Ezra 6:22

_AND KEPT THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD SEVEN DAYS WITH JOY: FOR THE LORD HAD MADE THEM JOYFUL, AND TURNED THE HEART OF THE KING OF ASSYRIA UNTO THEM, TO STRENGTHEN THEIR HANDS IN THE WORK OF THE HOUSE OF_ _ GOD, THE GOD OF ISRAEL._ Kept the feast ... with joy: for the Lord ... turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them - i:e., king of the Persian empire, which now included the possessions, and had surpassed the glory, of Assyria as well as of Babylon and Media (D'Herbelot, 'Bibliotheque Orientale,' sub voce 'Noah'). The three great ancient empires were frequently viewed and spoken of as the same under different dynasties. The use of this title has been accounted for on a different ground-namely, that this chapter, along with the preceding five, was written by Haggai or Zechariah, who, in common with the older Jewish exiles, were accustomed to apply it to the kings that carried t...

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 Ezra 6:22. _TURNED THE HEART OF THE KING OF ASSYRIA_] I am of Calmet's mind, that _king of Assyria_ is here put for _king of_ _Persia_. Cyrus and his successors possessed all the rights and estates of the ancient kings of Assyria, and therefore the same monarch may be styled king of Assyria as well as king of Persia. DARIUS had a very high character, as a wise, just, and merciful prince. To strengthen his title to the crown, he married two of the daughters of _Cyrus_, and, no doubt, to show his affection to this family, he the more cheerfully confirmed the edict which Cyrus had made in favour of the Jews....

THE KING OF ASSYRIA - i. e., Darius. Assyria had so long been the great monarchy of western Asia that the sacred writers continue the title to those who had inherited the old Assyrian power, as first to the Babylonians 2 Kings 23:29, and secondly to the Persians. With similar inexactness we find Herodotus calling Cyrus “king of the Medes.”...

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 KEPT THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD SEVEN DAYS WITH JOY,.... Which immediately followed upon the passover, Exodus 12:18, FOR THE LORD HAD MADE THEM JOYFUL; the building of the temple being finished, and the service of it restored to its original purity; AND TURNED THE HEART OF THE KING OF ASSYRIA UNTO THEM, TO STRENGTHEN THEIR HANDS IN THE WORK OF THE HOUSE OF GOD, THE GOD OF ISRAEL; by giving them leave to go on in building the temple, and by encouraging and assisting them in it till they had finished it; this was Darius Artaxerxes, who, though called king of Persia, was also king of Assyria, being possessed of the Assyrian monarchy, as his predecessors were upon the taking of Babylon, and the same is therefore called also the king of Babylon, Ne 13:6. God, the God of Israel, who has the hearts of all men in

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 CELEBRATION OF THE PASSOVER. Hebrew is resumed here. Ezra 6:19. the fourteenth day of the first month: _cf._ Exodus 12:6. The leading part taken by the Levites here is not in accordance with earlier practice; this had, however, been gradually modified (see Exodus 12:6; 2 Chronicles 30:17; 2 Chronicles 35:10). Ezra 6:21. all such. the land: _i.e._ the descendants of those who had not gone into captivity, but had remained in

_seven days_ see Exodus 12:15. _had made them joyful_ the same phrase in the original as that rendered in 2 Chronicles 20:27, "for the Lord had made them to rejoice" R.V. Nehemiah 12:43, "For God had made them rejoice". _and turned the heart_ R.V. HAD TURNED THE HEART. Vulg. "convertit cor", cf. same expression as in 1 Kings 18:37. The verb is different from that used in the similar phrase in Malachi 4:6 (cf. Luke 1:17). of the

_VER._ 22. _THE KING OF ASSYRIA_— Darius is called the king of Assyria, as now reigning over all the kingdoms which were formerly under the power of the Assyrians. And from hence Archbishop Usher infers, that Babylon, which in the beginning of his reign had revolted, must necessarily have been reduced by Darius before this time; otherwise he thinks he could not have been styled king of Assyria, whereof Babylon was the metropolis. Dr. Prideaux gives this character of Darius: "He was a prince of great wisdom, clemency, and justice; and has the honour to be recorded in holy writ for a favourer of God's people, a restorer of his temple at Jerusalem, and a promoter of his worship therein. For all this God was pleased to make him his instrument; and with respect to this, I doubt not, it was, that he blessed him with a numerous issue, a long reign, and great prosperity." REFLECTIONS.—1st, We h...