A “house of the rolls” was discovered at Koyunjik, the ancient Nineveh, in 1850 - a set of chambers, i. e., in the palace devoted exclusively to the storing of public documents. These were in baked clay, and covered the floor to the depth of more than a foot. Such a “house” was probably that at Baby... [ Continue Reading ]
“Achmetha” is the “Ecbatana,” or “Agbatana,” of the Greeks, the Persian name for which, as we find in the Behistun Inscription, was HaGMaTANa. We must suppose that, when Babylon had been searched in vain, the other cities which possessed record-offices were visited, and the decree looked for in the... [ Continue Reading ]
It is difficult to reconcile the dimentions here with expressions in Zechariah Zechariah 4:10, Haggai Haggai 2:3, and even Ezra Ezra 3:12, which imply that the second temple was smaller than the first (compare 1 Kings 6:2). Perhaps the dimensions here are those which Cyrus required the Jews not to e... [ Continue Reading ]
The word translated “row” occurs only in this passage. Some regard it as a “course,” and suppose that after every three courses of stone there followed a course of timber. Others understand three “storeys” of stone, with a fourth “storey” of woodwork on the summit (compare 1 Kings 6:5). Others consi... [ Continue Reading ]
This verse gives the words of the decree of Darius, which was grounded upon, and probably recited, the decree of Cyrus.... [ Continue Reading ]
BEING SET UP, LET HIM BE HANGED THEREON - Rather, “let him be lifted up and crucified upon it.” Crucifixion was the most common form of capital punishment among the Persians.... [ Continue Reading ]
DESTROY ALL - A similar malediction is found at the end of the great inscription of this same king Darius at Behistun: If anyone injures the tablet which he has set up, he prays that Ormazd will be their enemy, and that they may have no offspring, and that whatever they do, Ormazd may curse it for t... [ Continue Reading ]
ARTAXERXES - The Artaxerxes of marginal reference seems to be meant (i. e., Longimanus); he was one of those who together with Cyrus and Darius helped forward the completion of the work.... [ Continue Reading ]
“Adar” was the twelfth or last month of the Jewish year, corresponding nearly with our March. The sixth year of Darius was 516-515 B.C.... [ Continue Reading ]
Compare with this modest sacrifice, which suits well “the day of small things” Zechariah 4:10, the lavish offering of Solomon (see the marginal reference “n”).... [ Continue Reading ]
With this verse the writer resumes the use of the Hebrew language, which he had discarded for the Chaldee from Ezra 4:8. With the exception of the letter of Artaxerxes Ezra 7:12, all the remainder of the book is in Hebrew.... [ Continue Reading ]
Some render, “And the priests were purified; and the Levites, as one man, were all of them pure.” A contrast is drawn between the universal purity of the Levites and the merely general purity of the priests 2Ch 29:34; 2 Chronicles 30:3, which made it fitting that the former should undertake the slau... [ Continue Reading ]
THE KING OF ASSYRIA - i. e., Darius. Assyria had so long been the great monarchy of western Asia that the sacred writers continue the title to those who had inherited the old Assyrian power, as first to the Babylonians 2 Kings 23:29, and secondly to the Persians. With similar inexactness we find Her... [ Continue Reading ]