Ezra 6:3

_IN THE FIRST YEAR OF CYRUS THE KING THE SAME CYRUS THE KING MADE A DECREE CONCERNING THE HOUSE OF GOD AT JERUSALEM, LET THE HOUSE BE BUILDED, THE PLACE WHERE THEY OFFERED SACRIFICES, AND LET THE FOUNDATIONS THEREOF BE STRONGLY LAID; THE HEIGHT THEREOF THREESCORE CUBITS, AND THE BREADTH THEREOF THREESCORE CUBITS;_ No JFB commentary on these verses....

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 6:3. _THE HEIGHT THEREOF THREESCORE CUBITS_] This was much larger than the temple of Solomon. This was _sixty cubits high_, and _sixty cubits broad_; whereas Solomon's was only _twenty cubits_ broad, and _thirty cubits_ high....

It is difficult to reconcile the dimentions here with expressions in Zechariah Zechariah 4:10, Haggai Haggai 2:3, and even Ezra Ezra 3:12, which imply that the second temple was smaller than the first (compare 1 Kings 6:2). Perhaps the dimensions here are those which Cyrus required the Jews not to exceed....

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

IN THE FIRST YEAR OF CYRUS THE KING; THE SAME CYRUS THE KING MADE A DECREE CONCERNING THE HOUSE OF GOD AT JERUSALEM, LET THE HOUSE BE BUILDED,.... See Ezra 1:1, THE PLACE WHERE THEY OFFERED SACRIFICES; to God in times past, ever since it was built by Solomon: AND LET THE FOUNDATIONS THEREOF BE STRONGLY LAID; so as to bear and support the building erected on them, as the word signifies: THE HEIGHT THEREOF SIXTY CUBITS; which were thirty more than the height of Solomon's temple, 1 Kings 6:2 though sixty less than the height of the porch, which was one hundred and twenty, 2 Chronicles 3:4 and which some take to be the height of the whole house; and hence it may be observed w

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

FIRST. YEAR OF CYRUS. Compare Ezra 1:1. OFFERED. Chaldee. _deba'h._ Same as Hebrew. _zebach._ App-43....

the same _Cyrus the king_ R.V. CYRUS THE KING. See Ezra 5:13. _made a decree_concerning _the house of God at Jerusalem, Let &c._ R.V. MADE A DECREE; CONCERNING &c., LET &c. The words -concerning the house of God at Jerusalem" form a kind of heading to the memorandum, of which what follows is a transcript. _where they offered sacrifices_ R.V. WHERE THEY OFFER SACRIFICES. _and_let _the foundations thereof_be _strongly laid_ The meaning of these words in the original is very uncertain They have been variously rendered, (1) -and let them set up its foundations" (active), (2) -And let its foundations be set up" (passive): but neither rendering gives any fresh idea to the preceding clause. (3) The rendering of the A.V. and R.V. -let the foundations thereof be strongly laid" (whether passive, i.e. heavily weighted, or ac