Ezra 6:4

_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 6:4. _THREE ROWS OF GREAT STONES, AND A ROW OF NEW TIMBER_] We have noticed this kind of building before, three courses of stones, and then a course of strong balk; and this continued to the square of the building. _AND LET THE EXPENSES BE GIVEN_] Cyrus had ordered _wood_ to be cut at Libanus, and conveyed to Joppa at his expense; but it does not appear that he furnished the other expenses of the building, for we have already seen that the Jews contributed for the defraying of all others. But it appears that he provided at his own expense the _sacrifices_ and _offerings_ for the temple. See Ezra 6:9....

The word translated “row” occurs only in this passage. Some regard it as a “course,” and suppose that after every three courses of stone there followed a course of timber. Others understand three “storeys” of stone, with a fourth “storey” of woodwork on the summit (compare 1 Kings 6:5). Others consider that Cyrus intended to limit the thickness of the walls, which were not to exceed a breadth of three rows of stone, with an inner wooden wainscotting. LET THE EXPENSES BE GIVEN OUT OF THE KING’S HOUSE - i. e., “out of the Persian revenue,” a portion of the decree which was probably not observed during the later years of Cyrus and during the reign of Cambyses, and hence the burthen fell upon the Jews themselves Ezra 2:68....

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

WITH THREE ROWS OF GREAT STONES,.... Which Jarchi interprets of the walls of it, and these stones of marble; and so Ben Melech: AND A ROW OF NEW TIMBER; of cedar wood upon the rows of stone, see 1 Kings 6:36 or for the lining and wainscoting the walls: AND LET THE EXPENSES BE GIVEN OUT OF THE KING'S HOUSE; treasury, or exchequer; but it does not appear that this part of the decree was observed, at least hitherto; but the Jews built at their own expense, and perhaps did not exactly observe the directions given as to the dimensions of the house....

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

ROWS. layers or stories, as in 1 Kings 6:36. NEW TIMBER. Should be "timber, one": i.e. one row. In changing the ancient characters into the modern square characters the _aleph_ ('a) in _had'a_ ("one"), in the ancient character, was mistaken for, Tau, the "th" in _hadath_ ("new"), and so was transliterated. The Septuagint has preserved the original reading, and the Revised Version notes it in the margin. The two lines should read: "layers of great stones, three; and. layer of timber, one". HOUSE. treasury: "house" being put by Figure of speech _Metonymy_ (of Adjunct), App-6, for the treasures in it....

_a row of new timber_ R.V. marg. -According to the Sept. _one row of timber_." It has been much disputed what -the three rows of great stones and the row of timber" can mean. (1) Some explain by three _storeys_of stones surmounted by one of wood, the elevation of the Temple. (2) Others by -three _layers_of stone followed by one of wood", the material of the walls. (3) Others by -three _courses_of stone backed by a wainscote of wood", the thickness of the walls. (4) But in all probability the verse should be explained by reference to 1 Kings 6:36, where -three rows of hewn stone and a row of cedar beams" are the construction of the walls of the inner court. _expences_ R.V. EXPENSES. _out of the king's house_ i.e. from the royal revenue. To be defrayed probably from the purse of the -Abhar Nahara" satrapy. This payment had obviously ceased, or its