EZRA
The book of Ezra was written after the end of the 70-year Babylonian captivity (which occurred in 536 B.C.) suffered by the Jews of Judah and Jerusalem for their wickedness, in fulfillment of the prophecies of Jeremiah.
The book lists the genealogies of those who came back to Judah after their release from captivity by decree of Persian king Cyrus the Great in 536 B.C., the later arrival of Ezra the priest, and the opposition and difficulties caused by troublemakers of the surrounding nations when the Jews set about rebuilding the Temple, destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.
The book starts with the history of the first return of the Jews (there were several later returns), then speaks of events from the first-person perspective of Ezra the priest who returned in approximately 457 B.C. during the reign of Artaxerxes I (465-424 B.C.)
Roughly 200 years before Cyrus conquered Babylon and freed the Jews from captivity, God speaking of things to come had proclaimed through the prophet Isaiah;
ISAIAH 44:28
28 Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, and he shall perform all My pleasure, saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” and to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’
Ezra lists himself as a “scribe”, meaning that he could both read and write, an important profession as back then most common people were illiterate. He was also a skilled teacher of the Law of Moses.
EZRA 1:1-4
1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,
2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: “All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah.
3 Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem.
4 And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.
In 538 / 537 B.C. Persian king Cyrus issued this decree freeing the Jews of Babylon to go home and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem and ordered the surrounding peoples to provide them with whatever materials they required to rebuild theTemple.
EZRA 1:5-11
5 Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.
6 And all those who were around them encouraged them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.
7 King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his gods;
8 and Cyrus king of Persia brought them out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.
9 This is the number of them: thirty gold platters, one thousand silver platters, twenty-nine knives,
10 thirty gold basins, four hundred and ten silver basins of a similar kind, and one thousand other articles.
11 All the articles of gold and silver were five thousand four hundred. All these Sheshbazzar took with the captives who were brought from Babylon to Jerusalem.
There has been much confusion as to the identity of Sheshbazzar who is listed as “the prince of Judah”. This indicates that he was of the royal lineage of deposed king Jeconiah, descended from king Solomon whose line God had cursed for his wickedness, saying that no descendant of king Jeconiah would ever sit on the throne of Judah.
God had said of Jeconiah;
JEREMIAH 22:30
30 Thus says the Lord: ‘Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not prosper in his days; for none of his descendants shall prosper, sitting on the throne of David, and ruling anymore in Judah.’ ”
When Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah in 586 B.C., he killed king Jeconiah’s sons before his eyes and then blinded Jeconiah so that the murder of his sons was the last thing he saw. He then spent 37 years in prison before being released but remained in Babylon for the rest of his life.
Sheshbazzar might have been the Babylonian court name for Zerubabbel, a later figure, the grandson of king Jeconiah, which would fit in with the title “prince of Judah”. And true to God’s word, there would be no kings of Jeconiah’s lineage to sit on king David’s throne. Zerubbabel is listed as a governor of Judah and no king would arise until the time of the Maccabees (circa 135-134 B.C.) when “priest-kings” who were not of the lineage of king David rose to rule Judah.
It is fascinating to note that when the Jews returned from Babylon (a trip of about 1,000 miles using caravan routes), they carried much gold and silver with them, yet they never encountered robbers along the way. Obviously God protected them as they traveled, ensuring that no harm came to them.
EZRA 2:1-1
1 Now these are the people of the province who came back from the captivity, of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his own city.
Apparently the returnees knew what city or village they or their families had come from and were listed as being of that city in fulfillment of Gods words of;
AMOS 5:3
3 For thus says the Lord God: “The city that goes out by a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which goes out by a hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.”
EZRA 2:2-39
2 Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:
3 the people of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two;
4 the people of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two;
5 the people of Arah, seven hundred and seventy-five;
6 the people of Pahath-Moab, of the people of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve;
7 the people of Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four;
8 the people of Zattu, nine hundred and forty-five;
9 the people of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty;
10 the people of Bani, six hundred and forty-two;
11 the people of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-three;
12 the people of Azgad, one thousand two hundred and twenty-two;
13 the people of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-six;
14 the people of Bigvai, two thousand and fifty-six;
15 the people of Adin, four hundred and fifty-four;
16 the people of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety-eight;
17 the people of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-three;
18 the people of Jorah, one hundred and twelve;
19 the people of Hashum, two hundred and twenty-three;
20 the people of Gibbar, ninety-five;
21 the people of Bethlehem, one hundred and twenty-three;
22 the men of Netophah, fifty-six;
23 the men of Anathoth, one hundred and twenty-eight;
24 the people of Azmaveth, forty-two;
25 the people of Kirjath Arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three;
26 the people of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one;
27 the men of Michmas, one hundred and twenty-two;
28 the men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred and twenty-three;
29 the people of Nebo, fifty-two;
30 the people of Magbish, one hundred and fifty-six;
31 the people of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four;
32 the people of Harim, three hundred and twenty;
33 the people of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-five;
34 the people of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five;
35 the people of Senaah, three thousand six hundred and thirty.
