Ezra 6 Study Notes: The Temple Completed and Dedicated
Darius finds Cyrus’s decree, orders the officials to leave the builders alone, and pays for the work and the sacrifices. The temple is finished and dedicated with joy and offerings for all twelve tribes, and the people keep the Passover, rejoicing that God turned a king’s favor toward them.
General
Where did Darius say the money for the builders and the sacrifices should come from (6:8-9)?
Answer: From taxes on the very region the officials governed
Darius went further than leaving the Jews alone. He ordered that the full cost be met by the crown from the taxes collected beyond the Euphrates, so the work would not be held up, and that the priests be given whatever they needed every day bulls, rams, and young sheep for burnt offerings, along with grain, salt, oil, and wine (6:8-9). The region whose officials had questioned the work now had to pay for it. Cyrus’s original decree had already said the building costs were to be paid by the king (6:4), and Darius now added the daily supplies for worship. Through Haggai the LORD had reminded the builders that all the silver and gold belong to Him (Haggai 2:8).
- Ezra 6:8-9 (BSB)“I hereby decree what you must do for these elders of the Jews who are rebuilding this house of God: The cost is to be paid in full to these men from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces west of the Euphrates, so that the work will not be hindered. Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, as well as wheat, salt, wine, and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given to them daily without fail.”Darius orders the costs and daily offerings paid from the provincial taxes.
- Ezra 6:4 (BSB)“with three layers of cut stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid from the royal treasury.”Cyrus’s decree had ordered the costs paid from the royal treasury.
- Haggai 2:8 (BSB)“The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, declares the LORD of Hosts.”The LORD declares that the silver and gold are His.
Theological
From what source did Darius order the costs of the work and the daily offerings to be paid (6:8-9)?
Answer: From taxes on the very region the officials governed
Darius not only permitted the work but financed it: the costs were to be covered completely from the revenue of the province beyond the Euphrates, and the priests were to receive daily whatever they required for offerings (6:8-9). The very district from which the inquiry came was made to fund the temple, carrying out and extending Cyrus’s order that the crown bear the cost (6:4). The provision fits the LORD’s word through Haggai to these builders that the silver and the gold are His (Haggai 2:8).
- Ezra 6:8-9 (BSB)“I hereby decree what you must do for these elders of the Jews who are rebuilding this house of God: The cost is to be paid in full to these men from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces west of the Euphrates, so that the work will not be hindered. Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, as well as wheat, salt, wine, and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given to them daily without fail.”Darius orders the costs and daily offerings paid from the provincial taxes.
- Ezra 6:4 (BSB)“with three layers of cut stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid from the royal treasury.”Cyrus’s decree had ordered the costs paid from the royal treasury.
- Haggai 2:8 (BSB)“The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, declares the LORD of Hosts.”The LORD declares that the silver and gold are His.
General
When Darius’s search turned up Cyrus’s written record, what did it say about paying for the temple (6:3-4)?
Answer: That the building costs were to come out of the king’s treasury
Darius had the archives searched, and a scroll turned up at Ecbatana, a fortress in Media (6:1-2). It recorded that in his first year Cyrus had ordered God’s house in Jerusalem rebuilt as the place where sacrifices would be offered, with firm foundations, and that its costs were to be covered by the king’s own funds (6:3-4). It also ordered the precious vessels Nebuchadnezzar had carried off to be brought back and put in God’s house (6:5). The elders’ claim was proved true. Long before, the LORD had called Cyrus His shepherd who would carry out all He desired, and had said of the temple that its foundation would be laid (Isaiah 44:28).
- Ezra 6:3-5 (BSB)“In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem: Let the house be rebuilt as a place for offering sacrifices, and let its foundations be firmly laid. It is to be sixty cubits high and sixty cubits wide, with three layers of cut stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid from the royal treasury. Furthermore, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon, must also be returned to the temple in Jerusalem and deposited in the house of God.”Cyrus’s recovered decree orders the temple rebuilt at royal expense and the vessels returned.
- Ezra 5:13-15 (BSB)“In the first year of his reign, however, Cyrus king of Babylon issued a decree to rebuild this house of God. He also removed from the temple of Babylon the gold and silver articles belonging to the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken and carried there from the temple in Jerusalem. King Cyrus gave these articles to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he appointed governor and instructed, ‘Take these articles, put them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its original site.’”The elders had reported this decree to Tattenai.
