John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
Ezra 7:1
INTRODUCTION TO EZRA 7
In this chapter we have the lineage and character of Ezra described, Ezr 7:1, his expedition to Jerusalem, and of many others with him, Ezr 7:7, a copy of the commission King Artaxerxes gave him to execute, Ezr 7:11, and his thankfulness, Ezr 7:27.
Ver. 1-5. Now after these things,.... The finishing of the temple, and the dedication of it, and keeping the passover:
in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia; in the seventh year of his reign, Ezr 7:7, who is the same with Darius in the preceding chapter; so Jarchi and Aben Ezra; See Gill on "Ezr 6:14".
Ezra the son of Seraiah; the high priest slain by Nebuchadnezzar
Jer 52:24, this Ezra was a younger son of his, brother to Josedech, and uncle to Joshua, who were high priests in succession; his pedigree is carried in the ascending line up to Aaron, in this and the four following verses; only six generations, for brevity sake, are omitted, between Azariah and Meraioth, which may be supplied from 1Ch 6:7,
See Gill on "1Ch 6:3.
Ezra 7:2
Ver. 2. See Gill on "Ezr 7:1".
Ezra 7:3
Ver. 3. See Gill on "Ezr 7:1".
Ezra 7:4
Ver. 4. See Gill on "Ezr 7:1"
Ezra 7:5
Ver. 5. See Gill on "Ezr 7:1"
Ezra 7:6
Ver. 6. This Ezra went up from Babylon,.... A second time; for that he went up with Zerubbabel is clear from Ne 12:1, and is plainly intimated, Ezr 5:4,
and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given; the meaning is, not that he had a quick hand in writing out copies of it, but was well versed in the knowledge of it; had studied it thoroughly, well instructed in it, and was abundantly qualified to teach it others; he was an eminent doctor of the law; so scribes, in the New Testament, who are the same with the lawyers, were such as were teachers of the law; the word here used in the Arabic language signifies to be expert, as Jarchi {o} learned from one of their doctors:
and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him; either upon Ezra, giving him favour with the king, and so success and prosperity; or it may denote the divine influence of the God of Ezra upon the heart of the king, moving him to grant what he asked of him, even everything he desired: he seems to have been sent upon an embassy to the king from the chief men at Jerusalem; perhaps the governors of Syria had not so fully made the disbursements the king in his decree had required them to make, since the following commission chiefly respects such things; and he was sent on that errand to acquaint the king with it, as well as to persuade those that remained to return, and to obtain leave for it.
{o} Comment. in Psal. xlv. 1. "acutus ingenio et solers fuit", Golius, col. 2272. "in re exercitatus fuit et excultus", Castel. col. 2008. Ethiop. "docuit, erudivit", ib. col. 2007.
Ezra 7:7
Ver. 7. And there went up some of the children of Israel,.... Perhaps some of the ten tribes, as well as others of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin; who, notwithstanding the edict of Cyrus, chose to remain in Babylon, and in the countries of it, until they saw how things would go in Judea; and hearing that the temple was finished, and that those that had returned had built them houses in their several cities, and prospered, thought fit to return also:
and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem; to take their places, and execute their offices in the temple now built; for of the Levites especially, some of which were singers, and others porters, and of the Nethinims, there were but few that went up with Zerubbabel: now this journey of theirs was taken
in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king; that is, of Darius Artaxerxes, and this was the year after the temple was finished: though it is thought by many learned men, and not without some show of reason, that Artaxerxes Longimanus is meant.
Ezra 7:8
Ver. 8. And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month,.... With the above company; this was the month Abib, answering to part of July and part of August: which was in the seventh year of the king; as in the preceding verse.
Ezra 7:9
Ver. 9. For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon,.... The month Nisan, answering to part of March and part of April; this was New Year's day:
and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem; the first of the month Ab, as in the preceding verse; so that he was just four months on his journey:
according to the good hand of his God upon him; his power and providence, which gave him and his company health and strength, supplied them with everything necessary, directed, protected, and defended them, and brought them in safety to their journey's end.
Ezra 7:10
Ver. 10. For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord,.... To attain to the knowledge of it, that he might be master of it, and expert in it, and know what was not to be done, and what to be done; he had set his heart upon this, bent his studies this way, and taken a great deal of pains in searching into it, in reading of it, and meditating on it;
and to do it; he was not only concerned to get the theory of it, but to put it in practice, to exercise himself in it, that it might be habitual to him; and the rather, as his view and intentions were not merely for the sake of himself, but
to teach in Israel statutes and judgments: and therefore it was not only necessary that he should have a large and competent knowledge of the laws, moral, ceremonial, and civil, but that he should act according to them himself, that so by his example, as well as by his instructions, he might teach the people.
Ezra 7:11
Ver. 11. Now this is the copy of the letter that the King Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest,.... This title relating to his office is justly given him, since he was the son of an high priest, and lineally descended from Aaron, as the above account of his pedigree shows:
the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the Lord, and of his statutes to Israel; the doubling of the word "scribe" shows that he was very wise and learned in the law, in the commandments and statutes of it the Lord gave to Israel; not only in the language of it in which it was written, but in the matter and substance of it, in the things contained in it; for yrbd "dibre", signfiies "things" as well as words.
Ezra 7:12
Ver. 12. Artaxerxes, king of kings,.... Having many kings and kingdoms subject and tributary to him; for this was not merely a proud haughty title which the eastern kings {p} assumed, particularly the Persians; for after Cyrus they were so in fact, who took this title also, and had it put on his sepulchral monument,
"Here I lie, Cyrus, king of kings {q};''
this title was given to Grecian kings, particularly Agamemnon is called king of kings {r}, he being general at the siege of Troy, under whom the rest of the kings fought; if this was Darius Hystaspis, of him Cyrus dreamed that he had wings on his shoulders, with one he covered Asia, and with the other Europe {s}:
unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven; of which titles see Ezr 7:11:
perfect [peace], and at such a time; the word "perfect" belongs to Ezra's title as a scribe, signifying that he was a most learned and complete scribe or teacher of the law of God; "peace" is not in the text, and the phrase "at such a time" respects the date of the letter, though not expressed, or is only an "et cetera", See Gill on "Ezr 4:10".
{p} See the Universal History, vol. 5. p. 16, 137. & vol. 11. p. 7, 8. margin, & p. 66. {q} Strabo, Geograph. l. 15. p. 502. {r} Vell. Patercul. Hist. Roman. l. 1. in initio. {s} Herodot. Clio, sive, l. 1. c. 209.
Ezra 7:13
Ver. 13. I make a decree,.... Which, according to the laws of the Medes and Persians, when signed, might not be changed, Da 6:8,
that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm; who remained there, and took not the benefit of the edict of Cyrus, which gave them leave to go; but neglecting the opportunity, it seems as if they could not now go out of the realm without a fresh grant, which is hereby given:
which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee; this decree did not oblige them to go whether they would or not; for they might, notwithstanding this, continue if they pleased; it only gave them leave to make use of the present opportunity of going along with Ezra, if they chose it.
Ezra 7:14
Ver. 14. Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors,.... Such a number the kings of Persia used to have from the times of Darius Hystaspis, who was chosen out of seven nobles to be king, and ever after the Persian kings had seven counsellors privileged, as those nobles were, Es 1:14, and Ezra had the honour to be sent with a commission from this king and his seven counsellors,
to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem; the inhabitants thereof, whether they had knowledge of and behaved
according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand; a copy of which he had with him, and was very expert in and conversant with, and could readily and at once pass judgment whether they acted according to it or not.
Ezra 7:15
Ver. 15. And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem. In the temple built there; for the service of which, either for purchasing and procuring vessels that were wanting in it, or for sacrifices to be offered in it, the king and his nobles had made a voluntary contribution, and intrusted and sent Ezra with it.
