Ezra 6:18

_AND THEY SET THE PRIESTS IN THEIR DIVISIONS, AND THE LEVITES IN THEIR COURSES, FOR THE SERVICE OF GOD, WHICH IS AT JERUSALEM; AS IT IS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF MOSES._ They set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses ... as it is written in the book of Moses. Although David arranged the priests and Levites in courses according to their families, it was Moses who assigned to the priests and Levites their rights and privileges, their station and several duties....

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 18. _AND THEY SET THE PRIESTS_] With this verse the Chaldee or Aramitic part of this chapter ends....

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 THEY SET THE PRIESTS IN THEIR DIVISIONS, AND THE LEVITES IN THEIR COURSES, FOR THE SERVICE OF GOD WHICH IS AT JERUSALEM,.... All in their proper classes and courses, to do the work of the temple at Jerusalem in their turns: AS IT IS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF MOSES; see Numbers 3:6, from hence it is plain the Pentateuch was not written by Ezra, as suspected by Spinosa m, but by Moses; see the argument of the book of Genesis. Genesis 1:1. m Tract. Theolog. Polit. c. 8. p. 163....

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

AS IT IS WRITTEN. according to the writing. THE BOOK OF MOSES: i.e. the Pentateuch. See App-47....

_the priests in their divisions_, &c. The verse refers to the organization of the priests and Levites described in 1 Chronicles 23-26. According to this arrangement, the service of the Temple was distributed by periods, of a week each, among the courses and divisions of priests and Levites (see 2 Kings 11:9; 2 Chronicles 23:4). On the "divisions" of the priests, see Luke 1:5; Luke 1:8-9. _for the service of God_ -Service", the same word as that rendered -work" in Ezra 4:24. But there -the work of the house of God" refers to he building; here -the

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