Discovery BoxEzra 2:61--6:3
Context2:61 And from among 1 the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai (who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that 2 name). 2:62 They 3 searched for their records in the genealogical materials, but did not find them. 4 They were therefore excluded 5 from the priesthood. 2:63 The governor 6 instructed them not to eat any of the sacred food until there was a priest who could consult 7 the Urim and Thummim.
2:64 The entire group numbered 42,360, 8 2:65 not counting 9 their male and female servants, who numbered 7,337. They also had 200 male and female singers 2:66 and 736 horses, 245 mules, 2:67 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys. 2:68 When they came to the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem, some of the family leaders 10 offered voluntary offerings for the temple of God in order to rebuild 11 it on its site. 2:69 As they were able, 12 they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 drachmas 13 of gold, 5,000 minas 14 of silver, and 100 priestly robes. 15
2:70 The priests, the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their towns, and all the rest of Israel lived in their towns.
3:1 When the seventh month arrived and the Israelites 16 were living 17 in their 18 towns, the people assembled 19 in 20 Jerusalem. 21 3:2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak 22 and his priestly colleagues 23 and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his colleagues 24 started to build 25 the altar of the God of Israel so they could offer burnt offerings on it as required by 26 the law of Moses the man of God. 3:3 They established the altar on its foundations, even though they were in terror of the local peoples, 27 and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and the evening offerings. 3:4 They observed the Festival of Temporary Shelters 28 as required 29 and offered the proper number of 30 daily burnt offerings according to the requirement for each day. 3:5 Afterward they offered the continual burnt offerings and those for the new moons and those for all the holy assemblies of the Lord and all those that were being voluntarily offered to the Lord. 3:6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. However, the Lord’s temple was not at that time established. 31
3:7 So they provided money 32 for the masons and carpenters, and food, beverages, and olive oil for the people of Sidon 33 and Tyre, 34 so that they would bring cedar timber from Lebanon to the seaport 35 at Joppa, in accord with the edict of King Cyrus of Persia. 3:8 In the second year after they had come to the temple of God in Jerusalem, 36 in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak initiated the work, 37 along with the rest of their associates, 38 the priests and the Levites, and all those who were coming to Jerusalem from the exile. They appointed 39 the Levites who were at least twenty years old 40 to take charge of the work on the Lord’s temple. 3:9 So Jeshua appointed both his sons and his relatives, 41 Kadmiel and his sons (the sons of Yehudah 42 ), to take charge of the workers in the temple of God, along with the sons of Henadad, their sons, and their relatives 43 the Levites. 3:10 When the builders established the Lord’s temple, the priests, ceremonially attired and with their clarions, 44 and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with their cymbals, stood to praise the Lord according to the instructions left by 45 King David of Israel. 46 3:11 With antiphonal response they sang, 47 praising and glorifying the Lord:
“For he is good;
his loyal love toward Israel is forever.”
All the people gave a loud 48 shout as they praised the Lord when the temple of the Lord was established. 3:12 Many of the priests, the Levites, and the leaders 49 – older people who had seen with their own eyes the former temple while it was still established 50 – were weeping loudly, 51 and many others raised their voice in a joyous shout. 3:13 People were unable to tell the difference between the sound of joyous shouting and the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people were shouting so loudly 52 that the sound was heard a long way off.
4:1 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin learned that the former exiles 53 were building a temple for the Lord God of Israel, 4:2 they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders 54 and said to them, “Let us help you build, 55 for like you we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him 56 from the time 57 of King Esarhaddon 58 of Assyria, who brought us here.” 59 4:3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the leaders of Israel said to them, “You have no right 60 to help us build the temple of our God. We will build it by ourselves for the Lord God of Israel, just as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.” 4:4 Then the local people 61 began to discourage 62 the people of Judah and to dishearten them from building. 4:5 They were hiring advisers to oppose them, so as to frustrate their plans, throughout the time 63 of King Cyrus of Persia until the reign of King Darius 64 of Persia. 65
4:6 66 At the beginning of the reign of Ahasuerus 67 they filed an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. 68 4:7 And during the reign 69 of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, 70 Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their colleagues 71 wrote to King Artaxerxes 72 of Persia. This letter 73 was first written in Aramaic but then translated.
