Discovery BoxEzra 1:7--6:8 
Context1:7 Then King Cyrus brought out the vessels of the Lord’s temple which Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem and had displayed 1 in the temple of his gods. 1:8 King Cyrus of Persia entrusted 2 them to 3 Mithredath 4 the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar 5 the leader of the Judahite exiles. 6
1:9 The inventory 7 of these items was as follows:
30 gold basins, 8
1,000 silver basins,
29 silver utensils, 9
1:10 30 gold bowls,
410 other 10 silver bowls,
and 1,000 other vessels.
1:11 All these gold and silver vessels totaled 5,400. 11 Sheshbazzar brought them all along when the captives were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
2:1 12 These are the people 13 of the province who were going up, 14 from the captives of the exile whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had forced into exile in Babylon. They returned to Jerusalem 15 and Judah, each to his own city. 2:2 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.
The number of Israelites 16 was as follows: 17
2:3 the descendants 18 of Parosh: 2,172;
2:4 the descendants of Shephatiah: 372;
2:5 the descendants of Arah: 775;
2:6 the descendants of Pahath-Moab (from the line 19 of Jeshua and 20 Joab): 2,812;
2:7 the descendants of Elam: 1,254;
2:8 the descendants of Zattu: 945;
2:9 the descendants of Zaccai: 760;
2:10 the descendants of Bani: 642;
2:11 the descendants of Bebai: 623;
2:12 the descendants of Azgad: 1,222;
2:13 the descendants of Adonikam: 666;
2:14 the descendants of Bigvai: 2,056;
2:15 the descendants of Adin: 454;
2:16 the descendants of Ater (through 21 Hezekiah): 98;
2:17 the descendants of Bezai: 323;
2:18 the descendants of Jorah: 112;
2:19 the descendants of Hashum: 223;
2:20 the descendants of Gibbar: 95.
2:21 The men 22 of Bethlehem: 23 123;
2:22 the men of Netophah: 56;
2:23 the men of Anathoth: 128;
2:24 the men of the family 24 of Azmaveth: 42;
2:25 the men of Kiriath Jearim, 25 Kephirah and Beeroth: 743;
2:26 the men of Ramah and Geba: 621;
2:27 the men of Micmash: 122;
2:28 the men of Bethel 26 and Ai: 223;
2:29 the descendants of Nebo: 52;
2:30 the descendants of Magbish: 156;
2:31 the descendants of the other Elam: 1,254;
2:32 the descendants of Harim: 320;
2:33 the men of Lod, Hadid, and Ono: 725;
2:34 the men of Jericho: 27 345;
2:35 the descendants of Senaah: 3,630.
2:36 The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family 28 of Jeshua): 973;
2:37 the descendants of Immer: 1,052;
2:38 the descendants of Pashhur: 1,247;
2:39 the descendants of Harim: 1,017.
2:40 The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel (through the line of Hodaviah): 74.
2:41 The singers: the descendants of Asaph: 128.
2:42 The gatekeepers: 29 the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, and the descendants of Shobai: 139.
2:43 The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the descendants of Tabbaoth, 2:44 the descendants of Keros, the descendants of Siaha, the descendants of Padon, 2:45 the descendants of Lebanah, the descendants of Hagabah, the descendants of Akkub, 2:46 the descendants of Hagab, the descendants of Shalmai, 30 the descendants of Hanan, 2:47 the descendants of Giddel, the descendants of Gahar, the descendants of Reaiah, 2:48 the descendants of Rezin, the descendants of Nekoda, the descendants of Gazzam, 2:49 the descendants of Uzzah, the descendants of Paseah, the descendants of Besai, 2:50 the descendants of Asnah, the descendants of Meunim, the descendants of Nephussim, 2:51 the descendants of Bakbuk, the descendants of Hakupha, the descendants of Harhur, 2:52 the descendants of Bazluth, the descendants of Mehida, the descendants of Harsha, 2:53 the descendants of Barkos, the descendants of Sisera, the descendants of Temah, 2:54 the descendants of Neziah, and the descendants of Hatipha.
2:55 The descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, the descendants of Hassophereth, the descendants of Peruda, 2:56 the descendants of Jaala, the descendants of Darkon, the descendants of Giddel, 2:57 the descendants of Shephatiah, the descendants of Hattil, the descendants of Pokereth-Hazzebaim, and the descendants of Ami.
2:58 All the temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon: 392.
