Ezra 9, Pagan Wives

As Ezra and others engaged in setting up, anew, the covenant law, a problem arises. 

Ezra 9: 1-4, The problem of pagan wives
After these things had been done, the leaders came to me and said, "The people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices, like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians and Amorites. They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness."

When I heard this, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled. Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of this unfaithfulness of the exiles. And I sat there appalled until the evening sacrifice.

The issue of influence from pagan neighbors is an ancient one. The of "neighboring peoples" echoes previous lists with small differences. For example, in Exodus 3: 17, we have a similar list where the Ammonites and Moabites are replaced by the Hivites. Throughout the Torah, the Jews were warned against marrying wives from other nations, as they would bring pagan idolatry with them. This did happen, repeatedy, throughout the reign of kings, and is a major reason for the nation's defeat and exile.  This appears to be happening again and Ezra is distressed.

The Jebusites were a people group who originally lived in Jerusalem but were ousted by David (1 Chronicles 11: 4-5.)

Ezra's expressions of dismay, tearing his tunic and cloak, were common statements of distress in ancient Israel.  However, according to Yamauchi, this is the only place where the distressed one is described as pulling out his hair! As Yamauchi points out, Ezra is not officially a leader of Israel but the leaders do come to him. Ezra, because of his standing as a priest and in knowledge of the Mosaic Covenant, is a person of influence.

Ezra 9: 5-9,  Ezra's prayer

Then, at the evening sacrifice, I rose from my self-abasement, with my tunic and cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the LORD my God and prayed: 

"O my God, I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to you, my God, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens. 

From the days of our forefathers until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.

"But now, for a brief moment, the LORD our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage. Though we are slaves, our God has not deserted us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.

 

Ezra, a "skilled scribe", is very aware of the prohibitions against pagan wives and so throws himself down before YHWH and prays for grace and success for this new nation. The prayer is a mixture of confession, repentance and gratitude. Ezra makes it clear that he has learned the lesson of the exile and ask that this remnant of the ancient Israelite people be restored to Judah and Jerusalem.

Ezra's posture of prayer is hands spread out (palms up, says Yamauchi), on his knees. This also is Solomon's prayer posture at the dedication of the temple in 2 Chronicles 6: 12-13.

Ezra 9: 10-15, What can we say?

"But now, O our God, what can we say after this? For we have disregarded the commands you gave through your servants the prophets when you said: `The land you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the corruption of its peoples. By their detestable practices they have filled it with their impurity from one end to the other.

Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them at any time, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it to your children as an everlasting inheritance.'

"What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins have deserved and have given us a remnant like this. Shall we again break your commands and intermarry with the peoples who commit such detestable practices? Would you not be angry enough with us to destroy us, leaving us no remnant or survivor?

O LORD, God of Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence."

Ezra recalls some of the commands of Moses, back when the first entrance to Canaan was to occur.  Here is a second entrance, a second chance, and the educated priest, a descendant of Aaron, wants to get this right!

The marriage prohibition here is not one of race, but of religious worship. The ideal of the Mosaic Covenant is to have husband and wife worshiping YHWH together, raising their children to worship YHWH. (See Deuteronomy 6: 4-15.)

Ezra 8, Caravan to Babylon

Ezra's work in rebuilding the temple has been fully endorsed by Artaxerxes. The date is about 458 BC.

Here Ezra repeats the events of the previous chapter, adding details.

Ezra 8: 1-14, Heads of households registered to travel from Babylon
These are the family heads and those registered with them who came up with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes: 

    of the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom; 

    of the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel; 

    of the descendants of David, Hattush
    of the descendants of Shecaniah; 

    of the descendants of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him were registered 150 men;

    of the descendants of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men;

    of the descendants of Zattu, Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 men;

    of the descendants of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men;

    of the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men;

    of the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him 80 men;

    of the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men;

    of the descendants of Bani, Shelomith son of Josiphiah, and with him 160 men;

    of the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him 28 men;

    of the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men;

    of the descendants of Adonikam, the last ones, whose names were Eliphelet, Jeuel and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men;

    of the descendants of Bigvai, Uthai and Zaccur, and with them 70 men.
 

Ezra reports on those now traveling with him to Babylon.  This is a wave of returnees somewhat later than those under Cyrus in Ezra 1.

Ezra 8: 15-20, Levites

I assembled them at the canal that flows toward Ahava, and we camped there three days. When I checked among the people and the priests, I found no Levites there. So I summoned Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, who were leaders, and Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of learning, and I sent them to Iddo, the leader in Casiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo and his kinsmen, the temple servants in Casiphia, so that they might bring attendants to us for the house of our God.

