746

which He had hallowed in Jerusalem, by heathen sacrifices and customs. V. 15. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by His messengers, especially the prophets Isaiah, Micah, Habakkuk, and Jeremiah, rising up betimes and sending, that is, constantly and earnestly, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling-place, wishing to save the people from the punishment which they were inviting upon their own heads. V. 16. But they mocked the messengers of God, as in the case of Jeremiah, Jer. 5, 12. 13, and despised His words, and misused His prophets, Jer. 32, 3, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, like a fire eating through into a high flame, till there was no remedy, till the state of affairs was past healing. V. 17. Therefore He brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, Nebuchadnezzar undertaking a third siege of Jerusalem, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, so called because they had profaned the Temple by their idolatry, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age; He gave them all into his hand, namely, when the city was captured after a siege lasting a year and a half, in the year 587 B. C. V. 18. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, those still remaining after the first sacking of the city, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, with the many presents of consecration, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, the entire contents of the royal treasury; all these he brought to Babylon. V. 19. And they burned the house of God, for the floors and the inner walls of the Temple were of wood, and therefore very inflammable, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof, all those of value which they could not well transport to Baby

lon. V. 20. And them that had escaped from the sword, during the siege and at the capture of the city, carried he away to Babylon, where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia, 2 Kings 25, 9; Jer. 39, 8; 27, 7, v. 21. to fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths; the Sabbatic years, as seasons of rest for all classes of people and for the land itself having been ignored for centuries, the Lord was now giving the land rest, Lev. 26, 34; for as long as she lay desolate, she kept Sabbath, for a mere handful of people remained in the land after Nebuchadnezzar's campaign, and many of these went down into Egypt in the course of time, to fulfil threescore and ten years. It seems that no attempt was made to colonize the land in the interval, and that Judah was actually desolate for seventy years. V. 22. Now, in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, that the word of the Lord spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Jer. 25, 12. 13, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, the Babylonian empire having meanwhile passed into the power of the Persian empire, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, v. 23. Thus saith Cyrus, king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord God of heaven given me; and He hath charged me to build Him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. This had been revealed to Cyrus either directly or by the mouth of some prophet. Who is there among you of all His people? The Lord, His God, be with him, and let him go up. It was a free invitation calling upon the Jews to return to the land of their fathers. Note the kindness and mercy of the Lord in reinstating a remnant of His people in their country, since the Redeemer was to come out of Zion, born in Bethlehem from the stock of David.

The Book of Ezra, written by the famous priest and scribe whose name it bears, covers a period of about eighty years, namely, that following the exile of the Jews, about 538 to 458 B. C. During this period six kings of Persia occupied the throne and were the sovereigns of the Jews: Cyrus the Great, his son Cambyses, the usurper Pseudo-Smerdis, Darius I, son of Hystaspes, Xerxes I (known also as Ahasuerus), and Artaxerxes Longimanus.

The book records the fulfilment of God's promise to bring His people back to Palestine. The book is divided into two distinct parts, the first part, chapters 1 to 6, telling of the return of the exiles under Zerubbabel and Joshua in the year 536, and the second, chapters 7 to 10, relating the coming of Ezra in the year 458, together with the measures of reform introduced by him. Under Zerubbabel, who was made Tirshatha, or governor, of the

returned exiles, more than 40,000 Jews settled in Palestine once more, especially in and near Jerusalem; under Ezra, eighty years later, a second band returned to the land of their fathers. During the period covered by this book the Temple had been rebuilt and the true worship restored in Jerusalem. The exiles were from this time forth known as Jews. They did not form an independent nation, but their country was a province of Persia, until the entire empire was conquered by Alexander

the Great, 331 B. C., when they, of course, passed under the jurisdiction of Macedonia, or Greece. It should be noted, finally, that the captivity of the Jews had at last cured them of their idolatry, for there are few evidences of idolatry or of false worship in Judea after the exile.1)

1) Cp. Fuerbringer, Einleitung in das Alte Testament, 38. 39; Concordia Bible Class, April, 1919, 49. 50.

