And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month. The month Nisan or Abib, which was the month following that in which the temple was finished, Ezra 6:15 , this passover was kept at the exact time the law commanded, Exodus 12:2 . read more
For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure ,.... They were all to a man pure, and all purified as one man; all were of one mind to purify themselves, and took care to do it, and did it with as much dispatch as if only one man was purified; so that they were more generally prepared for service now than in the times of Hezekiah, 2 Chronicles 29:34 and killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests and for... read more
And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity ,.... The tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with some of the ten tribes mixed with them: and all such as had separated themselves unto them, from the filthiness of the Heathen of the land, to seek the Lord God of Israel, did eat ; such of the Gentiles in the dominions of Babylon, and came with the Jews from thence, who were enlightened into the knowledge and worship of the true God, and not only renounced their idolatry, here... read more
And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy ,.... Which immediately followed upon the passover, Exodus 12:18 , for the Lord had made them joyful ; the building of the temple being finished, and the service of it restored to its original purity: and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel ; by giving them leave to go on in building the temple, and by encouraging and assisting them... read more
And pray for the life of the king , and of his sons - Even heathens believed that offerings made in their behalf to the God of the Jews would be available. And this principle has had considerable influence in certain states where there was even a form of religion established by the law, to induce them to tolerate other forms, that the state might have the benefit of their prayers. read more
Let timber be pulled down - Whether this refers to the punishment of hanging and gibbeting of whipping at a post, or of empaling, is not quite clear. In China they tie culprits to posts; and the executioner cuts them open while alive, takes out their bowels, etc. Empaling, thrusting a sharp stake through the body till it comes out at the side of the neck, or hanging, seems to be intended here. Let his house be made a dunghill - Let it be reduced to ruins, and never... read more
According to the commandment of the God of Israel - He first gave the order, and stirred up the hearts of the following Persian kings to second that order. Of Cyrus - This sovereign gave his orders for the rebuilding of the temple about A.M. 3468. And Darius - Darius Hystaspes confirmed the above orders, A. M. 3485. And Artaxerxes - Artaxerxes Longimanus sent Ezra to Judea with new privileges, A.M. 3547. With the permission of the same king, Nehemiah came to... read more
This house was finished - The sixth year of Darius mentioned here was about A.M. 3489, twenty years after the foundation had been laid by Zerubbabel, under the reign of Cyrus. read more
Twelve he-goats - This was a sin-offering for every tribe. read more
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John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezra 6:18
And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God which is at Jerusalem ,.... All in their proper classes and courses, to do the work of the temple at Jerusalem in their turns: as it is written in the book of Moses ; see Numbers 3:6 , from hence it is plain the Pentateuch was not written by Ezra, as suspected by Spinosa F13 Tract. Theolog. Polit. c. 8. p. 163. , but by Moses; see the argument of the book of Genesis. See Gill on ... read more