Because the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah, a capable man, from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sherebiah's sons and brothers, 18 men; and Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and nephews, 20 men. They also brought 220 of the temple servants--a body that David and the officials had established to assist the Levites. All were registered by name.

 

Ezra's part meets at a canal near one of the large rivers, the Tigris or Euphrates. (Both rivers flow out of the northwest, the direction the caravan needs to go if it is to avoid the desert region between Babylon and Judah.)

Ezra discovers that there are no Levites in the group and so recruits them. Although there are few Levites, there are 220 temple servants, assistants to the Levites.

Ezra 8: 21-23, A fast and request for safety

There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him." So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

Before they leave Babylon, the caravan fasts and prays for safety. Ezra has confidently told the king they didn't need soldiers to protect them on this trip but it is a long trip, one of over five hundred miles and the dangers of the campaign is becoming clear to Ezra.

Ezra 8: 24-29, Offering of silver and gold

Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, together with Sherebiah, Hashabiah and ten of their brothers, and I weighed out to them the offering of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his advisers, his officials and all Israel present there had donated for the house of our God. I weighed out to them 650 talents of silver, silver articles weighing 100 talents, 100 talents of gold, 20 bowls of gold valued at 1,000 darics, and two fine articles of polished bronze, as precious as gold.

I said to them, "You as well as these articles are consecrated to the LORD. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers. Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the LORD in Jerusalem before the leading priests and the Levites and the family heads of Israel."

The gifts from Darius include quantities of silver and gold which are to be guarded carefully as they are transported to Jerusalem.

Ezra 8: 30-34, Expedition completed

Then the priests and Levites received the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.

On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way.

So we arrived in Jerusalem, where we rested three days.

On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out the silver and gold and the sacred articles into the hands of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him, and so were the Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui. Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the entire weight was recorded at that time.

The caravan completes their trip in only four months, a short time for those days. This material repeats Ezra 7: 8-9.

Ezra 8: 35-36, Thanksgiving

Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven male lambs and, as a sin offering, twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD. They also delivered the king's orders to the royal satraps and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, who then gave assistance to the people and to the house of God.

At the end of their travels, they sacrifice with thanksgiving.

Ezra 7, A Trained Priest Sent From Babylon

After a pause forced by local enemies, the building of Jerusalem and the temple is back on. There was a temple dedication (around 515 BC) but now we need a true priest to finish setting up the temple service.

Ezra 7: 1-6, Ezra
After these things, during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest-- this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him.

Some time has passed since chapter 6, maybe as much as sixty years. The Artaxerxes identified here is most likely Artaxerxes I, who began his reign in 465 BC. He was the son of Xerxes the Great whose reign we have skipped over and who is the king in the book of Esther. (See, for example, the online commentary on Ezra 7 at enduringword.com.)

Ezra is an impressive character. He is a direct descendant of Aaron, through at least sixteen generations. (There is a lot of history in this lineage!) Ezra leaves Babylon, with Darius' blessing and prepares to minister in Jerusalem. This is the Ezra after whom the book is named, who is most likely the author of most of Ezra and Nehemiah and possible 1 & 2 Chronicles.

Ezra 7: 7-10,  Ezra arrives
Some of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers and temple servants, also came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.

Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.

Ezra takes only four months to travel from Babylon to Jerusalem.  He would have traveled around the Fertile Crescent, going northwest along the Euphrates into southeastern Turkey and Syria, then traveling southwest through the Syrian grasslands to Israel. The short time (four months) for this travel, with a caravan including children and the elderly, is viewed as evidence of God's grace on him, as Ezra has devoted himself to studying and obeying the Law. This trip will be described in more detail in the next chapter.

From our knowledge of the reigns of Babylonian leaders (and assuming the king identified earlier is Artaxerxes I), we can date Ezra's arrival in Jerusalem to about 458 BC.

Ezra 7: 11-20, Letter of Artaxerxes

This is a copy of the letter King Artaxerxes had given to Ezra the priest and teacher, a man learned in matters concerning the commands and decrees of the LORD for Israel:

Artaxerxes, king of kings,  To Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven: Greetings.

Now I decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including priests and Levites, who wish to go to Jerusalem with you, may go. You are sent by the king and his seven advisers to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem with regard to the Law of your God, which is in your hand. Moreover, you are to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his advisers have freely given to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, together with all the silver and gold you may obtain from the province of Babylon, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests for the temple of their God in Jerusalem. With this money be sure to buy bulls, rams and male lambs, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and sacrifice them on the altar of the temple of your God in Jerusalem.