36 The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three;
37 the sons of Immer, one thousand and fifty-two;
38 the sons of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven;
39 the sons of Harim, one thousand and seventeen.
This lists the cities of Judah to which the people of Judah returned to after their captivity. The populations were greatly reduced by the Babylonians as recorded by the prophet Amos, quoted above.
EZRA 2:40-54
40 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah, seventy-four.
41 The singers: the sons of Asaph, one hundred and twenty-eight.
42 The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of Shobai, one hundred and thirty-nine in all.
43 The Nethinim: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,
44 the sons of Keros, the sons of Siaha, the sons of Padon,
45 the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub,
46 the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shalmai, the sons of Hanan,
47 the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah,
48 the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam,
49 the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai,
50 the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephusim,
51 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur,
52 the sons of Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha,
53 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Tamah,
54 the sons of Neziah, and the sons of Hatipha.
Listed above are the descendants of Temple officials or offices. For example, the “Nethinim” were congregational leaders who more than likely led the people in worship and praise to God. The Levites were descendants of Jacob’s son Levi who maintained the Temple and were responsible for its upkeep.
The singers were dedicated to sing praises to the Lord and the gatekeepers guarded the Temple doors leading to the altar of sacrifice and the veil covering the entrance to the Holiest Place (where the ark of the Covenant rested) so that no Gentile could enter. Any Gentile that approached this area was to be executed per God’s command to Aaron the first High Priest;
NUMBERS 18:7
7 But you and your sons with you shall diligently perform your priestly duties in all that concerns the altar and the area behind the curtain. I give your priesthood as a gift; any outsider who approaches shall be put to death.
There have been two limestone blocks recovered from the Temple Mount ruins by archaeologists which give the warning; “No foreigner may enter within the balustrade around the sanctuary and the enclosure. Whoever is caught, on himself shall he put blame for the death which will ensue.”
The lettering was originally chiseled into the stone and the letters were colored with red paint to ensure that they were easily visible.
EZRA 2:55-62
55 The sons of Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Peruda,
56 the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel,
57 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth of Zebaim, and the sons of Ami.
58 All the Nethinim and the children of Solomon’s servants were three hundred and ninety-two.
59 And these were the ones who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer; but they could not identify their father’s house or their genealogy, whether they were of Israel:
60 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, six hundred and fifty-two;
61 and of the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Koz, and the sons of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name.
62 These sought their listing among those who were registered by genealogy, but they were not found; therefore they were excluded from the priesthood as defiled.
Genealogies were very important to the Jews as certain groups were assigned permanent duties before the Lord. The sons of Levi were assigned to maintain the Temple, and descendants of Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron (also of the tribe of Levi) were given the office of the priesthood.
The descendants of Judah were ordained by God to be kings over all Israel and later over Judah after the ten tribes of Israel split away from Judah and Benjamin after the death of Solomon in 930 B.C.
Also having their lineage listed would determine property ownership and inheritances within the boundaries set by each tribe when they came into Canaan.
EZRA 2:63
63 And the governor said to them that they should not eat of the most holy things till a priest could consult with the Urim and Thummim.
Urim and Thummim are not well explained in the Bible, and even the meanings of the words
Urim (lights) and Thummim (perfections) is uncertain. They are listed as two stones (perhaps jewels) which were placed on the breastplate worn by the High Priest;
EXODUS 28:30
30 In the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord; thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the Israelites on his heart before the Lord continually.
These stones seem to have been used to determine guilt or innocence by lot drawing when there was no direct answer to a question from the Lord. If used by lot drawing, the two stones would be put into a bag and a question asked of the Lord at which time a stone would be drawn out by a priest (more than likely the High Priest) and the drawn stone would indicate the answer.
EZRA 2:64-70
64 The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty,
65 besides their male and female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred men and women singers.
66 Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six, their mules two hundred and forty-five,
67 their camels four hundred and thirty-five, and their donkeys six thousand seven hundred and twenty.
68 Some of the heads of the fathers’ houses, when they came to the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God, to erect it in its place:
69 according to their ability, they gave to the treasury for the work sixty-one thousand gold drachmas, five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priestly garments.
70 So the priests and the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Nethinim, dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.
Apparently the returning Jews were allowed to bring their personal wealth with them when they left, an unusual event for that time. Even as recently as WW II, Jews who were allowed to flee Nazi Germany had their personal wealth “confiscated” by Nazi officials before they could leave.
