Chapter Six
6–1–5. The reply of Darius with a copy of the decree of Cyrus. 6–12. The command of Darius to assist the construction of the temple and worship. 13–15. The completion of the construction. 16–18. The consecration of the temple. 19–22. The celebration of the Passover.
Ezra 6:1. Then King Darius made a decree, and search was made in Babylon in the archives where the treasures were stored. Ezra 6:2. And there was found in Ecbatana, in the palace that is in the province of Media, a scroll, and in it was written as follows: “For a memorial: The decree of Cyrus was apparently first sought in Babylon, but was found in Ecbatana. It is possible that it was brought there along with other records for safekeeping. It is also possible that it was issued in Ecbatana, which served as the summer residence of the Persian kings.
Ezra 6:3. In the first year of King Cyrus, the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem: Let the house be built, the place where sacrifices are offered, and let its foundations be retained; its height shall be sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits; Ezra 6:4. with three courses of great stones and one course of timber; let the cost be paid from the royal treasury. Ezra 6:5. And also the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, let them be returned and brought to the temple in Jerusalem, each to its place; and deposit them in the house of God. A copy of the decree of Cyrus to the Jews is presented. If we compare this version of the decree of Cyrus with that given in chapter I, we cannot help but notice some difference between them. To explain this difference, we can suppose that both versions of the decree were issued simultaneously, that the decree given in chapter I was intended for the Jews living in various places in Babylonia, while the decree reported in chapter VI was specifically given to Sheshbazzar. In chapter VI, however, the decree is scarcely given in full: from the note of verse 2 “for a memorial” we can conclude that in the letter of Darius only that part of the decree is cited which provided a direct answer to the question of Tattenai. “Its height shall be sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits.” These specifications of the royal edict are understood by scholars Ewald, Keil, and Schick as the exact dimensions of the temple built by Zerubbabel. Therefore, these scholars suppose that the temple of Zerubbabel exceeded in size the temple of Solomon. But it is scarcely the case that the dimensions defined in the edict were binding and had the significance of an architectural plan that should have been followed exactly. This is evident from the fact that the length of the temple is not specified in the edict. The edict apparently determines only the maximum dimensions of the temple. “According to the then-Babylonian policy, the building of a sanctuary in one or another form had to correspond to a general measure of national life and the recognized rights of a nation. A nation, conquered and dependent, could not build temples that could eclipse the glory of the main temples of the empire of Bel, Nebo, Marduk and other gods of Sumer and Akkad... King Cyrus in his edict indicated the maximum of external magnificence which the Jerusalem temple could have” (A. A. Olesnitsky, The Old Testament Temple. p. 383–386).
Ezra 6:4. with three courses of great stones and one course of timber; let the cost be paid from the royal treasury. “With three courses of great stones and one course of timber.” From these words of the edict it is evident that Cyrus permits the Jews to build the temple after the model of the former temple of Solomon, and not after the model of the buildings of Susa and Persepolis.
Ezra 6:6. Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the region beyond the river, Shethar-Bozenai, and your associates who are in the region beyond the river – stay away from there. “Now therefore” – the exposition of the command of Darius himself begins, which is based on the decree of Cyrus.
Ezra 6:7. Leave off the work on this house of God; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site. Ezra 6:8. And I make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the building of this house of God: the cost is to be paid to these men in full from the royal revenue, from the tribute of the region beyond the river. Ezra 6:9. Whatever is needed – bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, as the priests in Jerusalem require – let that be given to them day by day without fail, Darius not only confirms the permission given by Cyrus for the construction of the temple, but also gives a command to assist the construction from the royal treasury. At the same time, Darius commands that everything necessary for the sacrifices be provided.
Ezra 6:10. so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons. “So that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons.” Such a wish did not contradict the polytheism of the Persian kings. Without changing their loyalty to the gods of their fathers, they could honor Jehovah as one of the mightiest gods. On the other hand, the Jews could pray for the life of the king, since they saw in him a ruler appointed by God (cf. Jer 29:7). In later times in the Jerusalem temple, sacrifices were regularly offered at appointed times for the king (cf. 1 Macc 7:33; 1 Macc 12:11; 2 Macc 3:35; 2 Macc 13:23; Josephus, Antiq. 12:2, 5).
Ezra 6:11. And I make a decree: if anyone alters this edict, a beam shall be pulled out of his house, and he shall be lifted up and fastened upon it, and his house shall be made into a dunghill for this. In order to encourage compliance with his command, Darius appoints a strict punishment for “altering” or violating his decree. “If anyone alters this edict, a beam shall be pulled out of his house, and he shall be lifted up and fastened upon it, and his house shall be made into a dunghill.” This type of capital punishment was used among the Assyrians (Diodorus Siculus, II, 1), among the ancient Persians, and among many other peoples. Impalement itself was also practiced among the Persians (cf. Dan 2:5).