[Aramaic:] 74
4:8 Rehum the commander 75 and Shimshai the scribe 76 wrote a letter concerning 77 Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows: 4:9 From 78 Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues – the judges, the rulers, the officials, the secretaries, the Erechites, the Babylonians, the people of Susa (that is, 79 the Elamites), 4:10 and the rest of nations whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal 80 deported and settled in the cities 81 of Samaria and other places in Trans-Euphrates. 82 4:11 (This is a copy of the letter they sent to him:)
“To King Artaxerxes, 83 from your servants in 84 Trans-Euphrates: 4:12 Now 85 let the king be aware that the Jews who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and odious city. 86 They are completing its walls and repairing its foundations. 4:13 Let the king also be aware that if this city is built and its walls are completed, no more tax, custom, or toll will be paid, and the royal treasury 87 will suffer loss. 4:14 In light of the fact that we are loyal to the king, 88 and since it does not seem appropriate to us that the king should sustain damage, 89 we are sending the king this information 90 4:15 so that he may initiate a search of the records 91 of his predecessors 92 and discover in those records 93 that this city is rebellious 94 and injurious to both kings and provinces, producing internal revolts 95 from long ago. 96 It is for this very reason that this city was destroyed. 4:16 We therefore are informing the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, you will not retain control 97 of this portion of Trans-Euphrates.”
4:17 The king sent the following response:
“To Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues who live in Samaria and other parts of Trans-Euphrates: Greetings! 98 4:18 The letter you sent to us has been translated and read in my presence. 4:19 So I gave orders, 99 and it was determined 100 that this city from long ago has been engaging in insurrection against kings. It has continually engaged in 101 rebellion and revolt. 4:20 Powerful kings have been over Jerusalem who ruled throughout the entire Trans-Euphrates 102 and who were the beneficiaries of 103 tribute, custom, and toll. 4:21 Now give orders that these men cease their work and that this city not be rebuilt until such time as I so instruct. 104 4:22 Exercise appropriate caution so that there is no negligence in this matter. Why should danger increase to the point that kings sustain damage?”
4:23 Then, as soon as the copy of the letter from King Artaxerxes was read in the presence of Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their colleagues, they proceeded promptly to the Jews in Jerusalem 105 and stopped them with threat of armed force. 106
4:24 So the work on the temple of God in Jerusalem came to a halt. It remained halted until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia. 107
5:1 Then the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son 108 of Iddo 109 prophesied concerning the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem 110 in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. 5:2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak began 111 to rebuild the temple of God in Jerusalem. The prophets of God were with them, supporting them.
5:3 At that time Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai, and their colleagues came to them and asked, “Who gave you authority 112 to rebuild this temple and to complete this structure?” 113 5:4 They 114 also asked them, “What are the names of the men who are building this edifice?” 5:5 But God was watching over 115 the elders of Judah, and they were not stopped 116 until a report could be dispatched 117 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: 118
“To King Darius: All greetings! 119 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, 120 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 121 of Israel built it and completed it. 5:12 But after our ancestors 122 angered the God of heaven, he delivered them into the hands 123 of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and exiled the people to Babylon. 124 5:13 But in the first year of King Cyrus of Babylon, 125 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 126 of Babylon – even those things King Cyrus brought from the palace of Babylon and presented 127 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.” 128 5:16 Then this Sheshbazzar went and laid the foundations of the temple of God in Jerusalem. From that time to the present moment 129 it has been in the process of being rebuilt, although it is not yet finished.’
5:17 “Now if the king is so inclined, 130 let a search be conducted in the royal archives 131 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.”
6:1 So Darius the king issued orders, and they searched in the archives 132 of the treasury which were deposited there in Babylon. 6:2 A scroll was found in the citadel 133 of Ecbatana which is in the province of Media, and it was inscribed as follows:
“Memorandum: 6:3 In the first year of his reign, 134 King Cyrus gave orders concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem: 135 ‘Let the temple be rebuilt as a place where sacrifices are offered. Let its foundations be set in place. 136 Its height is to be ninety feet and its width ninety 137 feet, 138
[2:61] 1 tc The translation reads וּמִן (umin, “and from”) rather than the reading וּמִבּנֵי (umibbÿney, “and from the sons of”) found in the MT.
[2:62] 4 tn Heb “their records were searched for in the genealogical materials, but were not found.” This passive construction has been translated as active for stylistic reasons.
[2:62] 5 tn Heb “they were desecrated.”
[2:63] 5 tn The Hebrew word תִּרְשָׁתָא (tirshata’) is an official title of the Persian governor in Judea, perhaps similar in meaning to “excellency” (BDB 1077 s.v.; HALOT 1798 s.v.; W. L. Holladay, Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 395).
