Cyrus the great in ezra

CYRUS THE GREAT I EZRA
Written and edited by Glenn Pease
EZRA CHAPTER 1 COMME TARY
PREFACE
As with all my commentaries, I quote many authors, and some of them
are not named. I will gladly give credit if the author identifies him or
herself. If any author does not desire to have their wisdom shared in this
way, they can let me know and I will remove it. My e-mail address is
glenn_p86@yahoo.com
This is a verse by verse commentary, but it is also a part of a trilogy about
the greatest pagan in the Bible, which was Cyrus the Great. In the
first volume I dealt with Cyrus in Isaiah where he was predicted to be the
king who would send God's people back to their homeland in Israel,
and rebuild the temple. In the second volume I give a secular history of
this great man that God chose to be his Old Testament Messiah. This
gives us some insight as to why God chose him for this great honor. In this
volume we deal with the time of the actual carrying out of the
prophecy in the time of Ezra.
I TRODUCTIO TO EZRA
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Pastor Harley Howard gives us this excellent introduction to the book:
“The book of Ezra covers 2 distinct time periods. The first 6 chapters
cover the 23 years from the edict of Cyrus to the rebuilding of the temple
in Jerusalem (538-515 BC)
Chapters 7-10 deal with the events after Ezra returned from Babylon
(458 BC).
Chapter 4 contains an event which refers to the reign of king Artaxerxes.
Ezra was also a contemporary of ehemiah ( ehemiah 8).
This is the first of three returns to Israel which was in 538 BC. This
return was led by Zerubbabel (538 BC), Ezra 1-6, and Haggai (520) and
Zechariah (520-518 BC). This return was to build the temple.
The second group was under Ezra himself, 7-10, in 458 BC. This return
was to reform the people.
The third group was led by ehemiah (444 BC). This was to rebuild the
walls in Jerusalem and the lives of the people.
The main purpose of the book was for Israel to respond to the mercy of
God by obedience to Him and to His covenant.
Israel was taken into Babylonian captivity. 70 years have passed and now,
God will give them opportunity to go back to their homeland and
to rebuild the temple.
One of the greatest proofs of the scriptures being the word of God is the
fulfillment of predictive prophecy. One of the clearest evidences of
that, and one of the greatest frustrations to those who try to deny the
miracles of the bible, is this man Cyrus. Isaiah predicted the existence of
king Cyrus, by name, about 150 years before he was born. In fact, it was
in 688 BC that Isaiah made this prediction, that Cyrus would be used
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of God to guarantee the return of the remnant of God’s people. The
fulfillment of Cyrus coming to the place and time where he would
perform this was 538 BC. Also, because of him, Jerusalem would be
restored and the temple would be rebuilt. Isa 44:24-45:5.”
1. In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of
the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus
king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it
in writing:
1. Cyrus is mentioned 22 times in the Old Testament, and that makes him
a major character of the Bible, and that is why I have made him a
major study. God chose him to play an amazing role in his plan, and such
a choice demands that we respect God's choice and learn all we can
about this major Bible character. In this text we see God moving in his
heart to make a decision that changed the history of his people Israel.
He was moved to put it in writing, and so we see God inspiring the
writing of a pagan man that became a part of his inspired Word. Part of
the Bible was actually written by a pagan king, and it was authorized by
God himself. The value of this is that it means that a believer may
find many valuable things in the writings of people who are not believers,
for unbelievers often have knowledge that is not possessed by
believers. Just as pagans has skills to build the temple that the Jews did
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not have, for many a pagan person has insights and wisdom that is not
possessed by believers. God's gifts are not limited to his own people, and
so we need to be open to those gifts that come from beyond the
framework of Christians. Plato is a good example of this, and many early
Christian scholars studied and quoted him in their expounding
Christian truth. Some called him a Christian before Christ, and some feel
the same about Cyrus.
2. We do not stop to think of it, but we are all indebted to unbelievers for
the blessings we enjoy. Out whole country is kept going by the oil we
buy from non-Christians and non-Jews, namely the Arabs. So much of
the material blessings we enjoy come from China and other lands
where labor is cheaper. There are pagans blessing us every day as a
nation and as individuals. God’s people have always been dependent
upon the help of non-believers, and it will always be so, for all of the gifts
and resources are never completely in the hands and control of
believers. This is another reason for the wisdom of loving your enemies,
for often they have what you need.
A pagan king saved Abraham from a great blunder. A pagan king made
it possible for Moses to become the greatest leader of God’s people.
A pagan king made it possible for Joseph to become the savior of his
people. A pagan king made it possible for Esther to save God’s people
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from being massacred. A pagan king made possible the life and ministry
of Daniel. A pagan king ordained that Jesus would be born in
Bethlehem, and thus fulfill prophecy.
3. Josephus, the Jewish historian, wrote that the Jews in Babylon showed
Cyrus the prophecies about him, and how he was named over a
hundred years before he was born, and this is what motivated him to
fulfill the words that God spoke of him. This is found in Antiquities
11.1.2. This could very well be the way God moved in his heart. One of
the texts that he would have been shown was Isaiah 44:28, “who says
of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will
say of Jerusalem, "Let it be rebuilt," and of the temple, "Let its
foundations be laid."
4. Daniel was serving God and Babylon at this very time. Dan. 1:21,
“And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.” Dan.
6:28, “So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of
Cyrus the Persian.” He could have been the one who showed the
prophecy to Cyrus. This gives us the other side of the coin where believers
can be the helpers and benefactors of the unbelievers. Daniel, and
others of God's people like Joseph became great leaders in pagan nations,
and they brought great benefit to those pagan people, for God had
gifted them to do what others could not do. Believers are to benefit the
pagan world, and they are to be benefited by the pagan world. This is
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clearly revealed in God's Word.
5. Wayne Jackson wrote, “During excavations at Babylon (1879-82),
archaeologist Hormuzd Rassam discovered a small (ten inches), clay,
barrel-shaped cylinder that contained an inscription from Cyrus. ow
housed in the British Museum, the cylinder reported the king’s policy
regarding captives: “I [Cyrus] gathered all their [former] inhabitants and
returned [to them] their habitations” (Pritchard, 1958, 1:208). As
noted scholar Jack Finegan observed: “The spirit of Cyrus’s decree of
release which is quoted in the Old Testament (II Chronicles 36:23;
Ezra 1:2-4) is confirmed by the Cyrus cylinder...” (1946, p. 191).”
6. Gill, “The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia; who has
the hearts of all men in his hands, and even of the kings of the earth,
and can turn them as he pleases; he wrought upon him, put it into his
heart, enlightened his mind, showed him what was right, and his duty to
do, and pressed him to the performance of it; so that he could not be easy
until he had done it, and he was made thoroughly willing, and even
eager to do it:
6B Gill goes on with extended comments: “The statement of the prophet
Jeremiah (Jer_25:11, etc., Jer_29:10; comp. 2Ch_36:21)
concerning the desolation and servitude of Judah is here intended. These
seventy years commenced with the first taking of Jerusalem by
