Bible Commentaries
Ezra 5

Introduction

Ezra Chapter 5

Ezra 5:1 "Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that [were] in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, [even] unto them."

There had been a time of absolute complacency, since the foundation of the building of the temple until now. The people had decided not to do anymore work on the temple, and to spend their time building their own houses. Zechariah was actually the grand-son of Iddo. These prophets were sent of God to shake the people of Judah out of complacency. We might even say, they preached to the people.

Ezra 5:2 "Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which [is] at Jerusalem: and with them [were] the prophets of God helping them."

The messages, these two prophets of God brought to the people from God, showed Zerubbabel and Jeshua the error of stopping the work on the temple. Zerubbabel represented the civil law, and Jeshua was over the spiritual. The people were commanded to go up the mountain and bring wood for the building. There is a great deal more on this in our lessons on the book of Haggai.

Ezra 5:3 "At the same time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and Shethar-boznai, and their companions, and said thus unto them, Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall?"

The minute the building started up again, so did the opposition. Tatnai was governor on the other side of the river. Whether this is the Euphrates or not, I cannot say. Shethar-boznai was a Persian officer under Tatnai. Tatnai seemed to have the same rank as Zerubbabel, so it was alright to ask, but not to command the stoppage of the work.

Ezra 5:4 "Then said we unto them after this manner, What are the names of the men that make this building?"

This had to be a statement made by Tatnai and the men with him. His inquiry was to set blame on the one who started the work.

Ezra 5:5 "But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, that they could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius: and then they returned answer by letter concerning this [matter]."

The workers continued the work on the temple, even after the complaint by Tatnai. The LORD was watching over them, and they were not about to stop the work, unless Darius commanded it.

Ezra 5:6 "The copy of the letter that Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and Shethar-boznai, and his companions the Apharsachites, which [were] on this side the river, sent unto Darius the king:"

The problem was the same as before. Those opposed to God did not want the temple to be built. They wrote a letter of complaint to Darius.

Ezra 5:7 "They sent a letter unto him, wherein was written thus; Unto Darius the king, all peace."

Ezra 5:8 "Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work goeth fast on, and prospereth in their hands."

They first spoke peace to the king. They continued by saying that they had gone to Judea and found a house being built to the great God. He was explaining that the temple was being built solid with stones and timber. He could easily see that for some reason, unknown to him, the work was prospering.

Ezra 5:9 "Then asked we those elders, [and] said unto them thus, Who commanded you to build this house, and to make up these walls?"

Ezra 5:10 "We asked their names also, to certify thee, that we might write the names of the men that [were] the chief of them."

This was a true statement, but actually this was out of his jurisdiction. Cyrus had put Zerubbabel in charge of this area.

Ezra 5:11 "And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was builded these many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and set up."

Of course, they were speaking of the temple that Solomon had built so many years before. They did not answer as individuals, but called themselves the servants of the most high God.

Ezra 5:12 "But after that our fathers had provoked the God of heaven unto wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house, and carried the people away into Babylon."

Darius would have been very familiar with this. They had been unfaithful to God by worshipping false gods, and God destroyed them by the hands of Nebuchadnezzar.

Ezra 5:13 "But in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon [the same] king Cyrus made a decree to build this house of God." Cyrus had preceded Darius by a few years. Cyrus had become the king of Babylon at the defeat of Babylon. Actually Cyrus, was king of Persia. He had commanded the building of the temple in Jerusalem, so these servants of God were not breaking any Persian laws.

Ezra 5:14 "And the vessels also of gold and silver of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that [was] in Jerusalem, and brought them into the temple of Babylon, those did Cyrus the king take out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered unto [one], whose name [was] Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor;"

Ezra 5:15 "And said unto him, Take these vessels, go, carry them into the temple that [is] in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be builded in his place."

This would be something that would convince Darius that this was true. He knew that no Persian king would allow the Jews to run off with all of this gold and silver, unless he sent them with it.

Ezra 5:16 "Then came the same Sheshbazzar, [and] laid the foundation of the house of God which [is] in Jerusalem: and since that time even until now hath it been in building, and [yet] it is not finished."

This was an accurate statemnent of exactly what happened. If Tatnai sent these words of the Hebrews to king Darius, he was trying to get at the truth.

Ezra 5:17 "Now therefore, if [it seem] good to the king, let there be search made in the king’s treasure house, which [is] there at Babylon, whether it be [so], that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter."

