Ezra 6:6-16

6 "Now therefore, ¹Tattenai, governor of the province beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai and your colleagues, the officials of the provinces beyond the River, keep away from there.

7 "Leave this work on the house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site.

8 "Moreover, ²I issue a decree concerning what * you are to do for these elders of Judah in the rebuilding of this house of God: the full cost is to be paid to these people from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces beyond the River, and that without delay.

9 "Whatever is needed, both young bulls, rams, and lambs for a burnt offering to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and anointing oil, as the priests in Jerusalem request, it is to be given to them daily without fail,

10 that they may offer acceptable sacrifices to the God of heaven and ³pray for the life of the king and his sons.

11 "And I issued a decree that ⁴any man who violates this edict, a timber shall be drawn from his house and he shall be impaled * on it and ⁵his house shall be made a refuse heap on account of this.

12 "May the God who ⁶has caused His name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who attempts * to change it, so as to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued this decree, let it be carried out with all diligence!"

The Temple Completed and Dedicated

13 Then ⁷Tattenai, the governor of the province beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues carried out the decree with all diligence, just as King Darius had sent.

14 And ⁸the elders of the Jews were successful in building through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decree ⁹of Cyrus, ¹⁰Darius, and ¹¹Artaxerxes king of Persia.

15 This temple was completed on the third day of the ¹²month Adar; it was the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

16 And the sons of Israel, the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles *, ¹³celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.

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Ezra 6:6-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZRA 6

Darius, on receiving the letter from his officers in Samaria, searched for the decree of Cyrus, and found it, and which he confirmed, Ezr 6:1-7 and made a fresh decree, and ordered expenses to be given out of his tribute for the building of the temple, and for the sacrifices of it; and that whosoever altered it should be hanged on the timber of his own house, and imprecated a curse on those that should destroy the house of God, Ezr 6:8-12 upon which the building went on, and was finished, Ezr 6:13-15 and the temple was dedicated to God in a solemn manner, Ezr 6:16-18, and the passover was kept by all the people, Ezr 6:19-22.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 13

1. Ezra 5:3; Ezra 6:13
2. Ezra 6:4; Ezra 7:14-22
3. Ezra 7:23; Jeremiah 29:7; 1 Timothy 2:1, 2
4. Ezra 7:26
5. Daniel 2:5; Daniel 3:29
6. Deuteronomy 12:5, 11; 1 Kings 9:3
7. Ezra 6:6
8. Ezra 5:1, 2
9. Ezra 1:1; Ezra 5:13
10. Ezra 4:24; Ezra 6:12
11. Ezra 7:1
12. Esther 3:7
13. 1 Kings 8:63; 2 Chronicles 7:5

Footnotes 11

[a]. I.e. Euphrates River, and so throughout the ch
[b]. Aram "their"
[c]. I.e. Euphrates River, and so throughout the ch
[d]. Lit "be distant"
[e]. Lit "pleasing;" or "sweet-smelling sacrifices"
[f]. Lit "sends his hand"
[g]. Lit "were building and succeeding"
[h]. Lit "built and finished"
[i]. Lit "house"
[j]. Lit "until"
[k]. Lit "sons of the captivity"