You and your brother Jews may then do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, in accordance with the will of your God. Deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles entrusted to you for worship in the temple of your God. And anything else needed for the temple of your God that you may have occasion to supply, you may provide from the royal treasury.

 

Artaxerxes fully endorses the actions of Ezra. YHWH is described as the God of Israel and the people who are to go to Judah include all Israelites. Ezra will attempt to unite in Judah as many descendants to the twelve tribes as wish to return.

The text of Ezra 7:12-26 is in Aramaic.

The letter of Artaxerxes continues ....

Ezra 7: 21-26, Artaxerxes offers all support

Now I, King Artaxerxes, order all the treasurers of Trans-Euphrates to provide with diligence whatever Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, may ask of you--up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred cors of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of olive oil, and salt without limit.

Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and of his sons?

You are also to know that you have no authority to impose taxes, tribute or duty on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants or other workers at this house of God. 

And you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God, which you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people of Trans-Euphrates--all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach any who do not know them.

Whoever does not obey the law of your God and the law of the king must surely be punished by death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.

Artaxerxes appears here to be fully endorsing the God of the Hebrews and Ezra's plans. Considerable riches travel with Ezra.

Ezra 7: 27-28, Ezra offers praise

Praise be to the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king's heart to bring honor to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem in this way and who has extended his good favor to me before the king and his advisers and all the king's powerful officials. Because the hand of the LORD my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.

These last two verses, returning to Hebrew, are written by Ezra as praise to YHWH Who continues to bring success to this project. More Israelites are returning home, to complete the temple and return it to service!

Ezra 6, What the Archives Reveal

During the reign of Darius there is been local opposition to rebuilding the temple. Prophets Haggai and Zechariah have insisted that the work continue. Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, has then written to King Darius in Babylon asking for a search of Babylonian royal archives to see if there was indeed a previous decree by Cyrus, as claimed by the Jewish leaders.

Ezra 6: 1-5, Archives searched

King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives stored in the treasury at Babylon. A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it: 

Memorandum:

 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 ninety feet high and ninety feet wide, with three courses of large stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid by the royal treasury. 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.

Darius searches the archives and the original edict by Cyrus is discovered!

Ezra 6: 6-7, "Stay away from there!"

Now then, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and you, their fellow 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.

Darius instructs Tattenai then to let the Jews build the temple and to not hinder them.

Ezra 6: 8-12, Treasury to be used

Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders of the Jews in the construction of this house of God: The expenses of these men are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury, from the revenues of Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop. Whatever is needed--young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and 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.

Furthermore, I decree that if anyone changes this edict, a beam is to be pulled from his house and he is to be lifted up and impaled on it. And for this crime his house is to be made a pile of rubble. 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.

 

Furthermore, Tattenai is to support the temple rebuilding! This is a strong message from King Darius in support of "the God of heaven", leaning on previous rulings by Cyrus. We note the "curses" that follow the decree, the punishment to be meted out to anyone who opposes Darius's edict.

Ezra 6: 13-16, Completed!

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. 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.
 

The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. 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.

With the support of Darius and Tattenai, the temple is finished in the sixth year of the reign of Darius.

The Hebrew word translated dedication" here is chanukkah. It appears only four times in the Old Testament, twice here and twice in Daniel 3, where Nebuchadnezzar has a golden image of himself dedicated. A later dedication of the temple in the second century BC gives us the modern holiday of Hanukkah.

Ezra 6: 17-18, Second temple dedicated

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. 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.

After the temple is completed, the sacrifices are made.  Among the sacrifices are twelve male goats, one each for the twelve tribes of Israel.  (It is not clear where those twelve tribes are at this time.)

The passage from Ezra 4: 8 through 6: 18 has been in Aramaic. Now the writing in Ezra switches back to Hebrew. 

Ezra 6: 19-22, Passover

On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the Passover. The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. The Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their brothers the priests and for themselves.

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.

For seven days they celebrated with joy the Feast 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.

 

The people celebrate the Passover again. It is a rare event, to celebrate the Passover, and has only been done a few times since the days of the judges.  Yamauchi dates this Passover event to around 515 BC.

The exiles who had returned to the land shared the feast with locals who had separated themselves from the practices of the Canaanites around them.

Ezra 5, Appeal to the Archives of Cyrus

The previous chapter detailed local opposition to rebuilding Jerusalem during the reigns of Xerxes and Artaxerxes I.  Here we return to the reign of King Darius,  522 BC - 486 BC, to describe the opposition to the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem.