The Persians kept accurate records of various decrees their kings had made. If Cyrus had made this decree, they could not change it. This captain of Persia wanted to know for sure what was to be done about all of this. Darius would search out the truth, and get back to him.

Ezra 5 Questions

1. Who were the two prophets who brought messages to the Jews from God?

2. There had been a time of absolute _________ about the temple.

3. Zechariah was actually the ____________ of Iddo.

4. Who began to build the house of God, again, immediately?

5. Who represented the civil law?

6. Who represented the spiritual?

7. Where can we read more about this renewing of the building of the temple?

8. Who was governor on this side of the river?

9. Who was the officer under him?

10. What question did he ask about the work?

11. Whose names did he try to get?

12. Why did the elders not cease work on the temple?

13. Who did Tatnai send a letter to about this situation?

14. What province was Jerusalem in?

15. How did he explain the building of the temple?

16. What did he call God?

17. Who had Cyrus put in charge of this?

18. What were they speaking of in Ezra 5:11?

19. Why did God destroy the temple before?

20. When did Cyrus decide to build the temple?

21. Why would a Persian king allow these Jews to carry off the vessels of gold from Babylon?

22. Who had Cyrus sent of the Persians to oversee the building of the temple?

23. What were they to search for?

24. If the decree was made by Cyrus, they could not _______ it.

Verses 1-2

Ezr 5:1-2

Introduction

AFTER A 15-YEAR DELAY; WORK ON THE TEMPLE RESUMED; THE GOVERNOR REPORTS TO DARIUS I;

THE HISTORICAL SITUATION

The opposition of the people of the land had succeeded in weakening the purpose of Israel to rebuild the temple. As we learn from Haggai and others of the Minor Prophets, the lack of zeal and devotion on the part of God’s people themselves had also contributed to this long delay (Haggai 1:2-11). Under the urgent admonitions of Haggai, both Zerubbabel and Jeshua rose up and vigorously began work on the temple. The foundation had been laid much earlier, but that foundation was probably little more than a ground-breaking that projected the size of the structure but did little else.

Also a new governor, operating from his headquarters in Damascus, under the authority of the Persian ruler who, at this time was Darius Hystaspes, was in charge of the satrapy that included Palestine. The governor was Tattenai, a far more noble person than the evil Rehum, a governor who came much later, and whose sympathies were totally in favor of the Samaritans and who was bitterly opposed to Israel.

We may be sure that when work was resumed on the temple that the Samaritans went immediately to Damascus to enlist the aid of the new governor in stopping it. Tattenai, however, refused to take any action against the temple work until he had consulted his overlord Darius I.

This chapter provides the sacred record of these developments.

Ezra 5:1-2

WORK ON THE TEMPLE RESUMED

"Now the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem; in the name of the God of Israel, prophesied they unto them. Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem; and with them were the prophets of God helping them."

"Now the prophets" (Ezra 5:1). The record here does not mention what the prophets prophesied; but it is clear that they demanded that the Jews resume work on their temple. At any rate, Israel heeded it, and began to build the temple.

"Haggai ... and Zechariah" (Ezra 5:1). "The work on the temple was renewed only three weeks after Haggai began preaching, which was Sept. 20,520 B.C." "Zerubbabel is highly honored in Haggai and in Zechariah 4; Jeshua is honored in Zechariah 3 and Zechariah 6."

"And began to build the house of God" (Ezra 5:2). This supports our view that the first laying of the foundation was a very elementary thing. Haggai complained that the house of God "lay in waste" (Haggai 1:4); and that is the same terminology that was used after Nebuchadnezzar destroyed it. Furthermore, as Hamrick pointed out, "Haggai 1:12-15 does not mention any previous attempt to build the temple; and this probably means that Sheshbazzar’s beginnings had been so meager that the project had to be started anew."

"Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel" (Ezra 5:2).

