4:1 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin learned that the former exiles 1 were building a temple for the Lord God of Israel, 4:2 they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders 2 and said to them, “Let us help you build, 3 for like you we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him 4 from the time 5 of King Esarhaddon 6 of Assyria, who brought us here.” 7
1:1 8 In the first 9 year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the Lord’s message 10 spoken through 11 Jeremiah, 12 the Lord stirred the mind 13 of King Cyrus of Persia. He disseminated 14 a proclamation 15 throughout his entire kingdom, announcing in a written edict 16 the following: 17
1 tn Heb “the sons of the exile.”
2 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.” So also in v. 3.
3 tn Heb “Let us build with you.”
4 tc The translation reads with the Qere, a Qumran
5 tn Heb “days.”
6 sn Esarhaddon was king of Assyria ca. 681-669
7 sn The Assyrian policy had been to resettle Samaria with peoples from other areas (cf. 2 Kgs 17:24-34). These immigrants acknowledged Yahweh as well as other deities in some cases. The Jews who returned from the Exile regarded them with suspicion and were not hospitable to their offer of help in rebuilding the temple.
8 sn In addition to the canonical books of Ezra and Nehemiah, there are two deuterocanonical books that are also called “Ezra.” Exactly how these books are designated varies in ancient literature. In the Septuagint (LXX) canonical Ezra is called Second Esdras, but in the Latin Vulgate it is called First Esdras. Our Nehemiah is called Third Esdras in some manuscripts of the LXX, but it is known as Second Esdras in the Latin Vulgate. (In the earliest LXX manuscripts Ezra and Nehemiah were regarded as one book, as they were in some Hebrew manuscripts.) The deuterocanonical books of Ezra are called First and Fourth Esdras in the LXX, but Third and Fourth Esdras in the Latin Vulgate. The titles for the so-called books of Ezra are thus rather confusing, a fact that one must keep in mind when consulting this material.
9 sn The first year of Cyrus would be ca. 539
10 tn Heb “the word of the Lord.”
11 tc The MT reads מִפִּי (mippi, “from the mouth of”), but this should probably be emended to בְּפִי (bÿfi, “by the mouth of”), which is the way the parallel passage in 2 Chr 36:22 reads. This is also reflected in the LXX, which is either reflecting an alternate textual tradition of בְּפִי or is attempting to harmonize Ezra 1:1 in light of 2 Chronicles.
12 sn Cf. Jer 29:10; 25:11-14. Jeremiah had prophesied that after a time of seventy years the Jews would return “to this place.” How these seventy years are to be reckoned is a matter of debate among scholars. Some understand the period to refer to the approximate length of Babylon’s ascendancy as a world power, beginning either with the fall of Nineveh (612
13 tn Heb “spirit.” The Hebrew noun רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) has a broad range of meanings (see BDB 924-26 s.v.). Here, it probably refers to (1) “mind” as the seat of mental acts (e.g., Exod 28:3; Deut 34:9; Isa 29:24; 40:13; Ezek 11:5; 20:32; 1 Chr 28:12; cf. BDB 925 s.v. 6) or (2) “will” as the seat of volitional decisions (e.g., Exod 35:5, 22; Pss 51:12, 14; 57:8; 2 Chr 29:31; cf. BDB 925 s.v. 7). So also in v. 5.
14 tn Heb “caused to pass.”
15 tn Heb “a voice.” The Hebrew noun קוֹל (qol, “voice, sound”) has a broad range of meanings, including the metonymical (cause – effect) nuance “proclamation” (e.g., Exod 36:6; 2 Chr 24:9; 30:5; 36:22; Ezra 1:1; 10:7; Neh 8:15). See BDB 877 s.v. 3.a.2.
16 sn For an interesting extrabiblical parallel to this edict see the Cyrus cylinder (ANET 315-16).
17 tn Heb “in writing, saying.”