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Texts -- Ezra 5:5-17 (NET)

Context
5:5 But God was watching over the elders of Judah , and they were not stopped until a report could be dispatched to Darius and a letter could be sent back concerning this . 5:6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates , Shethar-Bozenai , and his colleagues who were the officials of Trans-Euphrates sent to King Darius . 5:7 The report they sent to him was written as follows : “To King Darius : All greetings ! 5:8 Let it be known to the king that we have gone to the province of Judah , to the temple of the great God . It is being built with large stones , and timbers are being placed in the walls . This work is being done with all diligence and is prospering in their hands . 5:9 We inquired of those elders , asking them, ‘Who gave you the authority to rebuild this temple and to complete this structure ?’ 5:10 We also inquired of their names in order to inform you, so that we might write the names of the men who were their leaders . 5:11 They responded to us in the following way : ‘We are servants of the God of heaven and earth . We are rebuilding the temple which was previously built many years ago . A great king of Israel built it and completed it. 5:12 But after our ancestors angered the God of heaven , he delivered them into the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon , the Chaldean , who destroyed this temple and exiled the people to Babylon . 5:13 But in the first year of King Cyrus of Babylon , King Cyrus enacted a decree to rebuild this temple of God . 5:14 Even the gold and silver vessels of the temple of God that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and had brought to the palace of Babylon – even those things King Cyrus brought from the palace of Babylon and presented to a man by the name of Sheshbazzar whom he had appointed as governor . 5:15 He said to him, “Take these vessels and go deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem , and let the house of God be rebuilt in its proper location .” 5:16 Then this Sheshbazzar went and laid the foundations of the temple of God in Jerusalem . From that time to the present moment it has been in the process of being rebuilt , although it is not yet finished .’ 5:17 “Now if the king is so inclined , let a search be conducted in the royal archives there in Babylon in order to determine whether King Cyrus did in fact issue orders for this temple of God to be rebuilt in Jerusalem . Then let the king send us a decision concerning this matter.”

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Zerubbabel

    [ebd] the seed of Babylon, the son of Salathiel or Shealtiel (Hag. 1:1; Zorobabel, Matt. 1:12); called also the son of Pedaiah (1 Chr. 3:17-19), i.e., according to a frequent usage of the word "son;" the grandson or the nephew of ...
    [nave] ZERUBBABEL, called also Sheshbazzar. Directs the rebuilding of the altar and temple after his return from captivity in Babylon, Ezra 3:2-8; 4:2, 3; 5:2, 14-16; Hag. 1:12-14. Leads the emancipated Jews back from Babylon, Ezra...

  • Joshua

    [nave] JOSHUA 1. Called also Jehoshua, and Jehoshuah, and Oshea. Son of Nun, Num. 13:8; 1 Chr. 7:27. Intimately associated with Moses, Ex. 24:13; 32:17; 33:11. A religious zealot, Num. 11:28. Sent with others to view the promise...

  • Zechariah

    [ebd] Jehovah is renowned or remembered. (1.) A prophet of Judah, the eleventh of the twelve minor prophets. Like Ezekiel, he was of priestly extraction. He describes himself (1:1) as "the son of Berechiah." In Ezra 5:1 and 6:14 h...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • Darius

    [nave] DARIUS 1. The Mede, king of Persia, Dan. 5:31; 6; 9:1. 2. King of Persia. Emancipates the Jews, Ezra 5; 6; Hag. 1:1, 15; Zech. 1:1. 3. The Persian, Neh. 12:22.

  • Chaldee language

    [ebd] employed by the sacred writers in certain portions of the Old Testament, viz., Dan. 2:4-7, 28; Ezra 4:8-6:18; 7:12-26; Gen. 31:46; Jer. 10:11. It is the Aramaic dialect, as it is sometimes called, as distinguished from the H...

  • Temple

    [nave] TEMPLE. Solomon's Called also Temple of the Lord, 2 Kin. 11:10; Holy Temple, Psa. 79:1; Holy House, 1 Chr. 29:3; House of God, 1 Chr. 29:2; 2 Chr. 23:9; House of the Lord, 2 Chr. 23:5, 12; Jer. 28:5; Father's House, John 2...

  • EPISTLE

    [isbe] EPISTLE - e-pis'-'-l (epistole, "a letter," "epistle"; from epistello, "to send to"): 1. New Testament Epistles 2. Distinctive Characteristics 3. Letter-Writing in Antiquity 4. Letters in the Old Testament 5. Letters in the ...

  • Temple, the Second

    [ebd] After the return from captivity, under Zerubbabel (q.v.) and the high priest Jeshua, arrangements were almost immediately made to reorganize the long-desolated kingdom. The body of pilgrims, forming a band of 42,360, includi...