The End of the Captivity. THE PROCLAMATION OF CYRUS.-V. 1. Now, in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, after the conquest of the Babylonian empire, the new empire, including Persia, Media, Babylonia, and Chaldea, having been founded in 536 B. C., that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, Jer. 25, 12. 13, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, by having special couriers cry out the message, and put it also in writing, saying, v. 2. Thus saith Cyrus, king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth, his empire at that time being a world empire; and he hath charged me to build Him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah, either by direct revelation or through the instruction of the prophet Daniel, who may have informed him of the prophecies concerning him and his career as written down by Isaiah some two hundred years before, Is. 44, 28; 46, 1-4. V. 3. Who is there among you of all His people? 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 the God, whom Cyrus acknowledged and worshiped as the one true God) which is in Jerusalem. V. 4. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, having settled down according to the advice of the Lord by Jeremiah, Jer. 29, 4-7, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, for pack-animals and for traveling, giving such a one all possible assistance, beside the free-will offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem, thereby contributing liberally toward the rebuilding of the Temple. Thus God uses also the mighty ones of the earth in His service as He chooses, thereby bringing the days of tribulation upon His people to an end.

THE RETURN ARRANGED FOR. V. 5. Then rose up the chief of the fathers, the heads of the divisions known as father-houses, of Judah and Benjamin, for these two tribes

were chiefly concerned in this exile and the return, and the priests and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, those in whose hearts the Lord had wrought the willingness to return to the land of their fathers and build up the country anew from the depths of desolation, to go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.

A good many Jews of Babylon could not make up their minds to return to Judah, since they were unwilling to relinquish the property they had gained in the land of their captivity. V. 6. And all they that were about them, all their friends and neighbors, strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, showing great liberality toward the Jews in accordance with the king's proclamation, beside all that was willingly offered, given for the rebuilding of the Temple. The Lord made the Babylonians favorably disposed toward the Jews, in order to further His plans. V. 7. Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord, those which had been used in the Sanctuary of Solomon's Temple, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods, 2 Chron. 36, 7; v. 8. even those did Cyrus, king of Persia, bring forth by the hand of Mithredath, the treasurer, who had charge of all these treasures, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the Persian name for Zerubbabel, the prince of Judah, appointed governor of the returning exiles. V. 9. And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, baskets or containers of a peculiar kind, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives, with chased or braided work, or they may have been sacrificial dishes serving for the pouring of the blood, v. 10. thirty basins of gold, covered vessels like large cups, silver basins of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand. These larger and more costly vessels enumerated here amounted to a total of 2,499. V. 11. All the vessels of gold and silver, including those of minor value, were five thousand

and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity, when the exiles returned with all their goods, that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem. The exodus of the Jews from Babylon is rightly regarded as the type

of another exodus which God has commanded the children of the New Covenant; for the Christians are under obligations to leave the corruptions of the world and the false churches, to go out from among them and be separate, 2 Cor. 6, 17-19.

Catalog of the Returning Jews and Their Possessions.

THE HOUSEHOLD OF THE PEOPLE. - V. 1. Now, these are the children of the province, for that is what Judah had now become, a mere province of the Persian empire, that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, as distinguished from those who preferred to remain in Babylon or Persia, whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city, the city which was rebuilt and allotted to every one now; v. 2. which came with Zerubbabel, who had been appointed governor of the returned exiles in Judah: Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mizpar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. All told, cp. Neh. 7, there were twelve priestly heads, who represented, in a way, the twelve tribes of Israel. The number of the men of the people of Israel: v. 3. the children of Parosh, two thousand an hundred and seventy and two. V. 4. The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy and two. V. 5. The children of Arah, seven hundred seventy and five. That many were enrolled in the lists of the descendants of Arah, but more than a hundred fewer actually settled in Judah and were there mustered, Neh. 7. V. 6. The children of Pahath-moab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve. V. 7. The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four. V. 8. The children of Zattu, nine hundred forty and five. V. 9. The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and threescore. V. 10. The children of Bani (or Binnui), six hundred forty and two. V. 11. The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty and three. V. 12. The children of Azgad, a thousand two hundred twenty and two. V. 13. The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty and six. V. 14. The children of Bigvai, two thousand fifty and six. V. 15. The children of Adin, four hundred fifty and four. V. 16. The children of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety and eight. 、V. 17. The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and three. V. 18. The children of Jorah (or Hariph), an hundred and twelve. V. 19. The children of Hashum, two hundred twenty and three. V. 20. The children of Gibhar, ninety and five. The name is really

come.

