Ezra 7:9

_FOR UPON THE FIRST DAY OF THE FIRST MONTH BEGAN HE TO GO UP FROM BABYLON, AND ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE FIFTH MONTH CAME HE TO JERUSALEM, ACCORDING TO THE GOOD HAND OF HIS GOD UPON HIM._ No JFB commentary on this verse....

1-10 Ezra went from Babylon to Jerusalem, for the good of his country. The king was kind to him; he granted all his requests, whatever Ezra desired to enable him to serve his country. When he went, many went with him; he obtained favour from his king, by the Divine favour. Every creature is that to us, which God makes it to be. We must see the hand of God in the events that befal us, and acknowledge him with thankfulness....

The direct distance of Babylon from Jerusalem is about 520 miles; and the circuitous route by Carchemish and the Orontes valley, which was ordinarily taken by armies or large bodies of men, is about 900 miles. The time occupied in the journey is long, and is perhaps to be accounted for by the dangers alluded to in Ezra 8:22, Ezra 8:31....

PART II. SECOND RETURN OF THE ISRAELITES FROM CAPTIVITY UNDER EZRA. 1. DECREE OF ARTAXERXES, AND RETURN UNDER EZRA, WITH THE NUMBERS OF THOSE WHO RETURNED, AND THE NAMES OF THE CHIEF MEN. EXPOSITION FIFTY-SEVEN years after the completion of the temple and its dedication, when the long and eventful rein of Darius was over, and his son Xerxes, probably the Ahas

FOR UPON THE FIRST DAY OF THE FIRST MONTH BEGAN HE TO GO UP FROM BABYLON,.... The month Nisan, answering to part of March and part of April; this was New Year's day: AND ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE FIFTH MONTH CAME HE TO JERUSALEM; the first of the month Ab, as in the preceding verse; so that he was just four months on his journey: ACCORDING TO THE GOOD HAND OF HIS GOD UPON HIM; his power and providence, which gave him and his company health and strength, supplied them with everything necessary, directed, protected, and defended them, and brought them in safety to their journey's end....

FIRST MONTH That is, April. FIFTH MONTH That is, August....

II. THE RETURN UNDER EZRA AND HIS REFORMATION CHAPTER 7 _ 1. The journey of Ezra to Jerusalem (Ezra 7:1)_ 2. The decree of Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:11) 3. Ezra's thanksgiving (Ezra 7:27) Ezra 7:1. The record of the return under Zerubbabel and the rebuilding of the temple ends with the previous chapter. Many years passed after the temple had been built before the godly Ezra and his companions returned to Jerusalem. No record whatever is in existence covering the years which intervened between Zerubabbel's expedition and work, and Ezra's expedition. The critics claim that “it was in these apparently barren years that the priestly c

PART II (Ezra 7-10). THE WORK OF EZRA. Ezra 7:1. Ezra's Genealogy; his Return to Palestine. Ezra 7:1. Now after these things: _i.e._ those recorded as having taken place in the sixth year of Darius (Ezra 6:15). IN THE REIGN OF ARTAXERXES: 465- 425 B.C. What is now recorded took place in the seventh year (see Ezra 7:7) of Artaxerxes, _i.e._ in 458, so that a period of nearly sixty years is passed over in silence. For the genealogy of Ezra _cf._ 1 Chronicles 6:4. It is not complete; in addition to...

THE FIRST DAY OF THE FIRST MONTH. See note on Genesis 8:13. FIRST MONTH. Ab (July-August). App-51....

_began he to go up_ R.V. marg. Heb. _that was the foundation of the going up_. The R.V. and A.V. paraphrase the words. The Hebrew text is intelligible; but (1) the word as here vocalized is very unusual, (2) the metaphor is ponderous and awkward, (3) the construction, shown in a literal translation "for upon the first day of the first month that (i.e. that month) was the foundation of the going up from Babylon and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem", is almost intolerably involved and harsh, especially as the verb -came" in the latter half of the verse has no subject expressed in the original, and presupposes the mention of a subject in an earlier clause. The LXX. render "for upon the first day of the first month he (i.e. Ezra) laid the foundation of his going up" (αὐτὸς ἐθεμελίωσε τὴν ἀνάβασιν), treating the word rendered "foundation" as a simple verb (i.e. -yasa...