2:59 These are the ones that came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer (although they were unable to certify 31 their family connection 32 or their ancestry, 33 as to whether they really were from Israel):
2:60 the descendants of Delaiah, the descendants of Tobiah, and the descendants of Nekoda: 652.
2:61 And from among 34 the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai (who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that 35 name). 2:62 They 36 searched for their records in the genealogical materials, but did not find them. 37 They were therefore excluded 38 from the priesthood. 2:63 The governor 39 instructed them not to eat any of the sacred food until there was a priest who could consult 40 the Urim and Thummim.
2:64 The entire group numbered 42,360, 41 2:65 not counting 42 their male and female servants, who numbered 7,337. They also had 200 male and female singers 2:66 and 736 horses, 245 mules, 2:67 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys. 2:68 When they came to the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem, some of the family leaders 43 offered voluntary offerings for the temple of God in order to rebuild 44 it on its site. 2:69 As they were able, 45 they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 drachmas 46 of gold, 5,000 minas 47 of silver, and 100 priestly robes. 48
2:70 The priests, the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their towns, and all the rest of Israel lived in their towns.
3:1 When the seventh month arrived and the Israelites 49 were living 50 in their 51 towns, the people assembled 52 in 53 Jerusalem. 54 3:2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak 55 and his priestly colleagues 56 and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his colleagues 57 started to build 58 the altar of the God of Israel so they could offer burnt offerings on it as required by 59 the law of Moses the man of God. 3:3 They established the altar on its foundations, even though they were in terror of the local peoples, 60 and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and the evening offerings. 3:4 They observed the Festival of Temporary Shelters 61 as required 62 and offered the proper number of 63 daily burnt offerings according to the requirement for each day. 3:5 Afterward they offered the continual burnt offerings and those for the new moons and those for all the holy assemblies of the Lord and all those that were being voluntarily offered to the Lord. 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. 64
3:7 So they provided money 65 for the masons and carpenters, and food, beverages, and olive oil for the people of Sidon 66 and Tyre, 67 so that they would bring cedar timber from Lebanon to the seaport 68 at Joppa, in accord with the edict of King Cyrus of Persia. 3:8 In the second year after they had come to the temple of God in Jerusalem, 69 in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak initiated the work, 70 along with the rest of their associates, 71 the priests and the Levites, and all those who were coming to Jerusalem from the exile. They appointed 72 the Levites who were at least twenty years old 73 to take charge of the work on the Lord’s temple. 3:9 So Jeshua appointed both his sons and his relatives, 74 Kadmiel and his sons (the sons of Yehudah 75 ), to take charge of the workers in the temple of God, along with the sons of Henadad, their sons, and their relatives 76 the Levites. 3:10 When the builders established the Lord’s temple, the priests, ceremonially attired and with their clarions, 77 and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with their cymbals, stood to praise the Lord according to the instructions left by 78 King David of Israel. 79 3:11 With antiphonal response they sang, 80 praising and glorifying the Lord:
“For he is good;
his loyal love toward Israel is forever.”
All the people gave a loud 81 shout as they praised the Lord when the temple of the Lord was established. 3:12 Many of the priests, the Levites, and the leaders 82 – older people who had seen with their own eyes the former temple while it was still established 83 – were weeping loudly, 84 and many others raised their voice in a joyous shout. 3:13 People were unable to tell the difference between the sound of joyous shouting and the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people were shouting so loudly 85 that the sound was heard a long way off.
4:1 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin learned that the former exiles 86 were building a temple for the Lord God of Israel, 4:2 they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders 87 and said to them, “Let us help you build, 88 for like you we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him 89 from the time 90 of King Esarhaddon 91 of Assyria, who brought us here.” 92 4:3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the leaders of Israel said to them, “You have no right 93 to help us build the temple of our God. We will build it by ourselves for the Lord God of Israel, just as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.” 4:4 Then the local people 94 began to discourage 95 the people of Judah and to dishearten them from building. 4:5 They were hiring advisers to oppose them, so as to frustrate their plans, throughout the time 96 of King Cyrus of Persia until the reign of King Darius 97 of Persia. 98
4:6 99 At the beginning of the reign of Ahasuerus 100 they filed an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. 101 4:7 And during the reign 102 of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, 103 Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their colleagues 104 wrote to King Artaxerxes 105 of Persia. This letter 106 was first written in Aramaic but then translated.
