of Israel.
III. The generous exhortation to assist God’s people. “And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him,” &c. (Ezr_1:4).
Notice:
1. The purport of this exhortation. That the subjects of Cyrus should assist the returning Jews with gifts. These gifts were of two classes:—
(1.) Some were for their personal use. “Help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts.”
(2.) The others were for the great work which they were about to undertake. “The freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”
2. The persons to whom it was addressed. “The men of his place” are those who belonged not to the Israelites—the heathen amongst whom they had sojourned, and whose goodwill they seem to have won. We may view it as an example of the world helping the Church in its enterprises. In spiritual things the world is unable to do this, but by material gifts it may aid the Church in the prosecution of its holy mission.
3. The pattern by which it was enforced. It is probable that Cyrus enforced his exhortation by his example, in bestowing liberal gifts upon the returning exiles. Rawlinson regards “the freewill offering for the house of God” as the gift of Cyrus himself. This is doubtful; but there is very little reason to doubt that he did render them personal help of this kind. He not only wished them well, but helped them to realise his wishes.
LESSONS:
1. Be prepared to acknowledge and appreciate moral excellence outside of the visible Church of God. Cyrus, the centurion of Capernaum (Luk_7:1-10), and Cornelius the centurion (Act_10:22) are examples.
2. Imitate Cyrus in his practical acknowledgment of the sovereignty of God.
3. When we cannot offer our labours in good enterprises, let us cheerfully offer our gifts.
ILLUSTRATIONS
(a) In the forty-first chapter of Isaiah, the Almighty is sublimely introduced as demanding who it was that had raised up this great conqueror, this Cyrus, characterised as “the righteous man from the East;” who had called him to His foot—that is, had made him the instrument of the high purposes of His will. “Who,” the interrogation proceeds,
“Gave the nations before him,
And made him ruler over kings?
He gave them as the dust to his sword,
And as driven stubble to his bow.
He pursued them, and passed safely;
Even by the way that he had not gone with his feet.
Who hath wrought and done it,
Calling the generations from the beginning?
I the Lord, the First,
And with the last; I am He.”
This assertion of the instrumentality of Cyrus—of his being in a peculiar manner the child of the Lord’s providence, is always thus emphatically produced, and gives the clue to his history.
The fact that the Persians had not before taken part in the affairs of the West, and, in particular, that Cyrus had not, is clearly pointed out in the lines which describe his westward march as one not previously known to his feet. In fact, he had to march so far west as to the neighbourhood of Sardis, before he was enabled to meet the enemy in full force and give him battle. This Sardis was the capital of the Lydian Empire; and it seems to have been the policy of Crœsus to draw the Persian far away from his own resources, and into the district where his own means were most available, before he gave him the opportunity of coming to a decisive action.
The extent of this victory and its important consequences are indicated by the largeness of the terms employed; not one nation, but many nations, not one king, but many kings, are given “as the dust to his sword, and as the driven stubble to his bow.” Accordingly, the nations who had leagued against him on this occasion, and whom he subdued, were Lydians, Greeks, Egyptians, Babylonians, and all the nations of Asia Minor, and, taken in a large sense, with reference to the final extension of his power, it embraced the Medes, Hyrcanians, Assyrians, Arabians, Cappadocians, Phrygians, Lydians, Carians, Phœnicians, and Babylonians. “He ruled also,” says Xenophon, “over the Bactrians, Indians, and Cilicians, as well as the Sacians, Paphlagonians, and Megadinians, and many other nations, whose names even one cannot enumerate. He ruled the Greeks that were settled in Asia; and, descending to the sea, the Cyprians and the Egyptians. These nations he ruled, though their languages differed from his own, and from each other; and yet was he enabled to extend the fear of himself over so great a part of the world, as to astonish all, so that no one dared to attempt anything against him.”—John Kitto, D.D.
(b) Cyrus saw and acknowledged the Hand by which his path had been marked out, and his steps guided; and he hastened to testify his convictions and his obedience by executing with earnestness the remaining task to which he had been called—that of restoring the Jews to their own land. These are the memorable words of the edict which was promulgated in writing through all his empire: “Jehovah, the God of heaven, hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and He hath charged me to build Him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.” There is nothing indefinite or uncertain in this. If he had said simply, “the God of heaven,” we might have been doubtful as to his meaning. It might have been understood of the god he had been used to worship. But here he gives Him the name by which the Lord was peculiarly known among the Hebrews—the great name of Jehovah; and declares unreservedly his conviction that HE was “the God of heaven.” Surely this is a great declaration. It shows not only that Cyrus recognised the truth and inspiration of these prophecies, but that they wrought the conviction in his mind that the Jehovah, in whose name they were uttered, was, and could be, no other than “the God of heaven.”
That this “Jehovah, the God of heaven,” and not his own Ormuzd, “had given him all the kingdoms of the earth,” he could only have known from Isaiah’s prophecy, which declared the intention to give them to him, so long before he saw the light. Indeed, if he believed anything at all of the prophecy, he could not but believe this—that he owed all his glory and his greatness to his being the predestinated and prenominated agent of Jehovah; and that it was He, and no other, who had made the nations “as dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow.”—Ibid.
(c) The whole world is in the hand of God, let us be thankful. The whole past is under His review, let us leave it with the assurance that His judgment is righteous. The whole future is under His control, let us pass into it with the steadiness, the quietness, and the majesty of those who know that all the resources of God are placed at the disposal of all who put their whole trust in His wisdom and love.—Joseph Parker, D.D.
(d) It was only through Isaiah’s prophecy that Cyrus could have realised the conviction that “Jehovah, God of Israel,” had, as he says, “charged me to build Him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.” For nowhere else is this command given; and nothing but the convincing evidence of this command being contained in an old prophecy, which in so many other circumstances unmistakably indicates him and no other, could have invested this command, to his thoughtful and sagacious mind, with an authority and power not to be gainsaid. The intensity of his conviction is, however, manifested by the alacrity and fulness with which he discharged the high duty imposed upon him. This gives a marked intensity to the “me.” “He hath charged ME:” “Me,” and no other. It was not a duty imperative on any king of Persia, but on him personally and individually.—John Kitto, D.D.
(e) The first act of sovereignty is the making laws. This is essential to God; no creature’s will can be the first rule to the creature, but only the will of God: He only can prescribe man his duty, and establish the rule of it; hence the law is called “the royal law” (Jas_2:8); it being the first and clearest manifestation of sovereignty, as the power of legislation is of the authority of a prince. Both are joined together in Isa_33:22 : “The Lord is our Lawgiver; the Lord is our King,”—legislative power being the great mark of royalty. God, as a King, enacts laws by His own proper authority, and His law is a declaration of His own sovereignty, and of men’s moral subjection to Him and dependence on Him. His sovereignty doth not appear so much in His promises as in His precepts: a man’s power over another is not discovered by promising; for a promise doth not suppose the promiser either superior or inferior to the person to whom the promise is made. It is not an exercising authority over another, but over a man’s self; no man forceth another to the acceptance of his promise, but only proposeth and encourageth to an embracing of it. But commanding supposeth always an authority in the person giving the precept; it obligeth the person to whom the command is directed; a promise obligeth the person by whom the promise is made. God, by His command, binds the creature; by His promise He binds Himself; He stoops below his sovereignty to lay obligations on His own majesty; by a precept He binds the creature, by a promise He encourageth the creature, to an observance of His precept. What laws God makes, man is bound, by virtue of His creation, to observe; that respects the sovereignty of God. What promises God makes, man is bound to believe; but that respects the faithfulness of God.—Stephen Charnocke, B.D.
THE PROCLAMATION OF CYRUS
(Ezr_1:1-5)
This proclamation, interesting in itself, is adapted to convey instruction of a very edifying nature if properly considered. We may view it—
I. In a way of literal interpretation.
1. And here that which first calls for our notice is the person by whom this proclamation was issued. It was Cyrus king of Persia; who, though by education ignorant of God, and how He was to be served, was yet employed as an instrument in effecting His gracious purposes—which shows the power He exercises over the spirits of men, a power far exceeding that merely human, which extends only to their bodies.