Ezra 7:16
Ver. 16. And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon,.... Not that he might take it wherever he found it, whether the owners of it were willing he should have it or not; but whatever was freely offered by them, as Jarchi, that he was allowed to take, whatever he could get in that way:
with the freewill offering of the people; of the people of the Jews, who thought fit to continue in the province:
and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem; those freewill offerings, whether of the natives of Babylon, or of any of the Jewish nation, for the service of the temple at Jerusalem, he had leave and a commission to carry with him.
Ezra 7:17
Ver. 17. That thou mayest buy speedily with this money,.... Thus freely contributed by one and another:
bullocks, rams, lambs; which were for burnt offerings:
with their meat offerings, and their drink offerings; which always went along with the burnt offerings, according to the law of Moses; and which the king seemed to have a right knowledge of, being, no doubt, instructed by Ezra, or some other Jew in his court:
and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem; the altar of burnt offering in the temple there.
Ezra 7:18
Ver. 18. And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren,.... The priests, that he should think fit to take in to his assistance in this work:
to do with the rest of the silver and gold; which should be left after the sacrifices were offered up:
that do after the will of your God; as they should be directed by him, or was prescribed by him in the law.
Ezra 7:19
Ver. 19. The vessels also that were given thee for the service of the house of thy God,.... These were vessels of silver, basins of gold, and vessels of fine copper; not what formerly belonged to the temple, they were delivered by Cyrus to Sheshbazzar; but what the present king and his counsellors freely offered at this time, see Ezr 8:25, those
deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem; perfect and complete, the full number of them, as the word signifies {t}; meaning not to be delivered before him, or in his presence, as a witness thereof, but that they should be dedicated and devoted to his service, who was worshipped in the temple at Jerusalem, and by the inhabitants of it; he seems as if he thought him a topical deity, the God of that particular place, which was the notion of the Heathens, see
1Ki 20:23, though he also speaks of him as the God of heaven.
{t} Mlvh "integra et pleno numero redde", Michaelis.
Ezra 7:20
Ver. 20. And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shall have occasion to bestow,.... For the beautifying and ornamenting the temple, Ezr 7:27,
bestow it out of the king's treasure house; where the money collected by tribute, tax, and custom, was deposited; his exchequer, as it may be called, see Ezr 6:8.
Ezra 7:21
Ver. 21. And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river,.... The receivers of his tribute, tax, and custom, beyond the river Euphrates, on the side towards the land of Israel:
that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven; see Ezr 7:12,
shall require of you, it be done speedily; which seems at first a grant at large for whatsoever he should want or demand, but is limited and restrained by what follows.
Ezra 7:22
Ver. 22. Unto one hundred talents of silver,.... Which amounted to 35,300 pounds sterling; these, according to Jarchi, were to buy the offerings or sacrifices with:
and an hundred measures of wheat; or corn, the same measure with the homer, each of which held ten ephahs, or seventy five wine gallons, five pints, and upwards; these, according to the same writer, were for meat offerings, made of fine flour, or rather bread offerings, as they may be called:
and to an hundred baths of wine; which was the same measure in liquids as the ephah in things dry, a tenth part of the cor or homer, and held seven wine gallons, five pints, and upwards {u}; these were for the drink offerings:
and to an hundred baths of oil; the same measure as before; these were to mix in the meat offerings:
and salt without prescribing how much; because it was used in all offerings, and was cheap, and therefore no measure is fixed, but as much as was wanting was to be given, see Le 2:1.
{u} See Cumberland's Scripture Weights and Measures, ch. 4. p. 137.
Ezra 7:23
Ver. 23. Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven,.... In the law given by Moses to the people of Israel:
let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven; for the service of it, particularly sacrifices:
for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? through the neglect of the service of God in the temple, and by reason of the default of the king's treasurers.
Ezra 7:24
Ver. 24. Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God,.... The king had a right and perfect knowledge of the distinct offices and services of those persons, see Ezr 7:7,
it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them; that they might be the less encumbered with the affairs of life, and be more at leisure to attend divine service, and do it the more readily and freely; it was usual with the Heathens to except ecclesiastics from taxes, tributes, and imposts; so the priests in Egypt {w}, and the Druids here in Britain {x}.
{w} Diodor. Sicul. l. 1. p. 66. {x} Caesar. Comment. de Bello Gall. l. 6. c. 13.
Ezra 7:25
Ver. 25. And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand,.... Which he had a large share of from the Lord, and could readily make use of to good purpose; and this may be meant of the law of God made with the highest wisdom, and to know and observe which is an instance of wisdom in men, De 4:6,
set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; such as God, in his great wisdom, directed to in his wise law to be appointed over the people, to judge righteous judgment; to inform them in all matters of controversy that might arise among them, and decide them according to it; and lead them into a greater and better knowledge of it,
De 16:18. Jarchi takes the word for "set" to be a comparative, and the sense to be, that the wisdom of Ezra was greater than the judges that judged the people, than them that knew the law:
and teach ye them that know them not; such people that were ignorant thereof; though the above writer interprets this of ignorant judges,
"the judge that knows not to judge, make him know judgment to do it.''
Ezra 7:26
Ver. 26. And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king,.... Either the judge who delays judgment, or does not execute it according to the law of God, and of the king; or the people, that do not obey the law of God in matters of religion, and the law of the king in civil things, Judea being now a province of the Persian empire; though some think the law of the king only refers to this law or decree of the king, which gave the Jews power to execute their own laws:
let judgment be executed speedily upon him; immediately, without delay, according to the nature of his crime:
whether it be unto death; if guilty of a capital crime, deserving death, let him be put to death:
or to banishment; from his native country to a foreign distant land;
or to rooting out {y}, as the word signifies; an utter extirpation of him and his family, a destroying him root and branch; or, as Jarchi expresses it, a rooting him out of the world, his seed and family:
or to confiscation of goods; to payment of mulcts and fines:
or to imprisonment; for such a term of time; all according to the breach of what law he may be guilty of; thus far the king's decree.
{y} wvrvl "ad eradicationem ejus", Pagninus, Montanus; "ad eradicationem", Tigurine version, Vatablus, De Dieu, Michaelis.
Ezra 7:27
Ver. 27. Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers,.... This is Ezra's thanksgiving to God for the above decree:
which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart; which he rightly took to be of God, who wrought in him to will and to do:
to beautify the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem; to provide for the ornamenting of it, for vessels in it, as well as for sacrifices; for as for the building of it, that was finished.
Ezra 7:28
Ver. 28. And hath extended mercy unto me, before the king and his counsellors, and before all the king's mighty princes,.... Before Artaxerxes, his seven counsellors, Ezr 7:14 and the nobles of his realm, in being appointed by them to carry their freewill offerings to Jerusalem, and the king's commands to his treasurers, with leave to take as many of the Jews with him as were willing to go:
and I was strengthened as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me; animated to undertake this work, and execute this commission, being under the influence of divine favour and protection:
and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me; he went about in the several parts where Israelites dwelt, and persuaded some of the principal men among them to go along with him to Jerusalem, showing them the king's decree, which gave them leave; and their names and numbers are described in the next chapter.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
Ezra 8:1
INTRODUCTION TO EZRA 8
In this chapter we are told who and how many went up with Ezra to Jerusalem, Ezr 8:1, the gathering of them together at a river, from whence he sent to Babylon for Levites to come to him, who did, Ezr 8:15, the proclaiming a fast for a safe and prosperous journey, Ezr 8:21, the delivery of the vessels and money given him into the hands of priests, to take the care and charge thereof, Ezr 8:24, their safe arrival at Jerusalem, where they deposited the gifts in the temple, offered sacrifices to God, and delivered the king's commissions to his lieutenants and governors, Ezr 8:31.
