Ezra 3:2-12

2 Then arose Jeshua the son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and ¹Zerubbabel the son of ²Shealtiel with his kinsmen, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, ³as it is written in the Law of Moses the ⁴man of God.

3 They set the altar in its place, ⁵for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and ⁶they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, burnt offerings morning and evening.

4 ⁷And they kept the Feast of Booths, ⁸as it is written, ⁹and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the rule, as each day required,

5 and after that the regular burnt ¹⁰offerings, the offerings at the new moon ¹¹and at all the appointed feasts of the Lord, and the offerings of everyone who made a freewill offering to the Lord.

6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid.

7 So they gave money to the masons and the carpenters, ¹²and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians ¹³to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, ¹⁴according to the grant that they had from Cyrus king of Persia.

Rebuilding the Temple

8 Now in the second year after their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, ¹⁵Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and ¹⁶Jeshua the son of Jozadak made a beginning, together with the rest of their kinsmen, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. They ¹⁷appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to ¹⁸supervise the work of the house of the Lord.

9 And ¹⁹Jeshua with his sons and his brothers, and Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together ²⁰supervised the workmen in the house of God, along with the ²¹sons of Henadad and the Levites, their sons and brothers.

10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, ²²according to the directions of David king of Israel.

11 And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, ²³“For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel. ”And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.

12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, ²⁴old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy,

Ezra 3:2-12 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZRA 3

This chapter relates how that the people of Israel returned from captivity, gathered to Jerusalem, and set up the altar, where sacrifices were offered, Ezr 3:1-3, and kept the feast of tabernacles, and offered the sacrifices of that, besides the daily sacrifice, and of other festivals; and contributed to the workmen that prepared for the building of the temple, Ezr 3:4-7 and began it by laying the foundation of it; which to some was matter of joy, to others of grief, on different accounts, Ezr 3:8-13.

Cross References

• 1. 3:2 Matt. 1:12; Luke 3:27
• 2. 3:2 1 Chr. 3:17; Matt. 1:12; Luke 3:27
• 3. 3:2 Deut. 12:5, 6
• 4. 3:2 See Deut. 33:1
• 5. 3:3 [ch. 4:4]
• 6. 3:3 Ex. 29:38; Num. 28:3, 4
• 7. 3:4 Zech. 14:16; See Neh. 8:14-17
• 8. 3:4 Ex. 23:16; Lev. 23:34
• 9. 3:4 See Num. 29:12-38
• 10. 3:5 See Num. 28:11-15
• 11. 3:5 Num. 29:39
• 12. 3:7 1 Kgs. 5:6, 9; 2 Chr. 2:10
• 13. 3:7 2 Chr. 2:16
• 14. 3:7 ch. 1:3, 4; 6:3
• 15. 3:8 ch. 2:2; 4:3
• 16. 3:8 ch. 2:2; 4:3
• 17. 3:8 1 Chr. 23:24
• 18. 3:8 1 Chr. 23:4
• 19. 3:9 [See ver. 8 above]
• 20. 3:9 [See ver. 8 above]
• 21. 3:9 Neh. 10:9, 10
• 22. 3:10 1 Chr. 6:31; 16:4-6; 25:1, 2
• 23. 3:11 See 1 Chr. 16:34, 41
• 24. 3:12 Hag. 2:3