Worthy.Bible » STRONG » Ezra » Chapter 1 » Verse 4

Ezra 1:4 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

4 And whosoever remaineth H7604 in any place H4725 where he sojourneth, H1481 let the men H582 of his place H4725 help H5375 him with silver, H3701 and with gold, H2091 and with goods, H7399 and with beasts, H929 beside the freewill offering H5071 for the house H1004 of God H430 that is in Jerusalem. H3389

Cross Reference

1 Chronicles 29:3 STRONG

Moreover, because I have set my affection H7521 to the house H1004 of my God, H430 I have H3426 of mine own proper good, H5459 of gold H2091 and silver, H3701 which I have given H5414 to the house H1004 of my God, H430 over and above H4605 all that I have prepared H3559 for the holy H6944 house, H1004

1 Chronicles 29:9 STRONG

Then the people H5971 rejoiced, H8055 for that they offered willingly, H5068 because with perfect H8003 heart H3820 they offered willingly H5068 to the LORD: H3068 and David H1732 the king H4428 also rejoiced H8055 with great H1419 joy. H8057

1 Chronicles 29:17 STRONG

I know H3045 also, my God, H430 that thou triest H974 the heart, H3824 and hast pleasure H7521 in uprightness. H3476 As for me, in the uprightness H4339 of mine heart H3824 I have willingly offered H5068 all these things: and now have I seen H7200 with joy H8057 thy people, H5971 which are present H4672 here, to offer willingly H5068 unto thee.

Ezra 2:68-70 STRONG

And some of the chief H7218 of the fathers, H1 when they came H935 to the house H1004 of the LORD H3068 which is at Jerusalem, H3389 offered freely H5068 for the house H1004 of God H430 to set it up H5975 in his place: H4349 They gave H5414 after their ability H3581 unto the treasure H214 of the work H4399 threescore H8337 H7239 and one thousand H505 drams H1871 of gold, H2091 and five H2568 thousand H505 pound H4488 of silver, H3701 and one hundred H3967 priests' H3548 garments. H3801 So the priests, H3548 and the Levites, H3881 and some of the people, H5971 and the singers, H7891 and the porters, H7778 and the Nethinims, H5411 dwelt H3427 in their cities, H5892 and all Israel H3478 in their cities. H5892

Ezra 7:16-18 STRONG

And all H3606 the silver H3702 and gold H1722 that thou canst find H7912 in all H3606 the province H4083 of Babylon, H895 with H5974 the freewill offering H5069 of the people, H5972 and of the priests, H3549 offering willingly H5069 for the house H1005 of their God H426 which is in Jerusalem: H3390 That H3606 H6903 thou mayest buy H7066 speedily H629 with this H1836 money H3702 bullocks, H8450 rams, H1798 lambs, H563 with their meat offerings H4504 and their drink offerings, H5261 and offer H7127 them H1994 upon H5922 the altar H4056 of the house H1005 of your God H426 which is in Jerusalem. H3390 And whatsoever H4101 H1768 shall seem good H3191 to thee, and to H5922 thy brethren, H252 to do H5648 with the rest H7606 of the silver H3702 and the gold, H1722 that do H5648 after the will H7470 of your God. H426

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 STRONG

Two H8147 are better H2896 than one; H259 because they have H3426 a good H2896 reward H7939 for their labour. H5999 For if they fall, H5307 the one H259 will lift up H6965 his fellow: H2270 but woe H337 to him that is alone H259 when he falleth; H5307 for he hath not another H8145 to help him up. H6965

Acts 24:17 STRONG

Now G1161 after G1223 many G4119 years G2094 I came G3854 to bring G4160 alms G1654 to G1519 my G3450 nation, G1484 and G2532 offerings. G4376

Galatians 6:2 STRONG

Bear ye G941 one another's G240 burdens, G922 and G2532 so G3779 fulfil G378 the law G3551 of Christ. G5547

3 John 1:6-8 STRONG

Which G3739 have borne witness G3140 of thy G4675 charity G26 before G1799 the church: G1577 whom G3739 if thou bring forward on their journey G4311 after G516 a godly G2316 sort, G516 thou shalt do G4160 well: G2573 Because that G1063 for G5228 his G846 name's G3686 sake G5228 they went forth, G1831 taking G2983 nothing G3367 of G575 the Gentiles. G1484 We G2249 therefore G3767 ought G3784 to receive G618 such, G5108 that G2443 we might be G1096 fellowhelpers G4904 to the truth. G225

Commentary on Ezra 1 John Gill's Exposition of the Bible


Introduction

INTRODUCTION TO EZRA 1

This chapter informs us of the proclamation of Cyrus king of Persia, for the Jews to return to their own country, and rebuild their temple, Ezra 1:1, and that, upon it, the chief of them rose up for that purpose, whose hands were strengthened and supplied by those about them, Ezra 1:5 and particularly by Cyrus, who gave orders that the vessels belonging to the temple should be delivered to them, Ezra 1:7.