2. But the proclamation itself is that which more particularly demands our attention. In this we see that a great event was to be effected, namely, the deliverance of the Jews from Babylon, after a long and trying captivity; which event opened to them the pleasing prospect of again worshipping Jehovah in their native land. This God had foretold by the mouth of His servant Jeremiah (Jer_29:10); and as He did not forget His promise, so neither did He delay the fulfilment of it beyond the proper time (Isa_44:26-28).
II. In a way of spiritual improvement. In the proclamation of Cyrus we may see—
1. What a sad state the men of the world at large are in. They are slaves and captives, being in bondage to their lusts, to the world, to Satan, and to the grave (Rom_6:12; Rom_8:21; Eph_2:2; 2Ti_2:26; 2Pe_2:19; 1Jn_5:19). This is a humiliating, but just, view of them.
2. What an invaluable blessing the Gospel is. No one needs be told what a blessing the proclamation of Cyrus was to the captive Jews; and precisely such is the Gospel, as announcing deliverance to us (Isa_27:13).
3. What will be necessary to obtain what it offers? However deeply all are interested in doing this, too many, alas! are well contented with their bondage, displaying thus most inconceivable madness; whereas, by repentance and faith, they should go up out of it; and by returning to God enjoy the glorious liberty of His children.
4. What is our bounden duty when it has become effectual for our good? God is said to “raise the spirits” of such as were ambitious for liberty; and it need not be said to whom we are indebted, if we differ from others (1Co_4:7; 1Co_15:10; Jas_1:17).—William Sleigh.
GOD WITH US
(Ezr_1:3 : “His God be with him”)
Notice:
I. The devout wish expressed. “His God be with him.” It is equivalent to our “Good-bye,” which is an abbreviation of “God be with you.” This wish comprises two things—
1. Personal relation to God. “His God.” The expression may be viewed in two aspects—
(1.) “His God,” as opposed to the gods of the heathen. “Jehovah the God of heaven” be with him. He is the only living and true God.
(2.) “His God,” as engaged to him in covenant relation. God had condescended to enter into covenant with the Israelites (Gen_17:1-14; Exo_19:3-8; Jer_32:38-41; Eze_16:8). And in the Gospel He engages, or covenants, to forgive and save all who accept Christ by faith, to receive them as His people, and to be their God. Thus our Lord speaks: “My Father and your Father; My God and your God” (Joh_20:17). All that He has, and all that He is, He gives to them as their portion, to be employed for their good. Without any presumption the true believer in Jesus Christ may say unto the great God, “My God and my Father.” (a). Martin Luther said that the sweetness of the Gospel consisted chiefly in its pronouns—such as me, my, thy, &c. “Who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Gal_2:20). “Christ Jesus, my Lord” (Php_3:8). “My Lord and my God” (Joh_20:28). It is the assurance of our personal interest in God, through Christ Jesus our Lord, that makes Him so unspeakably precious unto us. (b).
2. Realisation of the presence of God. “His God be with him.” He is everywhere present; but His presence is realised only by believing, loving, and reverent spirits. Such spirits feel Him near—they have communion with Him, &c. (c). His presence is a guarantee of all the help and blessing which we need. We have all things in Him. (d). But in uttering this wish in respect to the Jews, Cyrus probably had an eye to two things which the presence of God would secure to them—
(1.) Guidance and guardianship on their long journey. In the pilgrimage of life we have infallible direction and inviolable protection, if our God be with us.
(2.) Success in their great undertaking. Having the Divine Presence, the returning exiles would be able to overcome the difficulties which lay before them, and to rebuild the Temple of the Lord their God. The presence of God is the pledge of the success and triumph of His people.
II. The kind expression of this wish. The expression of this wish indicates on the part of Cyrus—
1. Reverence towards God. He does not utter these words thoughtlessly, but seriously. His proclamation makes it quite clear that he entertained reverent and exalted views of the Divine Being. In our kind wishes let us never use the Divine Name except with consideration and veneration.
2. Kindness towards the captives. He wished them well, and proved the sincerity of his wishes by practically helping them in their best interests.
CONCLUSION:
1. Do we sustain this personal relation to God?
2. Do we realise the blessed presence of God?
3. Do we desire that others also may realise His gracious presence?
ILLUSTRATIONS
(a) This goodness appears in the choice gift of Himself which He hath made over in this covenant (Gen_17:7). You know how it runs in Scripture: “I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Jer_32:38); a propriety in the Deity is made over by it. As He gave the blood of His Son to seal the covenant, so He gave Himself as the blessing of the covenant; “He is not ashamed to be called their God” (Heb_11:16). Though He be environed with millions of angels, and presides over them in an inexpressible glory, He is not ashamed of His condescensions to man, and to pass over Himself as the propriety of His people, as well as to take them to be His. It is a diminution of the sense of the place, to understand it of God, as Creator. What reason was there for God to be ashamed of the expressions of His power, wisdom, goodness, in the works of His hands? But we might have reason to think there might be some ground in God to be ashamed of making Himself over in a deed of gift to a mean worm and a filthy rebel; this might seem a disparagement to His majesty; but God is not ashamed of a title so mean as the God of His despised people; a title below those others, of the “Lord of hosts, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders, riding on the wings of the wind, walking in the circuits of heaven.” He is no more ashamed of this title of being our God, than He is of those other that sound more glorious; He would rather have His greatness veil to His goodness, than His goodness be confined by His majesty. He is not only our God, but our God as He is the God of Christ; He is not ashamed to be our propriety, and Christ is not ashamed to own His people in a partnership with Him in this propriety (Joh_20:17): “I ascend to My God and your God.” This, of God’s being our God, is the quintessence of the covenant, the soul of all the promises; in this He hath promised whatsoever is infinite in Him, whatsoever is the glory and ornament of His nature, for our use; not a part of Him, or one single perfection, but the whole vigour and strength of all. As He is not a God without infinite wisdom, and infinite power, and infinite goodness, and infinite blessedness, &c., so He passes over in this covenant all that which presents Him as the most adorable Being to His creatures. He will be to them as great, as wise, as powerful, as good as He is in Himself; and the assuring us in this covenant to be our God imports also that He will do as much for us as we would do for ourselves were we furnished with the same goodness, power, and wisdom. In being our God He testifies it is all one, as if we had the same perfections in our own power to employ for our use; for He being possessed with them, it is as much as if we ourselves were possessed with them, for our own advantage, according to the rules of wisdom and the several conditions we pass through for His glory.—Stephen Charnocke, B.D.
(b) Only to be permitted to contemplate such a Being as Jehovah; to see goodness, holiness, justice, mercy, long-suffering, and sovereignty personified and condensed; to see them united with eternity, infinite power, unerring wisdom, omnipresence, and all-sufficiency; to see these natural and moral perfections indissolubly united and blended in sweet harmony in a pure spiritual Being, and that Being placed on the throne of the universe; to see this would be happiness enough to fill the mind of any creature in existence. But in addition to this, to have this ineffable Being for our God, our portion, our all; to be permitted to say, “This God is our God for ever and ever;” to have His resplendent countenance smile upon us; to be encircled in His everlasting arms of power, and faithfulness, and love; to hear His voice saying to us, “I am yours, and you are Mine; nothing shall ever pluck you from My hands, or separate you from My love; but you shall be with Me where I am, behold My glory, and live to reign with Me for ever and ever.” This is too much; it is honour, it is glory it is happiness too overwhelming, too transporting for mortal minds to conceive, or for mortal frames to support; and it is perhaps well for us that here we know but in part, and that it doth not yet appear what we shall be.—Edward Payson, D.D.
(c) My friend has gone away from me over the sea and beyond the mountain, but I have him in my heart; his thoughts, his views of life, his behaviour under given circumstances, his noble impatience, his magnanimous scorn of all that is low and mean, never leave me; they will mould my life, they will save me in many a temptation. He is with me always because of the realising power of love. And this that we know something about in friendship, in the family circle, in literature, reaches its highest consummation in Jesus Christ; for though He has gone away from us, He says, “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Though we cannot see Him, yet He says, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Though we would gladly lay hold of His wounded hand, He says it is better not. It is expedient for you that fleshly contact cease, and that you lay hold of Him by the tendrils of your love. For what if we did grasp hands, death would break up our union; but if we grasp hearts, we are one for ever.—Joseph Parker, D.D.