Ezra 5: 1-5, Work on the temple
Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them.

At that time Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates went to them and asked, "Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?" They also asked, "What are the names of the men constructing this building?"

But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.

A number of people, including two prophets, continue to work on the temple. The local governor is disturbed by this and complains to Darius. (The prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah begin with this incident, see Haggai 1 and Zechariah 1.)

Ezra 5: 6-10, Letter from Tattenai to Darius

This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates, the officials of Trans-Euphrates, sent to King Darius. The report they sent him read as follows: 

To King Darius: Cordial greetings. The king should know that we went to the district of Judah, to the temple of the great God. The people are building it with large stones and placing the timbers in the walls. The work is being carried on with diligence and is making rapid progress under their direction.

We questioned the elders and asked them, "Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?"bWe also asked them their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information.

The local governor asks for guidance from Darius.  He is prepared to give a list of names of Jewish leaders in case this is something he is to suppress.

Ezra 5: 11-17, Claim by Jewish leaders.

This is the answer they gave us: 

"We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, one that a great king of Israel built and finished. But because our fathers angered the God of heaven, he handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.

"However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild this house of God. He even removed from the temple of Babylon the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple in Babylon. Then King Cyrus gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor, and he told him, `Take these articles and go and deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem. And rebuild the house of God on its site.' So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem. From that day to the present it has been under construction but is not yet finished."

Now if it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives of Babylon to see if King Cyrus did in fact issue a decree to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this matter.

Tattenai's letter includes the response from the Jewish leaders, who cite their people's disobedience as an explanation for the exile and then cite the instructions by an earlier ruler, King Cyrus, granting permission to build the temple. Tattenai finishes with a request that one check the archives to see if Cyrus did indeed approve the temple building.

We know very little about Sheshbazzar. He appears in Ezra 1: 8-11 as a prince of Judah and here as one appointed to lay the foundations of the temple in Jerusalem. Yamauchi believes that Sheshbazzar was quite elderly at this time and probably died in Jerusalem. Some have argued that Shessbazzar was a Babylonian name for Zerubbabel but Yamauchi discounts that.

Apparently the archives (government records) of the Babylonian Empire were extensive. This letter will send Darius's staff into the archives to hunt down old records of a promise of Cyrus from several decades prior.

Ezra 4, Opposition

With enthusiasm, work has begun rebuilding Jerusalem and also rebuilding the temple. The new temple is the "second temple" in Jerusalem and so this is the beginning of the Second Temple Period in Jewish history.

Ezra 4: 1-5, Enemies
When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, "Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here."

But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, "You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us."

Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. They hired counselors to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

The local people have been practicing their own religious sacrifices and are disturbed by the temple renewal. They claim that they too are part of this renewal and say they have been worshiping in Jerusalem since the reign of Esarhaddon (681-669 BC). However, Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the rest, aware of the prophetic reasons for the captivity, want to rebuild Jerusalem under the Mosaic Covenant, as specifically commissioned by Cyrus. (These Jewish leaders respond to the request of the local people with a Hebrew idiom, "Not for you, and for us", translated here as "you have no part with us".) The local peoples are angered by this response and oppose the reconstruction in a variety of disputes that continue through the reign of Cyrus (who died in 530 BC) and the reign of Darius (522-485 BC.)

Ezra 4: 6-7, Accusation lodged

At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, they lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem. And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic script and in the Aramaic language.
 

We begin a digression to detail later opposition to rebuilding the city of Jerusalem. During the reign of Cyrus any complaints against the people of Judah fall on deaf ears. But during the later reigns of Xerxes (485-465) and Artaxerxes I (465-424 BC), that changes. The enemies of the Jews lodge an accusation against the rebuilding of Jerusalem, complaining first to Xerxes and later to Artaxerxes I.  

The language of the Babylonian Empire was Aramaic, not Hebrew and so the text of the next few chapters, Ezra 4: 8 - Ezra 6: 18, is in Aramaic, not Hebrew. This is one of the few places where the  TaNaKh is not in Hebrew.

Ezra 4: 8-10, Writers against Jerusalem

Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows: Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, together with the rest of their associates--the judges and officials over the men from Tripolis, Persia, Erech and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa, and the other people whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the city of Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates.

The local leaders are Rehum And Shimshai, who address the letter to Artaxerxes.

Ezra 4: 11-16, "These rebellious people"

(This is a copy of the letter they sent him.) To King Artaxerxes, From your servants, the men of Trans-Euphrates: The king should know that the Jews who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring the walls and repairing the foundations. Furthermore, the king should know that if this city is built and its walls are restored, no more taxes, tribute or duty will be paid, and the royal revenues will suffer.

