Ezra 10

¹⁴ The altar was the center of worship for the Israelites because it was only through sacrifice that the people could approach God and receive His blessings. For further discussion, see Leviticus 1:1–4; 9:15–20 and comments.

¹⁵ These Samaritan settlers even claimed to worship the Lord (verse 2); though they continued to serve their own pagan gods, they had taken up the worship of the Lord as well, since they considered Him to be the “local god of the land” (see 2 Kings 17:27–34).

¹⁶ Xerxes was a Persian name; the Hebrew name for Xerxes was Ahasuerus. Ahasuerus is the name used throughout the Hebrew text of the book of Esther. (The Old Testament was originally written in the Hebrew language.)

¹⁷ Aramaic became the popular language of Palestine during Jesus’ time, and it was the language He spoke.

¹⁸ The term Trans-Euphrates means “beyond the Euphrates.” The Persians called Syria and Palestine the “Trans-Euphrates,” because those two regions were located “on the other side” (the west side) of the Euphrates River, whereas Persia was on the east side. Later, “Trans-Euphrates” became the official name of the western province of the Persian Empire.

¹⁹ Sheshbazzar could have been the Persian name for Zerubbabel.

²⁰ Verses 3–5 record the official Aramaic version of Cyrus’ decree; it is somewhat different from the Hebrew version recorded in Ezra 1:2–4. Cyrus specified that the Jewish temple should be ninety feet high and ninety feet wide (about 30 by 30 meters). In contrast, Solomon’s temple was roughly thirteen meters high, nine meters wide, and twenty-seven meters long (1 Kings 6:2). Scholars believe that Cyrus gave the outer limits of a building the Persians would have been willing to pay for, not its actual dimensions. We do know that this second temple, when it was completed, was not nearly as grand as Solomon’s temple had been (Haggai 2:3).

²¹ It is known from other historical records that the Persian kings supported the religious practices of the people they conquered. Both Cyrus and Darius clearly had some knowledge of Israel’s God, no doubt gained from the exiled Israelites scattered throughout the Persian Empire. Darius even knew that God had caused His Name (verse 12) to dwell in Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 12:5).

It is important to note that wherever extra-biblical records are available, they always confirm what is written in the Bible. Many historical records from the Persian Empire exist today, and they support the accounts of the biblical writers.

²² For further discussion of the significance of the temple in Israel’s history, see 1 Kings 6:1 and comment.

²³ For other significant Passover celebrations, see 2 Chronicles Chapters 30,35.

²⁴ For the significance of “ceremonial cleanness,” see Leviticus 11:1; 15:1 and comments.

²⁵ In verse 22, Ezra refers to Darius as the king of Assyria, just as earlier he had referred to Cyrus as the king of Babylon (Ezra 5:13). This was understandable: the Persians had now replaced the Assyrians and Babylonians as Israel’s oppressor and so, to the Jews, the kings of Persia were equivalent to the former kings of Assyria and Babylon.

²⁶ Though Ezra does not tell us so, we can assume that the Jews themselves contributed to the temple construction. God does not ordinarily provide resources to those who contribute nothing themselves.

²⁷ All priests and Levites were meant to be teachers of the law, but Ezra was especially gifted as a teacher. Indeed, the Hebrew word for “teacher” used here means “scribe”—that is, a teacher of the written word. Following the Exile, the Jews came to rely more and more on the written word as their primary religious authority; thus teachers like Ezra were increasingly needed.

²⁸ For the Jews, fasting was a sign of mourning. But the Jews also fasted in times of great need in order to demonstrate the earnestness of their prayer (see Nehemiah 1:4; Acts 14:23).

²⁹ The gifts included nearly thirty tons of silver and silver articles and four tons of gold and other precious items. To carry such large amounts of silver and gold on a four-month journey across the Middle East without an armed escort was to invite the attacks of bandits; but because of God’s protection, no attacks occurred (verse 31).

³⁰ For further discussion of consecration, see Exodus 29:1–9 and comment; Word List: Consecration.

³¹ Of the eight nations listed in verse 1, only the Ammonites, Moabites, and Egyptians still existed in the post-exilic period. The Ammonites and Moabites were descended from Abraham’s nephew Lot (Genesis 19:36–38).

³² When Nehemiah confronted a similar situation, he pulled out the offenders’ hair! (Nehemiah 13:25).

³³ Paul does not directly address the issue of a believer who deliberately marries an unbeliever and then later on repents. But in this case also, to divorce the unbelieving spouse would simply compound the sin; in 1 Corinthians 7:10–11, Paul gives an overall rule for Christians: A wife must not separate from her husband . . . And a husband must not divorce his wife.

Therefore, the decision made by the Jewish exiles to separate from their unbelieving wives cannot be applied to Christians today. Ancient Israel’s role was different from that of the church, and the circumstances it faced were also different. Christians are under a new covenant, and must follow a higher standard, a standard set by the Apostles and by Jesus Himself.

For further discussion on the complex subject of marriage and divorce, see General Article: Christian Marriage, in The Applied New Testament Commentary.

³⁴ In verse 19, Ezra says that they all gave their hands in pledge to put away their wives; presumably this means that “they shook hands” on it. It is not certain if the “all” refers only to those mentioned in verse 18 or to the entire list. Then, according to verse 19, they each presented a ram for a guilt offering (see Leviticus 5:14–19; 6:1–7). Again it is not certain whether this statement applies to the entire list or only to those mentioned in verse 18.

The guilt offering was meant to help people deal with their guilt. This offering was unique among the offerings in that it included the making of restitution for one’s sin; it provided a means of undoing the consequences of the sin, thereby lessening or removing the sinner’s guilt.