1:1 Now in the a first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the
word of the LORD by the b mouth of Jeremiah might be
fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the c spirit of Cyrus king
of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his
kingdom, and [put it] also in writing, saying,
The Argument - As the Lord is always merciful to his Church,
and does not punish them, but so that they should see their
own miseries, and be exercised under the cross, that they
might contemn the world, and aspire to the heavens: so after
he had visited the Jews, and kept them in bondage 70 years
in a strange country among infidels and idolaters, he
remembered his tender mercies and their infirmities, and
therefore for his own sake raised up a deliverer, and moved
both the heart of the chief ruler to pity them, and also by
him punished those who had kept them in slavery.
Nonetheless, lest they should grow into a contempt of God's
great benefits, he keeps them still in exercise, and raises
domestic enemies, who try as much as they can to hinder
their worthy enterprises: yet by the exhortation of the
prophet they went forward little by little till their work
was finished. The author of this book was Ezra, who was a
priest and scribe of the Law, as in (Ezr 7:6). He
returned to Jerusalem the sixth year of Darius, who
succeeded Cyrus, that is, about fifty years after the first
return under Zerubbabel, when the temple was built. He
brought with him a great company and much treasure, with
letters to the king's officers for all things needed for the
temple: and at his coming he fixed that which was amiss, and
set things in order.
(a) After he and Darius had won Babylon.
(b) Who promised deliverance to them after 70 years were
past, (Jer 25:12).
(c) That is, moved him and gave him heart.
1:2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath
given me d all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath
charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which [is] in
Judah.
(d) For he was chief monarch and had many nations under his
dominion, which this heathen king confesses to have
received from the living God.
1:4 And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth,
e let the men of his place help him with silver, and with
gold, and with goods, and with beasts, f beside the
freewill offering for the house of God that [is] in
Jerusalem.
(e) If any through poverty were not able to return, the
king's commission was that he should be furnished with
all he needed.
(f) Which they themselves should send for the repairing of
the temple.
1:6 And all g they that [were] about them strengthened their
hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and
with beasts, and with precious things, beside all [that] was
willingly offered.
(g) The Babylonians and Chaldeans gave them these presents:
thus rather than have the children of God be in need, he
would stir the heart of the infidels to help them.
1:8 Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand
of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto h
Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.
(h) So the Chaldeans called Zerubbabel who was the chief
governor, so that the preeminence still remained in the
house of David.
1:9 And this [is] the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a
thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty i knives,
(i) Which served to kill the beasts that were offered in
sacrifice.
1:11 All the vessels of gold and of silver [were] five thousand
and four hundred. All [these] did Sheshbazzar bring up k
with [them of] the captivity that were brought up from
Babylon unto Jerusalem.
(k) With the Jews who had been kept captive in Babylon.
