Ezra 6:2

_AND THERE WAS FOUND AT ACHMETHA, IN THE PALACE THAT IS IN THE PROVINCE OF THE MEDES, A ROLL, AND THEREIN WAS A RECORD THUS WRITTEN:_ There was found at Achmetha, х_ Bª-'ACHMAªTAA'_ (H307). The margin of our English Bible has 'in a coffer.' But it is expressly said by the Septuagint, en polei, in a city] - the Ecbatana, or Agbatana, of classical, the Hamadan of modern times, at the foot of mount Orontes, the Elwend range of hills, where, for its coolness and salubrity, Cyrus and his successors on the Persian throne established their summer residence. It was an unwalled town (Polybius, b. x., ch. 27:, sec. 10), like most of the towns of the Medea and Persians, which were clustered round a citadel, instead of being surrounded by walls. Ecbatana, besides a magnificent palace, said to have been built by Semiramis, had an "akra", a tower (Polybius, b. 10:, ch. 27:, sec. 6) of vast strength....

1-12 When God's time is come for fulfilling his gracious purposes concerning his church, he will raise up instruments to do it, from whom such good service was not expected. While our thoughts are directed to this event, we are led by Zechariah to fix our regard on a nobler, a spiritual building. The Lord Jesus Christ continues to lay one stone upon another: let us assist the great design. Difficulties delay the progress of this sacred edifice. Yet let not opposition discourage us, for in due season it will be completed to his abundant praise. He shall bring forth the head-stone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it....

Verse Ezra 6:2. _AT ACHMETHA_] Ecbatana in India, whither it is probable all the records of Cyrus had been carried. This was a sort of summer residence for the kings of Persia....

“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 them. Ecbatana was the capital of Cyrus....

EXPOSITION DISCOVERY OF THE DECREE OF CYRUS ON THE SUBJECT OF THE TEMPLE, AND RECITATION OF ITS EXACT TERMS (Ezra 6:1). The application made by the satrap of Syria to Darius received his immediate attention. A search was instituted—in the first instance, at Babylon, but afterwards at the other capitals also; and in Ecbatana, the Median metropolis, where the Persian kings always resided during a portion of the year, a copy of the original decree was found, which is considerably fuller and more definite, though in some respects covering less ground, than the "proclamation'' with

AND THERE WAS FOUND AT ACHMETHA,.... Which Jarchi and Aben Ezra take to be the name of a vessel in which letters and writings were put for safety; but it was no doubt the name of a place; the Vulgate Latin version has it Ecbatana; and so Josephus s; which was the name of a city in Media, where the kings of that country had their residence in the summer time t; for it has its name from heat u; the Persian kings dwelt at Shushan in the winter, and at Ecbatana in the summer w; hence they are compared by Aelian x to cranes, birds of passage, because of their going to and from the above places: IN THE PALACE THAT IS IN THE PROVINCE OF THE MEDES, here was found A ROLL; which was the decree of Cyrus, which perhaps he took with him when he went thither: AND THEREIN WAS A RECORD THUS WRITTEN; as follows. s Antiqu. l. 11. c. 4. sect. 6. t Curtius, l. 5. c. 8. Vid. Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier....

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 KING'S REPLY ACCORDING HIS PERMISSION TOR THE BUILDING TO BE CONTINUED. Ezra 6:1. a decree: the actual decree does not begin until Ezra 6:8. Ezra 6:2. Achmetha: _cf._ Tob_3:7; _i.e._ Ecbatana, in Media, the summer residence of the Persian kings. A ROLL: in this case more probably a cylindrical clay tablet inscribed with cuneiform characters; but the fact that a roll is mentioned shows that the Jews of Ezra's time were unfamiliar with that form of writing. Ezra 6:3. This purports to be a copy of Cyrus-' decree (_cf._ Ezra 1:1); it is, however

ACHMETHA. Ecbatana, the capital of ancient Media....

_And there was found at Achmetha_ R.V. margin, That is, _Ecbatana_. The precious document was not found at Babylon. It has been suggested that valuable records were hastily transferred from Babylon to Ecbatana during the short and disturbed reign of Pseudo-Smerdis, who would wish to destroy the edicts of his predecessors. But whatever the cause may have been, notice of its removal had been duly recorded, and the enquiry at Babylon led to search and identification at Ecbatana. _Achmetha_ This is the Aramaic transliteration of the Median capital known to us as -Ecbatana" (Gr. ἐκβάτανα and ἀγβάτανα) of which the Persian pronunciation was something like -Hangmatâna". It was the summer residence of the Persian kings. According to Herodotus it was built by king Deioces (708 655 b.c.) and surrounded with seven walls. Alexander the Great resided there in the autumn of 324. After his death, the c...