Clothing was expensive back then, as everything was hand-woven and hand-dyed. Therefore 100 sets of priestly clothing was a gift indeed!!!
The gold and silver would be used to pay the stone cutters, masons, wood cutters and carpenters for the rebuilding of the Temple.
When the tribes of Israel were given lots of land by the Lord when they entered Canaan, the tribe of Levi was not given a specific area of land for the Levites to settle. Their duties were dedicated to worship and Temple service, therefore God allocated 48 cities throughout Israel for their housing and use alone. These are the cities the returning Levites went back to upon their return to the Land.
EZRA 3:1-7
1 And when the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem.
2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.
3 Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its bases; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening burnt offerings.
4 They also kept the Feast of Tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings in the number required by ordinance for each day.
5 Afterwards they offered the regular burnt offering, and those for New Moons and for all the appointed feasts of the Lord that were consecrated, and those of everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering to the Lord.
6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, although the foundation of the temple of the Lord had not been laid.
7 They also gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the permission which they had from Cyrus king of Persia.
Satan wasn’t about to sit still while Israel rebuilt the Temple and the walls of Jerusalem! Therefore he began doing what he could to hinder the people in their work by having people from the surrounding nations threaten them.
But the people trusted that God would protect them, and they had letters from king Cyrus of Persia guaranteeing their right to rebuild and to request required materials from the surrounding nations for rebuilding.
EZRA 3:8-11
8 Now in the second month of the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began work and appointed the Levites from twenty years old and above to oversee the work of the house of the Lord.
9 Then Jeshua with his sons and brothers, Kadmiel with his sons, and the sons of Judah, arose as one to oversee those working on the house of God: the sons of Henadad with their sons and their brethren the Levites.
10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the ordinance of David king of Israel.
11 And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord: “For He is good, for His mercy endures forever toward Israel.” Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.
The rebuilding of the Temple began around 537 B.C., and this only happened after God prodded the Jews to start rebuilding. As He had said through the prophet Haggai;
HAGGAI 1:2-8
2 “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.” ’ ”
3 Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying,
4 “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?”
5 Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways!
6 “You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes.”
7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways!
8 Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the Lord.
The Jews had been back for nearly 20 full years and had built themselves houses paneled in cedar, yet neglected the rebuilding of the Temple dedicated to the One who had brought them back. Therefore God held back His blessings on the people so they would turn back and honor Him as was His due.
EZRA 3:12-13
12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy,
13 so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off.
Those who remembered the glory of Solomon’s Temple wept when they saw the beginnings of the replacement Temple, no doubt a pale imitation of the previous one. King David had stockpiled materials in abundance for Solomon’s Temple, whereas the new Temple was built from scratch;
1 CHRONICLES 22:1-5
1 Then David said, “This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”
2 So David commanded to gather the aliens who were in the land of Israel; and he appointed masons to cut hewn stones to build the house of God.
3 And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails of the doors of the gates and for the joints, and bronze in abundance beyond measure,
4 and cedar trees in abundance; for the Sidonians and those from Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.
5 Now David said, “Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all countries. I will now make preparation for it.” So David made abundant preparations before his death.
The joyous shouting of the people must have been loud indeed for those afar off to have heard it!!!! And as we will see, Satan immediately began stirring up trouble for the people.
EZRA 4:1-5
1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the Lord God of Israel,
2 they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.”
3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, “You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”
4 Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building,
5 and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Satan never sits still, neither does he waste an opportunity to oppose God’s work and will. King Esarhaddon (681 - 669 B.C.), ruled Assyria in place of his assassinated father, Sennacherib after Sennacherib’s failure to conquer Jerusalem (701 B.C.). Scripture records;
2 KINGS 19:36-37
36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh.
37 Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
Esarhaddon took people from Assyria and the surrounding nations and settled them in what was formerly the Northern Kingdom of Israel, destroyed and depopulated by his grandfather, Sargon II in 722 B.C.
These pagan people would become the Samaritans mentioned in the New Testament, a despised, mongrel, mixed-race people in the eyes of the Jews of Judah.
More information for the Samaritans can be found in 2 Kings 17:24-41 as well as one of the reasons the jews rejected their assistance. The Samaritans did worship the Lord, however He was only one of their pantheon of gods they worshiped. This is one of the reasons the Jews rejected the help of the Samaritans besides the fact the Temple was to be built by the Jews.
While Gentiles could worship in designated places in the Temple, but couldn’t go into the inner court or sanctuary of the Temple.
Persian king Cyrus ruled the Persian Empire, had conquered Babylon, and freed the Jews in 540 B.C. ending their 70-year Babylonian captivity as prophesied by Jeremiah. After Cyrus’ death in 530 B.C., his sons Cambysis II (530-522 B.C.) and Bardiya (murdered after ruling less than a year, in 522 B.C.) ruled the empire, after which Darius I of Media seized the throne and became king.