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ebuchadnezzar, when Daniel and other youths of the seed-royal were
carried to Babylon (Dan_1:1-2) in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim;
see the explanation of Dan_1:1. This year was the year 606 b.c.; hence the
seventy years terminate in 536 b.c., the first year of the sole rule of
Cyrus over the Babylonian empire. Then “Jahve stirred up the spirit of
Coresh,” i.e., moved him, made him willing; comp. with this
expression, 1Ch_5:26 and Hag_1:14. ??????????, “he caused a voice to go
forth,” i.e., he proclaimed by heralds; comp. Exo_36:6;
2Ch_30:5, etc. With this is zeugmatically combined the subsequent
??????? ???, so that the general notion of proclaiming has to be taken
from ???? ???, and supplied before these words. The sense is: he
proclaimed throughout his whole realm by heralds, and also by written
edicts.
In this edict, however, Cyrus expressly calls the God of heaven by His
Israelitish name Jahve, and speaks of a commission from this God to
build Him a temple at Jerusalem. Hence it is manifest that Cyrus
consciously entered into the purposes of Jahve, and sought, as far as he
was
concerned, to fulfill them. Bertheau thinks, on the contrary, that it is
impossible to dismiss the conjecture that our historian, guided by an
uncertain tradition, and induced by his own historical prepossessions,
remodeled the edict of Cyrus. There is, however, no sufficient
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foundation for such a conjecture. If the first part of the book of Ezra is
founded upon contemporary records of the events, this forbids an à
priori assertion that the matter of the proclamation of Cyrus rests upon
an uncertain tradition, and, on the contrary, presupposes that the
historian had accurate knowledge of its contents. Hence, even if the
thoroughly Israelitish stamp presented by these verses can afford no
support to the view that they faithfully report the contents of the royal
edict, it certainly offers as little proof for the opinion that the Israelite
historian remodeled the edict of Cyrus after an uncertain tradition, and
from historical prepossessions. Even Bertheau finds the fact that
Cyrus should have publicly made known by a written edict the
permission given to the Jews to depart, probable in itself, and
corroborated by
the reference to such an edict in Ezr_5:17 and Ezr_6:3. This edict of
Cyrus, which was deposited in the house of the rolls in the fortress of
Achmetha, and still existed there in the reign of Darius Hystaspis,
contained, however, not merely the permission for the return of the Jews
to
their native land, but, according to Ezr_6:3, the command of Cyrus to
build the house of God at Jerusalem; and Bertheau himself remarks on
Ezr_6:3, etc.: “There is no reason to doubt the correctness of the
statement that Cyrus, at the time he gave permission for the re-settlement
of the community, also commanded the expenses of rebuilding the temple
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to be defrayed from the public treasury.” To say this, however, is to
admit the historical accuracy of the actual contents of the edict, since it is
hence manifest that Cyrus, of his own free will, not only granted to
the Jews permission to return to the land of their fathers, but also
commanded the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem. Although, then,
this
edict was composed, not in Hebrew, but in the current language of the
realm, and is reproduced in this book only in a Hebrew translation, and
although the occurrence of the name Jahve therein is not corroborated by
Ezr_6:3, yet these two circumstances by no means justify
Bertheau's conclusion, that “if Cyrus in this edict called the universal
dominion of which he boasted a gift of the god whom he worshiped as
the creator of heaven and earth, the Israelite translator, who could not
designate this god by his Persian name, and who was persuaded that
the God of Israel had given the kingdom to Cyrus, must have bestowed
upon the supreme God, whom Cyrus mocked, the name of Jahve, the
God of heaven. When, then, it might further have been said in the
document, that Cyrus had resolved, not without the consent of the
supreme
God, to provide for the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem, - and such
a reference to the supreme God might well occur in the
announcement of a royal resolution in a decree of Cyrus, - the Israelite
translator could not again but conclude that Cyrus referred to Jahve,
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and that Jahve had commanded him to provide for the building of the
temple.” For if Cyrus found himself impelled to the resolution of
building a temple to the God of heaven in Jerusalem, i.e., of causing the
temple destroyed by ebuchadnezzar to be rebuilt, he must have
been acquainted with this God, have conceived a high respect for Him,
and have honored Him as the God of heaven. It was not possible that
he should arrive at such a resolution by faith in Ahuramazdâ, but only by
means of facts which had inspired him with reverence for the God of
Israel. It is this consideration which bestows upon the statement of
Josephus, Antt. xi. 1. 1, - that Cyrus was, by means of the predictions of
Isaiah, Isa_41:25., Isa_44:28; Isa_45:1., who had prophesied of him by
name 200 years before, brought to the conviction that the God of the
Jews was the Most High God, and was on this account impelled to this
resolution, - so high a degree of probability that we cannot but esteem
its essence as historical.
For when we consider the position held by Daniel at the court of Darius
the Mede, the father-in-law of Cyrus, - that he was there elevated to
the rank of one of the three presidents set over the 120 satraps of the
realm, placed in the closest relation with the king, and highly esteemed
by him (Dan 6), - we are perfectly justified in adopting the opinion that
Cyrus had been made acquainted with the God of the Jews, and with
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the prophecies of Isaiah concerning Coresh, by Daniel.
Granting, then, that the edict of Cyrus may have been composed in the
current language of the realm, and not rendered word for word in
Hebrew by the biblical author of the present narrative, its essential
contents are nevertheless faithfully reproduced; and there are not
sufficient grounds even for the view that the God who had inspired Cyrus
with this resolution was in the royal edict designated only as the
God of heaven, and not expressly called Jahve. Why may not Cyrus have
designated the God of heaven, to whom as the God of the Jews he
had resolved to build a temple in Jerusalem, also by His name Jahve?
According to polytheistic notions, the worship of this God might be
combined with the worship of Ahuramazdâ as the supreme God of the
Persians.”
2 "This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:
" 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the
earth and he has appointed
me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.
1. Here we see Cyrus acknowledges that the Lord, the God of heaven gave
him his empire. This is an expression of humility. He does not say I
am the greatest because I am just an amazing general, and more skilled
than anyone else. He admits that he is a recipient of God's guidance
and grace. He does not take it on himself to build a temple, but says that
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God has appointed him to do it. He is under the influence and
guidance of God in all he is doing.
2. In II Chron. 36:22-3 these same two verses are repeated. “22 In the
first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the
LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of
Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in
writing:
23 "This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: " 'The LORD, the God of
heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has
appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of
his people among you, may the LORD his God be with him, and let
him go up.'
3. Clarke has a statement that caught my eye. He wrote, “It is not
unworthy of remark, that in all the books written prior to the captivity,
Jehovah is called The Lord of Hosts; but in all the books written after the