- Isaiah 44:28 (BSB)“who says of Cyrus, ‘My shepherd will fulfill all that I desire,’ who says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’ and of the temple, ‘Let its foundation be laid.’””The LORD calls Cyrus His shepherd and speaks of Jerusalem rebuilt and the temple’s foundation laid.
Theological
According to the record of Cyrus’s decree recovered under Darius, how was the rebuilding to be funded (6:3-4)?
Answer: That the building costs were to come out of the king’s treasury
The search Tattenai requested vindicated the elders: a scroll recovered at Ecbatana in Media (6:1-2) recorded Cyrus’s first-year decree that the house be restored for sacrifice, its expenses met by the crown (6:3-4), and the temple vessels restored (6:5). The document confirms the elders’ testimony (Ezra 5:13-15) and displays the providence foretold in Isaiah, where the LORD calls Cyrus His shepherd who will fulfill all His desire and decrees that the temple’s foundation be laid (Isaiah 44:28).
- Ezra 6:3-5 (BSB)“In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem: Let the house be rebuilt as a place for offering sacrifices, and let its foundations be firmly laid. It is to be sixty cubits high and sixty cubits wide, with three layers of cut stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid from the royal treasury. Furthermore, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon, must also be returned to the temple in Jerusalem and deposited in the house of God.”Cyrus’s recovered decree orders the temple rebuilt at royal expense and the vessels returned.
- Ezra 5:13-15 (BSB)“In the first year of his reign, however, Cyrus king of Babylon issued a decree to rebuild this house of God. He also removed from the temple of Babylon the gold and silver articles belonging to the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken and carried there from the temple in Jerusalem. King Cyrus gave these articles to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he appointed governor and instructed, ‘Take these articles, put them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its original site.’”The elders had reported this decree to Tattenai.
- Isaiah 44:28 (BSB)“who says of Cyrus, ‘My shepherd will fulfill all that I desire,’ who says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’ and of the temple, ‘Let its foundation be laid.’””The LORD calls Cyrus His shepherd and speaks of Jerusalem rebuilt and the temple’s foundation laid.
General
What did Darius tell Tattenai and his associates to do about the work in Jerusalem (6:6-7)?
Answer: Keep away and leave the work alone
Darius wrote back to Tattenai, to Shethar-bozenai, and to their fellow officials, ordering them to keep away from the site and to leave the work alone. The Jewish governor and the elders were to rebuild God’s house where it had first stood (6:6-7). The official inquiry that might have stopped the work ended up protecting it. This was the written answer the elders had been kept working for while God watched over them (Ezra 5:5); and when a person pleases the LORD, He can bring even that person’s enemies to peace with him (Proverbs 16:7).
- Ezra 6:6-7 (BSB)“Therefore Darius decreed: To Tattenai governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates and officials in the region: You must stay away from that place! Leave this work on the house of God alone. Let the governor and elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its original site.”Darius orders Tattenai to stay away and let the Jews rebuild.
- Ezra 5:5 (BSB)“But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, so that they were not stopped until a report was sent to Darius and written instructions about this matter were returned.”God watched over the elders so the work went on until Darius replied.
- Proverbs 16:7 (BSB)“When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even the man’s enemies live at peace with him.”The LORD can make enemies live at peace with those whose ways please Him.
Theological
What was Darius’s direct command to Tattenai concerning the temple project (6:6-7)?
Answer: Keep away and leave the work alone
Darius’s reply turned the inquiry into protection: Tattenai and his colleagues were to keep away and allow the Jewish governor and elders to rebuild the house on its site (6:6-7). The reply the elders had awaited under God’s watchful eye (Ezra 5:5) came back in their favor, showing the LORD who can cause even opponents to be at peace with those whose ways please Him (Proverbs 16:7).
- Ezra 6:6-7 (BSB)“Therefore Darius decreed: To Tattenai governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates and officials in the region: You must stay away from that place! Leave this work on the house of God alone. Let the governor and elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its original site.”Darius orders Tattenai to stay away and let the Jews rebuild.
- Ezra 5:5 (BSB)“But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, so that they were not stopped until a report was sent to Darius and written instructions about this matter were returned.”God watched over the elders so the work went on until Darius replied.
- Proverbs 16:7 (BSB)“When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even the man’s enemies live at peace with him.”The LORD can make enemies live at peace with those whose ways please Him.
General
According to 6:14, by whose command did the elders finish building the temple?