EZRA 4:6-8
6 In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
7 In the days of Artaxerxes also, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabel, and the rest of their companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the letter was written in Aramaic script, and translated into the Aramaic language.
8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes in this fashion:
Ahasuerus (485-465 B.C.) is the Hebrew name for Xerxes I, husband of Hebrew queen Esther whose story is contained in the Old Testament book that bears her name. Artaxerxes (Artaxerxes I, 465-424 B.C.) was the son of Xerxes I. The enemies of the Jews were tireless in their hatred and troubled the Jews in rebuilding for at least 75 years, from the reign of Cyrus to Artaxerxes I, fulfilling the prophecy given to Daniel who was told;
DANIEL 9:25
25 “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.
EZRA 4:9-10
9 From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions, representatives of the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the people of Persia and Erech and Babylon and Shushan, the Dehavites, the Elamites,
10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnapper took captive and settled in the cities of Samaria and the remainder beyond the River—and so forth.
Note the different peoples involved here, ranging from the transplanted people imported into Samaria to the Persians and Elamites east of Babylon included in this letter. (The “Osnapper” (some versions say “Asnapper”) referred to deceased Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II, who died in 562 B.C.).
It can be assumed that most of the people outside of Samaria could care less about the doings in Judah but the conspirators wanted to add weight to their complaint to king Artaxerxes so they added to the list of peoples in the letter.
EZRA 4:11-16
11 (This is a copy of the letter that they sent him.)
To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men of the region beyond the River, and so forth:
12 Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem, and are building the rebellious and evil city, and are finishing its walls and repairing the foundations.
13 Let it now be known to the king that, if this city is built and the walls completed, they will not pay tax, tribute, or custom, and the king’s treasury will be diminished.
14 Now because we receive support from the palace, it was not proper for us to see the king’s dishonor; therefore we have sent and informed the king,
15 that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. And you will find in the book of the records and know that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that they have incited sedition within the city in former times, for which cause this city was destroyed.
16 We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, the result will be that you will have no dominion beyond the River.
The conspirators knew just which “hot points” to use when addressing the king, namely fear of rebellion, loss of income and loss of honor, things dear to the heart of a conqueror. They claimed that they had the king’s best interests at heart, using pious words to mask their real reason, namely their hatred of the Jews.
EZRA 4:17-22
17 The king sent an answer: To Rehum the commander, to Shimshai the scribe, to the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria, and to the remainder beyond the River: Peace, and so forth.
18 The letter which you sent to us has been clearly read before me.
19 And I gave the command, and a search has been made, and it was found that this city in former times has revolted against kings, and rebellion and sedition have been fostered in it.
20 There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all the region beyond the River; and tax, tribute, and custom were paid to them.
21 Now give the command to make these men cease, that this city may not be built until the command is given by me.
22 Take heed now that you do not fail to do this. Why should damage increase to the hurt of the kings?
It is actually hypocritical to accuse Jerusalem of the very things that most city-states and empires have done. But Artaxerxes I was being cautious, wanting to do a thorough evaluation of the Jews’ loyalties before allowing them to continue.
EZRA 4:23-24
23 Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem against the Jews, and by force of arms made them cease.
24 Thus the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
I bet the conspirators left a vapor trail in their haste to stop the Jews in their work. Assuming that Artaxerxes I sent the letter in the first year of his reign, (465 B.C.) and as the work stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius II (422 B.C.), the work ended for about 43 years. Why God allowed this is unknown unless it was to give the Jews time to multiply their depleted population.
EZRA 5:1-5
1 Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them.
2 So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them.
3 At the same time Tattenai the governor of the region beyond the River and Shethar-Boznai and their companions came to them and spoke thus to them: “Who has commanded you to build this temple and finish this wall?”
4 Then, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were constructing this building.
5 But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them cease till a report could go to Darius. Then a written answer was returned concerning this matter.
The perspective changes here from an outsider’s point of view to a more intimate portrayal of the rebuilding of the Temple from the perspective of one who witnessed the events spoken of earlier.
From the tone of the letter governor Tattenai sent to king Darius I, he wasn’t writing out of malice against the Jews rebuilding their city and Temple, he was concerned that as governor of the region under king Darius I he hadn’t been informed of Cyrus’ decree and was seeking verification and the king’s commandments concerning the issue.
EZRA 5:6-17
6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai sent: The governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and his companions, the Persians who were in the region beyond the River, to Darius the king.
7 (They sent a letter to him, in which was written thus.) To Darius the king: all peace.
8 Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judea, to the temple of the great God, which is being built with heavy stones, and timber is being laid in the walls; and this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.
9 Then we asked those elders, and spoke thus to them: “Who commanded you to build this temple and to finish these walls?”