Ver. 1. These are now the chief of their fathers, and this is the genealogy of them,.... Which follows from hence to the end of Ezr 8:14,
that went up with me from Babylon; with Ezra the priest and scribe, the writer of this book:
in the reign of Artaxerxes the king; that is, Darius Hystaspis, in the seventh year of his reign, see Ezr 7:1, though many think Artaxerxes Longimanus is meant.
Ezra 8:2
Ver. 2. Of the sons of Phinehas; Gershom: of the sons of Ithamar; Daniel,.... Not Daniel the prophet, he was of the royal blood, and of the tribe of Judah; this was a priest, a descendant of Ithamar, as Gershom was of Eleazar in the line of Phinehas:
of the sons of David; Hattush; perhaps the same with him in 1Ch 3:22, who was a descendant of David the king; these three men seem to have come alone without any of their families, at least they are not mentioned, nor their numbers given, as the rest that follow be.
Ezra 8:3
Ver. 3-14. Of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons of Pharosh,.... Who is so described, to distinguish him from another Shechaniah, Ezr 8:5,
Zechariah: and with him were reckoned by genealogy, of the males an hundred and fifty; males only were reckoned, not women and children; though that there were such that went up is clear from Ezr 8:21, from hence to the end of Ezr 8:14 an account is given of the number of the males that went up with Ezra, who were chiefly, if not altogether, sons of those that went up with Zerubbabel; such of them as were left there behind, and now returned, at least a great number of them, see Ezr 2:1, it is particularly remarked of the sons of Adonikam, Ezr 8:13, that they were the last of them; not that they were the last that came in to go with Ezra, or were backward and dilatory, but the last with respect to the first of his sons that were gone before, and seem with them to be the whole of his family; the number of all that went up under their respective heads amounts to 1496.
Ezra 8:4
Ver. 4. See Gill on "Ezr 7:3".
Ezra 8:5
Ver. 5. See Gill on "Ezr 7:3".
Ezra 8:6
Ver. 6. See Gill on "Ezr 7:3".
Ezra 8:7
Ver. 7. See Gill on "Ezr 7:3".
Ezra 8:8
Ver. 8. See Gill on "Ezr 7:3".
Ezra 8:9
Ver. 9. See Gill on "Ezr 7:3".
Ezra 8:10
Ver. 10. See Gill on "Ezr 7:3".
Ezra 8:11
Ver. 11. See Gill on "Ezr 7:3".
Ezra 8:12
Ver. 12. See Gill on "Ezr 7:3".
Ezra 8:13
Ver. 13. See Gill on "Ezr 7:3".
Ezra 8:14
Ver. 14. See Gill on "Ezr 7:3".
Ezra 8:15
Ver. 15. And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava,.... From whence also the river bore the same name; or that from the river, see Ezr 8:21, and may be the same with Adiabene, a country in Assyria, which had its name from the river Adiava:
and there abode we in tents three days; or pitched their camp; this was the place of their rendezvous:
and I viewed the people and the priests; mustered them, took the number of them, and what tribe and families they were of:
and found there none of the sons of Levi; excepting the priests.
Ezra 8:16
Ver. 16. Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding. These were all in the camp, in some part of it, to whom Ezra sent messengers to come unto him; three of them are of the same name; the first nine were men of chief note, rank, and dignity in their family, and the other two were noted for men of good sense, and that could speak to a case well, and so fit to be sent on such an affair as they were.
Ezra 8:17
Ver. 17. And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the chief, at the place Casiphia,.... Not a place by the Caspian sea, and near the Caspian mountains, as Munster, which was too far off to go and return in the time they must, see Ezr 7:9, but, as Jarchi, a place in Babylon so called, a village near it, or a parish or street in it, where Ezra knew lived many of the Levites and Nethinims, and where Iddo was the chief of the Levites, and over them both:
and I told them what they should say unto Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia; but Iddo was not one of the Nethinims; for he was chief of the Levites, and by his authority many of them were sent as well as of the Nethinims; but none of the latter were over the Levites, for they were servants to them, Ezr 8:20, but, according to Jarchi, the Nethinims are not at all intended in this clause, who reads the words,
to Iddo and Achim, (the name of a man with him; perhaps it may be better rendered, "to Iddo and his brother",)
who were appointed, or settled, in the place Casiphia; and with him De Dieu agrees, and so the Syriac version,
who dwelt in Casiphia: that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God; both Levites to be singers and porters there, and the Nethinims to wait on them.
Ezra 8:18
Ver. 18. And by the good hand of our God upon us,.... Favouring their designs and orders, protecting those that were sent, and inclining those they were sent to use their interest and authority with those that were under them, and making them willing also to agree to what was proposed to them:
they brought us a man of understanding of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; an Israelite, of the tribe of Levi, in the line of Mahli a son of Merari, the third son of Levi:
and Sherebiah; or rather "even Sherebiah"; so Aben Ezra; for he is the understanding man that is meant, and described by his pedigree:
with his sons and his brethren, eighteen; all together made this number.
Ezra 8:19
Ver. 19. And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari,.... These were of the same division of Levites as Sherebiah:
his brethren and their sons, twenty; these thirty eight, with those they came with, were all Levites; the Nethinims follow.
Ezra 8:20
Ver. 20. Also of the Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites,.... To wait upon them, and minister to them, as they did to the priests; some think those were the same with the Gibeonites, whom Joshua gave to the service of the sanctuary, and David confirmed; but others are of opinion these were different from them, and an addition to them:
two hundred and twenty Nethinims: all of them were expressed by name; in the history that Iddo sent of them to Ezra; and so the names of the Levites, though not here expressed, only the names of those they came with.
Ezra 8:21
Ver. 21. Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava,.... After the messengers to Iddo were returned with those they brought with them:
that we might afflict ourselves before our God; humble themselves before him for their sins, confess them, and declare their repentance of them, and ask forgiveness for them:
to seek of him a right way for us; to take from thence towards Jerusalem, to be directed by him in it: either by a prophet, or by a vision in a dream, as Eben Ezra; or rather by the guidance of his providence; this they sought in prayer by the river side, where it had been usual with them, and since has been, to perform religious exercises, see Eze 1:1, hence Tertullian {z} calls the prayers of the Jews "orationes littorales"; they sought not so much which was the shortest and easiest way for them to travel in, as which was the safest:
and for our little ones and for all our substance; for the safe conveyance of them; this shows, that though males only are numbered, as before, yet they had their wives and children with them; for little ones cannot be supposed without women to take care of them.
{z} Ad nationes, l. 1. c. 13. Vid. lib. de jejuniis, c. 16.
Ezra 8:22
Ver. 22. For I was ashamed to require of the kings band of soldiers and horsemen,.... Which he might have had, only asking for them; so great was the interest he had in the king's favour:
to help us against the enemy in the way; the Arabs, Samaritans, and others, that might lie in wait for them, to rob them of their substance:
because we had spoken unto the king: of the special favour of God to them, his singular providence in the protection of them:
saying, the hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; that pray unto him, serve and worship him; his hand is open to them to bestow all needful good upon them, temporal and spiritual, and his power and providence are over them, to protect and defend them from all evil:
but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him; his word, his ways and worship; his powerful wrath, or the strength and force of it, is exerted against them and they are sure to feel the weight and dreadful effects of it: and now all this being said to the king, after this, to desire a guard to protect them, it would look as if they had not that favour in the sight of God, and did not believe what they had said, but distrusted his power and providence towards them; therefore, rather than reflect any dishonour on God, they chose to expose themselves to danger, seeking his face and favour, and relying on his goodness and power.
Ezra 8:23
Ver. 23. So we fasted, and besought our God for this,.... Sought the Lord by fasting and prayer for a good journey, and preservation in it:
and he was entreated of us; accepted their prayer, as Jarchi, so that they came safe to Jerusalem.