(d) “I have read,” says an old divine, “of a company of poor Christians who were banished into some remote part, and one standing by, seeing them pass along, said that it was a very sad condition those poor people were in, to be thus hurried from the society of men, and made companions with the beasts of the field. ‘True,’ said another, ‘it were a sad condition indeed if they were carried to a place where they should not find their God; but let them be of good cheer, God goes along with them, and will exhibit the comforts of His presence whithersoever they go. God’s presence with His people is a spring that never fails.’ ”—The Sunday School Teacher.
THE RELEASE OF THE JEWS FROM BABYLON AN ILLUSTRATION OF THE REDEMPTION OF MAN FROM SIN
(Ezr_1:3; Ezr_1:5)
We discover an analogy in these two things as regards—
I. The subjects. The Jews were exiles and captives in Babylon. Apart from the redemptive power of God, man is the captive of Satan and the slave of sin. He is “taken captive by him at his will.” He is the slave of sinful passions and habits. He is captive, imprisoned, and bound (Isa_61:1; Luk_4:18). “Whosoever committeth sin is the slave of sin” (Joh_8:34). “I see a law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members” (Rom_7:23). In his sinful state, man is an exile from his true condition and place, and the bondsman of evil powers. (a).
II. The agents. Cyrus, and Jesus Christ. The analogy between them is at least twofold.
1. Both were called of God to this work. Ages before his birth Cyrus was prenominated for this work, and spoken of as the anointed of the Lord, and as strengthened by Him for the accomplishment of this work (Isa_44:24 to Isa_45:6). And Jesus Christ is pre-eminently the Servant, the Anointed, the Sent of God (Isa_42:1; Isa_61:1-3; Luk_4:18-19; Joh_3:16-17; Gal_4:4-5; 1Jn_4:9).
2. Both effected this work by battling with and overcoming the oppressors. Cyrus had to conquer the Babylonian Empire before he could release the captive Jews. And our Lord and Saviour, as the Son of Man, encountered sin and mastered it; He resisted temptation and overcame it; He battled with the devil and vanquished him; He grappled with death and abolished it; and thus He offers freedom from sin and Satan to all men. (b).
III. The source. In both cases the blessing flowed from the free and unmerited grace of God. The Jews had no claim upon Him against whom they had so persistently and so grievously rebelled. He “stirred up the spirit of Cyrus” to grant them release, of His own spontaneous and gracious will. In like manner He gave His Son Jesus Christ for the salvation of men. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us,” &c. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us,” &c. (Tit_3:5-7). He gave His Son, He bestowed the Holy Spirit, He instituted means and ministries of grace, all of His own sovereign favour. Human redemption in its origin, in its accomplishment, and in its conditions, is entirely of divine grace. “It is of faith that it might be by grace.” (c).
IV. The extent.
1. It is offered to all. “Who is there among you of all His people?” &c. Every Jew was free to go to Jerusalem if he pleased. Salvation from sin is provided for all, and freely offered to all. Christ “died for all.” “God our Saviour, who will have all men to be saved,” &c. “God so loved the world,” &c. “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” “Go ye into all the world,” &c.
2. It is accepted only by some. “Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all whose spirit God had raised,” &c. Great numbers preferred to remain in Babylon.
(1.) Many did not feel any deprivation or degradation in their exile and subjection. They had been born in Babylon, had passed their lives there, &c. Many do not accept the offered “redemption that is in Christ Jesus” because they are not conscious of the slavery of sin. Like the Jews of a later age, they say, “We were never in bondage to any man.” (d).
(2.) Many had attachments and interests in Babylon which they could not or would not leave. And great numbers in this day will not comply with the conditions of spiritual redemption. Their love of the things of this world, and their devotion to temporal things, bind them to the Babylon of the world and sin. When summoned to “Arise, and depart,” they are unwilling to obey.
V. The object. “Go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.” A striking illustration of the grand end of redemption, which may be expressed thus—
1. The universal realisation of the presence of God. So St. John describes it: “Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them,” &c. (Rev_21:3).
2. The universal presentation of worship to God. “And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth,” &c. (Rev_5:13-14).
“And the Temple again shall be built
And filled as it was of yore;
And the burden be lift from the heart of the world,
And the nations all adore.
Prayers to the throne of Heaven
Morning and eve shall rise;
And unto and not of the Lamb
Shall be the sacrifice.”—P. J. Bailey.
ILLUSTRATIONS
(a) Sin may be conceived of as an object, but also as a power—as something to which our actions are directed, but also as something from which our actions proceed. Sin is an internal principle, and he who “commits sin,” who lives in it, obeys it in this sense—obeys it as a force. Occasional acts may not represent, but belie a man’s real nature; but he can do as a habit only what he is, and if that is sinful, he is the slave of sin. The whole and constant tendency and bias of the soul is a despotic rule; it is more than any external authority or verbal law. It has a more rigorous and relentless rule. It is more besetting, has a more constant presence and constraining power; it acts directly on the will; it controls and stimulates volition. That is a great bondage which overbears the will, which brings it against itself into subjection, which ignores and defies its choice, but that is a greater far which corrupts and perverts it. There is no slavery like that in which the very seat and source of freedom is held captive. It is the salt itself losing its savour; it is the light leading astray; it is the king and leader falling in battle.—A. J. Morris.
Go to the intemperate man in the morning, when his head aches, his hand trembles, his throat burns, and his whole frame is relaxed and unstrung: he is ashamed, hates his sin, would not do it. Go to him at night, when the power of habit is on him like a spell, and he obeys the mastery of his craving. He can use the language of Romans 7 : “That which he would, he does not; but the evil that he hates, that does he.” Observe, he is not in possession of a true self. It is not he, but sin which dwelleth in him that does it. A power which is not himself, which is not he, commands him against himself.
This is a gross case, but in every more refined instance the slavery is just as real. Wherever a man would and cannot, there is servitude. He may be unable to control his expenditure, to rouse his indolence, to check his imagination. Well, he is not free. He may boast, as the Jews did, that he is Abraham’s son, or any other great man’s son; that he belongs to a free country; that he never was in bondage to any man; but free in the freedom of the Son he is not.—F. W. Robertson, M.A.
(b) Christ came to open the prison doors and preach deliverance to the captives. “If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” When Paul was describing the bitter bondage of the unregenerate state, he could not finish it without the parenthetical exclamation, “I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” “The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death,” &c. (Rom_8:2-4).
Yes, Christ is a Redeemer, a Redeemer from the slavery of sin, by entering into the personal contest with evil, with sin, Satan, and the world lying in wickedness; suffering, but not submitting; falling, but yet a victor; being “made sin for us, though He knew no sin,” and thus becoming “the Author of eternal redemption to all them that obey Him.” He became sin, “that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” “Through death He destroyed him that had the power of death.” He “hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.”
This is our hope. There is no other can break our chains, or make us wish to have them broken. There is no other can rescue us from bondage, or beget in us the love and aspiration of spiritual freedom. It remains for us to lay hold of this hope. And this can be done only by believing His word. “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” “But God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin; but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered to you.”—A. J. Morris.
(c) Every good thing that is in a Christian, not merely begins, but progresses, and is consummated by the fostering grace of God, through Jesus Christ. If my finger were on the golden latch of Paradise, and my foot were on its jasper threshold, I should not take the last step so as to enter heaven unless the grace which brought me so far should enable me fully and fairly to complete my pilgrimage. Salvation is God’s work, not man’s. This is the theology which Jonah learned in the great fish college, in the university of the great deep, to which college it would be a good thing if many of our divines could be sent, for human learning often puffeth up with the idea of human sufficiency; but he that is schooled and disciplined in the college of a deep experience, and made to know the vileness of his own heart, as he peers into its chambers of imagery, will confess that from first to last salvation is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.—C. H. Spurgeon.