10 We also asked them their names to inform you, that we might write the names of the men who were chief among them.
11 And thus they returned us an answer, saying: “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed.
12 But because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and carried the people away to Babylon.
13 However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build this house of God.
14 Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem and carried into the temple of Babylon—those King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon, and they were given to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor.
15 And he said to him, ‘Take these articles; go, carry them to the temple site that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its former site.’
16 Then the same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem; but from that time even until now it has been under construction, and it is not finished.”
17 Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the king’s treasure house, which is there in Babylon, whether it is so that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send us his pleasure concerning this matter.
Again, there is no apparent evil intent here, merely a report of events from Jerusalem to king Darius seeking verification and orders as to what to do, if anything.
EZRA 6:1-4
1 Then King Darius issued a decree, and a search was made in the archives, where the treasures were stored in Babylon.
2 And at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found, and in it a record was written thus:
3 In the first year of King Cyrus, King Cyrus issued a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem: “Let the house be rebuilt, the place where they offered sacrifices; and let the foundations of it be firmly laid, its height sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits,
4 with three rows of heavy stones and one row of new timber. Let the expenses be paid from the king’s treasury.
5 Also let the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple which is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and taken back to the temple which is in Jerusalem, each to its place; and deposit them in the house of God”—
60 cubits = 90 feet (27.4 meters), with length, width and height being equal. Remember, the limestone used for building blocks had to be hand-cut from distant quarries and hauled by muscle power to the building site (uphill, in this case). Each stone block weighed probably several tons each, and the walls of the Temple were to be laid three rows deep! That, and the debris and rubbish from the old destroyed Temple site had to be removed as well, which shows the amount of work involved!!!!
The hand of God is shown as well, as the entire expense was to be paid for by the Persian Empire!! God also did not allow the Babylonians to melt and re-use the gold and silver items used in the Temple service, nor did He allow the Babylonians to keep them.
EZRA 6:5-12
6 Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and your companions the Persians who are beyond the River, keep yourselves far from there.
7 Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God on its site.
8 Moreover I issue a decree as to what you shall do for the elders of these Jews, for the building of this house of God: Let the cost be paid at the king’s expense from taxes on the region beyond the River; this is to be given immediately to these men, so that they are not hindered.
9 And whatever they need—young bulls, rams, and lambs for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the request of the priests who are in Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day without fail,
10 that they may offer sacrifices of sweet aroma to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and his sons.
11 Also I issue a decree that whoever alters this edict, let a timber be pulled from his house and erected, and let him be hanged on it; and let his house be made a refuse heap because of this.
12 And may the God who causes His name to dwell there destroy any king or people who put their hand to alter it, or to destroy this house of God which is in Jerusalem. I Darius issue a decree; let it be done diligently.
The response was more than likely NOT what the governor and his supporters were expecting from king Darius I. But they had no choice in the matter, lest they be arrested for rebellion against the king and they certainly didn’t want to be hung from a beam of their own house! And in ancient times, “turning your house into a refuse heap” usually meant that your house would become a dump site and be used as a latrine.
EZRA 6:13-15
13 Then Tattenai, governor of the region beyond the River, Shethar-Boznai, and their companions diligently did according to what King Darius had sent.
14 So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the command of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.
15 Now the temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
The 6th year of Darius I would have been about 492 B.C. Artaxerxes I, grandson of Darius I is mentioned here, and as Artaxerxes I rose to power 23 years after the death of Darius I in 486 B.C., it can be assumed that the wall of Jerusalem was finished during his reign.
EZRA 6:16-18
16 Then the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites and the rest of the descendants of the captivity, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.
17 And they offered sacrifices at the dedication of this house of God, one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
18 They assigned the priests to their divisions and the Levites to their divisions, over the service of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses.
Here is a fascinating event. When Assyrian king Sennacherib destroyed the 10 breakaway tribes of Israel with the destruction and deportation to Assyria of the Jews of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) in 721 B.C. The Jews of the Northern Kingdom were never heard from again and have been referred to by history as “The 10 Lost Tribes”, even to this day.
What people don’t realize is that king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered Assyria in 607 B.C. and incorporated its lands into the Babylonian Empire. And when he destroyed Judah and deported the Jews of Judah and Benjamin to Babylon in 586 B.C., they were met by the remnants of the 10 tribes who were already there.
And when the Jews returned after their 70-year Babylonian captivity, as stated in verse 17 above, sacrifices were made for the redemption and cleansing of all 12 tribes showing that all 12 tribes were together again.
This was the fulfillment of God’s words to the prophet Ezekiel who was among the deported captives at Babylon at the time;
EZEKIEL 3:11-13
11 Then the Lord said to me, “Backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.
12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: ‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not remain angry forever.
