Ezra 5
1 Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.
In chapter 4:8-24, we are treated to how the Samaritans behaved all the way to Darius I reign. It breaks the narrative of the book, and makes the reading a little confusing. Here, in chapter 5, we’re back to the narrative that was left in 4:7. This is ushered in by Haggai and Zachariah, two prophets attached to the year 520 BC. These prophets, both in Jerusalem at the time, spoke words to the Jews for a very specific reason. This is in the second year of Darius I.
Haggai has a particularly pointed view of what is happening in Jerusalem at the time. Because of the constant onslaught of opposition, the harsh conditions, the danger and a host of other items, the Jews returned to their “paneled homes” and stopped work on the Lord’s house for about fifteen years. The people said “the time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.” That was the spiritual moniker they gave to their reasoning for stopping work. But Haggai called them out, showing them there was a direct correlation between the amount of effort they put into the work they were brought there for and the condition of their lives. It was only after this wake-up call that the Israelites resumed construction on the temple.
3 At that time Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates went to them and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish it?” 4 They also asked, “What are the names of those who are constructing this building?” 5 But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.
Tattenai, who was responsible for the Trans-Euphrates area, was well aware that construction was mandated to stop. Why has it begun again? They want answers. But the returning Israelites knew they could continue construction until official word from the new king reached them.
6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates, the officials of Trans-Euphrates, sent to King Darius. 7 The report they sent him read as follows:
To King Darius:
Cordial greetings.
8 The king should know that we went to the district of Judah, to the temple of the great God. The people are building it with large stones and placing the timbers in the walls. The work is being carried on with diligence and is making rapid progress under their direction.
Large stones and timbers could imply to them that a fortress was being built. This is before the letter to Artaxerxes, when the Samaritans lobbied for the leaders of the area to shut down production because they feared if the walls went up then Jerusalem would be autonomous.
9 We questioned the elders and asked them, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish it?” 10 We also asked them their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information.
11 This is the answer they gave us:
“We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, one that a great king of Israel built and finished. 12 But because our ancestors angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.
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 of Babylon the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple 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.’
Judah lays out the truthful story of why they were there and what they are achieving. First, the temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the people deported to Babylon. When Persia overtook Babylon, Cyrus, wanting to keep in good standing with the gods of the land he conquered, but also moved by God himself (Ezra 1:1), allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple. Also, the gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar stole was returned to a man named Sheshbazzar, which is thought to be another name for Zerubbabel.
16 “So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem. From that day to the present it has been under construction but is not yet finished.”
17 Now 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.
The Persians don’t know for certain that Cyrus ever issued a proclamation for this. An inquiry must be made. This will take time, which works in Judah’s favor.
1 Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.
In chapter 4:8-24, we are treated to how the Samaritans behaved all the way to Darius I reign. It breaks the narrative of the book, and makes the reading a little confusing. Here, in chapter 5, we’re back to the narrative that was left in 4:7. This is ushered in by Haggai and Zachariah, two prophets attached to the year 520 BC. These prophets, both in Jerusalem at the time, spoke words to the Jews for a very specific reason. This is in the second year of Darius I.
Haggai has a particularly pointed view of what is happening in Jerusalem at the time. Because of the constant onslaught of opposition, the harsh conditions, the danger and a host of other items, the Jews returned to their “paneled homes” and stopped work on the Lord’s house for about fifteen years. The people said “the time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.” That was the spiritual moniker they gave to their reasoning for stopping work. But Haggai called them out, showing them there was a direct correlation between the amount of effort they put into the work they were brought there for and the condition of their lives. It was only after this wake-up call that the Israelites resumed construction on the temple.
3 At that time Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates went to them and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish it?” 4 They also asked, “What are the names of those who are constructing this building?” 5 But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.
Tattenai, who was responsible for the Trans-Euphrates area, was well aware that construction was mandated to stop. Why has it begun again? They want answers. But the returning Israelites knew they could continue construction until official word from the new king reached them.
6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates, the officials of Trans-Euphrates, sent to King Darius. 7 The report they sent him read as follows:
To King Darius:
Cordial greetings.
8 The king should know that we went to the district of Judah, to the temple of the great God. The people are building it with large stones and placing the timbers in the walls. The work is being carried on with diligence and is making rapid progress under their direction.
Large stones and timbers could imply to them that a fortress was being built. This is before the letter to Artaxerxes, when the Samaritans lobbied for the leaders of the area to shut down production because they feared if the walls went up then Jerusalem would be autonomous.
9 We questioned the elders and asked them, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish it?” 10 We also asked them their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information.
11 This is the answer they gave us:
“We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, one that a great king of Israel built and finished. 12 But because our ancestors angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.
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 of Babylon the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple 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.’
Judah lays out the truthful story of why they were there and what they are achieving. First, the temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the people deported to Babylon. When Persia overtook Babylon, Cyrus, wanting to keep in good standing with the gods of the land he conquered, but also moved by God himself (Ezra 1:1), allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple. Also, the gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar stole was returned to a man named Sheshbazzar, which is thought to be another name for Zerubbabel.
16 “So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem. From that day to the present it has been under construction but is not yet finished.”
17 Now 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.
The Persians don’t know for certain that Cyrus ever issued a proclamation for this. An inquiry must be made. This will take time, which works in Judah’s favor.