(d) Men may have a high notion of personal independence, and make a great boast of freedom, and yet be in the deepest and most degrading bondage. And we may extend this thought to other things. Moral and spiritual evil may be, and frequently is, allied to a keen sense and a tenacious hold of other kinds of good. We may live in sin, which is the worst weakness, and yet have reverence for many kinds of not the lowest power. We may live in sin, which is the deepest degradation, and yet have noble elevation of moral thought and sympathy. The thought of slavery may fire our blood with scorn and hate, and yet we may be slaves of sin.
The reason is obvious. Sin is voluntary. It must be. Compulsory sin is a contradiction in terms. Its root and fountain is in the will. It is its being willed that constitutes it sin. For, as Coleridge said, “Nothing is me but my will.” In sinning men do what they wish, what gives them pleasure. They feel no constraint; they are but acting out their wills.
And then, again, the practice of sin gradually destroys the power of seeing and feeling that it is slavery. We see things by means of their opposites. We estimate by contrast. And as we see we feel. It is what is good in man that resists evil, mourns over it, repents of it. One wholly evil could do none of these things, and when men are wholly evil they are lost. It is the memory, the feeling, the aspiration of freedom that makes men writhe under slavery. It is the reason not entirely blinded, the conscience not utterly seared, that sees and smarts under sin. And when the sense of liberty and the sense of holiness have died out, the man may hug his chains, and the sinner is no more able to deliver his soul or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” And this is the curse of both slavery and sin.—A. J. Morris.
THE RETURN OF THE EXILES
(Ezr_1:5-6)
In these verses two main points claim our attention—
I. The company who returned. “Then rose up the chief of the father,” &c. (Ezr_1:5).
1. They were of various classes. “The chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all whose spirit God had raised.” It was well that the chiefs, men of experience and rank and influence, and the priests and the Levites, men who were consecrated to the service of God, should take the lead in this worthy and difficult undertaking. They who are conspicuous in position should be solicitous to act becomingly; and they whose influence is great should see to it that it is also good.
2. They were of noble character. “All whose spirit God had raised.” “Only those marched up,” says Schultz, “whom the Spirit of God awakened, that is, only the zealous and the awakened, whose spirits allowed themselves to be filled from God with courage and joy to overcome all the difficulties that opposed them, and with a longing for the land of their fathers that outweighed every other consideration. This limitation was, moreover, entirely in accordance with the Divine purpose. They must bring with them a zeal for the service of the true God that could not be quenched, at least entirely, by the difficult and gloomy circumstances in Judea, that might be enkindled and fed in some of them by these very circumstances.” They were men of—
(1.) Piety, as we see from their zeal for the rebuilding of the Temple of God, and the restoration of their national worship.
(2.) Patriotism, or they would not have left Babylon for their desolate fatherland.
(3.) Courage, or they could not have confronted the perils of this enterprise. (a).
3. They were exalted in purpose. They went “up to build the house of the Lord, which is in Jerusalem.” No personal or selfish aim was theirs; but the honour of their fatherland, and the glory of their God.
“What sought they thus afar?
Bright jewels of the mine?
The wealth of seas? the spoils of war?
They sought a faith’s pure shrine!”
—Hemans.
4. They were comparatively few in number.
(1.) Only three of the tribes are mentioned (Judah, Benjamin, Levi) as availing themselves of the opportunity offered by the proclamation of Cyrus. There may have been some of the other tribes with them; but if this were so, their numbers were so few that they are not noticed in this place. The ten tribes of Israel are conspicuous by reason of their absence from this record.
(2.) And of the tribes mentioned only a portion returned to their own country. There is considerable uncertainty as to the exact number; but certainly there were not fifty thousand persons in all. “The return home,” says Schultz, “was not a matter that required no consideration. Their native land lay either desolate or occupied with heathen and barbarous nations. Great dangers threatened the little nation, that would put itself in opposition with the inhabitants; and, indeed, severe tasks awaited them. In Babylon, on the other hand, their circumstances had become such that they could very well endure them, yea, they were favourable, as we can see from Isa_56:11-12, hence ‘many remained behind in Babylon, unwilling to relinquish their property’ (Joseph. Ant. XI. i. 3).” (b). An illustration of those who are in love with this present evil world, and decline to enter upon the Christian life with its self-denials and difficulties.
II. The assistance which they received.
1. This was general. “And all they that were about them strengthened their hands,” &c. The Jews who elected to remain in Babylon would be likely to aid them liberally, in order to a certain extent to make up for their apparent neglect in remaining behind. And the Babylonians, encouraged by the exhortation and example of Cyrus, would aid them also.
2. This was spontaneous. “They that were about them” were not compelled to aid them at all. It is indeed stated that the gifts for rebuilding of the Temple were “willingly offered;” and the same cheerful liberality doubtless characterised their other gifts. They gave “not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver.” In the hearty contributions of these heathens towards building the Temple of the true God, have we not a hint and a foreshadowing of the gathering of the heathen world into the Church of Jesus Christ?
3. This was honourable to both the givers and the receivers.
(1.) To the givers, who were not only willing that the exiles should return home, but generously aided them to do so.
(2.) To the receivers. These gifts are a proof that in the land of their captivity their conduct must have won the esteem of their conquerors.
CONCLUSION:
Apply the subject as illustrating the offers of deliverance from the bondage of sin which are made in the Gospel, and of the aids which are provided for those who accept those offers, and urge their immediate and hearty acceptance.
ILLUSTRATIONS
(a) The dominion of God is manifested in raising up and ordering the spirits of men according to His pleasure. He doth, as the Father of spirits, communicate an influence to the spirits of men, as well as an existence; He puts what inclinations He pleaseth into the will, stores it with what habits He pleases, whether natural or supernatural, whereby it may be rendered more ready to act according to the Divine purpose. The will of man is a finite principle, and therefore subject to Him who hath an infinite sovereignty over all things; and God, having a sovereignty over the will, in the manner of its acting, causeth it to will what He wills, as to the outward act, and the outward manner of performing it.… Thus He appointed Cyrus to be His shepherd, and gave him a pastoral spirit for the restoration of the city and Temple of Jerusalem (Isa_44:28); and Isaiah (Isa_45:5) tells them, in the prophecy, that He had girded him, though Cyrus had not known Him; i.e. God had given him a military spirit and strength for so great an attempt, though he did not know that he was acted by God for those Divine purposes. And when the time came for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt, the spirits of the people were raised up, not by themselves, but by God (Ezr_1:5), “Whose spirit God had raised to go up;” and not only the spirit of Zerubbabel, the magistrate, and of Jeshua, the priest, but the spirit of all the people, from the highest to the meanest that attended him, were acted by God to strengthen their hands, and promote the work (Hag_1:14). The spirits of men, even in those works which are naturally desirable to them, as the restoration of the city and rebuilding of the Temple was to those Jews, are acted by God, as the Sovereign over them, much more when the wheels of men’s spirits are lifted up above their ordinary temper and motion. It was this empire of God good Nehemiah regarded, as that whence he was to hope for success; he did not assure himself so much of it, from the favour he had with the king, nor the reasonableness of his intended petition, but the absolute power God had over the heart of that great monarch; and, therefore, he supplicates the heavenly, before he petitioned the earthly, throne (Neh_2:4): “So I prayed to the God of heaven.” The heathens had some glance of this; it is an expression that Cicero hath somewhere, “That the Roman commonwealth was rather governed by the assistance of the Supreme Divinity over the hearts of men, than by their own counsels and management.” How often hath the feeble courage of men been heightened to such a pitch as to stare death in the face, which before were damped with the least thought or glance of it! This is a fruit of God’s sovereign dominion.—Charnocke. For further illustration of this topic, see p. 7.