captivity, as 2 Chronicles, Ezra ehemiah, and Daniel, he is styled
The God of Heaven. The words however have the same meaning.” These
words of Cyrus had an impact on the very language men used to
refer to the God of the Bible. He was the God of heaven, and Jesus added
to that the prayer, “Our Father who art in heaven.” The title, the
God of Heaven is used 9 times in this book, more than in any other book
of the bible.
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3 Anyone of his people among you—may his God be with him, and let him
go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the
God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem.
1. In this verse he sounds more like a pagan, for he seem to make the God
of Israel the God of that land only, and this was the way people
thought in that day. Gods were in charge of certain nations and cities, and
the God of Israel was the God of that land. However, we also read
in verse one that he knows this God as the God of heaven, and so we see
both his greater view of God and his limited view coming out in what
he has written.
1B. There are differences of opinion as to the reality of Cyrus's faith. Was
he a believer in the God of Israel or not. Some like Maclaren
answer, “Cyrus’s proclamation sounds as if he were a
Jehovah-worshiper, but it is to be feared that his religion was of a very
accommodating
kind. It used to be said that, as a Persian, he was a monotheist, and would
consequently be in sympathy with the Jews; but the same cylinder
already quoted shatters that idea, and shows him to have been a
polytheist, ready to worship the gods of Babylon. He there ascribes his
conquest to ‘Merodach, the great lord,’ and distinctly calls himself that
god’s ‘worshiper.’ Like other polytheists, he had room in his pantheon
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for the gods of other nations, and admitted into it the deities of the
conquered peoples.”
2. He is giving complete freedom for all Jews to go back to their
homeland, and this was the fulfillment of what God had the prophets
predict
would happen. The charter that Cyrus wrote, which is displayed at the
British Museum, and a replica of the charter is on display at the United
ations in ew York says, “When my soldiers in great numbers
peacefully entered Babylon…I did not allow anyone to terrorize the
people…I
kept in view the needs of people and all its sanctuaries to promote their
well-being..Freed all the slaves. I put an end to their misfortune and
slavery.” It was not just the Jews that he freed and treated with the
greatest respect, but all of the people that had been captured and
enslaved in Babylon.
2B. Isaac Wise, “The Assyrians and Babylonians, were their enemies and
captors, polytheists and idolaters, devotees of Zabaism. The Medo
-Persians avenged those wrongs, were no idolaters, and approached
nearest the Monotheism of Israel by the reforms of Zoroaster under
Darius and Cyrus.” In other words, the Jews were delighted that Babylon
fell to Cyrus, for he was a good and godly man that had won the
favor of God, and had a lot of sympathy for their faith and hard situation.
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3. We get a good insight into the character of Cyrus from ancient writing.
For example, Xenophon, the Greek historian wrote highly of the
way Cyrus ruled among men. He wrote, “These nations he ruled, though
they spoke neither the same language with himself nor with one
another; yet he was able to extend the fear of himself over a great part of
the world that he astonished all, and no one attempted anything
against him. He was able to inspire all with so great a desire of pleasing
him, that they ever desired to be governed by his opinion;and he
attached to himself so many nations as it would be a labor to enumerate,
which way soever we should Commence our course from his palace,
whether towards the east, west, north, or south. 5. With respect to this
man, therefore, as worthy of admiration, I have inquired what he was
by birth, what qualities he possessed from nature, and with what
education he was brought up, that he so eminently excelled in governing
men.” “In the Alcibiades, Plato has Socrates, reading young Alcibiades'
mind, suggests that Cyrus is probably the only leader he would
accept to take as a model.” In the light of these quotes of the ancients, it is
easy to believe that he was gracious and generous to these people
that he could have treated with contempt. He cared about people and
their freedom, and that is one of the main reasons he became a king
himself. His grandfather was a king of Media, and he was cruel and
ruthless. He conquered him and took the throne, and went on to liberate
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people all over the world from rulers who oppressed the people.
4. Henry, “It will be proper for us here to consider, 1. What was the state
of the captive Jews in Babylon. It was upon many accounts very
deplorable; they were under the power of those that hated them, had
nothing they could call their own; they had no temple, no altar; if they
sang psalms, their enemies ridiculed them; and yet they had prophets
among them. Ezekiel and Daniel were kept distinct from the heathen.
Some of them were preferred at court, others had comfortable settlements
in the country, and they were all borne up with hope that, in due
time, they should return to their own land again, in expectation of which
they preserved among them the distinction of their families, the
knowledge of their religion, and an aversion to idolatry. 2. What was the
state of the government under which they were. ebuchadnezzar
carried many of them into captivity in the first year of his reign, which
was the fourth of Jehoiakim; he reigned forty-five years, his son Evil-
merodach twenty-three, and his grandson Belshazzar three years, which
make up the seventy years. So Dr. Lightfoot, It is charged upon
ebuchadnezzar that he opened not the house of his prisoners, Isaiah
14:17. And, if he had shown mercy to the poor Jews, Daniel told him it
would have been the lengthening of his tranquillity, Daniel 4:27. But the
measure of the sins of Babylon was at length full, and then
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destruction was brought upon them by Darius the Mede and Cyrus the
Persian, which we read of, Daniel 5:31 Darius, being old, left the
government to Cyrus, and he was employed as the instrument of the
Jews' deliverance, which he gave orders for as soon as ever he was
master of the kingdom of Babylon, perhaps in contradiction to
ebuchadnezzar, whose family he had cut off, and because he took a
pleasure
in undoing what he had done, or in policy, to recommend his
newly-acquired dominion as merciful and gentle, or (as some think) in a
pious
regard to the prophecy of Isaiah, which had been published, and well
known, above 150 years before, where he was expressly named as the
man that should do this for God, and for whom God would do great
things (Isaiah 44:28,45:1, &c.), and which perhaps was shown to him by
those about him. His name (some say) in the Persian language signifies the
sun, for he brought light and healing to the church of God, and
was an eminent type of Christ the Sun of righteousness. Some say that his
name signifies a father, and Christ is the everlasting Father.”
4 And the people of any place where survivors may now be living are to
provide him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with
freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.' "
1. Pagan people are urged to support the people of God in getting the
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temple rebuilt. We read in EZRA 3:7 “Then they gave money to the
masons and carpenters, and gave food and drink and oil to the people of
Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs by sea from
Lebanon to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.” The pagan
people not only gave the materials to rebuild, but they gave themselves
to provide the labor in building the temple of God. This whole account
makes it clear that God is not opposed to using pagans for his purpose.
He is not legalistic in saying that only godly people can be involved in
building this temple for his glory. Let the gentiles have their share in it,