[Aramaic:] 107
4:8 Rehum the commander 108 and Shimshai the scribe 109 wrote a letter concerning 110 Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows: 4:9 From 111 Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues – the judges, the rulers, the officials, the secretaries, the Erechites, the Babylonians, the people of Susa (that is, 112 the Elamites), 4:10 and the rest of nations whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal 113 deported and settled in the cities 114 of Samaria and other places in Trans-Euphrates. 115 4:11 (This is a copy of the letter they sent to him:)
“To King Artaxerxes, 116 from your servants in 117 Trans-Euphrates: 4:12 Now 118 let the king be aware that the Jews who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and odious city. 119 They are completing its walls and repairing its foundations. 4:13 Let the king also be aware that if this city is built and its walls are completed, no more tax, custom, or toll will be paid, and the royal treasury 120 will suffer loss. 4:14 In light of the fact that we are loyal to the king, 121 and since it does not seem appropriate to us that the king should sustain damage, 122 we are sending the king this information 123 4:15 so that he may initiate a search of the records 124 of his predecessors 125 and discover in those records 126 that this city is rebellious 127 and injurious to both kings and provinces, producing internal revolts 128 from long ago. 129 It is for this very reason that this city was destroyed. 4:16 We therefore are informing the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, you will not retain control 130 of this portion of Trans-Euphrates.”
4:17 The king sent the following response:
“To Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues who live in Samaria and other parts of Trans-Euphrates: Greetings! 131 4:18 The letter you sent to us has been translated and read in my presence. 4:19 So I gave orders, 132 and it was determined 133 that this city from long ago has been engaging in insurrection against kings. It has continually engaged in 134 rebellion and revolt. 4:20 Powerful kings have been over Jerusalem who ruled throughout the entire Trans-Euphrates 135 and who were the beneficiaries of 136 tribute, custom, and toll. 4:21 Now give orders that these men cease their work and that this city not be rebuilt until such time as I so instruct. 137 4:22 Exercise appropriate caution so that there is no negligence in this matter. Why should danger increase to the point that kings sustain damage?”
4:23 Then, as soon as the copy of the letter from King Artaxerxes was read in the presence of Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their colleagues, they proceeded promptly to the Jews in Jerusalem 138 and stopped them with threat of armed force. 139
4:24 So the work on the temple of God in Jerusalem came to a halt. It remained halted until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia. 140
5:1 Then the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son 141 of Iddo 142 prophesied concerning the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem 143 in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. 5:2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak began 144 to rebuild the temple of God in Jerusalem. The prophets of God were with them, supporting them.
5:3 At that time Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai, and their colleagues came to them and asked, “Who gave you authority 145 to rebuild this temple and to complete this structure?” 146 5:4 They 147 also asked them, “What are the names of the men who are building this edifice?” 5:5 But God was watching over 148 the elders of Judah, and they were not stopped 149 until a report could be dispatched 150 to Darius and a letter could be sent back concerning this.
5:6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai, and his colleagues who were the officials of Trans-Euphrates sent to King Darius. 5:7 The report they sent to him was written as follows: 151
“To King Darius: All greetings! 152 5:8 Let it be known to the king that we have gone to the province of Judah, to the temple of the great God. It is being built with large stones, 153 and timbers are being placed in the walls. This work is being done with all diligence and is prospering in their hands. 5:9 We inquired of those elders, asking them, ‘Who gave you the authority to rebuild this temple and to complete this structure?’ 5:10 We also inquired of their names in order to inform you, so that we might write the names of the men who were their leaders. 5:11 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 154 of Israel built it and completed it. 5:12 But after our ancestors 155 angered the God of heaven, he delivered them into the hands 156 of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and exiled the people to Babylon. 157 5:13 But in the first year of King Cyrus of Babylon, 158 King Cyrus enacted a decree to rebuild this temple of God. 5:14 Even the gold and silver vessels of the temple of God that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and had brought to the palace 159 of Babylon – even those things King Cyrus brought from the palace of Babylon and presented 160 to a man by the name of Sheshbazzar whom he had appointed as governor. 5:15 He said to him, “Take these vessels and go deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt in its proper location.” 161 5:16 Then this Sheshbazzar went and laid the foundations of the temple of God in Jerusalem. From that time to the present moment 162 it has been in the process of being rebuilt, although it is not yet finished.’
5:17 “Now if the king is so inclined, 163 let a search be conducted in the royal archives 164 there in Babylon in order to determine whether King Cyrus did in fact issue orders for this temple of God to be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us a decision concerning this matter.”