[2:64] 7 sn The same total is given in Neh 7:66, but it is difficult to understand how this number is reached, since the numbers of people listed in the constituent groups do not add up to 42,360. The list in vv. 3-60 apparently is not intended to be exhaustive, but the basis of the selectivity is unclear.
[2:65] 9 tn Heb “besides” or “in addition to.”
[2:68] 11 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”
[2:68] 12 tn Heb “cause it to stand.”
[2:69] 13 tn Heb “according to their strength.”
[2:69] 14 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word דַּרְכְּמוֹנִים (darkÿmonim, cf. Neh 7:69, 70, 71) is uncertain. It may be a Greek loanword meaning “drachmas” (the view adopted here and followed also by NAB, NASB, NIV) or a Persian loanword “daric,” referring to a Persian gold coin (BDB 204 s.v. דַּרְכְּמוֹן; HALOT 232 s.v. נִים(וֹ)דַּרְכְּמֹ; cf. ASV, NRSV). For further study, see R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 206-9.
[2:69] 15 sn The מָנִים (manim, cf. Neh 7:71, 72) is a measuring weight for valuable metals, equal to 1/60 of a talent or 60 shekels (BDB 584 s.v. מָנֶה; HALOT 599 s.v. מָנֶה). For further study, see R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 203-6.
[3:1] 15 tn Heb “the sons of Israel.”
[3:1] 16 tn The word “living” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied. Some translations supply “settled” (cf. NAB, NIV, NLT).
[3:1] 17 tc The translation reads with some medieval Hebrew
[3:1] 18 tn The Hebrew text adds the phrase “like one man.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[3:1] 20 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[3:2] 17 sn Jozadak (also in 3:8) is a variant spelling of Jehozadak.
[3:2] 18 tn Heb “his brothers the priests.”
[3:2] 19 tn Heb “his brothers.”
[3:2] 20 tn Heb “arose and built.”
[3:2] 21 tn Heb “written in.” Cf. v. 4.
[3:3] 19 tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”
[3:4] 21 tn The Hebrew phrase אֶת חַג־הַסֻּכּוֹת (’et khag-hassukot, “festival of huts” [or “shelters”]) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The rendering “booths” (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV) is probably better than the traditional “tabernacles” in light of the meaning of the term סֻכָּה (sukkah, “hut; booth”), but “booths” are frequently associated with trade shows and craft fairs in contemporary American English. The nature of the celebration during this feast as a commemoration of the wanderings of the Israelites after they left Egypt suggests that a translation like “temporary shelters” is more appropriate.
[3:4] 22 tn Heb “according to what is written.”
[3:6] 23 tn Or “the foundation of the
[3:7] 26 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[3:7] 27 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[3:8] 27 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[3:8] 28 tn Heb “began”; the phrase “the work” is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
[3:8] 29 tn Heb “their brothers.”
[3:8] 31 tn Heb “from twenty years and upward.”
[3:9] 30 sn The name יְהוּדָה (Yehudah; cf. KJV, ASV, NASB “Judah”) is probably a variant of Hodaviah (see Ezra 2:40; cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).
[3:10] 31 sn This was a long, straight, metallic instrument used for signal calls, rather than the traditional ram’s horn (both instruments are typically translated “trumpet” by English versions).
[3:10] 32 tn Heb “according to the hands of.”
[3:10] 33 sn See Ps 107:1; 118:1, 29; 136:1. Cf. 2 Chr 5:13; 7:3; 20:21.
[3:11] 33 tn Heb “they answered.”
[3:12] 35 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”
[3:12] 36 sn The temple had been destroyed some fifty years earlier by the Babylonians in 586
[3:12] 37 tn Heb “with a great voice.”
[3:13] 37 tn Heb “a great shout.”
[4:1] 39 tn Heb “the sons of the exile.”
[4:2] 41 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.” So also in v. 3.
[4:2] 42 tn Heb “Let us build with you.”
[4:2] 43 tc The translation reads with the Qere, a Qumran
[4:2] 45 sn Esarhaddon was king of Assyria ca. 681-669
[4:2] 46 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.
[4:3] 43 tn Heb “not to you and to us.”
[4:4] 45 tn Heb “the people of the land.” Elsewhere this expression sometimes has a negative connotation, referring to a lay population that was less zealous for Judaism than it should have been. Here, however, it seems to refer to the resident population of the area without any negative connotation.
[4:4] 46 tn Heb “were making slack the hands of.”
[4:5] 47 tn Heb “all the days of.”