for they are more skilled than the Jews, and they will do a far better job
of it. If a non-believer has the greater skill over a believer, it is just
common wisdom to use the non-believer for the purpose. A believer with
no gift for the task will not build for the glory of God, but will make a
mess of it, and end up with a product that cannot match the beauty of the
many pagan temples. God want his temple built to perfection, and
to be a work that symbolizes his perfection. This is a job for the best and
most skillful men, and not some amateurs.
2. He could have forced them to be slaves in building a temple to a pagan
god right there in Babylon, but he chose to set them free to return
to their land and built a temple to their God. In contrast to the king of
Egypt who fought to the end with God to keep his people as slaves
doing his will rather than the will of God. This is a rare thing to see in a
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powerful person like Cyrus. He had the power to do anything that he
wanted for himself, but we see him giving up all of the resources that
could have been his to rebuild the temple of God.
3. Clarke, “Every one was at liberty to go, but none was obliged to go.
Thus their attachment to God was tried; he whose heart was right with
God went; he who was comfortably settled in Babylon, might go if he
chose. Those who did not go, were commanded to assist their brethren
who went.” “...with money to bear the expenses of his journey, with goods
to furnish his house, or trade with, when he came to Judea, and
with cattle to carry him, and his goods, and to till the ground with, when
he came thither; and the men exhorted to this are either the Gentiles
that dwelt in the cities where these poor Jews were, or the richer : Jews,
who chose as yet not to go up until they saw how things would
succeed; and are therefore called upon to assist their brethren who had a
will, but not ability.”
4. Henry, “ He subjoins a brief for a collection to bear the charges of such
as were poor and not able to bear their own, Ezra 1:4. "Whosoever
remaineth, because he has not the means to bear his charges to
Jerusalem, let the men of his place help him." Some take it as an order to
the
king's officers to supply them out of his revenue, as Ezra 6:8. But it may
mean a warrant to the captives to ask and receive the alms and
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charitable contributions of all the king's loving subjects. And we may
suppose the Jews had conducted themselves so well among their
neighbors that they would be as forward to accommodate them because
they loved them as the Egyptians were because they were weary of
them. At least many would be kind to them because they saw the
government would take it well. Cyrus not only gave his good wishes with
those that went (Their God be with them, Ezra 1:3), but took care also to
furnish them with such things as they needed. He took it for granted
that those among them who were of ability would offer their free-will
offerings for the house of God, to promote the rebuilding of it. But,
besides that, he would have them supplied out of his kingdom.
Well-wishers to the temple should be well-doers for it.”
5 Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and
Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and
build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.
1. God had to move his own people as well as the pagan king, for many
may have been too comfortable in their new land to want to move
back to a land so damaged by warfare.
2. Jamison, “The paternal and ecclesiastical chiefs of the later captivity,
those of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with some also from other
tribes (1Ch 9:3), who retained their attachment to the pure worship of
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God, naturally took the lead in this movement. Their example was
followed by all whose piety and patriotism were strong enough to brave
the various discouragements attending the enterprise. They were
liberally assisted by multitudes of their captive countrymen, who, born in
Babylonia or comfortably established in it by family connections or
the possession of property, chose to remain. It seems that their Assyrian
friends and neighbors, too, either from a favorable disposition toward
the Jewish faith, or from imitation of the court policy, displayed hearty
good will and great liberality in aiding and promoting the views of the
emigrants.”
3. Gill, “and the priests and the Levites: whose presence was necessary
both to direct in the building of the temple, and to animate to it, and to
set the vessels in their proper places; and particularly to assist in the
setting up of the altar, and to offer sacrifices on it, which was the first
thing done when come to Jerusalem, (Ezra 3:2,3) with all them whose
spirit God raised to go up, to build the house of the Lord, which is in
Jerusalem; God, who "works" in men "both to will and to do", wrought
powerfully by his Spirit on their hearts, inclined their minds, and
made them willing to go up, and set about this work; and such a divine,
powerful, and efficacious operation upon them, was necessary to
engage them in it, since the embarrassments, difficulties,
discouragements, and objections, were many: some of them were well
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settled, and
had contracted a pleasing acquaintance with many of their neighbors,
and indeed to most of them it was their native place; and as for Judea
and Jerusalem, they knew nothing of but what their fathers had told
them; the way to it unknown, long, and dangerous, at least fatiguing and
troublesome to their wives and children; and Judea and Jerusalem
desolate and in ruins, and in the hands of enemies, from whom they had
reason to expect trouble.”
4. Henry, “The priests and Levites were (as became them) with the first
that set their faces again towards Zion. If any good work is to be
done, let ministers lead in it. Those that accompanied them were such as
God had inclined to go up. The same God that had raised up the
spirit of Cyrus to proclaim this liberty raised up their spirits to take the
benefit of it; for it was done, not by might, nor by power, but by the
Spirit of the Lord of hosts, Zechariah 4:6. The temptation perhaps was
strong to some of them to stay in Babylon. They had convenient
settlements there, had contracted an agreeable acquaintance with the
neighbors, and were ready to say, It is good to be here. The
discouragements of their return were many and great, the journey long,
their wives and children unfit for traveling, their own land was to
them a strange land, the road to it an unknown road. Go up to Jerusalem!
And what should they do there? It was all in ruins, and in the midst
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of enemies to whom they would be an easy prey. Many were wrought
upon by these considerations to stay in Babylon, at least not to go with
the first. But there were some that got over these difficulties, that
ventured to break the ice, and feared not the lion in the way, the lion in
the
streets; and they were those whose spirits God raised. He, by his Spirit
and grace, filled them with a generous ambition of liberty, a gracious
affection to their own land, and a desire of the free and public exercise of
their religion. Had God left them to themselves, and to the counsels
of flesh and blood, they would have staid in Babylon; but he put it into
their hearts to set their faces Zionward, and, as strangers, to ask the
way thither (Jeremiah 50:5); for they, being a new generation, went out
like their father Abraham from this land of the Chaldees, not
knowing whither they went, Hebrews 11:8. ote, Whatever good we do, it
is owing purely to the grace of God, and he raises up our spirits to
the doing of it, works in us both to will and to do. Our spirits naturally
incline to this earth and to the things of it. If they move upwards, in any
good affections or good actions, it is God that raises them.
The call and offer of the gospel are like Cyrus's proclamation.
Deliverance is preached to the captives, Luke 4:18. Those that are bound
under the unrighteous dominion of sin, and bound over to the righteous
judgment of God, may be made free by Jesus Christ. Whoever will, by
Page 23