13 Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the Lord your God, and have scattered your charms to alien deities under every green tree, and you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord.
EZRA 6:19-22
19 And the descendants of the captivity kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
20 For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves; all of them were ritually clean. And they slaughtered the Passover lambs for all the descendants of the captivity, for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
21 Then the children of Israel who had returned from the captivity ate together with all who had separated themselves from the filth of the nations of the land in order to seek the Lord God of Israel.
22 And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for the Lord made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
Note carefully in verse 21 that it says “the children of Israel”, not the children of Judah. This indicates that there was no longer a distinction between the tribes of Israel and Judah as there had been, they were now one nation again.
And again, this is in fulfillment of God’s words to the prophet Ezekiel, when He said;
EZEKIEL 3:18
18 “In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given as an inheritance to your fathers.
EZRA 7:1-6
1 Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,
2 the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,
3 the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,
4 the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,
5 the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest—
6 this Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given. The king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him.
The focus changes here from the history leading up to the return of Israel and Judah from Babylon to a first-person perspective of events through the eyes of Ezra, an educated and literate scribe of the priestly line of Aaron. As God had told Moses concerning the priestly lineage;
NUMBERS 25:11-13
10 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal.
12 Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace;
13 and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.’ ”
EZRA 7:7-10
7 Some of the children of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Nethinim came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.
8 And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.
9 On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.
10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.
The 7th year of Artaxerxes I would have been about 458 B.C. It took Ezra 5 months to travel the nearly 1,000 miles (1610 km) from Babylon to Jerusalem, following caravan routes. God was definitely with him, as he didn’t encounter any bandits during his journey.
The Jews had been without a Temple or an active priesthood for over 70 years and much of the Law of Moses had been forgotten or corrupted. Ezra was skilled in the teaching of the Law and had set his heart on bringing his people back to God.
EZRA 7:11-23
11 This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest, the scribe, expert in the words of the commandments of the Lord, and of His statutes to Israel:
12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of heaven: Perfect peace, and so forth.
13 I issue a decree that all those of the people of Israel and the priests and Levites in my realm, who volunteer to go up to Jerusalem, may go with you.
14 And whereas you are being sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, with regard to the Law of your God which is in your hand;
15 and whereas you are to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem;
16 and whereas all the silver and gold that you may find in all the province of Babylon, along with the freewill offering of the people and the priests, are to be freely offered for the house of their God in Jerusalem—
17 now therefore, be careful to buy with this money bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem.
18 And whatever seems good to you and your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do it according to the will of your God.
19 Also the articles that are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem.
20 And whatever more may be needed for the house of your God, which you may have occasion to provide, pay for it from the king’s treasury.
21 And I, even I, Artaxerxes the king, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the region beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, let it be done diligently,
22 up to one hundred talents of silver, one hundred kors of wheat, one hundred baths of wine, one hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribed limit.
23 Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it diligently be done for the house of the God of heaven. For why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?
This letter shows the great trust that Artaxerxes I had in Ezra in that he gave Ezra all of the gold and silver which had been donated by the king and others to be dedicated to the service of God and to request anything further needed from the surrounding provinces. Truly the hand of God was with them!!!
Salt might not seem to be an important commodity, but remember, they didn’t have modern-day salt mines or commercial transport back then. Salt needed to be mined from the shores of salt marshes, such as the fringes of the Dead Sea and parts of west Africa and transported by caravan over great distances to markets. Reports indicate that Roman soldiers in the Middle East were sometimes paid in salt.
Salt was an important part of sacrifice rituals and covenants as well;
LEVITICUS 2:13
13 And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.
NUMBERS 18:19
19 “All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you and your sons and daughters with you as an ordinance forever; it is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord with you and your descendants with you.”
EZRA 7:24-28
24 Also we inform you that it shall not be lawful to impose tax, tribute, or custom on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Nethinim, or servants of this house of God.
25 And you, Ezra, according to your God-given wisdom, set magistrates and judges who may judge all the people who are in the region beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God; and teach those who do not know them.
26 Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily on him, whether it be death, or banishment, or confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.
27 Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem,
28 and has extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. So I was encouraged, as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me.
This shows an incredible amount of autonomy given to Ezra by Artaxerxes I, again showing God’s blessing after His wrath against the evildoers among His people had run its course.
EZRA 8:1-14
1 These are the heads of their fathers’ houses, and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of King Artaxerxes:
2 of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, Hattush;
3 of the sons of Shecaniah, of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah; and registered with him were one hundred and fifty males;
4 of the sons of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males;
5 of the sons of Shechaniah, Ben-Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males;
6 of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males;
7 of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males;
8 of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him eighty males; 9 of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males;
10 of the sons of Shelomith, Ben-Josiphiah, and with him one hundred and sixty males;
11 of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males;
12 of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him one hundred and ten males;
13 of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are these—Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah—and with them sixty males;
14 also of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zabbud, and with them seventy males.