Ezra 8:24
Ver. 24. Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests,.... That were in company with him; so that it seems there were more than the two mentioned, Ezr 8:2, very probably their families, or some of their brethren, were with them:
Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them; these men named were Levites, and not priests, Ezr 8:18 and therefore the copulative "and" must be supplied:
and Sherebiah, &c. or with the twelve priests, Sherebiah, &c. and ten Levites more with them; so that the number of priests and Levites were equal, and in all twenty four.
Ezra 8:25
Ver. 25. And I weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels,.... When he delivered them to them; this he did as a proof of his own integrity and faithfulness, and as a security against any charge or accusation of embezzling any part of them, and to set them an example, and also that they might be under no temptation of acting such a part, and might be vindicated should they be charged with it: even
the offering of the house of our God; what was freely offered for the service of it:
which the king and his counsellors, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered; as freewill offerings, see Ezr 7:15.
Ezra 8:26
Ver. 26. I even weighed unto their hand six hundred fifty talents of silver,.... Which, according to Scheuchzer {a} amount to 975,000 imperials, and, of our money, 2,229,450 pounds sterling: and silver vessels one hundred talents; which came to 35,300 pounds, or 50,000 imperials; according to Jarchi, there were one hundred vessels, and every vessel weighed a talent, and so Aben Ezra, which, with Brerewood {b}, was three hundred and seventy five pounds:
and of gold one hundred talents; which, according to Scheuchzer {c}, were equal to 1,222,000 ducats of gold; the value of gold now is above 14 and a 3d to the value of silver, by which may be judged the difference between one hundred talents of gold and one hundred talents of silver; according to David de Pomis {d}, there were two sorts of talents; common talents, which weighed sixty pounds, and the talent of the sanctuary, which weighed double to that.
{a} Physica Sacra, vol. 4. p. 651. {b} De Pond. & Pret. Vet. Num. c. 4. {c} Ut supra. (Physica Sacra, vol. 4. p. 651.) {d} Tzemach David, fol. 57. 3.
Ezra 8:27
Ver. 27. Also twenty basins of gold, of a thousand drams,.... Which were upwards of 1000 pounds of our money; for Bishop Cumberland says {e}, the Persian "daric", "drachma", or "drachm", weighed twenty shillings and four pence; and, according to Dr. Bernard, it exceeded one of our guineas by two grains, See Gill on "1Ch 29:7"
and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold; which perhaps is the same with the Indian or Persian brass Aristotle {f} speaks of, which is so bright and pure, and free from rust, that it cannot be known by its colour from gold, and that there are among the cups of Darius such as cannot be discerned whether they are brass or gold but by the smell: the Syriac version interprets it by Corinthian brass, which was a mixture of gold, silver, and copper, made when Corinth was burnt, and which is exceeding valuable; of which Pliny {g} makes three sorts, very precious, and of which he says, it is in value next to, and even before silver, and almost before gold; but this sort of brass was not as yet in being: Kimchi {h} interprets the word here of its colour, being next to the colour of gold.
{e} Scripture Weights and Measures, ch. 4. p. 115. {f} De Mirabilibus, p. 704, vol. 1. {g} Nat. Hist. l. 34. c. 1, 2. {h} Sepher Shorash. rad. bhu.
Ezra 8:28
Ver. 28. And I said unto them, ye are holy unto the Lord, the vessels are holy also,.... As they were dedicated and set apart to holy service, so the vessels were sacred to holy uses, and therefore not to be converted to any other:
and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the Lord God of your fathers: and therefore not to be made use of but in his service.
Ezra 8:29
Ver. 29. Watch ye, and keep them,.... The vessels, the gold, and the silver, that they be not hurt and diminished:
until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord: that is, until they had delivered them in full weight, as they had received them, in the presence of those persons as witnesses, and into their hands, in order to be laid up in the chambers and treasuries of the temple.
Ezra 8:30
Ver. 30. So took the priests and the Levites,.... The twelve priests and twelve Levites, mentioned in Ezr 8:24,
the weight of the silver and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the house of our God; this they undertook to do, and did.
Ezra 8:31
Ver. 31. Then we departed from the river of Ahava, on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem,.... The month Nisan, answering to part of March and part of April; this was two days before the passover began:
and the hand of our God was upon us; guiding, directing, and protecting them by his providence:
and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way; either by intimidating them, that they dared not attack them, or by directing them to take a different road, whereby they escaped them, see Ezr 8:22.
Ezra 8:32
Ver. 32. And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days. Before they went about any business, delivered what was committed to them for the use of the temple, and the commissions to the king's officers; as it was but proper they should have some rest after such a fatiguing journey.
Ezra 8:33
Ver. 33. Now on the fourth day,.... After their arrival at Jerusalem:
was the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, weighed in the house of our God; the temple, that it might be seen and known that the exact weight which had been deposited with them was now faithfully delivered:
this was done by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; these were priests:
and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites; two priests and two Levites; for since there were of both that were charged with the above things, it was proper there should be some of both, when weighed, that they might be witnesses of their fidelity.
Ezra 8:34
Ver. 34. By number and by weight of everyone,.... They were delivered in by tale and weight, which exactly agreed to the number and weight in which they received them:
and all the weight was written at that time; an account was taken in writing, and laid up, that it might not only be known hereafter what freewill offerings had been made in Babylon, but that it might be a voucher for the fidelity and integrity of those that brought them, should it ever be called in question.
Ezra 8:35
Ver. 35. Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity,.... Namely, those that now came along with Ezra:
offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel; by way of thankfulness for their deliverance from captivity, and for their safe journey:
twelve bullocks for all Israel: according to the number of the tribes; and there might be some of every tribe that now came up:
ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs; these and the bullocks were burnt offerings:
twelve he goats for a sin offering; according to the number of the twelve tribes, also to make atonement for sins they had been guilty of:
all this was a burnt offering unto the Lord; excepting the twelve he goats, which were a sin offering.
Ezra 8:36
Ver. 36. And they delivered the king's commissions unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river,.... The governors of the provinces of Syria, Palestine, and Judea, which were on that side of Euphrates the land of Israel was:
and they furthered the people, and the house of God; or "lifted them up" {i}, eased them of all burdens, and freed them from all impediments, and assisted them and furnished them with everything, as the decree of Artaxerxes enjoined them; and provided everything as they required for ornamenting the temple, and for the sacrifices of it; all which is to be understood of the king's lieutenants and governors, who obeyed his commands.
{i} wavnw "elevaverunt", V. L. Piscator; "exaltaverunt", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus; "sublevarunt", Junius & Tremellius.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
Ezra 9:1
INTRODUCTION TO EZRA 9
Ezra being informed, by some of the princes who complained unto him, of the marriages of many of the Israelites with the people of the land, the Canaanites and others, was greatly grieved and distressed, Ezr 9:1, upon which he made a confession of their sins to God, with great shame, sorrow, and contrition, and deprecated the evils which they deserved, Ezr 9:6.
Ver. 1. Now when these things were done,.... When the captives with Ezra had refreshed themselves, and weighed the money and vessels they brought, and put them into the hands of proper persons, and offered sacrifices, and delivered the king's commissions to his lieutenants and governors, and shown his own:
the princes came to me; some of the nobles of Israel, the most religious of them, who were concerned at the corruptions that were among them, though not a sufficient number to reform them:
saying the people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the land: but joined with them, though not in idolatrous practices, yet by marrying with them, which might lead them into them:
doing according to their abominations; not serving idols as they did, but imitating them in their marriages: even
of the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites; affinity with many of these was forbidden by an express law, De 7:1 all but the Moabites, Ammonites, and Egyptians, and from these for the same reason they were to abstain; namely, lest they should be drawn into idolatry; that the priests and Levites should do this, who ought to have known the law, and instructed the people better, was very sad and shocking.
