CHAPTER ONE

 

 

1:1:  “that the Word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled” = See Second Chronicles 36:21; Isaiah 23:15, 17; Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10; Daniel 9:2; Zechariah 1:12; 7:5.

 

“Daniel. . . was still living,” RH, March 28, 1907, apparently at the time of this exodus.  It is assumed by most Bible Commentators that Daniel was about 88 years of age at the time of the exodus and he stayed to continue his duties of state.

 

1:8:  “Sheshbazzar” = Zerubbabel’s Babylonian name, grandson of the wicked King Jeconiah (see 1Ch. 3:17-19; Hag. 2:23), descendent of King David.  See RH, March 28, 1907; PK:559.

 

 

CHAPTER TWO

 

 

2:ALL: To claim that the ten tribes of northern Israel, or any of the Israeli tribes were lost, is to ignore this Chapter and other places where the tribes are named.  Such as “Aser” being named in the New Testament (Luke 2:36).

 

2:25: “Kirjatharim” = Based upon this city, these would be from the tribe of Ephraim.

 

2:26: “Ramah” = Based upon this city, these would be from the tribe of Benjamin.

 

2:28: “Bethel and Ai” = Based upon these cities, these would be from the tribe of Benjamin.

 

2:29: “Nebo” = Based upon this city, these would be from the tribe of Reuben.

 

2:30: “Magbish” = Based upon this city, these would be from the tribe of Benjamin.

 

2:32 & 39: “Harim” = Based upon this city, these would be from the tribe of Judah.

 

2:33: “Lod, Hadid, and One” = Based upon these cities, these would be from the tribe of Ephraim.

 

2:34: “Jericho” = Based upon this city, these would be from the tribe of Gad.

 

2:36-37: “[36] Jedaiah. . . Jeshua [37] Immer” = Based upon these persons, they would be from the tribe of Levi.  See First Chronicles 9:10.

 

2:38: “Pashur” = Based upon this personage, these would be from the tribe of Levi.  See Jeremiah 20:1.

 

2:43: “Nethinims” = Temple assistants for the Levitical tribe.  Non-Israelite.

 

2:44: “Keros” = Also Temple assistants for the tribe of Levi and non-Israelite.

 

2:46: “Hagab” = Also Temple assistants for the tribe of Levi and non-Israelite.

 

2:47: “Giddel” = Also Temple assistants for the tribe of Levi and non-Israelite.

 

2:58: “Nethinims” = Also Temple assistants for the tribe of Levi and non-Israelite.

 

 

CHAPTER THREE

 

 

3:10: “laid the foundation of the temple” = In addition, “As speedily as possible, an altar was erected on the site of the ancient altar in the temple court.  To the exercises connected with the dedication of this altar, the people had ‘gathered themselves together as one man;’ [Ezra 1:1] and there they united in re-establishing the sacred services that had been interrupted at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. . . The setting up of the altar of daily burnt offerings. . .”  PK:560.

 

“The workmen engaged in the preparation of the building material, found among the ruins some of the immense stones brought to the temple site in the days of Solomon.”  PK:563.

 

 

CHAPTER FOUR

 

 

4:2-3:  “Let us build with you” = “Had the Jewish leaders accepted this offer of assistance, they would have opened a door for the entrance of idolatry.  They discerned the insincerity of the Samaritans.  They realized that all the help that could be gained through an alliance with men, would be as nothing in comparison with the prosperity that would accompany strict obedience to the plain Commands of Jehovah. . . The principles set forth in Deuteronomy for the instruction of Israel, are to be followed by God’s people to the end of time.  Our prosperity is dependent on the continuance of our Covenant relationship with God.  In no instance can we afford to compromise principle by entering into covenant with those who fear not God.”  RH, April 25, 1907; PK:568.

 

4:5:  “Darius” = Darius is established as an historical figure in the several-hundred-square-foot relief and inscription, carved on a cliff near Behistun (modern Bisitun, Iran), which depicts an oversized Darius, a winged sun disk, attendants and prisoners hailing the god Ahuramazda.  The cuneiform inscription recorded in Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian, provided a key to deciphering all three scripts, which record the deeds of Darius (Darius the Great), who supported the reconstruction of the Jerusalem Temple.

 

4:17:  “mortal” = The adjective “mortal,” Hebrew “brotos,” is not found in the original.  It is possible that the translators preferred the more forceful translation of the “LXX” which places “brotos” in this passage.

 

 

CHAPTER FIVE

 

 

5:4:  “we” = That Tatnai and Shetharboznai are the “we,” see verses 6 & 10.