(b) Some readers may perhaps wonder that, on this proclamation of Cyrus, the Jews did not assemble in one body, and directly go and take possession of their ancient inheritance; but a little reflection shows the matter in another light. The city and Temple lay a heap of ruins, and it would cost immense labour and expense to rebuild them. The land was either wholly desolate or occupied by encroaching neighbours; and in either case it would require some time and trouble to procure for themselves habitations and provisions. The journey was long, arduous, and perilous to those who were attended with families and substance; and many enemies would endeavour to plunder them by the way, as far as they could and dared (chap. Ezr_8:21-23; Neh_2:7). None of the Jews had seen Jerusalem or the Temple, except such as were above fifty years of age; at which period of life the spirit of enterprise commonly begins to decline. Few were attached to the Temple by true piety: and most of them wanted even that attachment which men naturally feel for the land of their nativity, having been born in the places where they were then settled. Some persons of true and eminent piety were so situated that they did not think it their duty to remove; as Daniel in the court of Cyrus. Others would be hindered by the infirmities of old age, and the peculiar circumstances of their families and connections. In short, the difficulties, hardship, and peril were manifest; the success of the attempt would be doubtful to all but those that were “strong in faith;” its temporal advantages were remote and precarious, and not worth the venture, especially to such as had obtained comfortable settlements or occupations in the land of their captivity. Even the spiritual advantages would appear to the pious mind more intended for posterity than for that generation; and to engage in it, in this view, would require vigorous faith, lively hope, and an active zeal for the honour of God, and the benefit of His Church, and establishment of His worship, in ages to come.—Thomas Scott.
THE RESULTS OF THE CAPTIVITY
(Ezr_1:5-6)
It may be well to consider here what were the actual effects of the captivity upon the Jewish people. These are well stated in Dr. Smith’s Dictionary of the Bible, art. Cyrus, from which we quote the following paragraphs:—
The edict of Cyrus for the rebuilding of the Temple was, in fact, the beginning of Judaism; and the great changes by which the nation was transformed into a Church are clearly marked.
I. The lesson of the kingdom was completed by the captivity. The sway of a temporal prince was at length felt to be at best only a faint image of that Messianic kingdom to which the prophets pointed. The royal power had led to apostasy in Israel, and to idolatry in Judah; and men looked for some outward form in which the law might be visibly realised. Dependence on Persia excluded the hope of absolute political freedom, and offered a sure guarantee for the liberty of religious organisation.
II. The captivity which was the punishment of idolatry was also the limit of that sin. Thenceforth the Jews apprehended fully the spiritual nature of their faith, and held it fast through persecution. At the same time wider views were opened to them of the unseen world. The powers of good and evil were recognised in their action on the material world, and in this way some preparation was made for the crowning doctrine of Christianity.
III. The organisation of the outward Church was connected with the purifying of doctrine, and served as the form in which the truth might be realised by the mass. Prayer—public and private—assumed a new importance. The prophetic work came to an end. The Scriptures were collected. The “law was fenced” by an oral tradition. Synagogues were erected and schools formed. Scribes shared the respect of priests, if they did not supersede them in popular regard.
IV. Above all, the bond by which “the people of God” was held together was at length felt to be religious and not local, nor even primarily national. The Jews were incorporated in different nations, and still looked to Jerusalem as the centre of their faith. The boundaries of Canaan were passed, and the beginnings of a spiritual dispensation were already made when the “Dispersion” was established among the kingdoms of the earth.—B. F. Westcott, M.A.
THE RESTORATION OF THE SACRED VESSELS
(Ezr_1:7-11)
Notice:
I. The preservation of the sacred vessels. “Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods; even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer.” These are the vessels which are mentioned in. 2Ch_36:7, and Dan_1:2. They did not include all the consecrated things; for we read in 2Ki_24:13, of some that were afterwards “cut in pieces” by Nebuchadnezzar or some of his soldiers. But in the providence of God these vessels were remarkably preserved, to be in due time restored to their original place and uses. Nebuchadnezzar, regarding them as sacred things, did not appropriate them to purposes of his own, but placed them in the temple of his god Merodach, or Bel, as he was called by the Greeks, at Babylon; and in this way they were preserved.
Learn:
Since God is so careful of the mere vessels consecrated to His service, may we not rest assured that He will much more preserve His consecrated people? His children are far more precious in His sight than the most costly furniture of His temples. (a).
II. The numeration of the sacred vessels. “Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.” This numbering indicates—
1. The reverent care of Cyrus for these sacred vessels.
2. The grave responsibility of Sheshbazzar for these sacred vessels. He would be held accountable for the number of them thus counted out to him.
Learn:
That persons, places, and things which are devoted to religious uses should be reverently regarded by us. Their associations should raise them far above the level of common things. (b).
III. The restoration of the sacred vessels. “All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem.”
1. This was a fulfilment of prophecy (Jer_27:22). Prophecy is a “sure word.” The predictions of the Holy Bible will become accomplished facts; its promises will all be fulfilled. The veracity and the power of God guarantee the fulfilment of the declarations and assurances of His Word.
2. This is an illustration of the restoration of perverted things to their true uses. Many of the gifts of God are sadly misused; e.g., wealth, when it is employed for purposes of self-indulgence or vain show, or when it is avariciously hoarded; eloquence, when it is employed to arouse and inspire men in unworthy enterprises; poetry, when it is made the vehicle of impure suggestions, or the quickener of corrupt imaginations; art, &c. All these things, like the sacred vessels of the Jews, shall be restored to their true uses. They shall be employed in harmony with the will of God, for His glory, and for the good of mankind. The Lord Jesus Christ is the great Restorer of the violated order, and the broken harmony of the universe of God. “In the dispensation of the fulness of times God will gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him.” (c).
ILLUSTRATIONS
(a) “They shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels.” God has jewels even amid the ruins of this shattered and degraded world. “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people.” Terrible as has been the havoc created by sin, there are “jewels” still on the earth, and no hand can rifle them. Many times have Satan and his legions sought to purloin the treasure, but the Word of the Lord is faithful—“no man can pluck them out of My Father’s hand.”—Joseph Parker, D.D.
Beneath the wings of the Almighty God, night with its pestilence cannot smite the saints, and day with its cares cannot destroy them; youth with its passions shall be safely passed; middle age with its whirl of business shall be navigated in safety; old age with its infirmities shall become the land of Beulah; death’s gloomy vale shall be lit up with the coming splendour; the actual moment of departure, the last and solemn article shall be the passing over of a river dryshod. “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee, saith the Lord.” “They shall never perish.”—C. H. Spurgeon.
(b) It is a dreadful thing to trifle with sacred matters. If at any time we open the Bible, or anything out of it be opened to us, and we have not the serious design before our eyes and upon our hearts, that we would know more of divine things, that we may be made more like God, and be more fitted for His service and communion both here and hereafter, we shall be found guilty of trifling with that which is sacred; and though in this world the punishment may not be so visibly severe, yet the guilt is undoubtedly greater than that which Uzzah lay under when he rashly laid hold on the ark; and the Bethshemites, when they opened and would be curiously prying into it. When a man meddleth with the great things of God, and can give no account for what he does, but only to satisfy his curiosity, and the idle fancy of a vain mind; this, sooner or later, must have a sad issue.—John Howe.
(c) The reconciliation which our Lord has effected has bearings as wide as creation. The whole creation will be restored, and inherit with man the peace and glory of Christ. Evil struggles and will yet struggle, but it is doomed. Christ’s death will be fulfilled in the death of evil throughout all nature. His ascension will be fulfilled in the universal diffusion of His Life, Love, and Glory. But He will not make haste. By His long patience, He gives the utmost possibility to the endeavours of evil. In the end, evil powers will work their own confusion and downfall. The Son of God is sure of final victory. He foresees it. The whole field will come about to Him. He will wait for it. In His ascension, all the elements and powers of nature are already glorified. In Him, they have all come back to God, with increase, They are no longer divided and striving. They underwent their grand decisive and bloody sweat in Him. The worst is past. “The restitution of all things” is certain. All things are at peace in Christ, and the peace is wonderful.
“It is finished,” proclaimed the end of the fallen order of nature. “He is risen,” announced the beginning of the new order. Christ glorified is God’s firstfruits of the whole harvest of His recovered creation. All things will be made after the pattern of Christ’s unity. The reconciliation of all things in Him is very Divine. And when the like reconciliation is fulfilled, both in man and nature, the work of the Mediator will be done, and “the mystery of God finished.”