  • Cyrus

    [ebd] (Heb. Ko'resh), the celebrated "King of Persia" (Elam) who was conqueror of Babylon, and issued the decree of liberation to the Jews (Ezra 1:1, 2). He was the son of Cambyses, the prince of Persia, and was born about B.C. 59...
    [isbe] CYRUS - si'-rus (koresh; Old Persian Kurus; Babylonian Kur(r)as, Kur(r)asu; Greek Kuros, 2 Ch 36:22, etc.): 1. Genealogy of Cyrus 2. His Country, Ansan or Anzan 3. His Origin (Herodotus) 4. His Origin (Xenophon) 5. His Origi...
    [smith] (the sun), the founder of the Persian empire --see (2 Chronicles 36:22,23; Daniel 6:28; 10:1,13) --was, according to the common legend, the son of Cambyses, a Persian of the royal family of the Achaemenidae. When he grew u...
    [nave] CYRUS, king of Persia. Issues a decree for the emancipation of the Jews and rebuilding the temple, 2 Chr. 36:22, 23; Ezra 1; 3:7; 4:3; 5:13, 14; 6:3. Prophecies concerning, Isa. 13:17-22; 21:2; 41:2; 44:28; 45:1-4, 13; 46:11...

  • Liberality

    [nave] LIBERALITY. Ex. 22:29, 30 Ex. 13:2, 12. Ex. 23:15 Ex. 34:20. Ex. 25:1-8; Ex. 35:4-29; Ex. 36:3-6; Ex. 38:8; Lev. 19:5 Lev. 22:29; Num. 35:8. Deut. 12:11, 12, 17-19; Deut. 14:27-29; Deut. 15:7-18; Deut. 16:10, 17; Deut. 18:1...

  • Persia

    [nave] PERSIA An empire which extended from India to Ethiopia, comprising one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, Esth. 1:1; Dan. 6:1. Government of, restricted by constitutional limitations, Esth. 8:8; Dan. 6:8-12. Municipal gov...

  • Sheshbazzar

    [isbe] SHESHBAZZAR - shesh-baz'-ar (shesh-batstsar or sheshbatstsar): Sheshbazzar is the Hebrew or Aramaic form of the Babylonian Shamash-aba-ucur, or Shamash-bana-ucur: "Oh Shamash, protect the father." It is possible that the ful...
    [nave] SHESHBAZZAR, a name given, apparently, to Zerubbabel, Ezra 1:8, 11; 5:14, 16. See: Zerubbabel.

  • Tatnai

    [ebd] gift, a Persian governor (Heb. pehah, i.e., "satrap;" modern "pasha") "on this side the river", i.e., of the whole tract on the west of the Euphrates. This Hebrew title pehah is given to governors of provinces generally. It ...
    [smith] (gift), satrap of the province west of the Euphrates in the time of Darius Hystaspes. (Ezra 5:3,6; 6:6,13) (B.C. 520.) The name is thought to be Persian.
    [nave] TATNAI, a Persian governor in Samaria, Ezra 5:3, 6; 6:6, 13.

  • Apharsachites

    [ebd] a company of the colonists whom the Assyrian king planted in Samaria (Ezra 5:6; 6:6).
    [nave] APHARSACHITES, this is transliterated in the KJV, NKJV, and ASV but translated as "officials" (NIV) "lesser governors" (NASB) "legates" (NJB). Ezra 5:6; 6:6, with 2 Kin. 17.

  • Shethar-boznai

    [ebd] star of splendour, a Persian officer who vainly attempted to hinder the rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 5:3, 6; 6:6, 13).
    [nave] SHETHAR-BOZNAI, an official of the king of Persia, Ezra 5:3, 6; 6:6, 13.

  • HOUSE OF GOD

    [isbe] HOUSE OF GOD - In Gen 28:17,22 = BETHEL (which see). In Jgs, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezr, Neh, Ps, etc. (beth ha-'elohim), a designation of the sanctuary = "house of Yahweh" (of the tabernacle, Jdg 18:31; 20:18,26 the King James...

  • Church

    [nave] CHURCH, place of worship. Called Courts, Psa. 65:4; 84:2, 10; 92:13; 96:8; 100:4; 116:19; Isa. 1:12; 62:9; Zech. 3:7; House of God, Gen. 28:17, 22; Josh. 9:23; Judg. 18:31; 20:18, 26; 21:2; 1 Chr. 9:11; 24:5; 2 Chr. 5:14; 22:...