E.M. Zerr:

Ezra 5:1. Then applies to the date stated in the closing verse of the previous chapter; the 2nd year of Darius. He is the man whose name you have at the head of the 4th column of the chart. You have him designated as Darius I, which is correct. He is known also in secular history as Darius Hystaspes. He was thus associated with the name of his father to distinguish him from a number of other Persian rulers named Darius. He was a good man, morally, and showed the same attitude toward the Jews as did Cyrus. He had a long reign, and it was in his 2nd year that the work on the temple was resumed. The verse says that Haggai and Zechariah prophesied. Strong’s definition of the word is, "a primitive root; to prophesy, i. e. speak (or sing) by inspiration (in prediction or simple discourse)." This definition will help us understand the verse as a whole, especially when we have read the passages that will be cited soon. The verse gives the mere fact of these two prophets’ speaking as the reason the Jews resumed the work. Now, I urge that before reading further in the present book, the student read Haggai 1, and Zechariah 1:1-17. Be sure to read these passages carefully and more than once, then you will be prepared to understand the chapter we are studying. Although Cyrus had given the Jews the right to rebuild the temple to their God, they had let the threatening of the adversaries interfere with their work. The edict of Cyrus had not been repealed, for the Persians never canceled one of their laws, except by enacting a new one that would counteract the old. But there was no evidence that what the adversaries said to them was a law enacted by the king. Therefore, they should have paid no attention to it. It is true that force was brought to bear on them which they could not resist at once. They should have called for an investigation (as was done under Darius as we shall soon see), and then gone ahead with the work. But they were like many professed Christians. If some "unavoidable" circumstance causes an interference in their devotions to the Lord, they will often become indifferent toward their duty, and begin to show more interest in their personal affairs, just as these Jews did, as shown in the passages cited in the prophetic books. Then it becomes necessary for some man of God to get after them and rouse them to action. That is what these prophets did, and it produced the desired effect on the leaders. Now the reader should be prepared to understand the verses to follow the one of this paragraph. But before going further, put this notation in the 4th column of the chart: "2nd year, work resumed on the temple by order of the king." The basis for that notation will appear soon.

Ezra 5:2. Then rose up means they became active after the two prophets delivered their messages. The messages contained exhortation and warning, and brought the Jewish leaders to realize how negligent they had been, and how nearly they had come to bringing the wrath of God upon them. Zerubbabel was a leading man of the tribe of Judah, and as general supervisor of the building. Jeshua, otherwise spelled Joshua, was a high priest, and hence a member of the tribe of Levi. These two men represented the material and religious interests of the nation at the time of its restoration. Began to build signifies they resumed the work of the house of God, that was stopped at the foundation 15 years before. The prophets helped them with their exhortations and encouraging speeches, addressed to the helpers of the work.

Verses 3-5

Ezr 5:3-5

Ezra 5:3-5

THE GOVERNOR TATTENAI INVESTIGATES

"At the same time came to them Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai, and their companions, and said unto them, Who gave you a decree to build this house, and to finish this wall? Then we told them after this manner, what the names of the men were that were making this building. But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, and they did not make them cease, till the matter should come to Darius, and then answer should be returned by letter concerning it."

"At the same time ... came Tattenai" (Ezra 5:3). "The Persian Empire at that time was divided into twenty satrapies, presided over by governors under the authority of Darius. The territory ruled by Tattenai included Syria, Palestine, Phoenicia and Cyprus." This satrapy was called Syria, and Tattenai’s capital was Damascus. We do not have to wonder how he happened to appear at that particular time when the Jews had taken up work on the temple. That evil racial mix of ten strains of people under the title of Samaritans had run like the tattletales they were to inform the governor against Israel. They found a governor who was fair-minded and who refused to become their instrument of hatred against Israel. He allowed the work to proceed until he could consult Darius the king.

"The governor beyond the River" (Ezra 5:3). "Beyond the River" in Ezra is always a reference to the territory west of the Euphrates. The perspective is from that of Darius’ capital in Babylon, or Shushan.

"Shethar-bozenai" (Ezra 5:3). This man was apprently the secretary of Tattenai, just as, at a later time, Shimshai was the secretary of Rehum.

"The eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews" (Ezra 5:4). The providence of God most certainly entered into this new development; however, God’s instrument of blessing Israel here was in His appointment of Tattenai, a governor who would not be controlled or manipulated by the evil Samaritans.

E.M. Zerr:

Ezra 5:3. This side the river means west of the Euphrates. The Persian Empire had spread out over the civilized world which included the territory from the great river to the land of Palestine. Such a vast country could not be personally supervised by the king or any other one man, but had to be "sublet" to other rulers. All of them would be subject to the chief. Tatnai was one of those rulers, and Shetharboznai was an officer under him. These men had some companions as helpers, and they were all concerned with the interests of their king in the territory placed under them. Their attention was called to the work going on in Jerusalem, and felt called upon to investigate. The circumstances show that it was a better motive that prompted these men in their activities than that of the ones in chapter 4. Those persons were envious, and did not make a sincere effort to get the right thing done. These last were true servants of their king, and were honest in their performances. They approached the group engaged in the work of the temple and asked for their authority in the building project.