Verse 1

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia,.... Not in the first of his reign over Persia, for he had been many years king over that, and now had all the kingdoms of the earth given him, Ezra 1:2, but over Babylon, and the dominions belonging to it, which commenced with Darius upon the taking of Babylon; he reigned in all thirty years, as CiceroF7De Divinatione, l. 1. from a Persian writer relates; or twenty nine, according to HerodotusF8Clio, sive, l. 1. c. 214. ; but in what year this was is not certain; AfricanusF9Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 10. c. 10. p. 488. , has proved, from various historians, that it was the first year of the fifty fifth Olympiad, perhaps about the twentieth of Cyrus's Persian governmentF11Nic. Abrami Pharus, p. 303. ; See Gill on Daniel 10:1,

that the word of the Lord, by the mouth of Jeremiah, might be fulfilled; which foretold that the Jews should return from their captivity at the end of seventy years, which fell on the first of Cyrus, reckoning from the fourth of Jehoiakim, and the first of Nebuchadnezzar, see Jeremiah 25:1.

The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia; who has the hearts of all men in his hands, and even of the kings of the earth, and can turn them as he pleases; he wrought upon him, put it into his heart, enlightened his mind, showed him what was right, and his duty to do, and pressed him to the performance of it; so that he could not be easy until he had done it, and he was made thoroughly willing, and even eager to do it:

that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing; gave it in writing to his heralds to read and proclaim throughout all his dominions:

saying; as follows.


Verse 2

Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia,.... Of whom, and this edict of his, Isaiah prophesied two hundred years before he was born, Isaiah 44:28

the Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; many he had conquered before he took Babylon, and then the whole Babylonian monarchy fell into his hands. HerodotusF12Clio, sive, l. 1. c. 130. So Sallust, Bell. Catalin. p. 2. says, he ruled over all Asia; XenophonF13Cyropaedia, l. 1. in principio. reckons up many nations that were under his government, Medes and Hyrcanians, Syrians, Assyrians, Arabians, Cappadocians, both the Phrygians, Carians, Phoenicians, Babylonians, Bactrians, Indians, Cilicians, Sacae or Scythians, Paphlagonians, Megadinians, and many other nations, the Greeks inhabiting Asia, and the Cyprians, and Egyptians; and elsewhere he saysF14L. 8. c. 48. , the borders of his kingdom were, to the east the Red sea, to the north the Euxine Pontus, to the west Cyprus and Egypt, and to the south Ethiopia. And the possession of these kingdoms Cyrus ascribes, not to his own martial courage and skill, but to the providence and disposal of the God of heaven, which he seems to have had some notion of:

and he hath charged me to build an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah; in the prophecy of Isaiah, which, according to JosephusF15Antiqu. l. 11. c. 1. sect. 1, 2. , he had seen and read, and believed it to be a charge upon him, and a command unto him to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem; however, to give leave for the rebuilding of it, and to encourage to it, and assist in it; an Arabic writer saysF16Abulpharag. Hist. Dynast. Dyn. 5. p. 82. , that Cyrus married a sister of Zerubbabel, and that it was at her request that the Jews had leave to return; which is merely fabulous.


Verse 3

Who is there among you of all his people?.... The people of God, the Israelites, as well of the ten tribes, as of the two of Judah and Benjamin; for this edict was published throughout all his dominions, where were the one as well as the other:

his God be with him; to incline his heart to go, to protect him in his journey, and succeed and prosper him in what he goes about:

and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, he is the God; the one only living and true God:

which is in Jerusalem; who has been in former times, and is to be worshipped there; though Aben Ezra says, this is to be connected with "the house of the Lord"; as if the sense was, to build the house, that was in Jerusalem, or to be built there; and so our version connects them, putting those words into a parenthesis, "he is God"; but this is contrary to the accents.


Verse 4

And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth,.... Is left behind, and cannot go up through poverty, not having a sufficiency to bear his charges in his journey to Jerusalem:

let the men of his place keep him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts; with money to bear the expenses of his journey, with goods to furnish his house, or trade with, when he came to Judea, and with cattle to carry him, and his goods, and to till the ground with, when he came thither; and the men exhorted to this are either the Gentiles that dwelt in the cities where these poor Jews were, or the richer Jews, who chose as yet not to go up until they saw how things would succeed; and are therefore called upon to assist their brethren who had a will, but not ability:

besides the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem: which they freely gave, and sent by them for the rebuilding of the temple.


