Ezra 6:17 - Exposition

And offered … an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs. A poor offering, if it be compared, not alone with Solomon's ( 1 Kings 8:63 ), but even with Hezekiah's ( 2 Chronicles 30:24 ), or Josiah's ( 2 Chronicles 35:7 ). Hundreds now take the place of the thousands offered under the old monarchy. A sin offering for all Israel. See comment on Ezra 6:16 . We may assume that some of every tribe had returned with Zerubbabel, and that consequently it was possible to regard the re-established people as "Israel" (comp. Nehemiah 11:20 ; Zechariah 8:13 ; Malachi 1:1 ); though, since the great majority were Jews, they were more commonly spoken of as "Judah" ( Ezra 4:1 , Ezra 4:6 , Ezra 4:23 ; Ezra 5:1 , Ezra 5:5 ; Ezra 6:7 , Ezra 6:14 ; Zechariah 8:15 , etc.). Zerubbabel, desirous of emphasising the nobler and grander view, made this solemn sin offering of twelve he-goats, one for each of the tribes. Ezra acted similarly when he brought the second colony ( infra , Ezra 8:35 ).