 

5:16:  “Sheshbazzar” = See my Ezra 1:8 Note (Sheshbazzar = Zerubbabel).

 

 

CHAPTER SIX

 

 

6:11:  “hanged” = Here is my Esther 5:14 Note:  “gallows be made of fifty cubits” = The Hebrew for “gallows” is, “‘ets,” and simply means “wood.”  Therefore, this would be a wooden structure approximately 75 feet high; obviously for all to see the perpetrator.  If we then go to Genesis 40:22, we learn that “hang” means “to be hung up.”  It is the same as in Joshua 10:26.  This is a sharpened piece of wood, or better, a stake.  People were impaled upon these “timbers,” and “hanged thereon” Ezra 6:11.  In fact, this “stake” was to be placed into the middle of what was left of this person’s “house” and it would become the cities “dunghill” thereafter.  This is the ultimate disgrace for one’s family.  This is how it was done in those ancient days, and therefore may not have changed at the time of Messiah and how our Lord may have been “crucified.”  Our Lord endured for you and for me the ultimate disgrace.  See my Bible Study:  “CHRIST, HOW CRUCIFIED.”

 

Another literal translation of “‘ets,” is “tree.”  This lines up with Deuteronomy 21:23, which Galatians 3:13 quotes.  This was done anciently as a form of public shame (see Gen. 40:19).  Thus, the possible reference to Jesus hanging upon a “tree” is surmised.

 

 

CHAPTER SEVEN

 

 

7:6:  “Ezra” = “[607] About seventy years after the return of the first company of exiles under Zerubbabel and Joshua, Artaxerxes Longimanus came to the throne of Medo-Persia.  The name of this king is connected with sacred history by a series of remarkable providences.  It was during his reign that Ezra and Nehemiah lived and labored.  He is the one who in 457 B.C. issued the third and final decree for the restoration of Jerusalem.  His reign saw the return of a company of Jews under Ezra, the completion of the walls of Jerusalem by Nehemiah and his associates, the reorganization of the temple services, and the great religious reformations instituted by Ezra and Nehemiah.  During his long rule, he often showed favor to God’s people; and in his trusted and well-beloved Jewish friends, Ezra and Nehemiah, he recognized men of God’s appointment, raised up for a special work.

 

“The experience of Ezra while living among the Jews who remained in Babylon, was so unusual that it attracted the favorable notice of King Artaxerxes, with whom he talked freely regarding the power of the God of Heaven, and the Divine purpose in restoring the Jews to Jerusalem. . . [609]

 

“God chose Ezra to be an instrument of good to Israel, that He might put honor upon the priesthood, the glory of which had been greatly eclipsed during the captivity.  Ezra developed into a man of extraordinary learning, and became ‘a ready scribe in the Law of Moses.’  These qualifications made him an eminent man in the Medo-Persian kingdom.

 

“Ezra became a mouthpiece for God, educating those about him in the principles that govern Heaven.  During the remaining years of his life, whether near the court of the king of Medo-Persia or at Jerusalem, his principal work was that of a teacher.  As he communicated to others the truths he learned, his capacity for labor increased.  He became a man of piety and zeal.  He was the Lord’s witness to the world of the power of Bible truth to ennoble the daily life.

 

“The efforts of Ezra to revive an interest in the study of the Scriptures, were given permanency by his painstaking, lifelong work of preserving and multiplying the Sacred Writings.  He gathered all the copies of the Law that he could find, and had these transcribed and distributed.  The pure Word, thus multiplied and placed in the hands of many people, gave knowledge that was of inestimable value.”  PK:607-609; RH January 30, 1908.

 

Ezra 7:7-8; Zechariah 1:1:  “in the seventh year of Artaxerxes” = Babylonian astronomical texts and papyrus documents found on the island on Elephantine, Egypt, confirm that Artaxerxes first full regnal year on the throne was B.C. 464; his seventh year then being B.C. 457.  Many historians date the seventh year to B.C. 458 because they calculate, using the Persian calendar, which goes from spring to spring.  By contrast, Biblical and historical evidence indicate that the Hebrews used a fall-to-fall calendar (Neh. 1:1; 2:1), and they are the authors (authority) here.

 

According to the “Murashu” historical documents, the majority of the Jews ultimately remained in Persia (as demonstrated in the accounts in the Book of Esther).