Observe once for all, that whoever speaks merely of the redemption of mankind, mutilates the redemption of God, and is unfaithful to the New Testament. The mystery of God’s will and purpose, which Paul commends to us, is the knitting into unity, the gathering together in one, of “all things in Christ, both the things which are in heaven, and the things which are on earth; even in Him.” The Headship of Christ is universal. Heaven and earth, and “all things” therein, are to be brought under One Head; and thus into the fellowship of a divinely balanced harmony. The whole course of sin and sorrow is His chastisement, which He will bear until it melts into His own Purity and Peace.—John Pulsford.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
Alexander MacLaren 1905 · Public Domain Ezr 1:1 - Ezr 1:11.
Ezra
THE EVE OF THE RESTORATION
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Ezr 1:1 - Ezr 1:11.
Cyrus captured Babylon 538 B.C., and the ‘first year’ here is the first after that event. The predicted seventy years’ captivity had nearly run out, having in part done their work on the exiles. Colours burned in on china are permanent; and the furnace of bondage had, at least, effected this, that it fixed monotheism for ever in the inmost substance of the Jewish people. But the bulk of them seem to have had little of either religious or patriotic enthusiasm, and preferred Babylonia to Judea. We are here told of the beginning of the return of a portion of the exiles-forty-two thousand, in round numbers.
‘The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus.’ That unveils the deepest cause of what fell into place, to the superficial observers, as one among many political events of similar complexion. We find among the inscriptions a cylinder written by order of Cyrus, which shows that he reversed the Babylonian policy of deporting conquered nations. ‘All their peoples,’ says he, in reference to a number of nations of whom he found members in exile in Babylonia, ‘I assembled and restored to their lands and the gods . . . whom Nabonidos . . . had brought into Babylon, I settled in peace in their sanctuaries’ {Sayce, Fresh Light from the Ancient Monuments, p. 148}. It was, then, part of a wider movement, which sent back Zerubbabel and his people to Jerusalem, and began the rebuilding of the Temple. No doubt, Cyrus had seen that the old plan simply brought an element of possible rebellion into the midst of the country, and acted on grounds of political prudence.
But our passage digs deeper to find the true cause. Cyrus was God’s instrument, and the statesman’s insight was the result of God’s illumination. The divine causality moves men, when they move themselves. It was not only in the history of the chosen people that God’s purpose is wrought out by more or less conscious and willing instruments. The principle laid down by the writer of this book is of universal application, and the true ‘philosophy of history’ must recognise as underlying all other so-called causes and forces the one uncaused Cause, of whose purposes kings and politicians are the executants, even while they freely act according to their own judgments, and, it may be, in utter unconsciousness of Him. It concerns our tranquillity and hopefulness, in the contemplation of the bewildering maze and often heart-breaking tragedy of mundane affairs, to hold fast by the conviction that God’s unseen Hand moves the pieces on the board, and presides over all the complications. The difference between ‘sacred’ and ‘profane’ history is not that one is under His direct control, and the other is not. What was true of Cyrus and his policy is as true of England. Would that politicians and all men recognised the fact as clearly as this historian did!
I. Cyrus’s proclamation sounds as if he were a Jehovah-worshipper, but it is to be feared that his religion was of a very accommodating kind. It used to be said that, as a Persian, he was a monotheist, and would consequently be in sympathy with the Jews; but the same cylinder already quoted shatters that idea, and shows him to have been a polytheist, ready to worship the gods of Babylon. He there ascribes his conquest to ‘Merodach, the great lord,’ and distinctly calls himself that god’s ‘worshipper.’ Like other polytheists, he had room in his pantheon for the gods of other nations, and admitted into it the deities of the conquered peoples.
The use of the name ‘Jehovah’ would, no doubt, be most simply accounted for by the supposition that Cyrus recognised the sole divinity of the God of Israel; but that solution conflicts with all that is known of him, and with his characterisation in Isa 45:4 as ‘not knowing’ Jehovah. More probably, his confession of Jehovah as the God of heaven was consistent in his mind with a similar confession as to Bel-Merodach or the supreme god of any other of the conquered nations. There is, however no improbability in the supposition that the prophecies concerning him in Isaiah xlv, may have been brought to his knowledge, and be referred to in the proclamation as the ‘charge’ given to him to build Jehovah’s Temple. But we must not exaggerate the depth or exclusiveness of his belief in the God of the Jews.
Cyrus’s profession of faith, then, is an example of official and skin-deep religion, of which public and individual life afford plentiful instances in all ages and faiths. If we are to take their own word for it, most great conquerors have been very religious men, and have asked a blessing over many a bloody feast. All religions are equally true to cynical politicians, who are ready to join in worshipping ‘Jehovah, Jove, or Lord,’ as may suit their policy. Nor is it only in high places that such loosely worn professions are found. Perhaps there is no region of life in which insincerity, which is often quite unconscious, is so rife as in regard to religious belief. But unless my religion is everything, it is nothing. ‘All in all, or not at all,’ is the requirement of the great Lover of souls. What a winnowing of chaff from wheat there would be, if that test could visibly separate the mass which is gathered on His threshing-floor, the Church!
Cyrus’s belief in Jehovah illustrates the attitude which was natural to a polytheist, and is so difficult for us to enter into. A vague belief in One Supreme, above all other gods, and variously named by different nations, is buried beneath mountains of myths about lesser gods, but sometimes comes to light in many pagan minds. This blind creed, if creed it can be called, is joined with the recognition of deities belonging to each nation, whose worship is to be co-extensive with the race of which they are patrons, and who may be absorbed into the pantheon of a conqueror, just as a vanquished king may be allowed an honourable captivity at the victor’s capital. Thus Cyrus could in a sense worship Jehovah, the God of Israel, without thereby being rebellious to Merodach.
There are people, even among so-called Christians, who try the same immoral and impossible division of what must in its very nature be wholly given to One Supreme. To ‘serve God and mammon’ is demonstrably an absurd attempt. The love and trust and obedience which are worthy of Him must be wholehearted, whole-souled, whole-willed. It is as impossible to love God with part of one’s self as it is for a husband to love his wife with half his heart, and another woman with the rest. To divide love is to slay it. Cyrus had some kind of belief in Jehovah; but his own words, so wonderfully recovered in the inscription already referred to, proved that he had not listened to the command, ‘Him only shalt thou serve.’ That command grips us as closely as it did the Jews, and is as truly broken by thousands calling themselves Christians as by any idolaters.
The substance of the proclamation is a permission to return to any one who wished to do so, a sanction of the rebuilding of the Temple, and an order to the native inhabitants to render help in money, goods, and beasts. A further contribution towards the building was suggested as ‘a free-will offering.’ The return, then, was not to be at the expense of the king, nor was any tax laid on for it; but neighbourly goodwill, born of seventy years of association, was invoked, and, as we find, not in vain. God had given the people favour in the eyes of those who had carried them captive.
II. The long years of residence in Babylonia had weakened the homesickness which the first generation of captives had, no doubt, painfully experienced, and but a small part of them cared to avail themselves of the opportunity of return. One reason is frankly given by Josephus: ‘Many remained in Babylon, not wishing to leave their possessions behind them.’ ‘The heads of the fathers’ houses [who may have exercised some sort of government among the captives], the priests and Levites,’ made the bulk of the emigrants; but in each class it was only those ‘whose spirit God had stirred up’ {as he had done Cyrus’} that were devout or patriotic enough to face the wrench of removal and the difficulties of repeopling a wasted land. There was nothing to tempt any others, and the brave little band had need of all their fortitude. But no heart in which the flame of devotion burned, or in which were felt the drawings of that passionate love of the city and soil where God dwelt {which in the best days of the nation was inseparable from devotion}, could remain behind. The departing contingent, then, were the best part of the whole; and the lingerers were held back by love of ease, faint-heartedness, love of wealth, and the like ignoble motives.