Answer: By God’s command and by decrees of Persia’s kings
Tattenai and his associates carried out Darius’s order with care (6:13). The Jewish elders kept building and succeeded as Haggai and Zechariah prophesied, and they finished the temple as Israel’s God had commanded and as the Persian kings Cyrus, Darius, and also Artaxerxes had decreed (6:14). It was completed in Darius’s sixth year (6:15). God’s command came first, and the kings’ decrees served it. Zechariah had promised that Zerubbabel, who laid the foundation, would finish the house (Zechariah 4:9), and that it would be done by God’s Spirit, not by human might (Zechariah 4:6).
- Ezra 6:14-15 (BSB)“So the Jewish elders built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. And this temple was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.”The elders finish the temple by God’s command and the kings’ decrees.
- Zechariah 4:9 (BSB)““The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent me to you.”Zechariah promised that Zerubbabel would finish the house.
- Zechariah 4:6 (BSB)“So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.”The work would be done by God’s Spirit, not by might or power.
Theological
How does 6:14 describe the authority under which the temple was completed?
Answer: By God’s command and by decrees of Persia’s kings
The completion is credited to two levels of authority: the command of Israel’s God and the edicts of the Persian kings, namely Cyrus, Darius, and also Artaxerxes (6:14), with the builders prospering through the prophetic ministry of Haggai and Zechariah. God’s decree is primary and the kings’ edicts serve it, without either canceling the other. The temple was finished in Darius’s sixth year (6:15), in keeping with Zechariah’s word that Zerubbabel’s hands would complete the house (Zechariah 4:9) by the LORD’s Spirit rather than by human power (Zechariah 4:6).
- Ezra 6:14-15 (BSB)“So the Jewish elders built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. And this temple was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.”The elders finish the temple by God’s command and the kings’ decrees.
- Zechariah 4:9 (BSB)““The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent me to you.”Zechariah promised that Zerubbabel would finish the house.
- Zechariah 4:6 (BSB)“So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.”The work would be done by God’s Spirit, not by might or power.
General
True or False: Darius called on the God who had made His Name dwell in Jerusalem to overthrow anyone who tried to change the decree or destroy the temple.
Answer: True
This is true. After setting a severe penalty, death and the ruin of his house, for anyone who interfered with the decree (6:11), Darius called on the God who had made His Name dwell in Jerusalem to bring down any king or nation that tried to change the decree or destroy the temple (6:12). His words echo the LORD’s own promise in the law of Moses to choose a dwelling place for His Name (Deuteronomy 12:11), and what the LORD told Solomon when He set His Name on the first temple (1 Kings 9:3).
- Ezra 6:12 (BSB)“May God, who has caused His Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to alter this decree or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued the decree. Let it be carried out with diligence.”Darius calls on God, who made His Name dwell there, to overthrow anyone who alters the decree.
- Deuteronomy 12:11 (BSB)“then the LORD your God will choose a dwelling for His Name. And there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice offerings you vow to the LORD.”The LORD promised to choose a dwelling for His Name.
- 1 Kings 9:3 (BSB)“And the LORD said to him: “I have heard your prayer and petition before Me. I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting My Name there forever; My eyes and My heart will be there for all time.”The LORD put His Name on the temple Solomon built.
Theological
True or False: Darius invoked the God who had placed His Name in Jerusalem against any ruler or nation that would alter the decree or destroy the temple.
Answer: True
This is true. Having attached a severe penalty to any interference (6:11), Darius invoked the God who had placed His Name in Jerusalem to overthrow any ruler or nation that would alter the decree or destroy the house (6:12). A Persian king thus uses the language of Deuteronomy, which promised a place the LORD would choose for His Name (Deuteronomy 12:11), and of the LORD’s word to Solomon when He consecrated the first temple by putting His Name there (1 Kings 9:3).
- Ezra 6:12 (BSB)“May God, who has caused His Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to alter this decree or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued the decree. Let it be carried out with diligence.”Darius calls on God, who made His Name dwell there, to overthrow anyone who alters the decree.
- Deuteronomy 12:11 (BSB)“then the LORD your God will choose a dwelling for His Name. And there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice offerings you vow to the LORD.”The LORD promised to choose a dwelling for His Name.
- 1 Kings 9:3 (BSB)“And the LORD said to him: “I have heard your prayer and petition before Me. I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting My Name there forever; My eyes and My heart will be there for all time.”The LORD put His Name on the temple Solomon built.
General
Why was the weeklong festival of Unleavened Bread a joyful one (6:22)?