6:1 So Darius the king issued orders, and they searched in the archives 165 of the treasury which were deposited there in Babylon. 6:2 A scroll was found in the citadel 166 of Ecbatana which is in the province of Media, and it was inscribed as follows:
“Memorandum: 6:3 In the first year of his reign, 167 King Cyrus gave orders concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem: 168 ‘Let the temple be rebuilt as a place where sacrifices are offered. Let its foundations be set in place. 169 Its height is to be ninety feet and its width ninety 170 feet, 171 6:4 with three layers of large stones 172 and one 173 layer of timber. The expense is to be subsidized 174 by the royal treasury. 175 6:5 Furthermore let the gold and silver vessels of the temple of God, which Nebuchadnezzar brought from the temple in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon, be returned and brought to their proper place in the temple in Jerusalem. Let them be deposited in the temple of God.’
6:6 “Now Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates, Shethar Bozenai, and their colleagues, the officials of Trans-Euphrates – all of you stay far away from there! 6:7 Leave the work on this temple of God alone. 176 Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this temple of God in its proper place.
6:8 “I also hereby issue orders as to what you are to do with those elders of the Jews in order to rebuild this temple of God. From the royal treasury, from the taxes of Trans-Euphrates the complete costs are to be given to these men, so that there may be no interruption of the work. 177
1 tn Heb “and he gave them.”
2 tn Heb “brought them forth.”
3 tn Heb “upon the hand of.”
4 sn A Persian name meaning “gift of Mithras.” See HALOT 656 s.v. מִתְרְדָת.
5 sn A Babylonian name with the probable meaning “Shamash protect the father.” See HALOT 1664-65 s.v. שֵׁשְׁבַּצַּר.
6 tn Heb “Sheshbazzar the prince to Judah”; TEV, CEV “the governor of Judah.”
7 tn Heb “these are their number.”
8 tn The exact meaning of the Hebrew noun אֲגַרְטָל (’agartal, which occurs twice in this verse) is somewhat uncertain. The lexicons suggest that it is related to a common Semitic root (the Hebrew derivative has a prosthetic prefixed א [aleph] and interchange between ג [gimel] and ק [kof]): Judean Aramaic and Syriac qartalla, Arabic qirtallat, Ethiopic qartalo, all meaning “basket” (BDB 173-74 s.v.; HALOT 11 s.v.). There is debate whether this is a loanword from Greek κάρταλλος (kartallo", “basket”), Persian hirtal (“leather bag”) or Hittite kurtal (“container”). The term is traditionally understood as a kind of vessel, such as “basket, basin” (BDB 173-74 s.v.; HALOT 11 s.v.); but some suggest “leather bag” or a basket-shaped container of some sort (P. Humbert, “En marge du dictionnaire hébraïque,” ZAW 62 [1950]: 199-207; DCH 1:118 s.v.). The LXX translated it as ψυκτήρ (yukthr, “metal bowl”). The precise meaning depends on whether the nouns כֶּסֶף (kesef, “silver”) and זָהָב (zahav, “gold”), which follow each use of this plural construct noun, are genitives of content (“containers full of silver” and “containers full of gold”) or genitives of material (“silver containers” and “gold containers” = containers made from silver and gold). If they are genitives of content, the term probably means “baskets” or “leather bags” (filled with silver and gold); however, if they are genitives of material, the term would mean “basins” (made of silver and gold). Elsewhere in Ezra 1, the nouns כֶּסֶף (“silver”) and זָהָב (“gold”) are used as genitives or material, not genitives of contents; therefore, the translation “gold basins” and “silver basins” is preferred.
