Ezra 6:16

_AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, THE PRIESTS, AND THE LEVITES, AND THE REST OF THE CHILDREN OF THE CAPTIVITY, KEPT THE DEDICATION OF THIS HOUSE OF GOD WITH JOY,_ The children of Israel ... kept the dedication ... with joy. The ceremonial was gone through with demonstrations of the liveliest joy. The aged, who had wept at the laying of the foundation, were most, if not all of them, now dead; and all rejoiced at the completion of this national undertaking....

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...

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....

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

CHILDREN. sons....

_the children of Israel_ Cf. the application of the term -Israel" in Ezra 2:70; Ezra 3:1. In its special religious significance, its use here is appropriate to the sacredness of the event, in which the people were engaged, while it tends to clear the Jewish community from the charge of exclusiveness towards their own brethren. -The priests and Levites and the rest of the children of the Captivity". Under these heads, the Israelites would be grouped at such a festival, cf. Ezra 6:20. Children of the Captivity". See on Ezra 1:11; Ezra 2:1. Cf....

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....