Answer: The LORD had given joy and turned the king’s heart to help them
For seven days the people celebrated the festival of Unleavened Bread joyfully, since the LORD had filled them with gladness and had turned the Assyrian king’s heart in their favor, so that he gave them strength for building their God’s house (6:22). Both the joy and the king’s favor are credited to the LORD. The book opened the same way, with the LORD stirring Cyrus’s spirit (Ezra 1:1), and Ezra later blesses God for putting it into a king’s heart to honor His house (Ezra 7:27). Proverbs teaches that a king’s heart lies in the LORD’s hand, and He directs it wherever He pleases (Proverbs 21:1).
- Ezra 6:22 (BSB)“For seven days they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread with joy, because the LORD had made them joyful and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to strengthen their hands in the work on the house of the God of Israel.”The LORD gives joy and turns the king’s heart to strengthen the builders.
- Ezra 1:1 (BSB)“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows:”The LORD stirred Cyrus’s spirit to issue his proclamation.
- Ezra 7:27 (BSB)“Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put into the heart of the king to so honor the house of the LORD in Jerusalem,”Ezra blesses the LORD for putting it into the king’s heart to honor His house.
- Proverbs 21:1 (BSB)“The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.”The LORD directs a king’s heart wherever He pleases.
Theological
What reasons does 6:22 give for the joy of the week of Unleavened Bread?
Answer: The LORD had given joy and turned the king’s heart to help them
The seven-day feast was kept joyfully since the LORD had filled them with gladness and had turned the Assyrian king’s heart in their favor, strengthening them for building their God’s house (6:22). Both the inner gladness and the outward favor of the empire are traced to the LORD’s sovereign hand, which bookends the account: He stirred Cyrus at the start (Ezra 1:1), and Ezra will later bless Him for moving a king’s heart to honor His house (Ezra 7:27). The LORD steers a ruler’s heart like a channel of water wherever He wills (Proverbs 21:1).
- Ezra 6:22 (BSB)“For seven days they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread with joy, because the LORD had made them joyful and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to strengthen their hands in the work on the house of the God of Israel.”The LORD gives joy and turns the king’s heart to strengthen the builders.
- Ezra 1:1 (BSB)“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows:”The LORD stirred Cyrus’s spirit to issue his proclamation.
- Ezra 7:27 (BSB)“Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put into the heart of the king to so honor the house of the LORD in Jerusalem,”Ezra blesses the LORD for putting it into the king’s heart to honor His house.
- Proverbs 21:1 (BSB)“The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.”The LORD directs a king’s heart wherever He pleases.
General
Besides the Israelites who came back from exile, who else ate the Passover (6:21)?
Answer: Those who left the impurity of the land’s peoples to turn to the LORD
In the first month, on its fourteenth day, as the law appointed (Numbers 9:2-3), the returned exiles celebrated the Passover, the yearly meal remembering God’s rescue of Israel from Egypt. All the priests, together with the Levites, had made themselves ceremonially clean; then the Levites killed the Passover lambs for everyone (6:19-20). The meal was eaten by the returned Israelites and also by everyone who had turned away from the impurity of the surrounding peoples in order to seek Israel’s God (6:21). The verse does not say whether they were Israelites who had stayed in the land or people of foreign descent; it describes them by what they did: they separated themselves from that uncleanness and sought the LORD. The law of Moses had in any case long allowed a foreigner living among Israel to keep the Passover once the males of his household were circumcised (Exodus 12:48), under the same statute as the native-born (Numbers 9:14).
- Ezra 6:19-21 (BSB)“On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles kept the Passover. All the priests and Levites had purified themselves and were ceremonially clean. And the Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their priestly brothers, and for themselves. The Israelites who had returned from exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to seek the LORD, the God of Israel.”The exiles keep the Passover, joined by all who separated from uncleanness to seek the LORD.
- Numbers 9:2-3 (BSB)““The Israelites are to observe the Passover at its appointed time. You are to observe it at the appointed time, at twilight on the fourteenth day of this month, in accordance with its statutes and ordinances.””Israel was to keep the Passover at its appointed time on the fourteenth day.
- Exodus 12:48 (BSB)“If a foreigner resides with you and wants to celebrate the LORD’s Passover, all the males in the household must be circumcised; then he may come near to celebrate it, and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised man may eat of it.”A foreigner whose household males were circumcised could celebrate the LORD’s Passover.
- Numbers 9:14 (BSB)“If a foreigner dwelling among you wants to observe the Passover to the LORD, he is to do so according to the Passover statute and its ordinances. You are to apply the same statute to both the foreigner and the native of the land.’””The same Passover statute applied to the foreigner and the native.