[4:5] 48 sn Darius ruled Persia ca. 522-486
[4:5] 49 sn The purpose of the opening verses of this chapter is to summarize why the Jews returning from the exile were unable to complete the rebuilding of the temple more quickly than they did. The delay was due not to disinterest on their part but to the repeated obstacles that had been placed in their path by determined foes.
[4:6] 49 sn The chronological problems of Ezra 4:6-24 are well known and have been the subject of extensive discussion since ancient times. Both v. 5 and v. 24 describe the reign of Darius I Hystaspes, who ruled Persia ca. 522–486
[4:6] 50 sn Ahasuerus, otherwise known as Xerxes I, ruled ca. 486-464
[4:6] 51 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[4:7] 51 tn Heb “And in the days.”
[4:7] 52 tn The LXX understands this word as a prepositional phrase (“in peace”) rather than as a proper name (“Bishlam”). Taken this way it would suggest that Mithredath was “in agreement with” the contents of Tabeel’s letter. Some scholars regard the word in the MT to be a corruption of either “in Jerusalem” (i.e., “in the matter of Jerusalem”) or “in the name of Jerusalem.” The translation adopted above follows the traditional understanding of the word as a name.
[4:7] 53 tc The translation reads the plural with the Qere rather than the singular found in the MT Kethib.
[4:7] 54 sn Artaxerxes I ruled in Persia from ca. 465–425
[4:7] 55 tc It is preferable to delete the MT’s וּכְתָב (ukhÿtav) here.
[4:7] 56 sn The double reference in v. 7 to the Aramaic language is difficult. It would not make sense to say that the letter was written in Aramaic and then translated into Aramaic. Some interpreters understand the verse to mean that the letter was written in the Aramaic script and in the Aramaic language, but this does not seem to give sufficient attention to the participle “translated” at the end of the verse. The second reference to Aramaic in the verse is more probably a gloss that calls attention to the fact that the following verses retain the Aramaic language of the letter in its original linguistic form. A similar reference to Aramaic occurs in Dan 2:4b, where the language of that book shifts from Hebrew to Aramaic. Ezra 4:8–6:18 and 7:12-26 are written in Aramaic, whereas the rest of the book is written in Hebrew.
[4:8] 53 tn Aram “lord of the command.” So also in vv. 9, 17.
[4:8] 54 sn Like Rehum, Shimshai was apparently a fairly high-ranking official charged with overseeing Persian interests in this part of the empire. His title was “scribe” or “secretary,” but in a more elevated political sense than that word sometimes has elsewhere. American governmental titles such as “Secretary of State” perhaps provide an analogy in that the word “secretary” can have a broad range of meaning.
[4:8] 55 tn Or perhaps “against.”
[4:9] 55 tn Aram “then.” What follows in v. 9 seems to be the preface of the letter, serving to identify the senders of the letter. The word “from” is not in the Aramaic text but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[4:9] 56 tn For the qere of the MT (דֶּהָיֵא, dehaye’, a proper name) it seems better to retain the Kethib דִּהוּא (dihu’, “that is”). See F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 25, §35; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 36.
[4:10] 57 tn Aram “Osnappar” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV), another name for Ashurbanipal.
[4:10] 58 tc The translation reads with the ancient versions the plural בְּקֻרְיַהּ (bÿquryah, “in the cities”) rather than the singular (“in the city”) of the MT.
[4:10] 59 tn Aram “beyond the river.” In Ezra this term is a technical designation for the region west of the Euphrates river.
[4:11] 59 tn The Masoretic accents indicate that the phrase “to Artaxerxes the king” goes with what precedes and that the letter begins with the words “from your servants.” But it seems better to understand the letter to begin by identifying the addressee.
[4:12] 61 tn The MT takes this word with the latter part of v. 11, but in English style it fits better with v. 12.
[4:12] 62 sn Management of the provinces that were distantly removed from the capital was difficult, and insurrection in such places was a perennial problem. The language used in this report about Jerusalem (i.e., “rebellious,” “odious”) is intentionally inflammatory. It is calculated to draw immediate attention to the perceived problem.
[4:13] 63 tn Aram “the treasury of kings.” The plural “kings” is Hebrew, not Aramaic. If the plural is intended in a numerical sense the reference is not just to Artaxerxes but to his successors as well. Some scholars understand this to be the plural of majesty, referring to Artaxerxes. See F. C. Fensham, Ezra and Nehemiah (NICOT), 74.
[4:14] 65 tn Aram “we eat the salt of the palace.”
[4:14] 66 tn Aram “the dishonor of the king is not fitting for us to see.”