  • ELDER IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

    [isbe] ELDER IN THE OLD TESTAMENT - el'-der, (zaqen): Among primitive peoples authority seems naturally to be invested in those who by virtue of greater age and, consequently, experience are best fitted to govern thus Iliad iii.149...

  • God

    [nave] GOD. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Access to; Compassion of; Creator; Creator of Mankind; Eternity of; Faithfulness of; Fatherhood of; Favor of; Foreknowledge of; Glory of; Goodness of...
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  • [Ezr 5:11] Lift The Strain Of High Thanksgiving

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • Due to the ancient tradition that the same writer composed both parts of the book (chapters 1-6 and 7-10), many scholars believe Ezra produced all of it.5A passage in the Talmud credits Ezra with the authorship of Ezra-Nehemi...
  • The earliest historical reference in Ezra is to the decree of Cyrus that he issued in his first year on the throne (1:1), 538 B.C.12The latest historical reference was just prior to Nehemiah's first trip to Jerusalem (4:21-23...
  • I. The first return under Sheshbazzar chs. 1-6A. The return from Babylon chs. 1-21. The edict of Cyrus and its consequences ch. 12. The exiles who returned ch. 2B. The rebuilding of the temple chs. 3-61. The beginning of cons...
  • "This whole section (Ezra 1-6) emphasizes God's sovereignty and his providence; God works in history to fulfill his will."15
  • "It is not strange according to the Semitic style to start a book with a waw["And"or "Now"], especially when the author intended to write a continuation of the history of his people. He connects the history which he wants to ...
  • Often warring armies in the ancient Near East carried images of their gods into battle to help secure victory (cf. 2 Sam. 5:21; 1 Chron. 14:12). When one army defeated the other the victors would take the images of their defe...
  • The Assyrian government encouraged its residents to move to Israel and to settle there after the fall of the Northern Kingdom in 722 B.C. This was official government policy during the reigns of the Assyrian kings Esarhaddon ...
  • "When he [the writer] discussed the problems of the building of the temple in 4:1-5, it reminded him of later similar troubles with the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem, and so 4:6-23 has been inserted, almost parenthetica...
  • Artaxerxes was the successor of Ahasuerus (Xerxes) who ruled the Persian Empire from 464 to 424 B.C.73Clearly the incident reported in these verses took place long after the temple was complete. It really involved the attempt...
  • In contrast to Rehum and Shimshai's letter to Artaxerxes (4:11-16), Tattenai's letter to Darius was fair and objective. He did not want to stop the Jews' project. He only wanted to know if Cyrus had really given permission fo...
  • Compared with the dedication of the first temple this one was very modest. Solomon had offered more than 200 times as many animals.96The Jews offered one sin offering, which involved slaying a goat, for each of the 12 tribes ...
  • "These things"(v. 1) refers to the events of the first return that the writer described in chapters 1-6.Ezra's genealogy (vv. 1-5) shows that he was a man of importance whom his fellow Jews would have respected. He was a desc...
  • The Book of Ezra records two major Jewish returns to the Promised Land from Babylon.The first of these took place in 537 B.C. under the leadership of Sheshbazzar and then Zerubbabel. About 50,000 Jews returned, rebuilt the te...
  • The events of the Book of Esther took place during the Persian period of ancient history (539-331 B.C.) and during the reign of King Ahasuerus in particular (486-464 B.C.).Chronology of the Book of Esther483Ahasuerus' militar...
  • This concluding exhortation contains a title for God unique in the Psalter. It highlights His sovereignty and was a favorite of the postexilic community (2 Chron. 36:23; Ezra 2:1; 5:11-12; 6:9-10; 7:12, 21, 23 [twice]; Neh. 1...
  • 5:29 Belshazzar kept his promise (v. 16) though Daniel's honors only lasted a few hours at most, typical of the honors of this world. The king's response is surprising. We might have expected him to execute Daniel for confron...
  • The Babylonians, led by King Nebuchadnezzar, destroyed the city of Jerusalem, including Solomon's temple, in 586 B.C. and took most of the Jews captive to Babylon. There the Israelites could not practice their formal worship ...
  • 4:8-9 Another word from the Lord also came to Zechariah about Zerubbabel. This appears to be another oracle that the writer inserted here because it is appropriate at this point. He promised that as Zerubbabel had laid the fo...
  • "Haggai and Zechariah . . . are noteworthy for the chronological precision with which they related their lives and ministries to their historical milieu. This is not the case at all with Malachi. In fact, one of the major pro...
  • Malachi was one of the three post-exilic writing prophets along with Haggai and Zechariah, and he was quite certainly the last one chronologically, even though we cannot be dogmatic about a date for his writing.The first grou...
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