Theological
Whom does 6:21 include alongside the returned exiles at the Passover meal?
Answer: Those who left the impurity of the land’s peoples to turn to the LORD
The Passover was kept on its set day with priests and Levites ceremonially clean (6:19-20; compare Numbers 9:2-3). At the table were the returned exiles and everyone who had turned from the defilement of the surrounding peoples in order to seek Israel’s God (6:21). Whether they were Israelites who had remained in the land or people of foreign descent is not stated; they are identified by their separating from uncleanness and seeking the LORD. The law of Moses had provided that a resident foreigner whose household males were circumcised might keep the Passover like one born in the land (Exodus 12:48), under one statute for both (Numbers 9:14).
- Ezra 6:19-21 (BSB)“On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles kept the Passover. All the priests and Levites had purified themselves and were ceremonially clean. And the Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their priestly brothers, and for themselves. The Israelites who had returned from exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to seek the LORD, the God of Israel.”The exiles keep the Passover, joined by all who separated from uncleanness to seek the LORD.
- Numbers 9:2-3 (BSB)““The Israelites are to observe the Passover at its appointed time. You are to observe it at the appointed time, at twilight on the fourteenth day of this month, in accordance with its statutes and ordinances.””Israel was to keep the Passover at its appointed time on the fourteenth day.
- Exodus 12:48 (BSB)“If a foreigner resides with you and wants to celebrate the LORD’s Passover, all the males in the household must be circumcised; then he may come near to celebrate it, and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised man may eat of it.”A foreigner whose household males were circumcised could celebrate the LORD’s Passover.
- Numbers 9:14 (BSB)“If a foreigner dwelling among you wants to observe the Passover to the LORD, he is to do so according to the Passover statute and its ordinances. You are to apply the same statute to both the foreigner and the native of the land.’””The same Passover statute applied to the foreigner and the native.
General
Besides pleasing sacrifices to God, for what further purpose did Darius have the priests supplied (6:10)?
Answer: So that the priests could pray for the king’s life and his sons’ lives
Darius wanted the sacrifices supplied so that the priests could offer pleasing sacrifices to heaven’s God and pray for the king’s life and the lives of his sons (6:10). His request fit what God had told His people in exile: to seek the good of the city where they lived and to ask the LORD to bless it (Jeremiah 29:7). The New Testament likewise urges believers to pray for rulers and everyone in high positions, that they might live peaceful and godly lives (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
- Ezra 6:10 (BSB)“Then they will be able to offer sacrifices of a sweet aroma to the God of heaven and to pray for the lives of the king and his sons.”Darius wants sacrifices offered and prayer made for himself and his sons.
- Jeremiah 29:7 (BSB)“Seek the prosperity of the city to which I have sent you as exiles. Pray to the LORD on its behalf, for if it prospers, you too will prosper.””The exiles were told to pray to the LORD for the place where they lived.
- 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (BSB)“First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone— for kings and all those in authority—so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity.”Believers are urged to pray for kings and all in authority.
Theological
What purpose did Darius attach to his provision for the daily sacrifices (6:10)?
Answer: So that the priests could pray for the king’s life and his sons’ lives
Darius provided the offerings so that pleasing sacrifices might be made to heaven’s God and prayer offered for the king’s life and his sons’ lives (6:10). The request accords with the LORD’s instruction to the exiles to seek the welfare of the place where He had sent them and to intercede for it (Jeremiah 29:7), and with the apostolic charge to pray for rulers and everyone in high office (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
- Ezra 6:10 (BSB)“Then they will be able to offer sacrifices of a sweet aroma to the God of heaven and to pray for the lives of the king and his sons.”Darius wants sacrifices offered and prayer made for himself and his sons.
- Jeremiah 29:7 (BSB)“Seek the prosperity of the city to which I have sent you as exiles. Pray to the LORD on its behalf, for if it prospers, you too will prosper.””The exiles were told to pray to the LORD for the place where they lived.
- 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (BSB)“First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone— for kings and all those in authority—so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity.”Believers are urged to pray for kings and all in authority.
General
True or False: The temple’s priests and Levites were organized for temple service by a new plan that Darius drew up.
Answer: False
This is false. The priests were set in their divisions, with the Levites in their groups, for God’s service in Jerusalem as the law given through Moses required (6:18), not by a plan from Darius. The Persian king paid for the work, but God’s own word governed the worship. In the law, God had set the Levites apart to help the priests and serve at His dwelling place (Numbers 3:6-9; Numbers 8:9-11).
