Ezra 6:15

_AND THE ELDERS OF THE JEWS BUILDED, AND THEY PROSPERED THROUGH THE PROPHESYING OF HAGGAI THE PROPHET AND ZECHARIAH THE SON OF IDDO. AND THEY BUILDED, AND FINISHED IT, ACCORDING TO THE COMMANDMENT OF THE GOD OF ISRAEL, AND ACCORDING TO THE COMMANDMENT OF CYRUS, AND DARIUS, AND ARTAXERXES KING OF PERSIA._ No JFB commentary on these verses....

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....

Verse 15. _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....

“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....

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...

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....

ADAR twelfth monththat is, March....

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

ADAR. the twelfth month. See App-51....