How many of us have had great opportunities offered for service, which we have let slip in like manner! To have doors opened which we are too lazy, too cowardly, too much afraid of self-denial, to enter, is the tragedy and the crime of many a life. It is easier to live among the low levels of the plain of Babylon, than to take to the dangers and privations of the weary tramp across the desert. The ruins of Jerusalem are a much less comfortable abode than the well-furnished houses which have to be left. Prudence says, ‘Be content where you are, and let other people take the trouble of such mad schemes as rebuilding the Temple.’ A thousand excuses sing in our ears, and we let the moment in which alone some noble resolve is possible slide past us, and the rest of life is empty of another such. Neglected opportunities, unobeyed calls to high deeds, we all have in our lives. The saddest of all words is, ‘It might have been.’ How much wiser, happier, nobler, were the daring souls that rose to the occasion, and flung ease and wealth and companionship behind them, because they heard the divine command couched in the royal permission, and humbly answered, ‘Here am I; send me’!
III. The third point in the passage is singular-the inventory of the Temple vessels returned by Cyrus. As to its particulars, we need only note that Sheshbazzar is the same as Zerubbabel; that the exact translation of some of the names of the vessels is doubtful; and that the numbers given under each head do not correspond with the sum total, the discrepancy indicating error somewhere in the numbers.
But is not this dry enumeration a strange item to come in the forefront of the narrative of such an event? We might have expected some kind of production of the enthusiasm of the returning exiles, some account of how they were sent on their journey, something which we should have felt worthier of the occasion than a list of bowls and nine-and-twenty knives. But it is of a piece with the whole of the first part of this Book of Ezra, which is mostly taken up with a similar catalogue of the members of the expedition. The list here indicates the pride and joy with which the long hidden and often desecrated vessels were received. We can see the priests and Levites gazing at them as they were brought forth, their hearts, and perhaps their eyes, filling with sacred memories. The Lord had ‘turned again the captivity of Zion,’ and these sacred vessels lay there, glittering before them, to assure them that they were not as ‘them that dream.’ Small things become great when they are the witnesses of a great thing.
We must remember, too, how strong a hold the externals of worship had on the devout Jew. His faith was much more tied to form than ours ought to be, and the restoration of the sacrificial implements as a pledge of the re-establishment of the Temple worship would seem the beginning of a new epoch of closer relation to Jehovah. It is almost within the lifetime of living men that all Scotland was thrilled with emotion by the discovery, in a neglected chamber, of a chest in which lay, forgotten, the crown and sceptre of the Stuarts. A like wave of feeling passed over the exiles as they had given back to their custody these Temple vessels. Sacreder ones are given into our hands, to carry across a more dangerous desert. Let us hear the charge, ‘Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord,’ and see that we carry them, untarnished and unlost, to ‘the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.’
Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (1904–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. R. Dummelow 1909 · Public Domain The Return of the Jews from Captivity
The Return of the Jews from Captivity
The chapter narrates how Cyrus, king of Persia, permitted the Jews in Babylon to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple there, and restored the vessels taken from it.
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1. Now, etc.] The book of Ezra begins with the last words of 2 Ch; Ezr_1:1-2 and the first half of Ezr_1:3 occurring in 2Ch_36:22, 2Ch_36:23. The three books, Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah, were probably at first continuous, in this order; but subsequently the arrangement in the Hebrew Bible was altered to Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles, Ezra being placed first in order to form a sequel to the history contained in Kings. 2 Chronicles was then made to conclude with the same words that form the beginning of Ezra.
In the first year of Cyrus] i.e. of Cyrus' rule over Babylon, 538 b.c.
The word of the Lord.. Jeremiah] see Jer_29:10; Jer_25:11-13 cp. also Eze_11:7; Eze_37:12. The period of the Captivity was described by Jeremiah as 70 years and by Ezekiel as 40 (Ezr_4:6). Its actual duration, reckoned from the Fall of Jerusalem in 586, was about 50 years, but the interval between the destruction of the Temple and its restoration in 516 (Ezr_6:15) was almost exactly 70. The accordance of the event with predictions uttered so long before witnesses to the remarkable faculty of prevision possessed by the Hebrew prophets, inasmuch as there was nothing (so far as can be judged) within the political horizon at the time when the predictions were made to create such an expectation.
The Lord stirred up, etc.] Josephus states that the divine will respecting the Jews was made known to Cyrus by the prophecies of Isaiah (see Isa_44:28; Isa_45:1-4, where Cyrus is styled 'the Lord's servant' and the Lord's anointed'). Be this as it may, God's purposes were fulfilled, whatever may have been the motives by which the Persian king was consciously actuated. From the inscriptions it appears that Nabunahid (Nabonidus), the last king of Babylon, had caused great discontent by removing to his capital the gods of various cities, and that Cyrus sent them back to their respective sanctuaries; and the restoration of the sacred vessels (Ezr_1:7) of the Jews, whose God was not represented by any image, was doubtless part of the same policy. The permission given to the Jews themselves to return to Jerusalem to reconstruct the Temple there conciliated a number of people who might otherwise have been a source of danger to the empire. The old idea that Cyrus as a Zoroastrian had sympathy with the religion of the Jews is disproved by evidence from the monuments.
2. The Lord God.. hath given me] Cyrus showed great regard for the religious sentiments of his various subjects; and just as in his inscriptions it is represented to the Babylonians that he had obtained his victories through Merodach their chief god, so here in a decree issued to the Jews his success is ascribed to the Lord. But it is possible that the Hebrew colouring of the decree is due to a Hebrew scribe, commissioned to make it intelligible to his countrymen, rather than to its royal author.
4. Whosoever remaineth] RV 'whosoever' (of the captive people) 'is left' (cp. Neh_1:2), there being an allusion to the remnant of Israel.
The men of his place] i.e. his Babylonian neighbours (Ezr_1:6).
5. Whose spirit, etc.] It was only a small proportion of the exiled Jews who were inspired with such zeal for their land and the sanctuary of their God as to exchange the comfort of Babylon for the desolation of Judæa. In this passage those who took advantage of Cyrus' decree are represented as belonging to Judah and Benjamin only, but there were also among them some from Ephraim and Manasseh: 1Ch_9:3.
7. Had brought forth] see 2Ki_24:13; 2Ch_36:7.
8. Sheshbazzar] It seems probable that this was the Persian or Babylonian name of Zerubbabel (Ezr_2:2). In favour of the view that the same person is designated by the two names is the fact that the foundation of the Temple is ascribed to both (Ezr_5:16; Ezr_3:8), whilst the double name may be paralleled by the instances of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah (Dan_1:6-7), Eliakim, and Mattaniah (2Ki_23:34; 2Ki_24:17). But some distinguish between the two (as is done in 1Es_6:18), and either regard Sheshbazzar as identical with Shenazzar the uncle of Zerubbabel, or take him to be a Persian commissioner accompanying Zerubbabel (for although he is here called the prince of Judah, i.e. the representative of Judah's royal line, the LXX in Ezr_5:14 styles him 'the guardian over the treasure,' or 'treasury').
9. Chargers.. knives] The words probably mean different kinds of vessels.
J. R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (Macmillan, 1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Arno C. Gaebelein 1922 · Public Domain Analysis and Annotations
Analysis and Annotations
I. THE RETURN UNDER ZERUBBABEL AND THE REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE
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CHAPTER 1
1. The proclamation of Cyrus (Ezr 1:1-4)
2. The response of the chiefs of Judah and Benjamin (Ezr 1:5-6)
3. The vessels of the house of the LORD restored (Ezr 1:7-11)
Ezr 1:1-4. Cyrus (meaning “the Sun”) the King of Persia was, according to ancient historians, the son of Cambyses, Prince of Persia, and Mandam, daughter of Astyages, King of the Median Empire. The theory that he was the offspring of Ahasuerus and Esther, and was trained by Mordecai and Nehemiah, lacks all historical foundation. The heart of Cyrus in the beginning of his reign was stirred by the LORD, because the time had come that the Word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah might be fulfilled. And this was the Word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah: “For thus saith the LORD, that after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place” (Jer 29:10). The seventy years were ended and God was about to act in behalf of His people Israel. Daniel was praying in Babylon after also having read the words of Jeremiah (Dan 9:1-2). Cyrus was the chosen instrument of the LORD to bring about the return of the Jews and the rebuilding of the temple. Almost two hundred years before his birth the LORD had revealed his name and his work to the prophet Isaiah. Twice Isaiah mentions the name of this Persian King: “That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasures, even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built, and the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut” (Isa 44:28; Isa 45:1). “I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways; he shall build my city and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of Hosts” (Isa 45:13). This was written by this prophet of God over a century before the temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. Previously in Isaiah Jehovah had spoken his challenge to the idol-gods to show their power: “Let them bring forth, and show us what shall happen, let them show the former things, what they be ... or declare us things for to come; show the things that are to come afterward” (Isa 41:22-23). In naming Cyrus the king, and the great work he would do for the exiles and for Jerusalem, the LORD demonstrates His power to declare things to come and to make the future known. And who would doubt that an omniscient God, who knows all things, the end from the beginning, could do this? Only infidels and destructive critics. The latter have invented a Deutero-Isaiah who, it is claimed, wrote the above prophecies concerning Cyrus after he had come into existence and done the work.