Ezra 9:2
Ver. 2. For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sorts,.... Some that were widowers not only took wives to themselves of the above nations, either when they were of Babylon, where many of these nations also were, or rather since their return; but they took for their sons also; yea, some that had wives took Heathenish ones to them, see Mal 2:13,
so that the holy seed; such as the Lord had separated from other nations, chosen them to be an holy people above all others, and devoted them to his service and worship:
have mingled themselves with the people of those lands; before mentioned, by marrying with them:
yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass; they were the first that went into it, were ringleaders of it, who should by their authority and example have restrained others; or they were
in this first trespass {i}; which was the first gross and capital one the people fell into after their return from the captivity.
{i} hnavr hzh lemb "in praevaricatione ista prima", Pagninus, Montanus.
Ezra 9:3
Ver. 3. And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle,.... Both inward and outward garments, that which was close to his body, and that which was thrown loose over it; and this he did in token of sorrow and mourning, as if something very dreadful and distressing, see Job 1:20
and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard; did not shave them, and so transgressed not the law in Le 19:27 but plucked off the hair of them, to show his extreme sorrow for what was told him: which has frequently been done by mourners on sorrowful occasions in various nations, see Isa 15:2. So in the apocryphal "addition" to Esther,
"And laid away her glorious apparel, and put on the garments of anguish and mourning: and instead of precious ointments, she covered her head with ashes and dung, and she humbled her body greatly, and all the places of her joy she filled with her torn hair.'' (Esther 14:2)
she is said to fill every place of joy with the tearing of her hair; and Lavinia in Virgil {k}; several passages from Homer {l}, and other writers, both Greek and Latin, are mentioned by Bochart {m} as instances of it:
and sat down astonished; quite amazed at the ingratitude of the people, that after such favours shown them, in returning them from captivity unto their own land, and settling them there, they should give into practices so contrary to the will of God.
{k} Aeneid. 12. prope finem. Vid. Ciceron. Tusc. Quaest. l. 3. {l} Vid. Iliad. 10. ver. 15. & Iliad. 22. ver. 77, 78, 406. & Iliad. 24. ver. 711. {m} Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 45. col. 481.
Ezra 9:4
Ver. 4. There were assembled unto me everyone that trembled at the words of the God of Israel,.... That had a reverence for the word of God, and the things contained in it; feared to break the laws of God, and trembled at his judgments, which they might apprehend would come upon transgressors, see Isa 46:2,
because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; into Babylon, and were now returned, and which was an aggravation of their transgression:
and I sat astonished until the evening sacrifice: or until the ninth hour, as the Syriac version, which was about our three o'clock in the afternoon, at which time the evening sacrifice was offered; perhaps it was in the morning when Ezra first received his information from the princes.
Ezra 9:5
Ver. 5. And at the evening sacrifice I rose up from my heaviness,.... The signs and tokens of it, particularly sitting on the ground; or "from my fasting" {n}, having eaten nothing that day, it being early in the morning when he was told the above case:
and having rent my garment and my mantle; which he had done before, and still kept them on him in the same case:
fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God; in the posture and with the gesture of an humble supplicant.
{n} ytynetm "jejunio meo", Michaelis; so Jarchi.
Ezra 9:6
Ver. 6. And said, O my God,.... Here begins the prayer of Ezra, and that with faith in God as covenant God, even when he was about to make confession of sin, and repentance for it; that prayer is right which is put up in faith, and that repentance genuine which is accompanied with faith, and flows from it:
I am ashamed, and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God; a true sight and sense of sin causes shame and blushing, and never more than when a man is sensible of his covenant interest in God, and of his grace and favour to him, particularly in the forgiveness of his sin, see Eze 16:61
for our iniquities are increased over our head; arisen and swelled like mighty waters, which seemed to threaten an overwhelming of them:
and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens; being done in an open, public, and insolent manner, and in such numbers, that they were, as it were, piled up in heaps, reaching to heaven, and calling down vengeance from thence. Ezra includes himself as being one of the same nation; and these sins being so common were become national ones, which involved all the individuals, and exposed them to the divine resentment.
Ezra 9:7
Ver. 7. Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day,.... The sins they were guilty of had been long continued in, which was an aggravation of them:
and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands; the ten tribes and their king into the hand of the king of Assyria, the kings of Judah, Jehoiakim, Jeconiah, and Zedekiah, into the hands of the king of Babylon, with the priests and people:
to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil; some were slain with the sword, others carried captive, and the houses of them all plundered and spoiled:
and to confusion of face, as it is this day; being filled with shame when they reflected on their sins, the cause of those evils; and besides, the captivity of the ten tribes continued, and of many others, which exposed them to shame among their neighbours.
Ezra 9:8
Ver. 8. And now, for a little space, grace hath been showed from the Lord our God,.... It was but a small time since the Lord first began to show favour to them, so that they soon after began to revolt from him; which argued the strange propensity of their minds to that which is evil, and from which they could not be restrained by the recent goodness of God unto them:
to leave us a remnant to escape; out of captivity, from whence a small number were graciously and safely returned to their own land:
and to give us a nail in his holy place; a fixed settlement in the land of Judea, the holy land the Lord had chosen, and in the temple, the holy place sacred to his worship; or a prince of their own, Zerubbabel, to be the governor of them, under whom they might enjoy settled happiness and prosperity, see Isa 22:23,
that our God may lighten our eyes; refresh our spirits, cheer our souls, and give us light and gladness, see 1Sa 14:27
and give us a little reviving in our bondage; for they were still in some degree of bondage, being in subjection, and tributaries to the kings of Persia; but yet being returned to their own land, it was as life from the dead unto them, at least it was giving them a little life, liberty, and joy.
Ezra 9:9
Ver. 9. For we were bondmen,.... To the Chaldeans when in Babylon, which was more than the Jews in the times of Christ would own, Joh 8:33,
yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage; had not left them to continue in it always:
but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia; moved them to have pity and compassion on them, and release them:
to give us a reviving; while in captivity, they were as in their graves, and like the dry bones in Ezekiel's vision, but revived upon the proclamation of Cyrus, and the encouragement he gave them to return to their own land:
to set up the house of our God, and repair the desolations thereof; both to rebuild the temple, and to restore the worship of it:
and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem; not to set up the walls of Jerusalem, and of other cities, which as yet was not done; but rather the walls of their houses, which they had rebuilt; they had walled houses given them in Judah and Jerusalem; though the word signifies an hedge or fence, such as is about gardens and vineyards, and may denote the protection of the kings of Persia, which was a fence to them against the Samaritans and others; and especially the hedge of divine Providence about them, which guarded and defended them, see Job 1:10.
Ezra 9:10
Ver. 10. And now, O our God, what shall we say after this?.... What apology or excuse can be made for such ingratitude? what can be said in favour of such a people? what kindness can be expected to be shown to a people who had behaved in so base a manner?
for we have forsaken thy commandments: particularly those which related to marriages with people of other nations.
Ezra 9:11
Ver. 11. Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets,.... Moses, and Joshua, and others, see De 7:3
saying, the land, unto which ye go to possess it; meaning the land of Canaan:
is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness; which is to be understood not of their idolatries only, but of their incestuous marriages, and impure copulations, on which account the Lord spewed out the old inhabitants of it; for which reason the Jews ought to have been careful not to have defiled it again by similar practices; see Le 18:1.
Ezra 9:12
Ver. 12. Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons,.... That is, in marriage, see De 7:3, where the prohibition is expressed in the same language:
nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever; that is, as long as they continue in their idolatries and impurities, see De 23:6,
that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever; that they might be strengthened and established in the land into which they were brought, and enjoy all the good things it produced, and leave their children in the possession of it, to hold at least until the Messiah came, see Isa 1:19.
