About Ezra

Ezra records the return from exile and the rebuilding of the temple, followed by Ezra's ministry of spiritual restoration.

Author: EzraWritten: c. 450-400 BCReading time: ~2 minVerses: 13
RestorationTemple RebuildingLawPurityPrayerConfession

King James Version

Ezra 3

13 verses with commentary

The Altar Rebuilt

And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.

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KJV Study Commentary

The phrase 'as one man' (Hebrew <em>ke'ish echad</em>) emphasizes the unity of God's people in gathering at Jerusalem for worship. Despite diverse tribal backgrounds and seventy years of dispersion, the returned exiles assembled with singular purpose. This unity was not manufactured but flowed from shared covenant identity and common commitment to restore true worship. The gathering in the seventh...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(1) **The seventh month** **was** **come.**—Rather, *approached.* Tisri, answering to our September, was the most solemn month of the year, including the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles, afterwards distinguished as “the feast” pre-eminently. **As one man.**—Not all, but with one consent.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**4-14. Joash was minded to repair the house of the Lord--**(See on 2Ki 12:4-16). 2Ch 24:15, 16. Jehoiada Being Dead.

Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. Jeshua: also called, Joshua Zerubbabel: Gr. Zorobabel Shealtiel: Gr. Salathiel

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KJV Study Commentary

Jeshua (Hebrew <em>Yeshua</em>, meaning 'Yahweh saves') served as high priest, while Zerubbabel (grandson of King Jehoiachin) provided political leadership as Davidic heir. Their partnership represents the biblical pattern of priestly and kingly offices working together—a foreshadowing of Christ who unites both roles. The phrase 'builded the altar' precedes temple reconstruction, showing proper pr...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(2) **Builded the altar.**—Only as the beginning of their work. The Temple was, as it were, built around the altar, as the centre of all. **Moses the man of God.**—Like David, Nehemiah 12:24; Nehemiah 12:36.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**15-16. Jehoiada waxed old ... and died--**His life, protracted to unusual longevity and spent in the service of his country, deserved some tribute of public gratitude, and this was rendered in the posthumous honors that were bestowed on him. Among the Hebrews, intramural interment was prohibited in every city but Jerusalem, and there the exception was made only to the royal family and persons of...
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And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening.

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KJV Study Commentary

The phrase 'fear was upon them' acknowledges the genuine threats from surrounding peoples hostile to Jewish restoration. Rather than allowing fear to paralyze or compromise worship, they channeled it toward God through sacrifice. The Hebrew construction suggests fear as motivation for establishing the altar—they needed divine protection more than physical security. Offering 'burnt offerings mornin...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(3) **Upon his bases.**—Upon its old site, or *its place,* discovered among the ruins. Thus was it signified that all the new was to be only a restoration of the old. **For** **fear was upon them.**—Until their offerings went up they did not feel sure of the Divine protection. This was their first act of defiance in the presence of the nations around: near the altar they were strong.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**15-16. Jehoiada waxed old ... and died--**His life, protracted to unusual longevity and spent in the service of his country, deserved some tribute of public gratitude, and this was rendered in the posthumous honors that were bestowed on him. Among the Hebrews, intramural interment was prohibited in every city but Jerusalem, and there the exception was made only to the royal family and persons of...
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They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required; as the duty: Heb. the matter of the day in his day

