Ezra 6

King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives stored in the treasury at Babylon. Ezra 6:1

Guthrie comments: “The care and diligence displayed in this matter reflect creditably upon the Persian administration.” [1] The mere fact that ancient scrolls and even clay tablets could be stored in such an orderly fashion that they could be recovered astounds us.

We will note here that documents were stored with treasures. Utley says, “This is literally ‘house of texts.’ At this point in time, they would include cuneiforms, tablets, and papyrus and/or leather scrolls (cf. Ezra 6:2). These special buildings (temples) were usually the storage places of treasures as well as official documents.” [2] This helps us understand that some historical documents are treasures.

After searching the documents in Babylon without success they proceeded on to Ecbatana where the decree was at last found. It was at Ecbatana where Cyrus had spent the first summer after becoming ruler of the whole empire. Breneman says: “The Persians used Ecbatana as their summer palace because of its comfortable climate due to its high elevation. Cyrus lived in Babylon during the winter, in Susa in the spring, and in Ecbatana in the summer.” [3]

“A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it: Memorandum:” (6:2). How grand it is that our Judeo-Christian heritage rests upon ancient documents thousands of years old! It does not rest on the whims or ideas of humankind in this present evil age, like so many modern and postmodern religions. We note that this scroll is but a memorandum and it contains some brief details of building specifications. [4] It is not the formal decree that we have already seen in 1:1-4. The memorandum is written in the Aramaic language as indeed this whole section is (4:8 – 6:18).

The Persians amaze us with their recordkeeping. In 1835, Sir Henry Rawlinson recorded and helped decipher parts of the Behistun Inscription found in today’s Iran. The inscription was massive (approx. 49 ft. or 15 m. high by 82 ft, or 25 m.). It was located about 330 ft. or 100 m. up the side of a limestone cliff. The inscription, made around 516 BC gave a brief history of Darius and his conquests. However, the main benefit was that the same writing was given in three languages, Old Persian, Elamite and Babylonian. The inscription helped unlock the Babylonian language and opened up the treasures of its literature. [5]

Concerning the information Darius found at Ecbatana, McGee remarks: “It was all recorded there. All of this is unearthed by King Darius. He never would have known about this decree if the enemy had not mentioned it…King Darius realizes that it was a law of the Medes and Persians, and it could not be altered or changed.” [6]

Dimensions Of The New Temple

In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem: Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid. It is to be sixty cubits high and sixty cubits wide, with three courses of large stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid by the royal treasury. Ezra 6:3-4

Guzik remarks concerning the great size of the proposed new temple: “There is some question about the size of the temple as mentioned here, because these dimensions are greater than even Solomon’s temple. The best answer is that Cyrus gave the limits of what they could build, instead of the actual dimensions of the new structure.” [7] Actually, the length is not given and the height is twice that of Solomon’s structure (1 Ki. 6:2). Pett feels that the dimensions of foundations were fixed and that length and width should match those of Solomon since it was built on the site of the old temple. [8] It was the Persian custom to rebuild sacred sites that had been conquered. Pett comments: “He was seeking to get the gods on his side and keep the people happy at the same time…The kings of Persia were prepared to pay generously for the support of the gods.” [9]

We probably all need a note to help us understand measurement in cubits. The ancient cubit was the length from a man’s elbow to the end of the middle finger. [10] That length would normally be about 18 inches or 45.72 cm. (cf. Deut. 3:11).

Regarding the stones and timbers, Kidner says: “The great stones which had excited suspicion were now found to be expressly authorized – for the term is the same as for the ‘huge stones’ of 5:8 – literally stones for rolling, too massive to be transported by other means.” [11] The stones and timbers are likely in the same proportion to Solomon’s temple (1 Ki. 6:36) as we have said. Breneman suspects that a Jewish scribe may have advised the king on drawing up this decree. [12] We have mentioned before that there was a good deal of Jewish influence in the Persian court and that influence increased later in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah.

As a final shock to Tattenai, Cyrus demanded that the cost of the temple construction and service should be paid out of the revenues of the land across the Euphrates. That would mean that it would ultimately come out of Tattenai’s pockets. We are beginning to see just how strongly both Cyrus and Darius felt about the temple’s reconstruction.

“Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, are to be returned to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; they are to be deposited in the house of God” (6:5). It is interesting that Jeremiah prophesied that the temple treasures would be taken to Babylon and then returned to Jerusalem (Jer. 27:21-22). Oh how accurate biblical prophecy is! These treasures are described in Exodus 25:29 (cf. 1 Ki. 7:50); Numbers 7 and 2 Kings 25:13-16; and Ezra 1. Many of these treasures were brough back with Sheshbazzar to Jerusalem. Perhaps there were others, or perhaps Darius was suspicious that all the treasures were not properly returned.