repentance and faith, return to God, his duty to God, his happiness in
God, Jesus Christ has opened the way for him, and let him go up out of
the slavery of sin into the glorious liberty of the children of God. The
offer is general to all. Christ makes it, in pursuance of the grant which
the Father has made him of all power both in heaven and in earth (a
much greater dominion than that given to Cyrus, Ezra 1:2) and of the
charge given him to build God a house, to set him up a church in the
world, a kingdom among men. Many that hear this joyful sound choose
to sit still in Babylon, are in love with their sins and will not venture upon
the difficulties of a holy life; but some there are that break through
the discouragements, and resolve to build the house of God, to make
heaven of their religion, whatever it cost them, and they are those whose
spirit God has raised above the world and the flesh and whom he has
made willing in the day of his power, Psalms 110:3. Thus will the
heavenly Canaan be replenished, though many perish in Babylon; and the
gospel-offer will not be made in vain.”
6 All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with
goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the
freewill offerings.
1. Henry, “Cyrus having given order that their neighbors should help
them, they did so, Ezra 1:6. All those that were about them furnished
Page 24

them with plate and goods to bear the charges of their journey, and to
help them in building and furnishing both their own houses and God's
temple. As the tabernacle was made of the spoils of Egypt, and the first
temple built by the labors of the strangers, so the second by the
contributions of the Chaldeans, all intimating the admission of the
Gentiles into the church in due time. God can, where he pleases, incline
the
hearts of strangers to be kind to his people, and make those to strengthen
their hands that have weakened them. The earth helped the
woman. Besides what was willingly offered by the Jews themselves who
staid behind, from a principle of love to God and his house, much was
offered, as one may say, unwillingly by the Babylonians, who were
influenced to do it by a divine power on their minds of which they
themselves could give no account.”
2. Here we see a pagan people helping out the Jews in the need for
resources to go back and build the temple. It was freely given and speaks
highly of the Jews in captivity in relating well to their pagan neighbors.
7 Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple
of the LORD, which ebuchadnezzar had carried away from
Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god. [a]
1. Cyrus is returning all of the great treasures of the Temple that had
Page 25