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KJV Study Commentary

Offering 'the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD' restored the complete Mosaic calendar. This demonstrates comprehensive covenant renewal, not selective observance. The phrase 'of every one that willingly offered' indicates voluntary additional sacrifices beyond required offerings. This distinction between mandatory and freewill offerings teaches...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(4) **According to the custom**—It is necessary here to read Deuteronomy 16, Leviticus 23, Numbers 29 The intention obviously is to lay stress on the provision made for an entire renewal of the Mosaic economy of service, as appears in the next verse.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**17-22. Now came the princes of Judah, and make obeisance to the king--**Hitherto, while Joash occupied the throne, his uncle had held the reins of sovereign power, and by his excellent counsels had directed the young king to such measures as were calculated to promote both the civil and religious interests of the country. The fervent piety, practical wisdom, and inflexible firmness of that sage ...
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And afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the LORD.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the LORD.</strong> The phrase 'afterward' marks progression from the Festival of Tabernacles (v. 4) to establishing regular worship patterns. The 'continual burnt offering' (<em>olat hatamid<...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(5) **Both of the new moons.**—*And of the new moons.* The whole verse is general and anticipatory. The new moons, the three feasts, and the constant presentation of freewill offerings, added to the daily sacrifice, made up the essentials of ritual; all being, like the arrangements in the Book of Leviticus, fixed before the Temple was built, and afterwards observed.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**17-22. Now came the princes of Judah, and make obeisance to the king--**Hitherto, while Joash occupied the throne, his uncle had held the reins of sovereign power, and by his excellent counsels had directed the young king to such measures as were calculated to promote both the civil and religious interests of the country. The fervent piety, practical wisdom, and inflexible firmness of that sage ...
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From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid. the foundation: Heb. the temple of the LORD was not yet founded

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid.</strong> The specific dating—'the first day of the seventh month'—corresponds to Tishri 1, the beginning of Israel's civil year and the Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-25). This precise chronological marker (538 BC, approximately) emph...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(6) **From the first day.**—The notes of time demand notice. The altar was raised before the month came; from the first until the fifteenth, when the Feast of Tabernacles began, the daily sacrifice was offered. The whole verse recapitulates, and its latter part is the transition to what follows.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**17-22. Now came the princes of Judah, and make obeisance to the king--**Hitherto, while Joash occupied the throne, his uncle had held the reins of sovereign power, and by his excellent counsels had directed the young king to such measures as were calculated to promote both the civil and religious interests of the country. The fervent piety, practical wisdom, and inflexible firmness of that sage ...
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Rebuilding the Temple Begins

They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; 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, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia. carpenters: or, workmen

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; 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.</strong> This verse deliberately echoes Solomon's temple construction (1 Kings 5:6-11), establishing typological continuity between first and second temples. The Hebrew <em>ḥārāšîm</em> (חָרָשִׁים, craftsm...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(7) **They gave money.**—Their own workmen were paid in money; the Phoenicians, as in Solomon’s days (1 Kings 5; 2 Chronicles 2), were paid in kind. This illustrates and is illustrated by Acts 12:20. **The sea of Joppa.**—The Jewish port to which the cedar-trees were sent by sea, and thence thirty-five miles inland to Jerusalem. **The grant.**—The authority of Cyrus over Phœnicia seems not to have...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**17-22. Now came the princes of Judah, and make obeisance to the king--**Hitherto, while Joash occupied the throne, his uncle had held the reins of sovereign power, and by his excellent counsels had directed the young king to such measures as were calculated to promote both the civil and religious interests of the country. The fervent piety, practical wisdom, and inflexible firmness of that sage ...
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Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

The second year, second month marked approximately eighteen months after the return began. The timing was deliberate—the second month (Iyyar/April-May) corresponds to when Solomon began building the first temple (1 Kings 6:1), demonstrating intentional connection to historical precedent. Zerubbabel and Jeshua's joint leadership again emphasizes priestly-civil cooperation. The appointment of Levite...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(8) **In the second year.**—The second year of Cyrus, B.C. 537, was their second year in the holy place. **In the second month.**—Zif, chosen apparently because it was the same month in which Solomon laid the first foundation (1 Kings 6). **Appointed** **the Levites, from twenty years.**—Their appointment to superintend, and their specified age, are in strict harmony with the original ordinances o...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**17-22. Now came the princes of Judah, and make obeisance to the king--**Hitherto, while Joash occupied the throne, his uncle had held the reins of sovereign power, and by his excellent counsels had directed the young king to such measures as were calculated to promote both the civil and religious interests of the country. The fervent piety, practical wisdom, and inflexible firmness of that sage ...
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Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites. Judah: or, Hodaviah,Chap.2.40 together: Heb. as one