9 tn Heb “knives.” The Hebrew noun מַחֲלָפִים (makhalafim, “knives”) is found only here in the OT. While the basic meaning of the term is fairly clear, what it refers to here is unclear. The verb II חָלַף (khalaf) means “to pass through” (BDB 322 s.v. חָלַף) or “to cut through” (HALOT 321 s.v. II חלף; see also Judg 5:26; Job 20:24); thus, the lexicons suggest מַחֲלָפִים means “knives” (BDB 322 s.v. מַחֲלָף; HALOT 569 s.v. *מַחֲלָף). The related noun חֲלָפוֹת (khalafot, “knife”) is used in Mishnaic Hebrew (HALOT 321 s.v. II חלף), and חֲלִיפוֹת (khalifot, “knives”) appears in the Talmud. The noun appears in the cognate languages: Ugaritic khlpnm (“knives”; UT 19) and Syriac khalofta (“shearing knife”; HALOT 321 s.v. II חלף). The Vulgate translated it as “knives,” while the LXX understood it as referring to replacement pieces for the offering basins. The English translations render it variously; some following the Vulgate and others adopting the approach of the LXX: “knives” (KJV, NKJV, NRSV), “censers” (RSV), “duplicates” (NASV), “silver pans” (NIV), “bowls” (TEV), “other dishes” (CEV). Verse 11 lists these twenty-nine objects among the “gold and silver vessels” brought back to Jerusalem for temple worship. The translation above offers the intentionally ambiguous “silver utensils” (the term מַחֲלָפִים [“knives”] would hardly refer to “gold” items, but could refer to “silver items”).
10 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מִשְׁנִים (mishnim) is uncertain. The noun מִשְׁנֶה (mishneh) means “double, second” (BDB 1041 s.v.), “what is doubled, two-fold” (HALOT 650 s.v. מִשְׁנֶה 3). The translations reflect a diversity of approaches: “410 silver bowls of a second kind” (KJV, NASV, RSV margin), “410 other silver bowls” (NRSV) and “410 matching silver bowls” (NIV). BDB 1041 s.v. משׁנה 3.a suggests it was originally a numeral that was garbled in the transmission process, as reflected in the LXX: “two thousand” (so RSV: “two thousand four hundred and ten bowls of silver”). The BHS editor suggests revocalizing the term to מְשֻׁנִים (mÿshunim, “changed”).
11 sn The total number as given in the MT does not match the numbers given for the various items in v. 9. It is not clear whether the difference is due to error in textual transmission or whether the constituent items mentioned are only a selection from a longer list, in which case the total from that longer list may have been retained. The numbers provided in 1 Esdras come much closer to agreeing with the number in Ezra 1:9-11, but this does not necessarily mean that 1 Esdras has been better preserved here than Ezra. 1 Esdras 2:13-15 (RSV) says, “The number of these was: a thousand gold cups, a thousand silver cups, twenty-nine silver censures, thirty gold bowls, two thousand four hundred and ten silver bowls, and a thousand other vessels. All the vessels were handed over, gold and silver, five thousand four hundred and sixty-nine, and they were carried back by Shesbazzar with the returning exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem.”
12 sn The list of names and numbers in this chapter of Ezra has a parallel account in Neh 7:6-73. The fact that the two lists do not always agree in specific details suggests that various textual errors have crept into the accounts during the transmission process.
13 tn Heb “the sons of.”
14 tn The Hebrew term הָעֹלִים (ha’olim, “those who were going up” [Qal active participle]) refers to continual action in the past. Most translations render this as a simple past: “went up” (KJV), “came up” (RSV, ASV, NASV, NIV), “came” (NRSV). CEV paraphrases: “were on their way back.”
15 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
16 tn Heb “men of the people of Israel.”
17 tn The words “was as follows” are not in the Hebrew text but are used in the translation for clarity.
18 tn Heb “the sons of.”
19 tn Heb “to the sons of.” Cf. v. 40.
20 tc The MT reads יוֹאָב (yo’av, “Joab”). However, syntax demands the reading וְיוֹאָב (vÿyo’av, “and Joab”) which is reflected in the LXX and Syriac.
21 tn Heb “to.” So also in vv. 36, 40.
22 tc The translation follows the suggestion in BHS and reads אַנְשֵׁי (’anshe, “the men of”) here rather than the reading בְּנֵי (bÿne, “the sons of”) found in the MT. So also in vv. 25, 26, 33, 34.
23 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
24 tc The translation follows the suggestion in BHS and reads אַשְׁנֵי בֵּית (’ashne bet, “men of the house of”) here rather than the reading בְּנֵי (bÿne, “the sons of”) found in the MT.
tn Heb “the men of the house of Azmaveth”; some regard בֵּית (bet, “house of”) as a part of the place name: NAB, NLT “Beth-azmaveth.”
25 tc The translation, with the support of many manuscripts, reads יְעָרִים (yÿ’arim) here rather than the reading עָרִים (’arim) of the MT.
26 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
27 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
28 tn Heb “the house of.”
29 tc Here it is preferable to delete the reading בְּנֵי (bÿne, “the sons of”) found in the MT.