Ezra 9:13
Ver. 13. And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass,.... As famine, sword, pestilence, and captivity, for their idolatries and other heinous sins:
seeing that our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve; for they deserved eternal punishment, whereas it was temporal punishment that was inflicted, and this moderate, and now stopped; the sense is, according to Aben Ezra,
"thou hast refrained from writing some of our sins in the book of remembrance, and thou hast let them down below in the earth, according to the sense of thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea;''
but Jarchi better,
"thou hast refrained thyself from exacting of us all our sins, and hast exacted of us beneath our sins (or less than they deserve), and hast not taken vengeance on us according to all our sins:''
and hast given us such deliverance as this; from captivity, which they now enjoyed.
Ezra 9:14
Ver. 14. Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations?.... That are guilty of abominable idolatries, and of all uncleanness:
wouldest thou not be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us; it might be justly expected:
so that there should be no remnant nor escaping? any left or suffered to escape the wrath of but all consumed by it.
Ezra 9:15
Ver. 15. O Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous,.... And would appear to be so, should Israel be entirely cut off, and utterly consumed for their iniquities:
for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day; that they remained yet escaped out of captivity, and escaped the wrath and vengeance of God, was not owing to any deserts of theirs, but to the grace and mercy of God, who had not stirred up all his wrath, as their sins deserved:
behold, we are before thee in our trespasses; to do with us as seems good in thy sight; we have nothing to plead on our behalf, but cast ourselves at thy feet, if so be unmerited favour may be shown us:
for we cannot stand before thee because of this; this evil of contracting affinity with the nations; we cannot defend ourselves; we cannot plead ignorance of the divine commands; we have nothing to say for ourselves why judgment should not be passed upon us; we leave ourselves in thine hands, and at thy mercy.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
Ezra 10:1
INTRODUCTION TO EZRA 10
Upon Ezra's prayer and confession, it was proposed by Shechaniah, that those who had married strange wives should put them away with their children, which they swore to do, Ezr 10:1, and proclamation was made throughout the land for all to meet at Jerusalem in three days' time, and accordingly they did,
Ezr 10:6 when, at the exhortation of Ezra, all agreed to it, and persons were appointed to see it done, and the work was finished in the space of three months, Ezr 10:10 and a list of the names of those is given who had married such wives, and now put them away; of the priests, Ezr 10:18, of the Levites, Ezr 10:23, of the other Israelites, Ezr 10:24.
Ver. 1. Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping,.... Had confessed the sins of the people in prayer and supplication, with many tears:
and casting himself down before the house of God; in the outward court before the temple, his face turned towards it, where he lay prostrate:
there assembled to him out of Israel a very great congregation of men, and women, and children; it was quickly spread abroad, both in Jerusalem and places adjacent, that such a great man, a commissioner from the king of Persia, and a priest of the Jews, was in the utmost distress, rending his garments, and plucking off his hair, and was crying and praying in a vehement manner; which brought a great concourse of people, who concluded some great sins were committed, and sore judgments were coming upon them:
for the people wept very sore; being affected with his confessions, cries, and tears, and fearing wrath would come upon them for their sins.
Ezra 10:2
Ver. 2. And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra,.... This man seems to be one of those that now came with Ezra from Babylon, see Ezr 8:3,
we have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land; not that he had taken any himself, being but just come into the land, nor is his name in the list of those that had; but inasmuch as many of the nation, of which he was a part, and his own father, and several of his uncles had, Ezr 10:26, he expresses himself in this manner:
yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing; of a reformation of this evil, and of pardon for it.
Ezra 10:3
Ver. 3. Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God,.... Renew our covenant with him, and lay ourselves under fresh obligation by promise and oath, and unanimously agree
to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them; he means all the strange wives, such marriages being unlawful; and such wives might the more easily be put away, since bills of divorce were in frequent use with the Jews, and the children of such also being illegitimate; and the rather they were to be put away, lest they should corrupt other children, or get into the affections of their fathers, which might lead on to receive their mothers again, and especially this was to be done as a punishment of their sin: though no doubt but a provision was to be made, and was made, for the maintenance both of wives and children:
according to the counsel of my Lord; either of Ezra, whom he honours with this title, being a ruler under the king of Persia; or of the Lord God, according to his will declared in his words, which is his counsel:
and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; feared to break it, and dreaded the effect of such a breach; and who no doubt would follow the counsel of the Lord, and join in their advice to act according to the proposal made:
and let it be done according to the law; as that directs in such cases.
Ezra 10:4
Ver. 4. Arise,.... From the ground, where he lay prostrate:
for this matter belongeth unto thee; as a priest and scribe of the law, well versed in it, and therefore could direct what was to be done according to it; and as a ruler under the king of Persia, and a commissioner of his, to inquire whether the law of God was observed by the Jews, Ezr 7:14 and so had authority to put the law in execution:
we also will be with thee; to help and assist in the reformation of this evil:
be of good courage, and do it; do not despair of going through it, though there may be some opposition to it; begin, and doubt not of succeeding.
Ezra 10:5
Ver. 5. Then arose Ezra,.... From the ground where he lay:
and made the chief priests, and the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word: he took an oath of all that were present to do what was proposed, namely, to put away strange wives and their children:
and they sware; by means of which they were kept to their word of promise, an oath being a solemn, sacred, thing.
Ezra 10:6
Ver. 6. Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God,.... Departed from thence:
and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib; who was of the family of the high priest. Eliashib was grandson of Joshua the high priest, and succeeded his father Joiakim as such; but though Johanan was never high priest, being a younger son, however he was a person of note, and had a chamber in the temple, whither Ezra went, either to advise with the princes and elders in it, Ezr 10:8 or to refresh himself with food:
and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water; or rather "not yet had he ate bread" {o}, as some render it; that is, not till he came thither, from the time he first heard of the evil the people had committed; which very probably was early in the morning, and it was now evening:
for he mourned for the transgression of them that had been carried away; into captivity, but were now returned from it, and it grieved him the more, that, after such kindness shown them, they should be guilty of such an evil.
{o} lka al "nondum comederat", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
Ezra 10:7
Ver. 7. And they made proclamation,.... By the voice of an herald:
throughout Judah and Jerusalem, unto all the children of the captivity; who were returned from it:
that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem; within a time after mentioned.
Ezra 10:8
Ver. 8. And that whosoever would not come within three days,.... Or at the end of three days, as Jarchi, this was the space of time allowed, and which was decided upon for the quick dispatch of this affair, to prevent any schemes that might be formed to obstruct it, and lest those who had agreed to it, and promised to assist in it, should repent and go from their word:
according to the counsel of the princes, and of the elders; for though Ezra had a commission at large from the king of Persia, to inquire into and reform all abuses, he chose not to act of himself, but to have the opinion and consent of the senate of the nation; this he prudently did to avoid their envy, and that he might have less opposition, and better success:
his substance should be forfeited; or "devoted" {p} to sacred uses, to be put into the treasury of the temple, and used in the service of it, and therefore never to be returned:
and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away; into captivity, but now returned from it; that is, should be excommunicated from them as a church, and be no more reckoned of the body politic, or a freeman of Israel, and so deprived of all privileges both in church and state.
{p} Mrxy "anathema erit [vel] fore", Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "devoveretur", Michaelis.