been carried away, and had been kept in the temple of a pagan God. All
God's holy things that were dedicated to his worship alone had been in
the temple of a pagan god for all these 70 years of captivity. God had
to suffer humiliation with his people in their captivity by all of his holy
possessions being held captive in this pagan temple. What a blessing
that Cyrus set them free along with God's people.
2. Henry, “How this proclamation was seconded by Cyrus himself. To
give proof of the sincerity of his affection to the house of God, he not
only released the people of God, but restored the vessels of the temple,
Ezra 1:7,8. Observe here, 1. How careful Providence was of the
vessels of the temple, that they were not lost, melted down, or so mixed
with other vessels that they could not be known, but that they were all
now forthcoming. Such care God has of the living vessels of mercy, vessels
of honor, of whom it is said (2 Timothy 2:19,20), The Lord knows
those that are his, and they shall none of them perish. 2. Though they had
been put into an idol's temple, and probably used in the service of
idols, yet they were given back, to be used for God. God will recover his
own; and the spoil of the strong man armed shall be converted to the
use of the conqueror.”
3. Jamison, “Though it is said (2Ki 24:13) that these were cut in pieces,
that would not be done to the large and magnificent vases; and, if
Page 26

they had been divided, the parts could be reunited. But it may be doubted
whether the Hebrew word rendered cut in pieces, does not signify
merely cut off, that is, from further use in the temple.”
8 Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer,
who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.
1. Henry, “Judah had a prince, even in captivity. Sheshbazzar, supposed
to be the same with Zerubbabel, is here called prince of Judah; the
Chaldeans called him Sheshbazzar, which signifies joy in tribulation; but
among his own people he went by the name of Zerubbabel--a
stranger in Babylon; so he looked upon himself, and considered
Jerusalem his home, though, as Josephus says, he was captain of the life-
guard to the king of Babylon. He took care of the affairs of the Jews, and
had some authority over them, probably from the death of
Jehoiachin, or Jeconiah, who made him his heir, he being of the house of
David. 4. To him the sacred vessels were numbered out (Ezra 1:8),
and he took care for their safe conveyance to Jerusalem, Ezra 1:11. It
would encourage them to build the temple that they had so much rich
furniture ready to put into it when it was built. Though God's ordinances,
like the vessels of the sanctuary, may be corrupted and profaned by
the ew-Testament Babylon, they shall, in due time, be restored to their
primitive use and intention; for not one jot or tittle of divine
institution shall fall to the ground.”
Page 27

