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 defeated foes captive and lock them up to testify to the impotence of those gods.
"To displace the authority of a city, it was normal practice for a conquering power to carry off the emblems of deity (cf. Jeremiah 48:7)."27
Since the Israelites had no images of Yahweh, Nebuchadnezzar took the temple utensils in their place.28Cyrus released these utensils so the returning Jews could take them back to Jerusalem (cf. Dan. 5:1-4).
"The return of the temple vessels (Ezra 1:7) reverses this and empowers Jerusalem once more in Persian eyes to become the city of Yahweh. Doubtless in this task Cyrus saw himself in typical Achaemenid fashion, as the representative and thus the servant' of Yahweh."29
Sheshbazzar was evidently the uncle of Zerubbabel (1 Chron. 3:17-19).30He seems to have been the leader and governor when the first group of captives returned.31Shenazzar was a variation of the name Sheshbazzar.32The writer named both Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel as having had a part in the rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 5:16; Hag. 1:1, 12; Zech. 4:9). It seems most probable that Zerubbabel succeeded his uncle as the chief man in the restoration leadership since Zerubbabel became the governor of Judah (Hag. 1:1, 14; 2:2, 21). These were, therefore, not two names for the same man (cf. 1 Esdras 6:18).
The inventory of temple articles here (vv. 9-11) does not add up. Verses 9 and 10 give the following quantities.
However verse 11 says the total was 5,400. Perhaps the writer counted only the larger33or most important34vessels and the 5,400 figure includes the grand total including many lesser vessels.
"The closing words of the chapter, from Babylon to Jerusalem, mark one of the turning points of history."35
"Throughout chap. 1 the author's purpose was clearly to show the small postexilic Jewish community their legitimate continuity with the preexilic community and with God's plan of redemption. Therefore he used motifs from the exodus; he emphasized God's providence; he mentioned Judah, Benjamin, priests, and Levites; and he explained that even the former articles from the temple had been returned."36