- Ezra 6:18 (BSB)“They also appointed the priests by their divisions and the Levites by their groups to the service of God in Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.”Priests and Levites are appointed as written in the Book of Moses.
- Numbers 3:6-9 (BSB)““Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. They are to perform duties for him and for the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, attending to the service of the tabernacle. They shall take care of all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting and fulfill obligations for the Israelites by attending to the service of the tabernacle. Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they have been given exclusively to him from among the Israelites.”God assigned the Levites to assist the priests in the tabernacle service.
- Numbers 8:9-11 (BSB)“Bring the Levites before the Tent of Meeting and assemble the whole congregation of Israel. You are to present the Levites before the LORD and have the Israelites lay their hands upon them. Aaron is to present the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the sons of Israel, so that they may perform the service of the LORD.”The Levites were presented before the LORD to perform His service.
Theological
True or False: Ezra 6:18 says the temple’s priests and Levites were arranged for service according to a Persian royal order.
Answer: False
This is false. The priests in their divisions, with the Levites in their sections, were installed as the law of Moses prescribes (6:18). Persian funding supported the temple, but its worship was ordered by God’s own law, which assigned the Levites to assist the priests in serving at the sanctuary (Numbers 3:6-9; Numbers 8:9-11).
- Ezra 6:18 (BSB)“They also appointed the priests by their divisions and the Levites by their groups to the service of God in Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.”Priests and Levites are appointed as written in the Book of Moses.
- Numbers 3:6-9 (BSB)““Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. They are to perform duties for him and for the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, attending to the service of the tabernacle. They shall take care of all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting and fulfill obligations for the Israelites by attending to the service of the tabernacle. Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they have been given exclusively to him from among the Israelites.”God assigned the Levites to assist the priests in the tabernacle service.
- Numbers 8:9-11 (BSB)“Bring the Levites before the Tent of Meeting and assemble the whole congregation of Israel. You are to present the Levites before the LORD and have the Israelites lay their hands upon them. Aaron is to present the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the sons of Israel, so that they may perform the service of the LORD.”The Levites were presented before the LORD to perform His service.
General
At the temple’s dedication, why were twelve male goats offered (6:17)?
Answer: One for each of Israel’s tribes, offered for the sin of the nation
The priests, Levites, and all the other returned exiles dedicated God’s house with joy (6:16). Along with hundreds of animals for sacrifice, they offered twelve male goats as a sin offering on behalf of all Israel, matching the number of the tribes (6:17). A sin offering was a sacrifice for sin, offered to restore the people’s relationship with God. By offering for all twelve tribes, the returned exiles showed that they saw themselves as part of the whole people of Israel. Elijah likewise built an altar with one stone for every tribe (1 Kings 18:31), and the exiles who came with Ezra later offered twelve goats as a sin offering (Ezra 8:35).
- Ezra 6:16-17 (BSB)“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. For the dedication of the house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and a sin offering for all Israel of twelve male goats, one for each tribe of Israel.”The exiles dedicate the temple with joy and offer twelve goats for all Israel.
- 1 Kings 18:31 (BSB)“And Elijah took twelve stones, one for each tribe of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come and said, “Israel shall be your name.””Elijah built an altar of twelve stones, one for each tribe.
- Ezra 8:35 (BSB)“Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, and a sin offering of 12 male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD.”Ezra’s company later offered a sin offering of twelve male goats.
Theological
What did the twelve male goats at the dedication represent (6:17)?
Answer: One for each of Israel’s tribes, offered for the sin of the nation
The dedication was celebrated with joy by priests, Levites, and all the other exiles (6:16), and included twelve male goats offered for the sin of all Israel, according to the number of the tribes (6:17). The returned community acted as representatives of the whole covenant people, confessing sin on behalf of all twelve tribes. The same twelve-tribe consciousness appears in Elijah’s altar of twelve stones (1 Kings 18:31) and in the twelve goats Ezra’s company later offered (Ezra 8:35).
- Ezra 6:16-17 (BSB)“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. For the dedication of the house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and a sin offering for all Israel of twelve male goats, one for each tribe of Israel.”The exiles dedicate the temple with joy and offer twelve goats for all Israel.
- 1 Kings 18:31 (BSB)“And Elijah took twelve stones, one for each tribe of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come and said, “Israel shall be your name.””Elijah built an altar of twelve stones, one for each tribe.
- Ezra 8:35 (BSB)“Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, and a sin offering of 12 male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD.”Ezra’s company later offered a sin offering of twelve male goats.