Darius Gives Instructions

Now then, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and you other officials of that province, stay away from there. Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site. Ezra 6:6-7

We spoke earlier about Tattenai being a sort of reasonable person with no evil intent. Here Darius gives him and his party some blistering instructions. Darius may have heard of some of the Samaritan schemes that went on in the previous administration and perhaps he wanted to make sure that nothing like that ever happened again. In this case, we particularly see how God makes the wrath of man praise him (Psa. 76:10). As William Cowper phrased it: “The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy…” [13]

It is possible that the king’s expression was not as sharp as it sounds today. Utley says it might be Aramean legal idiom also found in Egyptian papyri. It has a meaning of something like, “far be from there.” [14] Darius was certainly no pansy and was perfectly capable of dishing out very severe penalties. It took that to keep a vast empire in line. On one occasion he was known to have crucified three thousand Babylonians who had revolted. [15] Darius instructed that the temple be built on its site. In Persian eyes, this was holy ground and they did not wish to displease the Jewish deity.

“Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders of the Jews in the construction of this house of God: Their expenses are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury, from the revenues of Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop” (6:8). Not only did Darius reinstate the decree of Cyrus but he made a decree of his own concerning the temple. All expenses had to be paid from the treasure of Tattenai’s own area of Trans-Euphrates and the work was not to stop. Haggai had said “‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty” (Hag. 2:8). God was just requesting some of his silver and gold to be returned. This was exactly what Cyrus had wished in the beginning.

“Whatever is needed – young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and olive oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem – must be given them daily without fail, so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well-being of the king and his sons” (6:9-10). Tattenai was in for another surprise. Not only was his domain responsible for building supplies for the temple but they were now responsible for supplying the Jerusalem altar with all the offerings of God. Utley remarks: “From other archaeological finds it is clear that the Persians made the effort to know the regulations and cultus of the religions of their empire.” [16] We can see how this benevolent practice endeared many people to the Persian rule. We note that salt was to be supplied for the offerings. Salt had always been a part of the worship services (cf. Lev. 2:13; Num. 18:19; Ezek. 43:24). Salt was a cultural sign and symbol of covenant (cf. 2 Chr. 13:5). No doubt it had a special meaning of fellowship and loyalty in this situation. [17]

“Furthermore, I decree that if anyone defies this edict, a beam is to be pulled from their house and they are to be impaled on it. And for this crime their house is to be made a pile of rubble” (6:11). In this verse, we get a taste of just how cruel the ancient world could be. Punishment was not just for the offender but for the whole family. The house would be wrecked and the offender would be either impaled or crucified on the beam from the house. Both forms of punishment were horrible. When one was impaled, a sharp stake was driven through the body until it protruded out the side of the neck. [18] As Christians we are already familiar with the awful practice of crucifixion. The house would be made a pile of rubble (cf. Dan. 2:5; 3:29).

Kidner says, “There was poetic justice intended in making a man’s own house his instrument of execution for tampering with the house of God.” [19] Utley notes that in rabbinical understandings seen in the Aramaic Targums (paraphrases), the idea is that the house would be turned into a dunghill. He says, “Reducing criminals’ homes and possessions to rubbish was a common practice in the ancient Near East to humiliate both the offender and his family. The ultimate cultural insult would be to turn the site of the home into a public latrine.” [20]

Darius was intent upon supporting the earlier decree of Cyrus. We are told that he had very high admiration for him and that he even married two of his daughters. [21] Of course, support for Cyrus would go a long way in establishing order in his vast kingdom. It is abundantly clear in this section that God rules over kings. In Proverbs 21:1 it is written: “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will” (ESV).

“May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem. I Darius have decreed it. Let it be carried out with diligence” (6:12). Pett sees this as a clear indication that Jewish advisers were somehow behind this decree since the wording is clearly reflected in Deuteronomy 12:11; 16:2; 26:2; and 1 Kings 8:29. [22]

Completion And Dedication Of The Temple

Then, because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates carried it out with diligence. Ezra 6:13

With such a decree we can see how the temple would be swiftly completed. No one, not even a bitter Samaritan, would dare try to hinder the construction from this point on.

“So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia” (6:14). We note here how that when the word of God goes forth, as in the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah, it changes history. It made an impossible situation possible, and the temple of God was finished.

Commentators have been uniformly shocked to see the name of Artaxerxes listed here with Cyrus and Darius. He came along over a half-century after the temple was completed. His reign was from 465-425 BC, in the much later times of Ezra and Nehemiah. We need to remember that Ezra was doing the writing for this book and he no doubt wished to honor the sovereign who had supported him and who had given freely to help the Jews (Ezra 7:15, 16, 21-22). [23]

“The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius” (6:15). Utley says, “This date is mentioned in I Esdras 7:5 and Josephus’ Antiq. 11.4.7. It would be 516 B.C., exactly seventy years from the destruction of the temple under Nebuchadnezzar II (cf. Jer. 25:9-13).” [24] The temple was finished in the month of Adar, which would correspond to our month of March.

“Then the people of Israel – the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles – celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy” (6:16). Breneman comments: “The term translated ‘dedication’ is hanukka, the name of the Jewish holiday that celebrates a similar rededication of the temple after its defilement by the Seleucid King Antiochus IV (1 Macc. 4:52-59; Jn. 10:22).” [25]

The expression “rest of the exiles” is considered by some commentators to refer to the lost ten tribes. This is not the case. Anders says, “The writer viewed only the returned exiles as constituting the true Israel.” [26] That would include Judah, Benjamin and Levi. Nevertheless, offerings were probably made to include all the tribes of Israel.