Ezra 10:9
Ver. 9. Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin,.... And such of the ten tribes that returned and dwelt among them:
gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days; the time fixed: which they were the more careful to observe, since it was enjoined by the authority of princes and elders, and the punishment in case of disobedience very severe:
it was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; the month Chisleu, which answers to part of November and part of December, so that the twentieth day must be in the beginning of December; this was almost five months after Ezra came to Jerusalem:
and all the people sat in the street of the house of God: the street which led to the temple, the east street, 2Ch 29:4 though some think this was the court of the people, called a street, because it lay open, not yet walled in; and, according to Josephus {q}, it was in an upper room of the temple in which Ezra was, perhaps the same with the chamber of Johanan, Ezr 10:6,
trembling because of this matter; they were met about; some that were guilty, not knowing what punishment would be inflicted on them, and others that were not, yet dreaded the wrath of God, lest that should break out upon the whole congregation for it:
and for the great rain; which now fell, and which they interpreted as a token of the divine displeasure: for though it was in winter time, yet not with them a time of rain, for the former rain had fallen a month before; so that this being unusual and unexpected, they understood it as betokening evil to them.
{q} Antiqu. l. 11. c. 5. sect. 4.
Ezra 10:10
Ver. 10. And Ezra the priest stood up,.... In the midst of the assembly to make his speech, acquainting them with the reason of their meeting together:
and said unto them, ye have transgressed; the law of God in the following instance:
and have taken strange wives; of the people of the land and others, idolatrous persons:
to increase the trespass of Israel; to add to former iniquities, which had been the cause of the captivity.
Ezra 10:11
Ver. 11. Now therefore make confession to the Lord God of your fathers,.... Of their sin, and express their detestation of it, and repentance for it:
and do his pleasure; obey his will, and particularly in this case:
and separate yourselves from the people of the land; the Canaanites, &c. have no fellowship with them, make no covenants, contracts, and alliances with them for the future;
and from the strange wives; they had taken; put them away.
Ezra 10:12
Ver. 12. Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice,.... That they might be heard, and to show that they were willing and ready to comply with what was proposed:
as thou host said, so must we do; being convinced of their sin, they saw it was a duty incumbent on them to put away their strange wives, and that there was a necessity of it, to avert the wrath of God from them.
Ezra 10:13
Ver. 13. But the people are many,.... Who have been guilty of this evil:
and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without: in the street, because of the rain:
neither is this a work of one day or two; to inquire into this affair, who they are that have taken strange wives, and to persuade or oblige them to put them away:
for we are many that have transgressed in this thing; in marrying strange wives.
Ezra 10:14
Ver. 14. Let now our rulers of all the congregations stand,.... Let the great sanhedrim, or court of judicature at Jerusalem, be fixed and continued, and others:
and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times; to the court at Jerusalem, at certain and fixed known times of their sittings there for this purpose:
and with the elders of every city and the judges thereof; the principal magistrates of it, who were to testify that upon search and inquiry those were the men and all the men in their city, that had taken strange wives, and that they had put them away according to the order of the princes and elders; and this they proposed to be done in every city, and the account to be brought to the sanhedrim at Jerusalem, who were to sit at certain times till this affair was finished:
until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us: which it seems had broke out in some instances, and they feared would do yet more, unless this step was taken, whereby they hoped it would be averted.
Ezra 10:15
Ver. 15. Only Jonathan the son of Asahel, and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah, were employed about the matter,.... To see that this affair was conducted in the manner proposed; that the magistrates of every city brought the persons that had been delinquents, in their turns, of which they gave them notice, and took the account of them as they came:
and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them; assisted them in this work; the other two perhaps were priests, and both these Levites; and these four were the only persons appointed over this matter, as the phrase in the preceding clause may signify; though Jarchi interprets it to a quite contrary sense, that they were the only persons that opposed and objected to it; and so Dr. Lightfoot {r} understands it, and renders it, "stood against this matter"; in which they were seconded by the two Levites, and the sense is very probable.
{r} Works, vol. 1. p. 144.
Ezra 10:16
Ver. 16. And the children of the captivity did so,.... Put away their strange wives:
and Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated; from all their other business, and gave themselves up to attend to this wholly:
and sat down in the first day of the tenth month; the month Tebeth, which answers to part of December and January; this was ten days after the assembly of all the people met and broke up: these took their places in the great court, and there sat
to examine the matter; the accounts brought in from the several cities by the magistrates thereof, and recorded them.
Ezra 10:17
Ver. 17. And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives,.... Finished their inquiry and examination of them:
by the first day of the first month; the month Nisan, answering to part of March and April; so that they were three months about this work.
Ezra 10:18
Ver. 18. And among the sons of the priests there were found that had taken strange wives,.... So that it need not be wondered at that this evil should spread among the people, when those who understood the law, and should have instructed the people in it, set such an example: namely,
of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak; who was the high priest; and perhaps for this fault of his, in not restraining his sons from such unlawful marriages, is he represented in filthy garments, Zec 3:3,
and his brethren, Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah; these were the brethren of Jeshua.
Ezra 10:19
Ver. 19-43. And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives,.... They proposed to do it, and actually did it:
and being guilty; of which they were fully convinced:
they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass; to make atonement for it, and thereby set an example to others to do the like. Aben Ezra observes, that we do not find that the trespass offering was a mulct to such who married strange wives, and conjectures, that it was the advice of the chief men to do it. From hence, to the end of Ezr 10:43, is a list of the men that had married strange wives, and put them away; those in Ezr 10:20, were priests; in Ezr 10:23, Levites, and those of them who were singers or porters; the rest were Israelites: and it is a very common distinction, in rabbinical writers, to distinguish the Jews into priests, Levites, and Israelites; of these we know no more than their names; some of the heads of the families may be observed in Ezr 2:1.
Ezra 10:20
Ver. 20. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:21
Ver. 21. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:22
Ver. 22. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:23
Ver. 23. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:24
Ver. 24. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:25
Ver. 25. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:26
Ver. 26. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:27
Ver. 27. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:28
Ver. 28. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:29
Ver. 29. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:30
Ver. 30. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:31
Ver. 31. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:32
Ver. 32. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:33
Ver. 33. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:34
Ver. 34. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:35
Ver. 35. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:36
Ver. 36. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:37
Ver. 37. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:38
Ver. 38. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:39
Ver. 39. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:40
Ver. 40. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:41
Ver. 41. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:42
Ver. 42. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:43
Ver. 43. See Gill on "Ezr 10:19".
Ezra 10:44
Ver. 44. All these had taken strange wives,.... In all about one hundred and thirteen:
and some of them had wives by whom they had children; and yet they put them away, which made it the more difficult for them to do; and those that had none, it is thought to be a mark of God's displeasure at such marriages. No mention being made of the children being put away, as Shechaniah proposed, Ezr 10:3, it may be concluded they were not, but were taken care of, to be educated in the true religion, and entered proselytes at a proper time; and the rather, as Ezra gave no orders about their putting away, Ezr 10:11.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
Nehemiah 1:1
INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH
This book is, by the authors of the Vulgate Latin and Arabic versions, called the "Second" Book of Ezra, it being a continuation of the same history, and was by the Jews reckoned as one book with Ezra; Kimchi on Isa 9:7, calls it Ezra, so the Talmud {a}; and it has been quoted by Christian writers under his name; see the argument of the book of Ezra; but not as if it was written by him; for it is a clear case it was written by Nehemiah, whose name it bears, as appears from Ne 1:1 and throughout Nehemiah speaks of himself under the first person; and the style also is very different from that of Ezra, being plainer and easier than his. It has always had a place in the canon of Scriptures, both with Jews and Christians; and is of use to show the fulfilment of the prophecy of Zechariah, and especially of Daniel concerning the building of the wall of Jerusalem in troublesome times; to carry on the history of the Jews, and describe the state of the church in those times, what opposition was made to it, and what enemies it had, and what must be expected when any work of God is set about; it is the last of the historical books that was written, as is thought, and contains an history of the space of about twelve years, from the twentieth of Artaxerxes to the thirty second of his reign, see Ne 1:1.
{a} T. Bab. Succah, fol. 37. 1. & Gloss. in ib. fol. 12. 1.