Gibeon, Neh. 7, 25; for the rest of the names from this point are those of the cities from which the fathers of the present exiles had V. 21. The children of Bethlehem, the former inhabitants of the city and their descendants, an hundred twenty and three. V. 22. The men of Netophah, a small town near Bethlehem, fifty and six. V. 23. The men of Anathoth, a Levitical city, the home of Jeremiah, against which he had prophesied in one of his severest predictions, Jer. 32, 27-35, an hundred twenty and eight. V. 24. The children of Azmaveth (also known as Beth-azmaveth), forty and two. V. 25. The children of Kirjath-arim, west of Jerusalem, Chephirah, and Beeroth, three cities of the Gibeonites, Josh. 9, 17, seven hundred and forty and three. V. 26. The children of Ramah and Gaba, north of Jerusalem, Josh. 9, 25. 26, six hundred twenty and one. V. 27. The men of Michmas, 1 Sam. 13, 25, an hundred twenty and two. V. 28. The men of Bethel and Ai, still farther north of Jerusalem, Josh. 7, 2, two hundred twenty and three. V. 29. The children of Nebo, the ancient Nob or Nobe, 1 Sam. 21, 2, fifty and two. V. 30. The children of Magbish, an hundred fifty and six. V. 31. The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four. V. 32. The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty. V. 33. The children of Lod, the later Lydda, Hadid (or Harid), and Ono, seven hundred twenty and five. V. 34. The children of Jericho, in the lowlands of the Jordan toward the east, three hundred forty and five. V. 35. The children of Senaah, three thousand and six hundred and thirty. It seems, from this list, that the cities in the neighborhood of Jerusalem were settled first and in the course of time more and more of them inhabited, as other exiles joined them and as their number increased.

THE PRIESTS, Levites, and Servants of the TEMPLE. V. 36. The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, the latter being the first high priest of the new community, a grandson of Seraiah, whom Nebuchadnezzar had put to death at Riblah, 2 Kings 25, 18. 19, nine hundred seventy and three. V. 37. The children of Immer, a thousand fifty and two. V. 38. The children of Pashur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven. V. 39. The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen. This list shows

only four courses of priests, but these four were afterwards again increased to twentyfour, according to the division of David and with the names they originally bore, for we find a course of Abia mentioned in the New Testament, 1 Chron. 24, 10; Luke 1, 5. V. 40. The Levites: the children of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the children of Hodaviah (or Hodevah, or Judah), seventy and four. V. 41. The singers: the children of Asaph, the only company that accompanied the first company of returning exiles, an hundred twenty and eight. V. 42. The children of the porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, in all an hundred thirty and nine. V. 43. The Nethinim, the descendants of foreign nations, who performed the meaner tasks about the Temple, 1 Chron. 9, 2: the children of Ziha, the children of Hazupha, the children of Tabbaoth, v. 44. the children of Keros, the children of Siaha, the children of Padon, v. 45. the children of Lebanah, the children of Hagabah, the children of Akkub, v. 46. the children of Hagab, the children of Shalmai, the children of Hanan, v. 47. the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar, the children of Reaiah, v. 48. the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda, the children of Gazzam, v. 49. the children of Uzza, the children of Paseah, the children of Besai, v. 50. the children of Asnah, the children of Mehunim, the children of Nephusim, v. 51. the children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur, v. 52. the children of Bazluth, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha, v. 53. the children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Thamah, v. 54. the children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha. V. 55. The children of Solomon's servants, usually connected with the Nethinim, apparently descendants of prisoners of war that were not Canaanites: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Peruda, v. 56. the children of Jaalah, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel, v. 57. the children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth of Zebaim, the children of Ami (or Amon). V. 58. All the Nethinim and the children of Solomon's servants were three hundred ninety and two. All these people, whose fathers had not originally been members of Israel, now clung to the true God with faithful loyalty. It is not the derivation, the human descent and family, that counts with the Lord, but the faith of the heart and true loyalty in one's entire life.

THE PEOPLE AND THE PRIESTS WITHOUT GENEALOGY.-V. 59. And these were they which went up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsa, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, probably all

cities in a province of Babylonia; but they could not show their father's house, their genealogical tables had been lost, and they could not say to which father-house in Israel their forefathers had belonged, and their seed, their pedigree, their descent, whether they were of Israel: v. 60. the children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred fifty and two. They were not mere adventurers, but had been urged to join the company of returning exiles by their loyalty to Jehovah, even though their family records were lost. V. 61. And of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai, which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called after their name, 2 Sam. 17, 27. It is supposed that this man of priestly descent married the woman because she was an heiress and assumed her name. In this way

his connection with the tribe of Levites was lost sight of. Worldly ambition forfeited the dignity of the priesthood. V. 62. These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found, they were unable to bring the documentary proof of their priestly descent; therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood, they were excluded from the holy office because their descent was doubtful. V. 63. And the Tirshatha, the gov ernor of the province, said unto them that they should not eat of the most holy things till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim, Ex. 28, 30; Num. 27, 21, that is, a high priest sanctioned by God to give decisions by consulting the Lord in the ancient manner, in infallible revelations. Because the matter was in doubt, this was a decision of discretion. V. 64. The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore. This number is twelve thousand greater than the sum of the numbers, for to the returning exiles must be added the few remaining Jews and even such from Egypt as promptly gathered when they found that the ancient worship would be restored. It was a small flock that came together in Jerusalem and vicinity, but it represented the true worship of Jehovah in those days, the visible Church of God.