Now since we are under obligation to the palace and it is not proper for us to see the king dishonored, we are sending this message to inform the king, so that a search may be made in the archives of your predecessors. In these records you will find that this city is a rebellious city, troublesome to kings and provinces, a place of rebellion from ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed. 

We inform the king that if this city is built and its walls are restored, you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates.

The letter warns Artaxerxes that this city building is just the beginning of rebellion and that he will lose all power over these people.  These Jews in Jerusalem are a threat! The letter writers suggest that the king check the archives to see what a rebellious lot these Jews are.

Yamauchi says that the Aramaic, translated here "we are under obligation to the palace", is literally "we eat the salt of the palace." The preservative salt (from which we get the word "salary") was an important item of trade in the ancient Near East and was used in the ratification of covenants (see Numbers 18: 19 and 2 Chronicles 13: 5.) Thus "eating [the king's] salt" was a statement of allegiance.

Ezra 4: 17-22, Artaxerxes agrees

The king sent this reply: To Rehum the commanding officer, Shimshai the secretary and the rest of their associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates: Greetings. The letter you sent us has been read and translated in my presence. I issued an order and a search was made, and it was found that this city has a long history of revolt against kings and has been a place of rebellion and sedition.

 Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over the whole of Trans-Euphrates, and taxes, tribute and duty were paid to them. Now issue an order to these men to stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order. Be careful not to neglect this matter. Why let this threat grow, to the detriment of the royal interests?

After checking the archives, Artaxerxes agrees. Yes, stop this work at once!

Ezra 4: 23-24, Standstill

As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop. Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

The response of Artaxerxes forces to a standstill the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem.

The Hebrew word translated "Jews" in verse 23 is Yehudi. Until the exile, it was rarely used (only occuring in 2 Kings 16: 6 and 2 Kings 25: 25) but the term will now occur many times throughout Ezra and Nehemiah and Esther.

The author of our text has been jumping around in the timeline. The opposition to the rebuilding of Jerusalem begins in the reigns of Xerxes and Artaxerxes, during the period 485-424 BC. However suddenly the author jumps back to the time of Darius who ruled from 530 to 486 BC. King Darius is the grandfather of Artaxerxes I. We flashback to that time here so that we can describe the construction of the temple.

Ezra 3, Worship Renewed!

A large crowd of exiles are headed to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and the city.

Ezra 3: 1-3, Altar rebuilt

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled as one man in Jerusalem.

Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening sacrifices.

 

The altar is rebuilt and sacrifices started, even before working on the temple. There is tension about the local inhabitants, descendants of pagan groups moved there seventy years prior, at the beginning of the captivity.

Yamauchi says that the "seventh month" is Tishri, in the fall (late September, early October.) It was an important month in the Jewish calendar. It was probably three months after the exiles returned to Judah.

Ezra 3: 4-7, Feast of Tabernacles and New Moon

Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles with the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day. After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon sacrifices and the sacrifices for all the appointed sacred feasts of the LORD, as well as those brought as freewill offerings to the LORD.

On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, though the foundation of the LORD's temple had not yet been laid. Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and gave food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.
 

The ancient feasts are being restored. They begin with the Feast of Tabernacles. This is followed by the "New Moon" sacrifices. 

Ezra 3: 8-11, Praise among the foundation

In the second month of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak and the rest of their brothers (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work, appointing Levites twenty years of age and older to supervise the building of the house of the LORD. Jeshua and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah) and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers--all Levites--joined together in supervising those working on the house of God.

When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the LORD, as prescribed by David king of Israel. With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD: 

"He is good; his love to Israel endures forever." 

And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

Worship in the temple begins long before it is built, even when just the foundations have been laid. The trumpets and cymbals are played by the priests. There is a deliberate attempt to repeat the practices of King David, from five centuries before; the sons of Asaph are mentioned.

Yamauchi dates the "second month of the second year" as the spring of 536 BC. He explains the drop in the age limit for Levites (from thirty, Numbers 4:3,  or twenty-five, Numbers 8: 24, down to twenty) as a result of the small number of Levites.

Ezra 3: 12-13, Weeping and cheering

But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.

The people weep and cheer at the rebirth of the temple and the nation. The people were unable to sacrifice to YHWH in Babylon; there they were surrounded by the many Babylonian gods and idols. Now they are finally free to make sacrifices to YHWH alone. The renewal of sacrifices is significant and those who, as children had seen the old temple, now weep with joy.