Ezra 6:12. May the God whose name dwells there overthrow any king or people that shall put out a hand to alter this, or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, make a decree; let it be done with all diligence. The expression “the God whose name dwells there” (cf. Deut 12:11; Jer 7:12, Neh 1:9) may have been borrowed not from the decree itself, but belongs to the author himself. But the entire thought expressed in verse 12 is fully in the spirit of the Persian kings. At the end of the Persian inscription of Behistun, a curse from Ahura Mazda is also invoked upon anyone who would dare to destroy the image and inscription. The decree of Darius in the part set forth in verses 7–12 is considered by some scholars to be invented, and the commands contained in it to be unreliable. The grounds for such an opinion are: 1) the Judaic coloring of the speech in verses 8–12 in the expressions “house of God,” “God of heaven,” “God whose name dwells there”; 2) and the improbability of such a kind treatment of the Jews on the part of Darius. These grounds, however, cannot be considered solid. The indicated expressions, which may have arisen through the influence of Jewish ideas on Persian, do not contradict, as already noted, the polytheism of the Persian kings. As for the benevolent treatment of Darius toward the Jews, it is fully understandable if we take into account the difficult circumstances in which Darius found himself in the first years of his rule – namely, serious disturbances in the provinces, which could have induced Darius to win the favor of the Jews. Moreover, the benevolent treatment of Darius toward Jewish worship was not unique. Similarly, Darius treated the cults of other subject peoples. For example, in the inscription of Gadates of Magnesia found in 1889, Darius says: “Since you do not regard my attitude toward the gods, for this reason, if you do not act otherwise, I will make you feel at some time the anger which you have provoked against me, for you have brought under the tax and cultivation common land the sacred gardeners of Apollo, not recognizing the feelings of my ancestors toward the god, which said to the Persians” (Berthelet, p. 27). Similarly, the Egyptian physician Uzahor in one inscription about Darius recounts the following: “King Darius, may he live forever, commanded me that while he was staying in Ehane, I should go to Egypt and again restore the number of the sacred temple scribes and revive all that had come into decay... And the king ordered that all good things be done for them for the diligence with which they fulfilled all their work... The king did this because he knew that such a work would be the very best for the restoration of all that had come into decay, in order to preserve the names of all the gods, their temples, and the order of their festivals forever.” Brugsch, Ciesch. Aegyptens 1877, p. 748–751). Finally, the reliability of the decree of Darius is confirmed also by the attitude of this king toward the Greek sanctuaries during his campaign in Greece (Herodotus, History VI, 97). If from Neh 10:33 it is evident that the Jews themselves provided material for sacrifices, this does not contradict the account of verse 9, because the command of Darius concerning the provision of bulls, rams, and lambs from the royal possessions did not remove from the Jews the obligation to themselves care for the sacrifices.
Ezra 6:13. Then Tattenai, the governor of the region beyond the river, Shethar-Bozenai and his associates, did exactly as King Darius had sent. In addition to verse 13, Josephus reports that Tattenai and his associates joined with the elders of the Jews and the ruling elders and together with them began to oversee the sacred construction. The reliability of this account is, of course, difficult to establish.
Ezra 6:14. And the elders of the Jews built and prospered, through the prophesying of the prophet Haggai and the prophet Zechariah, son of Iddo. They finished their building by the decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus, Darius, and King Artaxerxes of Persia. “And they finished their building by the decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus, Darius, and King Artaxerxes of Persia.” From the next verse, it is evident that the construction was completed already under Darius, before the accession of Artaxerxes I. The editor of the book, however, attributes to Artaxerxes also a role in the construction of the temple, probably in view of the assistance that was rendered by Artaxerxes for the adornment of the temple (Ezra 7:27).
Ezra 6:15. And this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. The time of the completion of the temple is given as the third day of the month of Adar of the sixth year of Darius. In 1 Esd 7:5, as the day of completion of the temple, the 23rd day of Adar of the same year is named, and in Josephus (Antiq. 11:4, 7) the 23rd day of Adar of the ninth year. How this discrepancy came about is difficult to say. But the date of 1 Ezra deserves preference over the others because of the generally strict historical character of this book. The same cannot be said of 2 Ezra or of the accounts of Josephus concerning the Persian period of the history of the chosen people. On the day of completion of the temple, apparently, its consecration also took place, so that by the beginning of the new year and the festivals falling at this beginning, the temple was fully prepared for worship.
Ezra 6:17. And they offered at the dedication of this house of God one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. Speaking of the circumstances of the dedication of the temple of Solomon, the chronicler reports that at that time sacrifices were offered which could not be counted and determined because of their multitude (1 Kgs 8:5), and that King Solomon offered in peace offerings twenty-two thousand head of cattle and one hundred twenty thousand head of flocks (verse 63). The amount of sacrificial offerings at the dedication of the temple of Zerubbabel mentioned in verse 17 shows how much the post-exile period differed from the time of Solomon. The sacrifice for sin, as is evident from the same verse, twelve male goats were offered according to the number of the tribes of Israel. This indicated that the temple was created for the whole covenant people, and expressed the hope for the return to the land of the fathers of all the scattered Israel (cf. Ezek 37:15-28; Jer 31:27).
Ezra 6:19. The returnees from the exile kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. From verse 19 the writer leaves the Aramaic language and again turns to the Hebrew language.
Ezra 6:20. for the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were clean. So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves. The practice of Passover preparations described here is very ancient (cf. 2 Chr 13:11-14). The Levites ordered Passover lambs both for the priests, who on the eve of the Passover were occupied with numerous sacrifices, and for the laymen, so that no one in a state of impurity would perform the slaughter.
Ezra 6:21. It was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and also by all who had separated themselves from the pollutions of the nations of the land to join them, to seek the Lord God of Israel. In the celebration of the Passover, as is evident from verse 21, not only the returned exiles participated, but also all who had separated themselves from the pollutions of the nations of the land, seeking to turn to the Lord God of Israel. By “the nations of the land” (goyim haretz) the writer means either the inhabitants of Palestine in distinction from the Jews who came from Babylon, or the inhabitants of other lands, for example, Egypt, Moab. By those “separated from the pollutions of these nations,” the writer could have meant first and foremost those who remained in Palestine after the destruction of the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel, who formerly mixed with the pagans and now joined the new community in Jerusalem. It is also possible that some pagans, joining the Jewish community as proselytes, separated from pagan impurity.
Ezra 6:22. And they kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy, for the Lord had made them joyful, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of the Lord God of Israel. “And had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them.” The Assyrian king here is called the Persian king Darius, as the ruler of the historically memorable Assyrian kingdom for the chosen people. By this name the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar is also called in 2 Kgs 23:29.