2 Chronicles 36:22

22 Forsooth in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord, which he had spoken by the mouth of Jeremy, the Lord raised (up) the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, that commanded to be preached in all his realm, yea, by writing, and said, (But in the first year of Cyrus, the king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord, which he had spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord raised up the spirit of Cyrus, the king of Persia, who commanded to be preached in all his kingdom, by word of mouth, and in writing, the following edict,)

2 Chronicles 36:22 Meaning and Commentary

Ver. 22,23. Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia
These two verses are the same with which the next book, the book of Ezra, begins, where they will be explained; and these two books, the one ending and the other beginning with the same words, is a strong presumption, that one and the same person, Ezra, is the writer of them both; or rather, as a learned F5 writer conjectures, these two verses are added by some transcriber, who, having finished the book of Chronicles at verse twenty one went on with the book of Ezra, without any stop; but, perceiving his mistake, broke off abruptly; for so it is plain these verses conclude; however, this shows, as the same writer observes, that the book of Ezra followed that of the Chronicles, in the Hebrew copies, though it now does not.


FOOTNOTES:

F5 Dr. Kennicott's Dissert. 1. p. 492

2 Chronicles 36:22 In-Context

20 If any man escaped the sword, he was led (away) into Babylon, and served the king and his sons; this subjection (this subjugation)/this thralldom continued upon the men of Judah, till the king of Persia reigned,
21 and till the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremy was fulfilled, and till the land hallowed his sabbaths (and until the word of the Lord given by Jeremiah was fulfilled, and until the land consecrated its sabbaths). Soothly Judah in all the days of (its) desolation, or of the destroying or forsaking thereof, it made sabbath, till that seventy years were fulfilled.
22 Forsooth in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord, which he had spoken by the mouth of Jeremy, the Lord raised (up) the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, that commanded to be preached in all his realm, yea, by writing, and said, (But in the first year of Cyrus, the king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord, which he had spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord raised up the spirit of Cyrus, the king of Persia, who commanded to be preached in all his kingdom, by word of mouth, and in writing, the following edict,)
23 (I) Cyrus, king of Persia, saith these things, The Lord God of heaven hath given to me all the realms of [the] earth, and he commanded to me, that I should build to him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who of you is in all his people? the Lord his God be with him, and go he up thither (To every man among you who is of his people, the Lord his God be with him, and go he up there now to Jerusalem).
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.