Ezra 3:6

3:6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. However, the Lord’s temple was not at that time established. 1 

Ezra 4:5

4:5 They were hiring advisers to oppose them, so as to frustrate their plans, throughout the time 2  of King Cyrus of Persia until the reign of King Darius 3  of Persia. 4 

Ezra 5:3

5:3 At that time Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai, and their colleagues came to them and asked, “Who gave you authority 5  to rebuild this temple and to complete this structure?” 6 

Ezra 5:16

5:16 Then this Sheshbazzar went and laid the foundations of the temple of God in Jerusalem. From that time to the present moment 7  it has been in the process of being rebuilt, although it is not yet finished.’

Ezra 9:5

9:5 At the time of the evening offering I got up from my self-abasement, 8  with my tunic and robe torn, and then dropped to my knees and spread my hands to the Lord my God.

1 tn Or “the foundation of the LORD’s temple was not yet laid.

2 tn Heb “all the days of.”

3 sn Darius ruled Persia ca. 522-486 B.C.

4 sn The purpose of the opening verses of this chapter is to summarize why the Jews returning from the exile were unable to complete the rebuilding of the temple more quickly than they did. The delay was due not to disinterest on their part but to the repeated obstacles that had been placed in their path by determined foes.

5 tn Aram “who placed to you a command?” So also v. 9.

6 tn The exact meaning of the Aramaic word אֻשַּׁרְנָא (’ussarna’) here and in v. 9 is uncertain (BDB 1083 s.v.). The LXX and Vulgate understand it to mean “wall.” Here it is used in collocation with בַּיְתָא (bayta’, “house” as the temple of God), while in 5:3, 9 it is used in parallelism with this term. It might be related to the Assyrian noun ashurru (“wall”) or ashru (“sanctuary”; so BDB). F. Rosenthal, who translates the word “furnishings,” thinks that it probably enters Aramaic from Persian (Grammar, 62-63, §189).

7 tn Aram “from then and until now.”

8 tn The Hebrew word used here is a hapax legomenon. It refers to the self-abasement that accompanies religious sorrow and fasting.