1B. “Or Mithridates, a name common with the Persians, from their god
Mithras, the sun they worshiped:”
2. Clarke, “This was probably the Chaldean name of him who was
originally called Zerubbabel: the former signifies joy in affliction; the
latter, a stranger in Babylon. The latter may be designed to refer to his
captive state; the former, to the prospect of release. Some think this
was quite a different person, a Persian or Chaldean, sent by Cyrus to
superintend whatever officers or men Cyrus might have sent to assist
the Jews on their return; and to procure them help in the Chaldean
provinces, through which they might be obliged to travel.”
3. Jamison, “that is, Zerubbabel, son of Salathiel (compare Ezr 3:8; 5:16).
He was born in Babylon, and called by his family Zerubbabel, that
is, stranger or exile in Babylon. Shesh-bazzar, signifying
"fire-worshipper," was the name given him at court, as other names were
given to
Daniel and his friends. He was recognized among the exiles as hereditary
prince of Judah.”
4. Keil, “This officer counted them out to the prince of Judah
Sheshbazzar, undoubtedly the Chaldee name of Zerubbabel. For,
according to
Ezr_5:14, Ezr_5:16, ????????? was the governor (????) placed by Cyrus
over the new community in Judah and Jerusalem, and who,
Page 28

according to Ezr_1:11 of the present chapter, returned to Jerusalem at
the head of those who departed from Babylon; while we are informed
(Ezr_2:2; Ezr_3:1, Ezr_3:8, and Ezr_4:3; Ezr_5:2) that Zerubbabel was
not only at the head of the returning Jews, but also presided as
secular ruler over the settlement of the community in Judah and
Jerusalem. The identity of Sheshbazzar with Zerubbabel, which has been
objected to by Schrader and öldeke, is placed beyond a doubt by a
comparison of Ezr_5:16 with Ezr_3:8, etc., Ezr_5:2 : for in Ezr_5:16
Sheshbazzar is named as he who laid the foundation of the new temple in
Jerusalem; and this, according to Ezr_5:2 and Ezr_3:8, was done
by Zerubbabel. The view, too, that Zerubbabel, besides this his Hebrew
name, had, as the official of the Persian king, also a Chaldee name, is
in complete analogy with the case of Daniel and his three companions,
who, on being taken into the service of the Babylonian king, received
Chaldee names (Dan_1:7). Zerubbabel, moreover, seems, even before his
appointment of ???? to the Jewish community in Judah, to have
held some office in either the Babylonian or Persian Court or State; for
Cyrus would hardly have entrusted this office to any private
individual among the Jews.”
9 This was the inventory:
gold dishes 30
silver dishes 1,000
silver pans [b] 29
Page 29

1. There is no certainty as to what all of these were used for, but it is
obvious that some were for catching blood, and others for carrying away
ashes, and still others for holding parts of the sacrifice that would be
offered and then later taken to the table to be eaten by the priest. Some
would also be used for the washing of the hands.
10 gold bowls 30
matching silver bowls 410
other articles 1,000
1. This comes to a total of 2499 articles in this verse, but the next verse
bumps it up to 5400 that were turned over to Israel to take back to the
rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. If you had these gold and silver articles today
you would be a very rich person. The difference is likely that the
ones here are all the large gold and silver items, and the larger number
would be those things that are small and of far less value than the
major ones of this verse. These were items that would be visible, and the
larger number of things would be put in boxes or drawers where they
would only be taken out when needed.
11 In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar
brought all these along when the exiles came up from Babylon to
Jerusalem.
Page 30

1. Jamison, “All the Jewish exiles did not embrace the privilege which the
Persian king granted them. The great proportion, born in Babylon,
preferred continuing in their comfortable homes to undertaking a distant,
expensive, and hazardous journey to a desolate land. or did the
returning exiles all go at once. The first band went with Zerubbabel,
others afterward with Ezra, and a large number with ehemiah at a still
later period.”
Cyrus continues to play a role in other chapters of Ezra. I will just list
these other passages with a brief comment on some texts so it can be
seen what an impact Cyrus had on the future of Israel in their homeland.
Ezra 3:7, Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and gave
food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they
would bring cedar logs by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, as authorized by
Cyrus king of Persia.
Cyrus knew where the best masons and carpenter were, and he
authorized them to help build the temple in Jerusalem. These skilled
people of
Page 31

