Bible in one year 7/11/2022 the book of Ezra Introduction & Chapter 1 the Decree of Cyrus By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Bible in one year 7/11/2022  the book of Ezra Introduction & Chapter 1 the Decree of Cyrus

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce                                                                                                          

Christian Arts Ministries : Biblical precepts & Gospel music; Pastoral ministry & Counseling

 

Introduction to the book of Ezra

Author : Ezra  Date:456-444 B.C.  

 Title and Authorship     The book, named after its principal character, originally formed one work with the books of Nehemiah and Chronicles. Although Ezra is not mentioned in the book as its author, he most likely did write the book using various documents (4:7-16), genealogies (2:1-70), and personal memories (7:27-9:15) as his sources. In the Vulgate (Latin Bible), Ezra and Nehemiah are title 1 and 2 Esdras, while the apocryphal book called 1 Esdras in the English text is 3 Esdras in the Vulgate.

        Date  Although some date the book around 330 B.C., its linguistic similarities with the fifth century Aramaic papyri from the Jewish community at Elephantine, Egypt, argue for a n earlier date during the lifetime of Ezra (who lived to the time of Nehemiah, Neh.8:1-9;12:36). Ezra probably finished the book between 456(when the events of 10:15-44 took place) and 444, when Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem.

Historical Background     The book records the fulfillment of God’s promise to restore Israel to her land after the seventy years of captivity in Babylon(Jer.25:11). This was accomplished through the help of three Persian kings (Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes) as well as Jewish leaders such as Zerubbabel, Joshua, Haggai, Zechariah, and Ezra. Cyrus overthrew Babylon in October 539, and in accord with his policy of encouraging subject people to return to their homelands, he issued a decree in 538 allowing the Jews to do the same (refer to introduction to Zechariah). About fifty thousand did return under the leadership of Zerubbabel, and the foundation of the Temple was laid, though it was not completed until 515 in the reign of Darius. Ezra 1-6 describe these events. Chapter 7-10 describe Ezra’s return to Jerusalem under the favor of Artaxerxes to help bring spiritual revival to the people.

The Persian kings involved in this period (in relation to Ezra and other portions of the O.T.) are as follows:

 

King dates       Corresponding Chapters in Ezra         Relations to other books of O.T.

 

Cyrus         538-530                Chapters 1-6                            Haggai(520)

Cambyses  530-522                   Ibid.                                     Zechariah (520-515)

Smerdis     522                           Ibid.                                 

Darius I     521-486                    Ibid.

Xerxes I(Ahasuerus) 486-465    4:6                                          Esther (474)

Artaxerxes I   464-423               4:7-23 and chap.7-10            Malachi (450-400)

Darius II      423-404                                                                Nehemiah (445-425)

                    

Ezra Chapter 1 The return under Zerubbabel

The decree of Cyrus 1:1-6:22

            In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing:

             “ This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:

 “ The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you may his God be with him, and let  him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. And the people of any place where survivors may now be living are to provide him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.”(vv.1-3).

The action of Cyrus, predicted about two hundred years before (Isa.44:21-28;45:1,5 and introduction to Zechariah), fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah (25:12). This acknowledgment of Yahweh provides no clear proof that Cyrus was a believer (Isa.45:5) , but is evidence of his policy to conciliate captive peoples and their religions, as described in the Cyrus Cylinder. This decree was discovered by Darius I some twenty years later (6:2). Gentile neighbors were to help by their donations (v.6).

Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites everyone whose heart God had moved prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings. Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god. Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzer the prince of Judah. This was the inventory” gold dishes 30, silver dishes 1,000, sliver pans 29, gold bowls 30, matching silver bowls 410, others articles 1,000. In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along when the exiles came up from Babylon to Jerusalem.(vv.5-11).

Although 49,897 chose to go (2:64-65), many and remained in Babylon. Some of these articles had been looted and taken to Babylon in 605 (Dan.1:2), other in 597 (2Kings 24:13), and the rest in 586 (2Kings 25:14-15:Jer.27:16-22).The Temple furniture had been destroyed in 586(2Kings 25:13:Jer.3:16).

Sheshbazzar. Zerubbabel’s Babylonian name (zech.4:9). He was the godly grandson of wicked King Jeconiah (1Chron.3:17-19). Hag.2:23). The vessels totaled 5,400 of which the 2,499 listed in vv.9-10 were evidently the largest or most important.

 

Bibliography,

 Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986