Ezra 6:7

_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....

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

LET THE WORK OF THIS HOUSE OF GOD ALONE,.... Suffer them to go on with it, and do not hinder them; it looks, by these expressions, as if he had some suspicion or hint given him that they were inclined to molest them, or that there were some that stirred them up to it, and were desirous of it: LET THE GOVERNOR OF THE JEWS, AND THE ELDERS OF THE JEWS, BUILD THIS HOUSE OF GOD IN HIS PLACE; where it formerly stood; that is, go on with the building of it....

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

JEWS. See note on Ezra 4:12....

2. Darius-' decree ordering the reconstruction. TEXT, EZRA 6:6-12 6 Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and your colleagues, the officials of the provinces beyond the River, keep away from there. 7 Leave this work on the house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site. 8 Moreover, I issue a decree concerning what you are to do for these elders of Judah in the rebuilding of this house of God: the full cost is to be paid to these people from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces beyond the River, and that without delay. 9 And whatever is needed, both young bulls, rams, and lambs for a burnt offering to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine, and anointing oil, as the priests in Jerusalem request, it is to be giv

COMPLETION AND DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE This chapter relates the authorisation of the construction of the Temple, and the completion of the work....

THE *JEWS RETURN TO JERUSALEM EZRA _ROBERT BRYCE_ CHAPTER 6 V1 Then King Darius gave a command. So people searched in the records. Those records were in the house of the records in the city called Babylon. V2 They found a book in the palace in Ecbatana, which is in the district called Media. This book contained the record below. Verses 1-2 God cared about the construction of the *temple. So the *Jews did not have to stop the work on the *temple while they waited for Darius’ reply (Ezra 5:5). However, as they waited, their task may have seemed harder. Perhaps they worried that the king would order them to stop work. They probably had to wait quite a long time for the king’s reply. Darius did what the offi