It will be seen that the Spirit of God through Isaiah spoke of Cyrus as the shepherd, the anointed, the man of my counsel (Isa 46:11); whom the LORD loveth (Isa 48:14); whose right hand the Lord upholdeth (Isa 45:1); who will perform the LORD’s pleasure (Isa 44:28); and yet he is also called “a ravenous bird from the East” (Isa 46:11). Cyrus is, as the chosen instrument, a type of the Messiah, Christ. A comparison of Cyrus with Christ, the work Cyrus did for Israel and the work Christ will do in His second coming, is interesting.
The proclamation which Cyrus issued and sent in writing throughout his kingdom speaks of God as “the LORD God of heaven,” and in his edict Cyrus declares, “He hath charged me to build Him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.” How did Cyrus receive this knowledge? Beyond question he knew Daniel, and may have heard from his lips the history of Nebuchadnezzar as well as the great prophecies. This prophet may also have acquainted Cyrus with the prophecies of Isaiah. According to Josephus, the great Jewish historian, Cyrus read the book of Isaiah himself. When he came to the place in which Isaiah mentioned him by name, an earnest desire and ambition seized upon him to fulfill what was written in these prophecies. From the record here we learn that it was the LORD who stirred him up to issue the proclamation. In it permission was granted to those Jewish exiles throughout his kingdom to return to Jerusalem to build the house of the LORD; and those who remained were to help with silver and gold, with goods and beasts, besides free-will offering for the house of God. Thus God’s Word spoken over two hundred years before was fulfilled in this proclamation of Cyrus: “He shall let my captives go;” “Saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid”; these were the two great prophetic statements of the work he was to do. And so it came literally to pass. All predictions of a future restoration of Israel to their land, not through a Gentile king, but through the coming of Heaven’s King, the Shepherd of His sheep, will soon find all their literal fulfillment likewise.
Ezr 1:5-6. There was at once a response from the heads of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites. What joy must have filled their hearts when they read the proclamation of Cyrus. What they had longed and prayed for had come at last. God was acting in their behalf and His promises were about to come to pass. It was the LORD who stirred them to action and to turn their faces towards Jerusalem. But not all were ready to go back; only a small remnant was willing. The great majority preferred to remain in Babylon. There was nothing to attract them to Jerusalem--the city of ruins, with the once magnificent temple in ruins. Those who returned, loved Jerusalem, the place the LORD had chosen, where alone the appointed offerings and sacrifices could be brought. They belonged to those who sat by the rivers of Babylon and wept when they remembered Zion and said, “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning; if I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy” (Psa 137:5-6). And the Jews who remained helped them generously in every way.
Ezr 1:7-11. Then Cyrus restored the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem and put into the house of his gods (Dan 1:2). His grandson, Belshazzar, defiled them at his licentious feast (Dan 5:2). In that night Belshazzar was slain and Babylon fell. No doubt Cyrus had these vessels collected and carefully guarded. Mithredath the treasurer handed them to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. This prince was Zerubbabel: Sheshbazzar was the name the Babylonians had given him. He was born in Babylon; his name Means “stranger in Babylon.” He became the princely leader of the returning exiles. Besides being mentioned in Ezra we find his name also in the book of Zechariah. In all there were 5,400 vessels of gold and silver which were handed over to Zerubbabel to take back to Jerusalem. How it all shows that God had not forgotten His people, and when His appointed time came He manifested His power in their behalf. Nor has He forgotten His promise to bring a remnant back from the great dispersion among all the nations of the world. When that return comes, a greater than Zerubbabel the prince of Judah will be the leader. The Lord Jesus, the Son of David, will be their Deliverer.
Arno C. Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (1913–1922) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain The Proclamation of Cyrus
The Proclamation of Cyrus
v. 1. Now, in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, after the conquest of the Babylonian empire, the new empire, including Persia, Media, Babylonia, and Chaldea, having been founded in 536 B. C. that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, Jer 25:12-13, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, by having special couriers cry out the message, and put it also in writing, saying,
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v. 2. Thus saith Cyrus, king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth, his empire at that time being a world empire; and he hath charged me to build Him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah, either by direct Revelation or through the instruction of the prophet Daniel, who may have informed him of the prophecies concerning him and his career as written down by Isaiah some two hundred years before, Isa 44:28; Isa 46:1-4.
v. 3. Who is there among you of all His people? His God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is the God, whom Cyrus acknowledged and worshiped as the one true God) which is in Jerusalem.
v. 4. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, having settled down according to the advice of the Lord by Jeremiah, Jer 29:4-7, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, for pack-animals and for traveling, giving such a one all possible assistance, beside the free-will offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem, thereby contributing liberally toward the rebuilding of the Temple. Thus God uses also the mighty ones of the earth in His service as He chooses, thereby bringing the days of tribulation upon His people to an end.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 first year
first year
This refers to the beginning of the reign of King Cyrus. (See: Ordinal Numbers)
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Yahweh fulfilled his word that came from the mouth of Jeremiah
Here "mouth" represents speaking. AT: "Yahweh did what Jeremiah prophesied that Yahweh would do" (See: Metonymy)
Yahweh
This is the name of God that he revealed to his people in the Old Testament. See the translationWord page about Yahweh concerning how to translate this.
Yahweh ... stirred Cyrus's spirit
Here Cyrus is represented by his spirit. This speaks of Yahweh causing Cyrus to want to act as if he "stirred" his spirit. AT: "Yahweh ... made Cyrus want to act" (See: Synecdoche and Metaphor)
Cyrus' voice went out over his entire kingdom
The voice is a metonym for the message the voice speaks, and the kingdom is a metonym for the people whom a king rules. AT: "Cyrus sent a message to everyone over whom he ruled" (See: Metonymy)
what was written and spoken
This can be translated in active form. It might be best to translate so the reader understands that other people might have helped Cyrus get the message to the people over whom he ruled. AT: "what Cyrus wrote and what his messengers read so people could hear them" (See: Active or Passive and Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
all the kingdoms of the earth
Here "all" is an exaggeration, as there were kingdoms over which Cyrus did not rule. (See: Hyperbole and Generalization)
for him a house in ... Judea
You may need to make explicit that the house was for people to worship Yahweh. AT: "a house in ... Judea where people can worship him" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
translationWords
Cyrus
king
Persia
Yahweh
fulfill
word
Jeremiah
spirit
kingdom
God
heaven
appoint
house of God
Jerusalem
Judea
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 1:1-3 The first three verses of Ezra appear almost…
1:1-3 The first three verses of Ezra appear almost verbatim in 2 Chr 36:22-23, suggesting continuity between the books.
1:1 King Cyrus II reigned over Persia from 559 to 530 BC. Cyrus and his Persian forces defeated the city of Babylon in October, 539 BC, just as Daniel had predicted (Dan 5). • the prophecy . . . through Jeremiah: God had promised to return his people after seventy years in exile (Jer 25:11-12; 29:10). • God’s power over the heart and mind of this pagan king moved him to enact the decree that follows (see also Isa 13:17; 41:2, 25; Jer 50:9). God is sovereign, even when rulers and nations do not recognize his authority (Isa 10:5, 12-14).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.