Tyre are used over and over again by God's people to do this kind of
work. The Jews had much to thank Cyrus for in providing this help, for
had they done it on their own it never would have been accomplished.
They had neither the resources nor the skilled labor to do it.
Ezra 4:3-5, But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the
families of Israel answered, "You have no part with us in building a
temple to our God. We alone will build it for the LORD, the God of
Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us."
Enemies of the whole project tried to get in on the building of the temple,
presumably to sabotage the building. The Jewish leaders were not
stupid, and the knew this would be a big mistake. They refused their help
stating that Cyrus commended them to do the building. They had
their orders straight from the top, and they were not going to change
them.
4 Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah
and make them afraid to go on building.
The opponents of the project became angry and pursued the strategy of
discouraging the people by many comments on how slow it all was,
and what a sacrifice of time for such a futile goal. Plus they were
threatening harm to those who persisted in the project. It was not a
pleasant
situation. Some of the Jews probably felt it was too dangerous to go to
work, and this slowed down the project even more.
Page 32

5 They hired counselors to work against them and frustrate their plans
during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of
Darius king of Persia.
These enemies were persistent, and they even hired help to frustrate the
Jews for many years. This slowed the progress so much that they
were not yet finished when Cyrus died, and this added a complication, for
the knowledge of why this project was authorized was no longer
common knowledge as it was in the day of Cyrus.
Ezra 5:13-17
13 "However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus
issued a decree to rebuild this house of God.
14 He even removed from the temple [b] of Babylon the gold and silver
articles of the house of God, which ebuchadnezzar had taken from
the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple [c] in Babylon.
"Then King Cyrus gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had
appointed governor,
15 and he told him, 'Take these articles and go and deposit them in the
temple in Jerusalem. And rebuild the house of God on its site.'
16 So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God
Page 33

in Jerusalem. From that day to the present it has been under
construction but is not yet finished."
17 ow if it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives of
Babylon to see if King Cyrus did in fact issue a decree to rebuild
this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in
this matter.
Esra 6 The Decree of Darius
1 King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives
stored in the treasury at Babylon.
Here we see the importance of record keeping, for had there been no copy
of the command of Cyrus, the enemies of Israel could have
stopped the building of the temple.
2 A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media,
and this was written on it:
Memorandum:
3 In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the
temple of God in Jerusalem:
Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to
present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid. It is to be ninety feet [a]
high and ninety feet wide,
Here is new information that we did not have before. Cyrus not only
commanded it to be build, but he had specific plans.
4 with three courses of large stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be
Page 34

paid by the royal treasury.
5 Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which
ebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to
Babylon,
are to be returned to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; they are to
be deposited in the house of God.
6 ow then, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai
and you, their fellow officials of that province, stay away from
there.
Here is an official cease and desist from interfering with this project of
the Jews. It is authorized by Cyrus himself, and no petty ruler is going
to go against that authority and live to tell about it.
7 Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor
of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its
site.
8 Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders of the
Jews in the construction of this house of God: The expenses of these
men are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury, from the revenues of
Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop.
9 Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings
to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and oil, as requested by
the priests in Jerusalem—must be given them daily without fail,
10 so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and
pray for the well-being of the king and his sons.
11 Furthermore, I decree that if anyone changes this edict, a beam is to be
pulled from his house and he is to be lifted up and impaled on it.
Page 35

And for this crime his house is to be made a pile of rubble.
12 May God, who has caused his ame to dwell there, overthrow any
king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this
temple in Jerusalem.
I Darius have decreed it. Let it be carried out with diligence.
Darius was in full conformity with the command of Cyrus, and he made it
a federal crime to try and change his orders by one iota. This order
of Cyrus stands absolutely as the law of the land, and woe be to any who
say it is old and outmoded law. It is as fresh as the blood that will
from your body if you try to defy it.
Completion and Dedication of the Temple
13 Then, because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor
of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates
carried it out with diligence.
14 So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the
preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo.
They finished building the temple according to the command of the God
of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of
Persia.
15 The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the
sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
16 Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the
exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.
17 For the dedication of this house of God they offered a hundred bulls,
two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs and, as a sin offering for
Page 36

all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel.
18 And they installed the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their
groups for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is
written in the Book of Moses.
The Passover
19 On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the
Passover.
20 The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all
ceremonially clean. The Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the
exiles, for their brothers the priests and for themselves.
21 So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with
all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their
Gentile neighbors in order to seek the LORD, the God of Israel.
22 For seven days they celebrated with joy the Feast of Unleavened
Bread, because the LORD had filled them with joy by changing the
attitude of the king of Assyria, so that he assisted them in the work on the
house of God, the God of Israel.
CO CLUSIO
God used other pagans in the Bible to achieve his purpose, but none can
match Cyrus the Great. He was given titles that none other was
given, and he had more power to change the history of God's people than
any other. He was not only great in the eyes of the world as a world
Page 37

conqueror, but great in the eyes of God as a unique servant of God's plan
for his people. His decree to set Israel free to return to Israel and to
rebuild the city and temple takes up more space in the Word of God than
any other act of a pagan ruler. Cyrus was indeed the greatest pagan
in the Bible.
Page 38

Cyrus the great in ezra

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