Verse 5

Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin,.... Princes of these tribes, and heads of families in them, and of some other tribes too, though chiefly of these, as appears from 1 Chronicles 9:3,

and the priests and the Levites: whose presence was necessary both to direct in the building of the temple, and to animate to it, and to set the vessels in their proper places; and particularly to assist in the setting up of the altar, and to offer sacrifices on it, which was the first thing done when come to Jerusalem, Ezra 3:2

with all them whose spirit God raised to go up, to build the house of the Lord, which is in Jerusalem; God, who "works" in men "both to will and to do", wrought powerfully by his Spirit on their hearts, inclined their minds, and made them willing to go up, and set about this work; and such a divine, powerful, and efficacious operation upon them, was necessary to engage them in it, since the embarrassments, difficulties, discouragements, and objections, were many: some of them were well settled, and had contracted a pleasing acquaintance with many of their neighbours, and indeed to most of them it was their native place; and as for Judea and Jerusalem, they knew nothing of but what their fathers had told them; the way to it unknown, long, and dangerous, at least fatiguing and troublesome to their wives and children; and Judea and Jerusalem desolate and in ruins, and in the hands of enemies, from whom they had reason to expect trouble.


Verse 6

And all they that were about them,.... Their neighbours, the Chaldeans:

strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things; which they either did of themselves at their own motion, or by the direction and example of Cyrus, Ezra 1:4 and perhaps many of them to ingratiate themselves into the favour of their new monarch:

besides all that was willingly offered: by the rich Jews, who thought fit, at least for the present, to remain in Babylon.


Verse 7

And Cyrus brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord,.... Or ordered them to be brought forth:

which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem; out of the temple there, when he took it and burnt it:

and had put them in the house of his gods; in the temple of Belus at Babylon, see 2 Chronicles 36:7, by which means they were providentially preserved.


Verse 8

Even these did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer,.... Or Mithridates, a name common with the Persians, from their god Mithras, the sun they worshipped:

and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar prince of Judah; delivered them by tale to him; who, according to the Jewish rabbins, as Jarchi says, was Daniel, who was so called, because he stood in six tribulations; but it does not appear that Daniel went up to Jerusalem with the captivity, as this man did, but remained at Babylon; rather, with Aben Ezra, it is best by him to understand Zerubbabel, who did go up, and was the prince of Judah; and Cyrus, in his letterF17Apud Joseph. Antiqu. l. 11. c. 1. sect. 3. to the governors of Syria, expressly says, that he delivered the vessels to Zerubbabel, the prince of the Jews. He had two names, Sheshbazzar, which signifies he rejoiced in tribulation, and Zerubbabel, which signifies either the seed of Babylon, being born there, or dispersed, or a stranger there, as others.


Verse 9

And this is the number of them,.... Of the vessels delivered, as follows:

thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver; these, according to Ben Melech, were vessels in which water was put to wash hands in; but rather they were, as Aben Ezra observes from the Jerusalem TalmudF18T. Hieros. Yoma, fol. 41. 1. , vessels in which they gathered the blood of lambs and bullocks slain for sacrifices:

nine and twenty knives; which, because the handles of them were of gold or silver, were valuable, and might be very large knives, and what the priests used in slaying and cutting up the sacrifices.


Verse 10

Thirty basins of gold,.... Cups or dishes with covers, as the word seems to signify; but, according to Jarchi and Aben Ezra, they were vessels in which the blood of sacrifices was received, and out of which it was sprinkled on the altar:

silver basins of a second sort four hundred and ten; perhaps lesser than the other, however not so valuable, being of silver; in the Apocrypha:"And this was the number of them; A thousand golden cups, and a thousand of silver, censers of silver twenty nine, vials of gold thirty, and of silver two thousand four hundred and ten, and a thousand other vessels.' (1 Esdras 2:13)the number is 2410; and in the letter of Cyrus, before referred to, it is 2400:

and other vessels a thousand; which are not particularly mentioned; Junius and Tremellius render the words:

other vessels by thousands, there being near 3000 that are not described.


Verse 11

All the vessels of gold, and of silver, were five thousand and four hundred,.... Those that are mentioned make no more than 2499, which Aben Ezra thinks were the larger vessels; but this general sum takes in great and small, as in 2 Chronicles 36:18 in the letter of Cyrus, before mentioned, these vessels are more particularly described, and their several numbers given, which together amount to the exact number in the text, 5400; the apocryphal Ezra makes them 5469:

all these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity, that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem: of whom there is a large and particular account in the following chapter.