Ezra 6:13

_THEN TATNAI, GOVERNOR ON THIS SIDE THE RIVER, SHETHAR-BOZNAI, AND THEIR COMPANIONS, ACCORDING TO THAT WHICH DARIUS THE KING HAD SENT, SO THEY DID SPEEDILY._ Then Tatnai ... did speedily. A concurrence of favourable events is mentioned as accelerating the restoration of the temple, and infusing a new spirit and energy into the workmen, who now laboured with unabating assiduity until it was brought to a completion. Its foundation was laid in April, 536 BC (Ezra 3:8), and it was completed on 21st February, 515 BC, being 21 years after it was begun (Lightfoot). The building having been stopped, was resumed on the 24th day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, and finished on the third day of the twelfth month, in the sixth year of his reign. Four years and a quarter were occupied from the recommencement to the completion of the work....

13-22 The gospel church, that spiritual temple, is long in the building, but it will be finished at last, when the mystical body is completed. Every believer is a living temple, building up himself in his most holy faith: much opposition is given to this work by Satan and our own corruptions. We trifle, and proceed in it with many stops and pauses; but He that has begun the good work, will see it performed. Then spirits of just men will be made perfect. By getting their sins taken away, the Jews would free themselves from the sting of their late troubles. Their service was with joy. Let us welcome holy ordinances with joy, and serve the Lord with gladness....

EXPOSITION Ezra 6:13 SO THEY DID SPEEDILY. Tatnai and Shethar-boznai showed no reluctance. They had no enmity against the Jews. Once clearly advertised of the king's wishes, they carried them out with zeal. The rapid completion of the temple must be in part attributed to their good-will. EZRA 6:14 AND THE ELDERS OF THE JEWS BUILDED. See above, Ezra 5:5, Ezra 5:9. Probably the same as "the chief of the fathers" of Ezra 2:68, and...

THEN TATNAI, GOVERNOR ON THIS SIDE THE RIVER, SHETHARBOZNAI, AND THEIR COMPANIONS,.... Having received and read the above letter: ACCORDING TO THAT WHICH DARIUS THE KING HAD SENT, SO THEY DID SPEEDILY; acquainted the Jews with what the king had written; were so far from hindering the work going forward, that they encouraged it; and made disbursements to them out of the king's tribute, and furnished them with everything necessary for sacrifice: and this they did immediately, without delay....

CHAPTER 6 _ 1. The search of the king and the result (Ezra 6:1)_ 2. The command of Darius (Ezra 6:6) 3. The king's command obeyed (Ezra 6:13) 4. The house finished (Ezra 6:14) 5. The dedication of the house (Ezra 6:16) 6. The feast of Passover and unleavened bread (Ezra 6:19) Ezra 6:1. King Darius had a search made in the place where the records of the empire were kept, “in t

THE CARRYING OUT OF THE DECREE; THE TEMPLE COMPLETED AND DEDICATED. Ezra 6:14. This cannot be in its original form; the success of the building is ascribed both to the commandment of God and to the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes; this is not the way of a Jewish writer. One can, of course, by doing violence to the thought of the verse, explain it by saying that the promulgating of the decrees was according to the will of God; but this is pressing a meaning into the text which is not really there. We have here probably material culled from two sources. Further, the mention of Artaxerxes shows that a gloss has been added by a later copyist, who was thinking of the later benevolent attitude of this king in the matter of the building of the walls, and thoughtlessly mentioned him here. Ezra 6:15. A

Darius's decree executed: (_a_) The Temple completed, (14, 15), (_b_) duly consecrated and dedicated (16 18) 13. _according to that which Darius the king had sent_ R.V. BECAUSE THAT. R.V. marg. - _because of that which_". The A.V. fails to give the meaning of the original. The rendering of the R.V. margin seems preferable. The _prompt_action of the governor was the result not so much of the king's sending (for in any case an answer to the governor's question was expected) as of the emphatic command contained in the royal letter. In the face of this explicit order, steps were at once taken. _so they did speedily_ R.V. DID ACCORDINGLY WITH ALL DILIGENCE. See Ezra 6:8_; Ezra 6:12_, Ezra 5:8.

3. The completion of the building, and its dedication TEXT, EZRA 6:13-18 13 Then Tattenai, the governor of the province beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their colleagues carried out the decree with all diligence, just as King Darius had sent. 14 And the elders of the Jews were successful in building through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decree of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. 15 And this temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar; it was the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. 16 And the sons of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. 17 And they offered for the dedication of this temple of

COMPLETION AND DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE This chapter relates the authorisation of the construction of the Temple, and the completion of the work....

THE *JEWS RETURN TO JERUSALEM EZRA _ROBERT BRYCE_ CHAPTER 6 V1 Then King Darius gave a command. So people searched in the records. Those records were in the house of the records in the city called Babylon. V2 They found a book in the palace in Ecbatana, which is in the district called Media. This book contained the record below. Verses 1-2 God cared about the construction of the *temple. So the *Jews did not have to stop the work on the *temple while they waited for Darius’ reply (Ezra 5:5). However, as they waited, their task may have seemed harder. Perhaps they worried that the king would order them to stop work. They probably had to wait quite a long time for the king’s reply. Darius did what the offi