And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar ,.... The twelfth month of the year with the Jews, and answers to part of our February and part of March: which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king ; four years after the decree came forth. read more
And the children of Israel ,.... Those of the ten tribes that remained after the body of the people were carried captive, or came with the Jews at their return: the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity ; those of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin: kept the dedication of this house of God with joy ; they set it apart for sacred use and service, with feasting and other expressions of joy and gladness, as follows. read more
And offered, at the dedication of this house of God, an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs ,.... Hecatombs of various sorts, which were always reckoned grand sacrifices, even among Heathens, of which Homer sometimes speaks; some of these were for burnt offerings, and others peace offerings, by way of thankfulness to God for the finishing of the temple; part of which belonging to the offerers, they feasted upon it with great gladness of heart: and for a sin offering for... read more
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
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
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
And they set the priests - With this verse the Chaldee or Aramitic part of this chapter ends. read more
DECREE ISSUED BY DARIUS IN FURTHERANCE OF THE DECREE OF CYRUS . OBEDIENCE OF THE PERSIAN OFFICIALS , AND RAPID COMPLETION OF THE TEMPLE ( Ezra 6:6-15 ). The religious policy of Darius being directly opposed to that of his immediate predecessor, he would naturally reverse his decree with respect to the Jews ( Ezra 4:11-22 ). He would also be glad to show himself in accordance with the great founder of the empire, who was universally reverenced,... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezra 6:13-22
Here we have, I. The Jews? enemies made their friends. When they received this order from the king they came with as much haste to encourage and assist the work as their predecessors had done to put a stop to it, Ezra 4:23. What the king ordered they did, and, because they would not be thought to do it with reluctance, they did it speedily, Ezra 6:13. The king's moderation made them, contrary to their own inclination, moderate too. II. The building of the temple carried on, and finished in a... read more