Ezra 6:13-18

The Temple Finished and Dedicated

13 Then, according to the word sent by Darius the king, ¹Tattenai, the governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates did with all diligence what Darius the king had ordered.

14 ²And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and ³by decree of Cyrus and ⁴Darius and ⁵Artaxerxes king of Persia;

15 and this house was finished on the third day of the ⁶month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

16 And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the ⁷dedication of this house of God with joy.

17 They offered at the dedication of this house of God 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

18 And they set the priests ⁸in their divisions and the Levites ⁹in their divisions, for the service of God at Jerusalem, ¹⁰as it is written in the Book of Moses.

Ezra 6:13-18 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.

Cross References

• 1. [See ver. 6 above]
• 2. Ezra 5:1, 2
• 3. ver. 3; Ezra 1:1; Ezra 5:13
• 4. ver. 12; [Ezra 4:24]
• 5. Ezra 7:1
• 6. Esther 3:7
• 7. 1 Kings 8:63; 2 Chronicles 7:5
• 8. [Ezra 8:35]
• 9. 1 Chronicles 24:1; 2 Chronicles 35:5
• 10. 1 Chronicles 23:6
• 11. Numbers 3:6; Numbers 8:9