“For the dedication of this house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs and, as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel” (6:17). The offerings made at this time did not compare to the great offerings made at the dedication of Solomon’s temple. At Solomon’s dedication, some 142,000 animals were sacrificed but at this dedication, there were only 712 animals. Still, this was a lot for the people in their financial condition. Breneman comments: “These were fellowship offerings in which the fat and certain parts were burned and the meat was eaten by the people. So, we can assume that the dedication service involved a huge feast in which all participated.” [27] We note again that they were offering for all the twelve tribes of Israel.

“And they installed the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their groups for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses” (6:18). We see the Priests installed in Numbers 18:1-7 and the Levities in Numbers 3:6ff. It is interesting that David in his old age organized both priests and Levites into 24 orders each (1 Chron. Chs. 24 & 23). We note that only four orders of the priests returned with the exiles (Ezr. 2:36). With this verse, the Aramaic section comes to an end and will not resume until 7:12-26.

Keeping The Passover

On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the Passover. Ezra 6:19

In Israel, the ecclesiastical year begins with the first day of the month of Nisan (March-April), while the civil year begins with the first day of Tishri (September-October). Passover is the first of the three great pilgrimage festivals (Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles). Passover is celebrated in conjunction with the seven-day festival of Unleavened Bread (Lev. 23:5-7). The exiles had just celebrated the dedication of the temple and now they were called back to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. They had dedicated the temple and now they were to dedicate themselves to the Lord. [28] Through Passover and Unleavened Bread they were to eat only bread without leavening. This was always a picture of the unleavened or sanctified life that God desires. “Without a king or kingdom, Israel emerged as a predominantly religious community.” [29]

“The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. The Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their relatives the priests and for themselves” (6:20). The ceremonially clean Levites (Exo. 29:4; Num. 8:7) slaughtered the Passover lambs, thus replacing the family heads (Ex. 12:6) who normally had this task. Perhaps they felt that the common people might be unclean. [30]

“So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the LORD, the God of Israel” (6:21). This is the one verse indicating that there might have been some Jews who remained in the land and did not go into exile. Yet, they had purified themselves and separated themselves from the idolatrous population. [31] For the most part we have seen that only the exiles considered themselves as making up the new Israel.

“For seven days they celebrated with joy the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because the LORD had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel” (6:22). Today in our Christian world we miss out on sacred seasons of a week or more when we just stop and celebrate God’s goodness and salvation. The Jews had a week of celebration at Passover and a good part of a month in the Fall with Trumpets, the Days of Awe, the Day of Atonement and the week of Tabernacles. We have secular festivals but we seriously need to rediscover the joy and glory of our biblical festivals.

Here we note that the author has called Darius the king of Assyria. This has been a problem to some commentators who have felt that the Bible is in error. In the ancient Middle East, it was customary for conquerors to consider themselves kings of conquered lands. “Darius was king of Assyria, even as Cyrus was king of Babylon.” [32] With this Kidner remarks, “So ends the first stage, a generation long, of Israel’s rehabilitation.” [33]

Footnotes

1. Guthrie, ed., The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 401.

2. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Ezra, v. 6:1.

3. Breneman, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, The New American Commentary, p. 114.

4. Guthrie, ed., The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 401.

5. Coffman, Commentary on Ezra, Coffman Commentaries on the Bible, v. 6:1.

6. McGee, History of Israel, Ezra Nehemiah, Esther, p. 36.

7. Guzik, Enduring Word Commentary, Ezra, vs. 6:3-5.

8. Pett, Commentary on Ezra, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, vs. 6:3-4.

9. Ibid.

10. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Ezra, v. 6:3.

11. Kidner, Ezra & Nehemiah, p. 56.

12. Breneman, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, The New American Commentary, p. 115.

13. Quoted in Kidner, Ezra & Nehemiah, p. 57.

14. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Ezra, v. 6:6.

15. Guzik, Enduring Word Commentary, Ezra, vs. 6:6-12.

16. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Ezra, v. 6:9.

17. Ibid.

18. Clarke, Commentary on Ezra, The Adam Clarke Commentary, v. 6:11.

19. Kidner, Ezra & Nehemiah, pp. 57-58.

20. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Ezra, v. 6:11.

21. Jamieson, et. at. Commentary on Ezra, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vs. 6:11-12.

22. Pett, Commentary on Ezra, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, v. 6:11.

23. Guthrie, ed., The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 402.

24. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Ezra, v. 6:15.

25. Breneman, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, The New American Commentary, p. 119.

26. Anders, g. ed. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Holman Old Testament Commentary, p. 71.

27. Breneman, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, The New American Commentary, p. 120.

28. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 741.

29. Anders, g. ed. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Holman Old Testament Commentary, p. 71.

30. Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 429.

31. Breneman, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, The New American Commentary, p. 121.

32. Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 429.

33. Kidner, Ezra & Nehemiah, p. 61.