Genealogies were important to Israel as the coming Messiah was to come through the line of Judah, the Temple workers were supposed to be from the tribe of Levi, the priests were to be descendants of Aaron’s grandson Phinehas, (also from the tribe of Levi). Inheritances were tribal-based, with each tribe being allotted a section of Canaan, and families dividing the plots of land between them.
EZRA 8:15-20
15 Now I gathered them by the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there three days. And I looked among the people and the priests, and found none of the sons of Levi there.
16 Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, leaders; also for Joiarib and Elnathan, men of understanding.
17 And I gave them a command for Iddo the chief man at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say to Iddo and his brethren the Nethinim at the place Casiphia—that they should bring us servants for the house of our God.
18 Then, by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with his sons and brothers, eighteen men;
19 and Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty men;
20 also of the Nethinim, whom David and the leaders had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinim. All of them were designated by name.
The Nethinim were Temple servants sometimes called “Solomon’s servants”. These were non-Jewish servants who performed unspecified duties in the Temple, possibly Canaanite descendants of the royal city of Gibeon whose people deceived Joshua and Israel when they were conquering Canaan as recorded in Joshua chapter 9. After discovering their deception,
JOSHUA 9:27
27 And that day Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord, in the place which He would choose, even to this day.
EZRA 8:21-23
21 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.
22 For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.”
23 So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.
Ezra is showing his faith in undertaking the hazardous journey from Babylon to Judah. The caravan routes were frequently plagued by bandits and with the large amount of gold and silver being brought back, the caravan would have made a rich target for robbers.
EZRA 8:24-32
24 And I separated twelve of the leaders of the priests—Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them—
25 and weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the articles, the offering for the house of our God which the king and his counselors and his princes, and all Israel who were present, had offered.
26 I weighed into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, silver articles weighing one hundred talents, one hundred talents of gold,
27 twenty gold basins worth a thousand drachmas, and two vessels of fine polished bronze, precious as gold.
28 And I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord; the articles are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the Lord God of your fathers.
29 Watch and keep them until you weigh them before the leaders of the priests and the Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel in Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord.”
30 So the priests and the Levites received the silver and the gold and the articles by weight, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.
31 Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. And the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambush along the road.
32 So we came to Jerusalem, and stayed there three days.
It is hard to determine the exact weight and value of the talents and drachmas described here as the weight of a talent varied greatly among cultures, as did the prices of gold and silver. In ancient times, silver from Spanish mines was sometimes worth more than gold!!
The weight of a Babylonian talent of gold was about 67 pounds (30.3 kg) and talent of silver weighed in at 57.2 pounds (26 kg), bearing in mind that silver is lighter in weight than gold. Based on these standards, there would have been at least 6,600 pounds of gold (14,520 kg) and 42,900 pounds (2,453,880 kg) of silver, plus the weight of the dedicated gold and silver Temple articles!
The gold and silver were weighed to keep dishonest people from trimming or shaving the edges of items (especially coins) making them less than their declared values. Ever notice that ancient coins were sometimes irregularly shaped? Unscrupulous people would trim the edges of the coins, giving them their odd shapes. Items were weighed both at the source and at the destination to be sure the weights were identical.
In 1662, English king Charles II had coins made with letters stamped on the edges to prevent trimming, and the milling of edges of coins continues to this day.
EZRA 8:33-36
33 Now on the fourth day the silver and the gold and the articles were weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui,
34 with the number and weight of everything. All the weight was written down at that time.
35 The children of those who had been carried away captive, who had come from the captivity, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord.
36 And they delivered the king’s orders to the king’s satraps and the governors in the region beyond the River. So they gave support to the people and the house of God.
EZRA 9:1-4
1 When these things were done, the leaders came to me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, with respect to the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
2 For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed is mixed with the peoples of those lands. Indeed, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this trespass.”
3 So when I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat down astonished.
4 Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel assembled to me, because of the transgression of those who had been carried away captive, and I sat astonished until the evening sacrifice.
God had strictly commanded Israel to NOT intermarry with the surrounding nations, yet the leaders of the Jews had not only violated this law themselves, but had set examples for the rest of the people as well! God had said;
DEUTERONOMY 7:1-4
1 “When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you,
2 and when the Lord your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them.
3 Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son.
4 For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly.
This had happened to king Solomon;
I KINGS 11:1-8
1 But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites—
2 from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.
3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart.
4 For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David.
5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David.
7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon.
8 And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
God became furious with Solomon for this;
I KINGS 11:9-13
9 So the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,
10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what the Lord had commanded.
11 Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.