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KJV Study Commentary

The temple rebuilding required oversight: 'Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites.' The verb 'set forward' (paqad, פָּקַד) means to oversee, supervise, or appoint—these Levites provided leadership and coordination. The emp...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(9) **Together**—*As one man.* Jeshua and Kadmiel, both of the stock of Judah, or Hodaviah (Ezra 2:40), or Hodevah (Nehemiah 7:43), were the two heads of Levitical families; and their fewness is compensated by their unanimity and vigour. Henadad is not mentioned in Ezra 2:40, though it is a Levitical name in Nehemiah. Why omitted there, or why inserted here, it is not possible to determine.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**17-22. Now came the princes of Judah, and make obeisance to the king--**Hitherto, while Joash occupied the throne, his uncle had held the reins of sovereign power, and by his excellent counsels had directed the young king to such measures as were calculated to promote both the civil and religious interests of the country. The fervent piety, practical wisdom, and inflexible firmness of that sage ...
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Opposition to the Rebuilding

And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.

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KJV Study Commentary

The foundation ceremony's formal character—'when the builders laid the foundation'—marks a covenant moment. The priests' liturgical vestments, trumpets, and cymbals restored Davidic worship patterns (1 Chronicles 15-16). Praising God 'after the ordinance of David king of Israel' demonstrates submitting current practice to biblical precedent. This is the regulative principle—worship must follow div...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(10) **After the ordinance of David, king of Israel.**—All goes back to earlier times. As the first offerings on the altar were according to what was “written in the law of Moses, the man of God,” so the musical ceremonial of this foundation is according to the precedent of David (see 1 Chronicles 6, 1Chronicles 16:25). The trumpets belonged to the priests, the cymbals to the Levites, in the ancie...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**23. at the end of the year the host of Syria came up--**This invasion took place under the personal conduct of Hazael, whom Joash, to save the miseries of a siege, prevailed on to withdraw his forces by a large present of gold (2Ki 12:18). Most probably, also, he promised the payment of an annual tribute, on the neglect or refusal of which the Syrians returned the following year, and with a mere...
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And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

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KJV Study Commentary

The responsive singing 'because he is good' echoes Psalm 136 and numerous other passages celebrating God's <em>hesed</em> (steadfast, covenant love). This wasn't innovative worship but rooted in Scripture, demonstrating that biblical praise transcends circumstances. The phrase 'mercy endureth for ever' translates <em>le'olam chasdo</em>, emphasizing God's unchanging faithfulness despite Israel's u...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(11) **They sang together.**—They answered each other in chorus, or antiphonally. **Shouted.**—As afterwards in religious acclamation.

But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:

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KJV Study Commentary

The intergenerational contrast is poignant: old men who remembered Solomon's temple wept while younger returnees shouted for joy. The weeping wasn't disapproval but grief over the diminished glory compared to the original temple's splendor. This emotional complexity shows authentic faith embracing both sorrow over loss and hope for restoration. The inability to distinguish weeping from joy ('could...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(12) **But many of the priests and Levites . . . wept with a loud voice.**—This most affecting scene requires the comment of Haggai 2 and Zeeh. 4. The first house was destroyed in B.C. 588, fifty years before. The weeping of the ancients was not occasioned by any comparison as to size and grandeur, unless indeed they marked the smallness of their foundation stones. They thought chiefly of the grea...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**25. they left him in great diseases--**The close of his life was embittered by a painful malady, which long confined him to bed. **his own servants conspired against him--**These two conspirators (whose fathers were Jews, but their mothers aliens) were probably courtiers, who, having constant access to the bedchamber, could the more easily execute their design. **for the blood of the sons--*...
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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 noise was heard afar off.

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KJV Study Commentary

The people's inability to 'discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping' creates powerful imagery of mixed emotions—hope and grief, joy and sorrow coexisting. This emotional complexity reflects reality: genuine faith encompasses both delight in God's present mercies and sorrow over lost glory. The 'noise was heard afar off' suggests overwhelming volume—corporate worship expr...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(13) **The noise was heard afar off.**—The people also mingled in the weeping, which was with shrill cries. The rejoicing and the sorrow were blended, and the common sound was heard from far. All here has the stamp of truth. **Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission. **Bible Hub

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