30 tc The translation follows the Qere reading “Shalmai” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT) rather than the MT Kethib “Shamlai” (so ASV, NAB, NRSV).
31 tn Heb “relate.”
32 tn Heb “the house of their fathers.”
33 tn Heb “their seed.”
34 tc The translation reads וּמִן (umin, “and from”) rather than the reading וּמִבּנֵי (umibbÿney, “and from the sons of”) found in the MT.
35 tn Heb “their.”
36 tn Heb “these.”
37 tn Heb “their records were searched for in the genealogical materials, but were not found.” This passive construction has been translated as active for stylistic reasons.
38 tn Heb “they were desecrated.”
39 tn The Hebrew word תִּרְשָׁתָא (tirshata’) is an official title of the Persian governor in Judea, perhaps similar in meaning to “excellency” (BDB 1077 s.v.; HALOT 1798 s.v.; W. L. Holladay, Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 395).
40 tn Heb “to stand.”
41 sn The same total is given in Neh 7:66, but it is difficult to understand how this number is reached, since the numbers of people listed in the constituent groups do not add up to 42,360. The list in vv. 3-60 apparently is not intended to be exhaustive, but the basis of the selectivity is unclear.
42 tn Heb “besides” or “in addition to.”
43 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”
44 tn Heb “cause it to stand.”
45 tn Heb “according to their strength.”
46 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word דַּרְכְּמוֹנִים (darkÿmonim, cf. Neh 7:69, 70, 71) is uncertain. It may be a Greek loanword meaning “drachmas” (the view adopted here and followed also by NAB, NASB, NIV) or a Persian loanword “daric,” referring to a Persian gold coin (BDB 204 s.v. דַּרְכְּמוֹן; HALOT 232 s.v. נִים(וֹ)דַּרְכְּמֹ; cf. ASV, NRSV). For further study, see R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 206-9.
47 sn The מָנִים (manim, cf. Neh 7:71, 72) is a measuring weight for valuable metals, equal to 1/60 of a talent or 60 shekels (BDB 584 s.v. מָנֶה; HALOT 599 s.v. מָנֶה). For further study, see R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 203-6.
48 tn Or “garments.”
49 tn Heb “the sons of Israel.”
50 tn The word “living” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied. Some translations supply “settled” (cf. NAB, NIV, NLT).
51 tc The translation reads with some medieval Hebrew
52 tn The Hebrew text adds the phrase “like one man.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
53 tn Heb “to.”
54 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
55 sn Jozadak (also in 3:8) is a variant spelling of Jehozadak.
56 tn Heb “his brothers the priests.”
57 tn Heb “his brothers.”
58 tn Heb “arose and built.”
59 tn Heb “written in.” Cf. v. 4.
60 tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”
61 tn The Hebrew phrase אֶת חַג־הַסֻּכּוֹת (’et khag-hassukot, “festival of huts” [or “shelters”]) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The rendering “booths” (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV) is probably better than the traditional “tabernacles” in light of the meaning of the term סֻכָּה (sukkah, “hut; booth”), but “booths” are frequently associated with trade shows and craft fairs in contemporary American English. The nature of the celebration during this feast as a commemoration of the wanderings of the Israelites after they left Egypt suggests that a translation like “temporary shelters” is more appropriate.
62 tn Heb “according to what is written.”
63 tn Heb “by number.”
64 tn Or “the foundation of the
65 tn Heb “silver.”
66 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
67 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
68 tn Heb “to the sea”
69 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
70 tn Heb “began”; the phrase “the work” is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
71 tn Heb “their brothers.”
72 tn Heb “stood.”
73 tn Heb “from twenty years and upward.”
74 tn Heb “brothers.”
75 sn The name יְהוּדָה (Yehudah; cf. KJV, ASV, NASB “Judah”) is probably a variant of Hodaviah (see Ezra 2:40; cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).
76 tn Heb “brothers.”
77 sn This was a long, straight, metallic instrument used for signal calls, rather than the traditional ram’s horn (both instruments are typically translated “trumpet” by English versions).
78 tn Heb “according to the hands of.”
79 sn See Ps 107:1; 118:1, 29; 136:1. Cf. 2 Chr 5:13; 7:3; 20:21.
80 tn Heb “they answered.”
81 tn Heb “great.”
82 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”
83 sn The temple had been destroyed some fifty years earlier by the Babylonians in 586
84 tn Heb “with a great voice.”
85 tn Heb “a great shout.”
86 tn Heb “the sons of the exile.”