THE POSSESSIONS AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE RETURNED EXILES.-V. 65. Beside their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven. And there were among them two hundred singing men and singing women, professional singers and musicians, who were employed upon various occasions. V. 66. Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five; v. 67. their camels, four hundred thirty and five; their asses, six thousand seven hundred and

twenty. V. 68. And some of the chief of the fathers, such of the heads as could afford it, when they came to the house of the Lord which is at Jerusalem, to the site where its ruins were then lying, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in his place, voluntary contributions to rebuild the Temple. V. 69. They gave after their ability unto the treasure of the work threescore and one thousand drams of gold, that is, Persian darics, and five thousand pounds of

silver (almost $400,000 all told), and one hundred priests' garments. V. 70. So the priests, and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinim dwelt in their cities, those assigned to them, and all Israel in their cities. Those who love the worship of the Lord will be found willing, also to-day, to sacrifice of their money and goods to the Lord. And such willing sacrifices and gifts are wellpleasing to God.

The Restoration of the Jewish Church. THE WORSHIP RESUMED. — V. 1. And when the seventh month was come, namely, that of the church-year, in which the new year of the civil year, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles were celebrated, and the children of Israel were in the cities, when they had just about gotten settled in the homes assigned to them, the people, filled with zeal for the ancient worship, gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem, all inspired with the same idea and purpose. V. 2. Then stood up Jeshua (or Joshua), the son of Jozadak, and his brethren, the priests, and Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the governor of the province, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, the immediate and most urgent necessity in the restoration of the ancient worship, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the Law of Moses, the man of God, Deut. 12, 5. 6. V. 3.. And they set the altar upon his bases, erecting it upon its old foundations as quickly as possible; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries, those of the neighboring countries, especially also in what was known as Samaria, where the heathen element was strong, who might even now venture a hostile interruption. And they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord, even burnt offerings morning and evening, Num. 28, 3. 4. V. 4. They kept also the Feast of Tabernacles, whose celebration began on the fifteenth of the month, as it is written, Ex. 23, 16, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, Num. 29, 12-40, as the duty of every day required, for the number of sacrifices prescribed for the various days of the festival was not the same; v. 5. and afterward offered the continual burnt offering, Ex. 29, 38-42, the one lamb of the morning and of the evening worship, both of the new moons and of all the set feasts of the Lord that were consecrated, Num. 28 and 29, and of every one that willingly offered a free-will offering unto the Lord, these words including all other sacrifices, also those of vows. V. 6. From the first day of the

seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord, with the new moon of the civil year. But the foundation of the Temple of the Lord was not yet laid, the courts may have been free of the débris and ruins, but the Sanctuary had not yet been begun. V. 7. They gave money also unto the masons and to the carpenters, the workmen who prepared the hewed stones and the timber for the building; and meat and drink and oil unto them of Zidon and to them of Tyre to bring cedar-trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, floating down the logs from some Phenician port to Joppa, whence they could be hauled to Jerusalem, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus, king of Persia, with whose special permission they were rebuilding the Temple, chap. 1, 3. That is the greatest necessity of any congregation, also in the New Testament, to assemble for the worship of the Lord, to hear and learn His Word.

THE FOUNDATION OF THE TEMPLE LAID. V. 8. Now, in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, about in April or the beginning of May, began Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, by whom he had been brought up, cp. 1 Chron. 3, 17-19, and Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren, the priests and the Levites, as many as lived in or near Jerusalem, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem, and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the Lord, to act as overseers and to expedite the work. V. 9. Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah (or Hodaviah), together, all agreed on a plan of action, working in perfect harmony, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad with their sons and their brethren, the Levites. So the work, under the joint superintendence of all the Levites, moved forward systematically and efficiently. V. 10. And when the builders laid the foundation of the Temple of the Lord, when the formal celebration of the lay