Ezra 6:16

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

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezra 6:16

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

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezra 6:13-22

The work completed. These words form the conclusion of the first and longest portion of this scriptural Book of Ezra. All the remaining portion of the book is divided off from this in three separate ways. It is so, partly, on the question of time, a gap of something like sixty years intervening between the events mentioned at the close of this sixth chapter and those referred to at the beginning of the seventh. It is also divided off in regard to its method, being not so much, like the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezra 6:14-16

The temple finished. The building of the temple was finished in about four years after the work was resumed. This was a short time for a work so vast, when compared with the resources of the Jews. It was carried through without intermission; the zeal of the people was not suffered to become languid through delay. The fact illustrates both the propitious character of external circumstances and the wisdom of the Jewish leaders. When the building was completed it was dedicated, and the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezra 6:16

The children of Israel. Again the writer is careful to present the returned exiles to us as "Israel," and not merely "Judah" (comp. Ezra 2:70 ; Ezra 3:1 , Ezra 3:10 , Ezra 3:11 ; Ezra 4:3 ; Ezra 5:1 ). This is especially fitting when he is about to explain why the number of the he-goats offered was twelve (see the next verse). Kept the dedication of this house of God . The primary dedication seems to be glanced at in the words, "the dedication of this house," an... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezra 6:16-18

DEDICATION OF THE SECOND TEMPLE ( Ezra 6:16-18 ). Following the example of Solomon, who had solemnly "dedicated" the first temple ( 1 Kings 8:63 ), and had offered on the occasion a sacrifice unexampled for its magnitude in the whole of Jewish history ( ibid. ), Zerubbabel now, under the advice of two prophets, inaugurated the new building with a similar ceremony. In "the day of small things" it was not possible for him to emulate Solomon's magnificence in respect of the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezra 6:16-18

The dedication of the temple. As the temple was a type of the Church of God, and the stones of which it was composed represented individual believers, so the completing of the building foreshadowed that grand consummation in which the number of the elect shall be complete. The consequent dedication of the finished edifice will therefore represent the future devotion to the service of God of his glorified Church. By anticipation it also describes the service which believers should now... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezra 6:16-22

Timely and wise enthusiasm. It was natural and right that, when the temple was finished, the Israelites, who had spent on their work so much anxiety and toil, and who looked on the sacred building as the one great possession and glory of the land, should find their hearts elated with a strong and glowing enthusiasm. It was timely , and, moreover, it was wise ; let us see its characteristics. I. JOYOUS . "And the children of Israel … kept the dedication … with joy" ( Ezra... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezra 6:16-22

Church dedication. I. THAT WE SHOULD DEDICATE A NEW CHURCH TO GOD IN A SPIRIT OF SOLEMN REJOICING . "With joy" ( Ezra 6:16 ). 1. The work itself a joy. As a material structure, embodying the skill and handiwork of man, it is a joy. 2. The purpose of the work a joy. It is built for the glory of God and for the good of man. 3. The spirit of the work a joy. 4. The completion of the work a joy. 5. The prospect of the work a joy. 6. ... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Ezra 6:16

Ezra 6:16. The children of Israel Probably some out of each of the twelve tribes; the priests and Levites, &c., kept the dedication of the house of God with joy When it was built, being designed only for sacred uses, “they now showed by an example how it should be used,” which, says Bishop Patrick, is the proper and simple sense of dedicating. They entered upon it with solemnity, and probably with a public declaration of the separating it from common uses, and the surrendering it to... read more

Group of Brands