[4:14] 67 tn Aram “and we have made known.”
[4:15] 67 tn Aram “the book of the minutes.”
[4:15] 68 tn Aram “of your fathers.”
[4:15] 69 tn Aram “discover…and learn.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a single concept.
[4:15] 70 tn Aram “is a rebellious city.”
[4:15] 71 tn Aram “revolts they are making in its midst.”
[4:15] 72 tn Aram “from olden days.” So also in v. 19.
[4:16] 69 tn Aram “will not be to you.”
[4:19] 73 tn Aram “from me was placed a decree.”
[4:19] 74 tn Aram “and they searched and found.”
[4:19] 75 tn Aram “are being done.”
[4:20] 75 sn The statement that prior Jewish kings ruled over the entire Trans-Euphrates is an overstatement. Not even in the days of David and Solomon did the kingdom of Israel extend its borders to such an extent.
[4:20] 76 tn Aram “were being given to them.”
[4:21] 77 tn Aram “until a command is issued from me.”
[4:23] 79 tn Aram “to Jerusalem against the Jews.”
[4:23] 80 tn Aram “by force and power,” a hendiadys.
[4:24] 81 sn Darius I Hystaspes ruled Persia ca. 522–486
[5:1] 83 tn Aram “son.” According to Zech 1:1 he was actually the grandson of Iddo.
[5:1] 84 tn Aram “and Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo the prophet.”
[5:1] 85 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[5:2] 85 tn Aram “arose and began.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a single concept.
[5:3] 87 tn Aram “who placed to you a command?” So also v. 9.
[5:3] 88 tn The exact meaning of the Aramaic word אֻשַּׁרְנָא (’ussarna’) here and in v. 9 is uncertain (BDB 1083 s.v.). The LXX and Vulgate understand it to mean “wall.” Here it is used in collocation with בַּיְתָא (bayta’, “house” as the temple of God), while in 5:3, 9 it is used in parallelism with this term. It might be related to the Assyrian noun ashurru (“wall”) or ashru (“sanctuary”; so BDB). F. Rosenthal, who translates the word “furnishings,” thinks that it probably enters Aramaic from Persian (Grammar, 62-63, §189).
[5:4] 89 tc The translation reads with one medieval Hebrew
[5:5] 91 tn Aram “the eye of their God was on.” The idiom describes the attentive care that one exercises in behalf of the object of his concern.
[5:5] 92 tn Aram “they did not stop them.”
[5:5] 93 tn Aram “[could] go.” On this form see F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 58, §169.
[5:7] 93 tn Aram “and it was written in its midst.”
[5:8] 95 tn Aram “stones of rolling.” The reference is apparently to stones too large to carry.
[5:11] 97 sn This great king of Israel would, of course, be Solomon.
[5:12] 100 tn Aram “hand” (singular).
[5:12] 101 sn A reference to the catastrophic events of 586
[5:13] 101 sn Cyrus was actually a Persian king, but when he conquered Babylon in 539
[5:14] 104 tn Aram “they were given.”
[5:15] 105 tn Aram “upon its place.”
[5:16] 107 tn Aram “from then and until now.”
[5:17] 109 tn Aram “if upon the king it is good.”
[5:17] 110 tn Aram “the house of the treasures of the king.”
[6:1] 111 tn Aram “the house of the archives.”
[6:2] 113 tc The translation reads בִירְתָא (birta’, citadel”) rather than the reading בְּבִירְתָא (bÿvireta’, “in the citadel”) found in the MT. The MT probably experienced dittography here.
[6:3] 115 tn Aram “In the first year of Cyrus the king.”
[6:3] 116 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[6:3] 117 tn Aram “raised”; or perhaps “retained” (so NASB; cf. NLT), referring to the original foundations of Solomon’s temple.
[6:3] 118 tc The Syriac Peshitta reads “twenty cubits” here, a measurement probably derived from dimensions given elsewhere for Solomon’s temple. According to 1 Kgs 6:2 the dimensions of the Solomonic temple were as follows: length, 60 cubits; width, 20 cubits; height, 30 cubits. Since one would expect the dimensions cited in Ezra 6:3 to correspond to those of Solomon’s temple, it is odd that no dimension for length is provided. The Syriac has apparently harmonized the width dimension provided here (“twenty cubits”) to that given in 1 Kgs 6:2.
[6:3] 119 tn Aram “Its height sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits.” The standard cubit in the OT is assumed by most authorities to be about eighteen inches (45 cm) long.