Ezra 5:4. The wording of this verse in the A. V. might be a little confusing. It sounds as if we were asking for the names of the workmen, but certainly that would not be true. Whoever the "we" represents personally, it means the ones connected with the work, and they had no reason for asking such a question. Instead, they were asked the names of the workmen, and the verse means to say what they told Tatnai in their answer. The American Standard translation words it, "then we told them," etc. The thought is, Tatnai not only wanted to know the authority for the work going on, but also the personnel of the men in charge of the work.

Ezra 5:5. Tatnai and his fellows did not presume to interfere further with the work until they had communicated with their king. The eve of God was upon, the elders. This accounts for the conduct of the Persian officers as stated in the beginning of this paragraph. So the work was to continue, pending word from the king.

Verses 6-17

Ezr 5:6-17

Ezra 5:6-17

GOVERNOR TATTENAI’S LETTER TO DARIUS I

"The copy of the letter that Tattenai the governor beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai, and his companions the Apharsachites, who were beyond the River, sent unto Darius the king; they sent a letter unto him, wherein was written thus: Unto Darius the king, all peace. Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls; and this work goeth on with diligence and prospereth in their hands. Then asked we those elders, and said unto them thus, Who gave you a decree to build this house, and to finish this wall? We asked them their names also, to certify thee, that we might write the names of the men that were at the head of them. And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and are building the house that was builded there many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and finished. But after that our fathers had provoked the God of heaven unto wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean who destroyed this house, and carried the people away into Babylon. But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree to build this house of God. And the gold and silver vessels also of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, and brought into the temple of Babylon, those did Cyrus the king take out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered unto one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor; and he said unto him, Take these vessels, go, put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be buUded in its place. Then came the same Sheshbazzar, and laid the foundations of the house of God which is in Jerusalem: and since that time, even until now, hath it been in building, yet it is not completed. Now therefore, if it seem good to the king, let there be search made in the king’s treasure-house, which is there at Babylon, whether it be so, that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem; and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter."

One must admit that this letter is a fair and honorable presentation of the truth as Tattenai laid it out before Darius the king. What a contrast there is here with that prejudiced and derogatory letter that the evil governor Rehum would, at a later time, send to Artaxerxes.

"Builded with great stones" (Ezra 5:8). "The Hebrew here is rolling stones, that is, stones so large that they would have to be moved by rolling them on rollers." Dummelow gave the dimensions of some of those stones as "Sixty-seven feet long, seven and one half feet high, and nine feet wide."

"Sheshbazzar" (Ezra 5:14). This is the man to whom was counted the sacred vessels that he restored to Israel, even those that Nebuchadnezzar had looted from the Temple of Solomon. He was evidenly Cyrus’ man in charge of that first expedition to Jerusalem; and scholars differ on just what connection he had with Zerubbabel. Hamrick thought that he might have been the same person as Zerubbabel, in which case his Babylonian name might have been Sheshbazzar. However, the opinion of Cundall may be correct: "If Sheshbazzar was the Persian appointed leader, it would account for the fact that in this official communication he would be tactfully mentioned as the one who laid the foundations of the Temple, whereas Zerubbabel, the popular leader would be given the prominence in the domestic account."

"Let there be search made ... whether it be so ... that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build the house of God at Jerusalem" (Ezra 5:17). This was the key request of Darius by Tattenai. If indeed it was true that Cyrus had made such a decree, then according to the Medo-Persian tradition it was impossible to change it. Daniel twice referred to the "Law of the Medes and Persians which altereth not" (Daniel 6:8; Daniel 6:12). Daniel commented that, "It is a law of the Medes and Persians that no interdict nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed" (Daniel 6:15). If the projected search proposed by Tatrenal revealed that Cyrus indeed had made such a decree as the Jews claimed, then it was settled; the law could not be changed.

E.M. Zerr:

Ezra 5:6-7. This paragraph introduces the reader to the letter that was sent to the King of Persia. The parties sending the letter were the ones who had made the investigation of the work going or in Jerusalem.