12 Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
13 However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”
The result was that 10 of the 12 tribes rebelled again Solomon’s son in 930 B.C. and established the Northern Kingdom of Israel, later destroyed by Assyrian king Sargon II in 720 B.C.
Considering what had happened to the Jews because of their disobedience in marrying foreign wives, one can understand why Ezra was appalled by the behavior of the leaders of Israel!!!!
EZRA 9:5-15
5 At the evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God.
6 And I said: “O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens.
7 Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to humiliation, as it is this day.
8 And now for a little while grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage.
9 For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments,
11 which You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land, with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from one end to another with their impurity.
12 Now therefore, do not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons; and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.’
13 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this,
14 should we again break Your commandments, and join in marriage with the people committing these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You had consumed us, so that there would be no remnant or survivor?
15 O Lord God of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. Here we are before You, in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!”
One can see the heartbreak, shock and terror in Ezra in his prayer. He is horrified that even after all of the hardships endured by their forefathers when they violated God’s laws, they have repeated those same abominations despite God’s mercy in returning them to the Land.
It has been said that to really understand a man’s nature, look at his prayers, and Ezra’s prayer shows a deep reverence for God and compassion for his own people.
EZRA 10:1-8
1 Now while Ezra was praying, and while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down before the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept very bitterly.
2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, “We have trespassed against our God, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this.
3 Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.
4 Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it.”
5 Then Ezra arose, and made the leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel swear an oath that they would do according to this word. So they swore an oath.
6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib; and when he came there, he ate no bread and drank no water, for he mourned because of the guilt of those from the captivity.
7 And they issued a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the descendants of the captivity, that they must gather at Jerusalem,
8 and that whoever would not come within three days, according to the instructions of the leaders and elders, all his property would be confiscated, and he himself would be separated from the assembly of those from the captivity.
This had to be heartbreaking on so many levels. The people realizing the magnitude of their sins, knowing that they would need to separate themselves from their wives and children, the guilt and sorrow of repentance filling them, the fears and tears of their pagan wives and children who were suddenly to be left alone and who more than likely did not understanding why this was happening.
But in order to keep pagan idolatry and worship practices from poisoning the congregation, they needed to remove the pagan influences from among them and follow God’s commandment to Moses and all Israel of;
DEUTERONOMY 7:1-4
1 “When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you,
2 and when the Lord your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them.
3 Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son.
4 For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly.
Therefore a hard line needed to be taken, namely, do this, or be cut off from Israel.
EZRA 10:9-17
9 So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month; and all the people sat in the open square of the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of heavy rain.
10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have transgressed and have taken pagan wives, adding to the guilt of Israel.
11 Now therefore, make confession to the Lord God of your fathers, and do His will; separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the pagan wives.”
12 Then all the assembly answered and said with a loud voice, “Yes! As you have said, so we must do.
13 But there are many people; it is the season for heavy rain, and we are not able to stand outside. Nor is this the work of one or two days, for there are many of us who have transgressed in this matter.
14 Please, let the leaders of our entire assembly stand; and let all those in our cities who have taken pagan wives come at appointed times, together with the elders and judges of their cities, until the fierce wrath of our God is turned away from us in this matter.”
15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite gave them support.
16 Then the descendants of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain heads of the fathers’ households, were set apart by the fathers’ households, each of them by name; and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.
17 By the first day of the first month they finished questioning all the men who had taken pagan wives.
This was not something to be done lightly. Apparently many men had married pagan wives and each man had to swear to put away his wife and children before witnesses and before God. There was surely the matter of compensation to the families being separated to be dealt with also, so that they would not be left destitute. This took several months to complete.
The heavy rains seems to indicate that the timeframe was in the Fall (October) or early Winter (November), which was the rainy season in Canaan.
And it would be callous to outright condemn those who opposed the separation of families as we don’t know their motives. It would be extremely hard in most cases to separate yourself from your family, and it could be that their opposition was generated by their love for their families.
EZRA 10:18-44
18 And among the sons of the priests who had taken pagan wives the following were found of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.
19 And they gave their promise that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they presented a ram of the flock as their trespass offering.
20 Also of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah;
21 of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah;
22 of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
23 Also of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (the same is Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
24 Also of the singers: Eliashib; and of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
25 And others of Israel: of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Jeziah, Malchiah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah;
26 of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Eliah;
27 of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza;
28 of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai;
29 of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Ramoth;
30 of the sons of Pahath-Moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh;
31 of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,
32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah;
33 of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei;
34 of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel,
35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluh,
36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, [g]Jaasai,
38 Bani, Binnui, Shimei,
39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,
40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,
42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph;
43 of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.
44 All these had taken pagan wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
This is a list of the heads of the major households of the people, indicating that this list is a small fraction of the total number of men who had married pagan wives.
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