Discovery BoxEzra 1:2 
Context1:2 “Thus says King Cyrus of Persia:
“‘The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has instructed me to build a temple 1 for him in Jerusalem, 2 which is in Judah.
Ezra 5:11-12
Context5:11 They responded to us in the following way: ‘We are servants of the God of heaven and earth. We are rebuilding the temple which was previously built many years ago. A great king 3 of Israel built it and completed it. 5:12 But after our ancestors 4 angered the God of heaven, he delivered them into the hands 5 of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and exiled the people to Babylon. 6
Ezra 7:21
Context7:21 “I, King Artaxerxes, hereby issue orders to all the treasurers of 7 Trans-Euphrates, that you precisely execute all that Ezra the priestly scribe of the law of the God of heaven may request of you –
1 tn Heb “house.” The Hebrew noun בַּיִת (bayit, “house”) is often used in reference to the temple of Yahweh (BDB 108 s.v. 1.a). This is also frequent elsewhere in Ezra and Nehemiah (e.g., Ezra 1:3, 4, 5, 7; 2:68; 3:8, 9, 11, 12; 4:3; 6:22; 7:27; 8:17, 25, 29, 30, 33, 36; 9:9; 10:1, 6, 9).
2 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
3 sn This great king of Israel would, of course, be Solomon.
4 tn Aram “fathers.”
5 tn Aram “hand” (singular).
6 sn A reference to the catastrophic events of 586
7 tn Aram “who are in.”