INTRODUCTION NEHEMIAH 1
This chapter relates how that Nehemiah, being at Shushan in Persia, and meeting with some Jews, inquired of the state of Jerusalem, of which having a melancholy account, he betook to mourning, fasting, and prayer, Ne 1:1, and his prayer is recorded, Ne 1:5.
Ver. 1. The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah,.... Or his transactions and deeds; for yrbd "dibre" signifies things done, as well as words spoken; who Hachaliah his father was is not known; the Arabic version adds, the high priest, without any foundation; though some have thought that Nehemiah was a priest, from a passage in
"Therefore whereas we are now purposed to keep the purification of the temple upon the five and twentieth day of the month Chisleu, we thought it necessary to certify you thereof, that ye also might keep it, as the feast of the tabernacles, and of the fire, which was given us when Neemias offered sacrifice, after that he had builded the temple and the altar.'' (2 Maccabees 1:18)
and from signing and sealing the covenant at the head of priests,
Ne 10:1, but he rather seems to be of the tribe of Judah, see Ne 2:3, and Nehemiah may be the same that went up with Zerubbabel, and returned again, and then became the king's cupbearer; though some are of another opinion, See Gill on "Ezr 2:2",
and it came to pass in the month Chisleu; the ninth month, as the Arabic version; of which see Ezr 10:9,
in the twentieth year; not of Nehemiah's age, for, if he went up with Zerubbabel, he must be many years older; but in the twentieth year of the reign of Artaxerxes, Ne 1:1,
as I was in Shushan the palace; a city in Persia, the royal seat of the kings of it; as Ecbatana was in the summer time, this in the spring, as Cyrus made it, according to Xenophon {b}; but others say {c} it was their seat in winter, and this was the season now when Nehemiah was with the king there; for Chisleu was a winter month, answering to part of November and of December; of Shushan, See Gill on "Da 8:2", to which may be added what a traveller of the last century says {d} of it,
"we rested at Valdac, once the great city Susa, but now very ruinous; it was first built by Tythonus, and his son Memnon, but enlarged by Darius the son of Hystaspes; in the building whereof Memnon was so exceeding prodigal, that, as Cassiodorus writeth, he joined the stones together with gold--such was the beauty and delectableness of it for situation, that they called it "Susa", which in the Persian tongue signified a "lily", but now it is called Valdac, because of the poverty of the place;''
and it is generally supposed to have its name from the abundance of lilies about it; but Dr. Hyde {e} gives another signification of its name, he says the Persians called it , "Sus", which signifies "liquorice", but for what reasons he says not. There is a city now called Shustera, and is thought by some travellers to be built at least very near where Shushan formerly stood {f}.
{b} Cyropaedia, l. 8. c. 44. {c} Athenaeus, l. 12. c. 1. {d} Cartwright's Preacher's Travels, p. 87, 88. {e} Hist. Relig. Vet. Pers. c. 35. p. 414. {f} Tavernier, tom. 1. l. 4. c. 1.
Nehemiah 1:2
Ver. 2. That Hanani, one of my brethren,.... Either in natural relation, Ne 7:2, or being a Jew of the same nation and religion; so Jarchi interprets it, one of my companions or acquaintance:
he and certain men of Judah; who came from thence to Shushan on some account or another:
and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity; who were returned from it to their own land; he inquired of their health and prosperity, in what circumstances they were, whether prosperous or adverse, whether they flourished, or were in distress:
and concerning Jerusalem; whether it was rebuilt, the houses and walls of it, and in what condition it was.
Nehemiah 1:3
Ver. 3. And they said unto me, the remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province,.... In Judea, now reduced to a province of the Persian empire:
are in great affliction and reproach; harassed and distressed, calumniated and vilified, by their enemies the Samaritans:
the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire; that is, its wall and gates were in the same condition in which Nebuchadnezzar had left them, for since his times as yet they had never been set up; for this is not to be understood of what was lately done by their adversaries, which is not at all probable.
Nehemiah 1:4
Ver. 4. And it came to pass, when I heard these words,.... This sad and melancholy account of things:
that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; sat down upon the ground in dust and ashes, after the manner of mourners, and wept bitterly, and mourned in a most sorrowful manner, see Job 2:8,
and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven; that made it, and dwells in it.
Nehemiah 1:5
Ver. 5. And said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven,.... He prayed not to the host of heaven, the sun in it, as the Persians, but to the God of it, in an humble supplicant manner:
the great and terrible God; who is to be feared, and had in reverence of all his creatures, because of his greatness and glory, being God over all, blessed for ever, and his name holy and reverend:
that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him, and observe his commandments; who keep them from a principle of love to him; to those he has made gracious promises in his covenant, which he truly and faithfully performs; and the consideration of these perfections in God animates and encourages good men in prayer to him.
Nehemiah 1:6
Ver. 6. Let thine ear be now attentive,.... To his prayer, as in Ne 1:11,
and thine eyes open; to behold with pity and compassion the distressed case of Jerusalem, and the Jews in it:
I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants; this he had continued to do ever since he heard of their trouble and calamity:
and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned; he considered sin as the cause of all this evil that had befallen his people, and confesses it with sorrow and humiliation, and not their sins only, but his own personal and family sins.
Nehemiah 1:7
Ver. 7. We have dealt very corruptly against thee,.... Corrupted his covenant, laws, and precepts, as well as themselves, ways, and works; all which were against the Lord, contrary to his nature, mind, and will:
and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses; the laws, moral, ceremonial, and judicial.
Nehemiah 1:8
Ver. 8. Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses,.... To publish and declare to the children of Israel,
De 28:64,
saying, if ye transgress; the law of God:
I will scatter you abroad among the nations; as now they had been among the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Medes, and Persians.
Nehemiah 1:9
Ver. 9. But if ye return unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them,.... Return by repentance, and, as a proof of the genuineness of it, yield obedience to the commands of God, and continue therein:
though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven; that is, the uttermost parts of the earth, the most distant regions; so called, because at the extreme parts of the horizon, according to our apprehension, the heavens and earth touch each other; so that what is the uttermost part of the one is supposed to be of the other:
yet will I gather them from thence and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there; that is to Jerusalem where the temple was built, and his name was called upon.
Nehemiah 1:10
Ver. 10. Now these are thy servants, and thy people,.... Meaning those that were in Jerusalem and Judah, gathered out of several countries, and returned to Jerusalem:
whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand; touching and moving the heart of Cyrus to proclaim liberty to them.
Nehemiah 1:11
Ver. 11. O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant,.... To the prayer of Nehemiah, put up at this time:
and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name; the prayer of the Jews in Judea, whose desire was to worship the Lord in his temple, according to his will:
and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day; meaning himself, who was to wait on the king of Persia that day, and, if he had opportunity, intended to lay the case of the Jews before him, and therefore entreats he might meet with success:
and grant him mercy in the sight of this man; King Artaxerxes, who was but a man, and whose heart was in the hands of God, and he could easily move him to pity and compassion towards his poor people the Jews:
for I was the king's cupbearer; in the execution of which office he was often in the king's presence, and hoped to have an opportunity of speaking to him in the behalf of the Jews; this with the Persians was reckoned a very honourable office {g}. A son of Prexaspes, a very honourable man, was made cupbearer to Cambyses; and so it was with the Greeks and Romans {h}; and the poets not only make Ganymedes to be Jupiter's cupbearer {i}, but even Vulcan himself is put into this office {k}.
{g} Herodot. Thalia, sive, l. 3. c. 34. Xenophon. Cyropaedia, l. 5. c. 36. {h} Vid. Athenaei Deipnosophist. l. 10. {i} Homer. Iliad. 21. ver. 234. {k} Homer. Iliad. 1. prope finem.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.