Ezra 5:8. The expressions in this verse indicate that some progress had been made with the building. Mention is made of timber, which would not be put into the foundation. Great stones is rendered "stones of rolling" in the margin, and Strong’s lexicon defines the word for great, "from a root corresponding to GALAL; weight or size (as if rolled)." It is an interesting subject, based on one of the methods used in ancient times for raising huge stones to their places in the buildings, in the absence of cranes or derricks, such as are used today. A ramp or sloping roadway was built of earth, the highest point of which reached the surface of the preceding course in the wall of the building. The stone was then rolled over and over on this ramp, with the aid of strong levers, until it reached the top where it was skidded into its place in the wall. The ramp was then lengthened and raised to correspond with the height of the previous stone, and another was rolled up the ramp to its place. This procedure was continued until the desired height of the wall was reached. The great God was not said in derision. We will recall that after the captivity of the 10 tribes (2 Kings 17) some people from an outside territory were brought in to occupy the country. They adopted a mixed religion that included a nominal recognition of the true God. The term used did not indicate all that we would mean by its use, but to them it was a proper way of designating the God of the place where the reported work was going on. Work goeth fast on was said to impress the king with the urgency of the case.

Ezra 5:9-10. These verses correspond Ezra 5:3 and Ezra 5:4, and need no further comment.

Ezra 5:11. This part of the answer from Zerubbabel is not given in the first account of the conversation, but is made a part of the letter to the king. The Jews said they were the servants of the God of heaven and earth, while the expression originating with Tatnai was merely the great God. The difference will be recognized if you will reread the remarks in the preceding paragraph, explanatory of the expression of the Persian governor. He did not know about the God of heaven as we recognize him, but did think of him as the God of the temple. The great king that was mentioned by Zerubbabel and here repeated in the letter to Darius, was Solomon.

Ezra 5:12. This is more of the answer of Zerubbabel to the inquiry of Tatnai. It is not likely that many persons who made this answer to him were living at the time of the captivity. But all such matters were put into the records and could be read by interested ones. This was a truthful though brief statement of the sad downfall of the kingdom of Judah at the hand of the king of Babylon, the Chaldean. These two terms are again used in the same connection. Babylon was the name of the territory, and Chaldean was the name of a prominent people who were in possession of Babylon at the time of which we are studying.

Ezra 5:13. The letter omitted the 70 years of the captivity, and came directly from the beginning of the period’s start to its ending. First year of Cyrus means the first year after he had taken Babylon; he had been a ruler over the Persians about a score of years before. The dates at the top of the chart show only his rule over Babylon. The letter states that Cyrus made a decree the first year he came into Babylon, that the house should be built to the Lora in Jerusalem.

Ezra 5:14. We desire to keep our "bearings" and understand who is who, and why the various names and places are used in such close connection. For this purpose I shall make a brief statement on the subject. At the time the kingdom of Judah was captured, the territory around Babylon was in control of the Babylonians, otherwise called Chaldeans. At the time when the people of God had "served out their sentence" of 70 years, the territory had changed rulers and was under the Persians. When Cyrus the Persian came into power in Babylon, he found the Jews there, as a man would find a bird in a cage that he had captured from another man. And, just as a compassionate man would open the cage and let the bird go free, so Cyrus permitted the imprisoned Jews to have their freedom. To use the illustration further, as the compassionate man might take the interest to provide a suitable nest for the bird, so did Cyrus use his advantage as king to help the Jews find a desirable home and headquarters. If there were articles of service found in the cage that the bird could use in his new home, the good man would transfer them thereto. Accordingly, Cyrus found some vessels in the cage (Babylon) that really belonged to the prisoners, and that had been taken from their native home. These were restored to the rightful owners, but to insure their safe transportation, they were put into the hands of his own officer, which the text calls a governor. The margin renders it "deputy," which is evidently correct, since Tatnai was govenor over the territory west of the Euphrates River.

Ezra 5:15. Don’t forget that we are still reading the letter that was sent to Darius, in which the edict of Cyrus made 15 years before is being recounted.

Ezra 5:16. The letter goes on to state that the edict of Cyrus had been respected; that the foundation was laid and the work on the building started. Since that time . . . been in building . . . not finished. These words mean that work had been held up through the years, but was again being put forward.

Ezra 5:17. Thus far the letter was giving a true report of what Tatnai learned when he investigated what was going on in Jerusalem. Also, what was told him upon his inquiry for their authority for what they were doing. Having made the report, the authors of the letter wrote a closing paragraph, in which they requested that the royal records be consulted to see if the Jews were correct in their claims. It was also requested that the king return word as to what he wished to have done about the matter.