87 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.” So also in v. 3.
88 tn Heb “Let us build with you.”
89 tc The translation reads with the Qere, a Qumran
90 tn Heb “days.”
91 sn Esarhaddon was king of Assyria ca. 681-669
92 sn The Assyrian policy had been to resettle Samaria with peoples from other areas (cf. 2 Kgs 17:24-34). These immigrants acknowledged Yahweh as well as other deities in some cases. The Jews who returned from the Exile regarded them with suspicion and were not hospitable to their offer of help in rebuilding the temple.
93 tn Heb “not to you and to us.”
94 tn Heb “the people of the land.” Elsewhere this expression sometimes has a negative connotation, referring to a lay population that was less zealous for Judaism than it should have been. Here, however, it seems to refer to the resident population of the area without any negative connotation.
95 tn Heb “were making slack the hands of.”
96 tn Heb “all the days of.”
97 sn Darius ruled Persia ca. 522-486
98 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.
99 sn The chronological problems of Ezra 4:6-24 are well known and have been the subject of extensive discussion since ancient times. Both v. 5 and v. 24 describe the reign of Darius I Hystaspes, who ruled Persia ca. 522–486
100 sn Ahasuerus, otherwise known as Xerxes I, ruled ca. 486-464
101 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
102 tn Heb “And in the days.”
103 tn The LXX understands this word as a prepositional phrase (“in peace”) rather than as a proper name (“Bishlam”). Taken this way it would suggest that Mithredath was “in agreement with” the contents of Tabeel’s letter. Some scholars regard the word in the MT to be a corruption of either “in Jerusalem” (i.e., “in the matter of Jerusalem”) or “in the name of Jerusalem.” The translation adopted above follows the traditional understanding of the word as a name.
104 tc The translation reads the plural with the Qere rather than the singular found in the MT Kethib.
105 sn Artaxerxes I ruled in Persia from ca. 465–425
106 tc It is preferable to delete the MT’s וּכְתָב (ukhÿtav) here.
107 sn The double reference in v. 7 to the Aramaic language is difficult. It would not make sense to say that the letter was written in Aramaic and then translated into Aramaic. Some interpreters understand the verse to mean that the letter was written in the Aramaic script and in the Aramaic language, but this does not seem to give sufficient attention to the participle “translated” at the end of the verse. The second reference to Aramaic in the verse is more probably a gloss that calls attention to the fact that the following verses retain the Aramaic language of the letter in its original linguistic form. A similar reference to Aramaic occurs in Dan 2:4b, where the language of that book shifts from Hebrew to Aramaic. Ezra 4:8–6:18 and 7:12-26 are written in Aramaic, whereas the rest of the book is written in Hebrew.
108 tn Aram “lord of the command.” So also in vv. 9, 17.
109 sn Like Rehum, Shimshai was apparently a fairly high-ranking official charged with overseeing Persian interests in this part of the empire. His title was “scribe” or “secretary,” but in a more elevated political sense than that word sometimes has elsewhere. American governmental titles such as “Secretary of State” perhaps provide an analogy in that the word “secretary” can have a broad range of meaning.
110 tn Or perhaps “against.”
111 tn Aram “then.” What follows in v. 9 seems to be the preface of the letter, serving to identify the senders of the letter. The word “from” is not in the Aramaic text but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
112 tn For the qere of the MT (דֶּהָיֵא, dehaye’, a proper name) it seems better to retain the Kethib דִּהוּא (dihu’, “that is”). See F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 25, §35; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 36.
113 tn Aram “Osnappar” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV), another name for Ashurbanipal.
sn Ashurbanipal succeeded his father Esarhaddon as king of Assyria in 669
114 tc The translation reads with the ancient versions the plural בְּקֻרְיַהּ (bÿquryah, “in the cities”) rather than the singular (“in the city”) of the MT.
115 tn Aram “beyond the river.” In Ezra this term is a technical designation for the region west of the Euphrates river.
116 tn The Masoretic accents indicate that the phrase “to Artaxerxes the king” goes with what precedes and that the letter begins with the words “from your servants.” But it seems better to understand the letter to begin by identifying the addressee.
117 tn Aram “men of.”
118 tn The MT takes this word with the latter part of v. 11, but in English style it fits better with v. 12.
119 sn Management of the provinces that were distantly removed from the capital was difficult, and insurrection in such places was a perennial problem. The language used in this report about Jerusalem (i.e., “rebellious,” “odious”) is intentionally inflammatory. It is calculated to draw immediate attention to the perceived problem.