 

“Only a comparatively small number, a mere ‘remnant,’ had returned to Judea.  By far the greater portion had failed of discerning the opening providence of God, as revealed in the decree of King Cyrus.  They had chosen to remain behind, in a heathen land, rather than return to Jerusalem.  And now many years later, the Lord was preparing the way for these thousands who had lingered, to return.  A chain of circumstances was rapidly leading to the confirmation of the decree of Cyrus and the issuance of a second decree by Darius Hystaspes.  The Lord foresaw the troublous times that would soon follow in the reign of Xerxes -- the Ahasuerus of the Book of Esther.”  RH, December 26, 1907.

 

“some of the children of Israel” = “Had this entreaty to flee from Babylon been heeded how different might have been the condition of the Jews in the trying times of Mordecai and Esther!”  RH, December 26, 1907; 4BC:1177.

 

7:10:  “prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it” = “The experience of Ezra while living among the Jews who remained in Babylon, was so unusual that it attracted the favorable notice of King Artaxerxes, with whom Ezra freely conversed regarding the power of the God of Heaven, and his purpose in restoring his people to Jerusalem.  Born of the sons of Aaron, Ezra, in addition to his priestly training, had acquired a familiarity with the writings of the magicians, the astrologers, and the so-called wise men of the Medo-Persian realm.  But he was not satisfied with his spiritual condition.  He longed to be in full harmony with God:  he longed for wisdom to carry out God’s Will.  And so he ‘prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it.’  This led him to apply himself diligently to a study of the history of God’s people, as given in the writings of Old Testament prophets and kings.  He was impressed by the Spirit of God to search the historical and poetical Books of the Bible, to learn why the Lord had permitted Jerusalem to be destroyed, and His people to be carried captive into a heathen land.”  RH, January 30, 1908 par. 2; PK:607-608.

 

“Ezra became a mouthpiece for God, educating those about him in the principles that govern Heaven.  During the remaining years of his life, whether near the court of the king of Medo-Persia or at Jerusalem, his principal work was that of a teacher.  As he communicated to others the truths he learned, his capacity for labor increased.  He became a man of piety and zeal.  He was the Lord’s witness to the world of the power of Bible truth to ennoble the daily life. {PK:609..2}

 

“The efforts of Ezra to revive an interest in the study of the Scriptures were given permanency by his painstaking, lifelong work of preserving and multiplying the Sacred Writings.  He gathered all the copies of the law that he could find and had these transcribed and distributed.  The pure Word, thus multiplied and placed in the hands of many people, gave knowledge that was of inestimable value.”  {PK:609.3} PK:609.2-3.

 

Ezra had to unlearn a great deal of what he learned at the worldly universities, because, no doubt, much of what they taught was wrong.  I have had to unlearn many things when reading the Bible for myself.

 

7:13:  “I [Artaxerxes] make a decree” = Which was given in his “seventh year” according to verse 7.  This would be the decree that fulfills the requirements of Daniel 9:25, in that this decree, contrary to the previous two made by Cyrus and Darius which only allowed for the rebuilding of the temple, this decree added the right to rebuild the city of Jerusalem itself.  Thus, this decree both established not only the religious rights of the nation of Israel, but also the national rights to govern themselves.  This is why the enemies of Israel were aroused (Nehemiah, Chapter 4).

 

7:15:  “the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem” = The terminology the king uses about the God of Israel implies that he saw the Lord as just another local deity who needed to be appeased by gifts.  Additionally, we should note that in B.C. 457, was also the year of an Egyptian revolt against the Persian government.  Thus, it is likely that the amenable actions of the king were designed to gain loyalty from the province of Judah.

 

 

CHAPTER NINE

 

 

9:13:  “seeing that Thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve” = See Psalm 103:10 & Job 11:6 & 13.

 

 

CHAPTER TEN

 

 

10:11 & 19:  “separate yourselves” & “put away” = The specific words used in Ezra 10:11 & 19 for “separate yourself,” is the Hebrew word “badal,” and the Hebrew word for “put away,” is “yatza’.”  These words are not used anywhere else in the Scriptures; and certainly, are not used in conjunction for divorce.  Ezra would have known the terminology regularly used for divorce, but he did not to use those words.  The true concept of “separate” is found in Leviticus 10:10 & 11:47.

 

Thus, it is apparent that Ezra did not consider these marriages valid after it was discovered that they were in violation of the Torah Commands in regards to marrying outside of one’s faith (see Gen. 24:3; 28:1; Deu. 7:3-4; 2Co. 6:14).  In other words, the marriages were nullified because they were contrary to the Law, and as such, the process of invalidating these marriages was dissolution of them.

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