120 tn Aram “the treasury of kings.” The plural “kings” is Hebrew, not Aramaic. If the plural is intended in a numerical sense the reference is not just to Artaxerxes but to his successors as well. Some scholars understand this to be the plural of majesty, referring to Artaxerxes. See F. C. Fensham, Ezra and Nehemiah (NICOT), 74.
121 tn Aram “we eat the salt of the palace.”
122 tn Aram “the dishonor of the king is not fitting for us to see.”
123 tn Aram “and we have made known.”
124 tn Aram “the book of the minutes.”
125 tn Aram “of your fathers.”
126 tn Aram “discover…and learn.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a single concept.
127 tn Aram “is a rebellious city.”
128 tn Aram “revolts they are making in its midst.”
129 tn Aram “from olden days.” So also in v. 19.
130 tn Aram “will not be to you.”
131 tn Aram “peace.”
132 tn Aram “from me was placed a decree.”
133 tn Aram “and they searched and found.”
134 tn Aram “are being done.”
135 sn The statement that prior Jewish kings ruled over the entire Trans-Euphrates is an overstatement. Not even in the days of David and Solomon did the kingdom of Israel extend its borders to such an extent.
136 tn Aram “were being given to them.”
137 tn Aram “until a command is issued from me.”
138 tn Aram “to Jerusalem against the Jews.”
139 tn Aram “by force and power,” a hendiadys.
140 sn Darius I Hystaspes ruled Persia ca. 522–486
141 tn Aram “son.” According to Zech 1:1 he was actually the grandson of Iddo.
142 tn Aram “and Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo the prophet.”
143 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
144 tn Aram “arose and began.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a single concept.
145 tn Aram “who placed to you a command?” So also v. 9.
146 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).
147 tc The translation reads with one medieval Hebrew
148 tn Aram “the eye of their God was on.” The idiom describes the attentive care that one exercises in behalf of the object of his concern.
149 tn Aram “they did not stop them.”
150 tn Aram “[could] go.” On this form see F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 58, §169.
151 tn Aram “and it was written in its midst.”
152 tn Aram “all peace.”
153 tn Aram “stones of rolling.” The reference is apparently to stones too large to carry.
154 sn This great king of Israel would, of course, be Solomon.
155 tn Aram “fathers.”
156 tn Aram “hand” (singular).
157 sn A reference to the catastrophic events of 586
158 sn Cyrus was actually a Persian king, but when he conquered Babylon in 539
159 tn Or “temple.”
160 tn Aram “they were given.”
161 tn Aram “upon its place.”
162 tn Aram “from then and until now.”
163 tn Aram “if upon the king it is good.”
164 tn Aram “the house of the treasures of the king.”
165 tn Aram “the house of the archives.”
166 tc The translation reads בִירְתָא (birta’, citadel”) rather than the reading בְּבִירְתָא (bÿvireta’, “in the citadel”) found in the MT. The MT probably experienced dittography here.
167 tn Aram “In the first year of Cyrus the king.”
168 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
169 tn Aram “raised”; or perhaps “retained” (so NASB; cf. NLT), referring to the original foundations of Solomon’s temple.
170 tc The Syriac Peshitta reads “twenty cubits” here, a measurement probably derived from dimensions given elsewhere for Solomon’s temple. According to 1 Kgs 6:2 the dimensions of the Solomonic temple were as follows: length, 60 cubits; width, 20 cubits; height, 30 cubits. Since one would expect the dimensions cited in Ezra 6:3 to correspond to those of Solomon’s temple, it is odd that no dimension for length is provided. The Syriac has apparently harmonized the width dimension provided here (“twenty cubits”) to that given in 1 Kgs 6:2.
171 tn Aram “Its height sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits.” The standard cubit in the OT is assumed by most authorities to be about eighteen inches (45 cm) long.
172 tn Aram “stones of rolling.”
173 tc The translation follows the LXX reading חַד (khad, “one”) rather than the MT חֲדַת (khadat, “new”). If the MT reading “new” is understood to mean freshly cut timber that has not yet been seasoned it would seem to be an odd choice for construction material.
174 tn Aram “let be given.”
175 tn Aram “house.”
176 tc For the MT reading “the work on this temple of God” the LXX reads “the servant of the Lord Zurababel” [= Zerubbabel].
177 tn The words “of the work” are not in the Aramaic, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
