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In this chapter we have, I. The proclamation which Cyrus, king of Persia, issued out for the release of all the Jews that he found captives in Babylon, and the building of their temple in Jerusalem (Ezr 1:1-4). II. The return of many thereupon (Ezr 1:5, Ezr 1:6). III. Orders given for the restoring of the vessels of the temple (Ezr 1:7-11). And this is the dawning of the day of their deliverance.

We are here told, I. How Cyrus's proclamation succeeded with others. 1. He having given leave to the Jews to go up to Jerusalem, many of them went up accordingly, Ezr 1:5. The leaders herein were the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, eminent and experienced men, from whom it might justly be expected that, as they were above their brethren in dignity, so they should go before them in duty. The priests and Levites were (as became them) with the first that set their faces again towards Zion. If any good work is to be done, let ministers lead in it. Those that accompanied them were such as God had inclined to go up. The same God that had raised up the spirit of Cyrus to proclaim this liberty raised up their spirits to take the benefit of it; for it was done, not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts, Zac 4:6. The temptation perhaps was strong to some of them to stay in Babylon. They had convenient settlements there, had contracted an agreeable acquaintance with the neighbours, and were ready to say, It is good to be here. The discouragements of their return were many and great, the journey long, their wives and children unfit for travelling, their own land was to them a strange land, the road to it an unknown road. Go up to Jerusalem! And what should they do there? It was all in ruins, and in the midst of enemies to whom they would be an easy prey. Many were wrought upon by these considerations to stay in Babylon, at least not to go with the first. But there were some that got over these difficulties, that ventured to break the ice, and feared not the lion in the way, the lion in the streets; and they were those whose spirits God raised. He, by his Spirit and grace, filled them with a generous ambition of liberty, a gracious affection to their own land, and a desire of the free and public exercise of their religion. Had God left them to themselves, and to the counsels of flesh and blood, they would have staid in Babylon; but he put it into their hearts to set their faces Zionward, and, as strangers, to ask the way thither (Jer 50:5); for they, being a new generation, went out like their father Abraham from this land of the Chaldees, not knowing whither they went, Heb 11:8. Note, Whatever good we do, it is owing purely to the grace of God, and he raises up our spirits to the doing of it, works in us both to will and to do. Our spirits naturally incline to this earth and to the things of it. If they move upwards, in any good affections or good actions, it is God that raises them. The call and offer of the gospel are like Cyrus's proclamation. Deliverance is preached to the captives, Luk 4:18. Those that are bound under the unrighteous dominion of sin, and bound over to the righteous judgment of God, may be made free by Jesus Christ. Whoever will, by repentance and faith, return to God, his duty to God, his happiness in God, Jesus Christ has opened the way for him, and let him go up out of the slavery of sin into the glorious liberty of the children of God. The offer is general to all. Christ makes it, in pursuance of the grant which the Father has made him of all power both in heaven and in earth (a much greater dominion than that given to Cyrus, Ezr 1:2) and of the charge given him to build God a house, to set him up a church in the world, a kingdom among men. Many that hear this joyful sound choose to sit still in Babylon, are in love with their sins and will not venture upon the difficulties of a holy life; but some there are that break through the discouragements, and resolve to build the house of God, to make heaven of their religion, whatever it cost them, and they are those whose spirit God has raised above the world and the flesh and whom he has made willing in the day of his power, Psa 110:3. Thus will the heavenly Canaan be replenished, though many perish in Babylon; and the gospel-offer will not be made in vain. 2. Cyrus having given order that their neighbours should help them, they did so, Ezr 1:6. All those that were about them furnished them with plate and goods to bear the charges of their journey, and to help them in building and furnishing both their own houses and God's temple. As the tabernacle was made of the spoils of Egypt, and the first temple built by the labours of the strangers, so the second by the contributions of the Chaldeans, all intimating the admission of the Gentiles into the church in due time. God can, where he pleases, incline the hearts of strangers to be kind to his people, and make those to strengthen their hands that have weakened them. The earth helped the woman. Besides what was willingly offered by the Jews themselves who staid behind, from a principle of love to God and his house, much was offered, as one may say, unwillingly by the Babylonians, who were influenced to do it by a divine power on their minds of which they themselves could give no account. How this proclamation was seconded by Cyrus himself. To give proof of the sincerity of his affection to the house of God, he not only released the people of God, but restored the vessels of the temple, Ezr 1:7, Ezr 1:8. Observe here, 1. How careful Providence was of the vessels of the temple, that they were not lost, melted down, or so mixed with other vessels that they could not be known, but that they were all now forthcoming. Such care God has of the living vessels of mercy, vessels of honour, of whom it is said (Ti2 2:19, Ti2 2:20), The Lord knows those that are his, and they shall none of them perish. 2. Though they had been put into an idol's temple, and probably used in the service of idols, yet they were given back, to be used for God. God will recover his own; and the spoil of the strong man armed shall be converted to the use of the conqueror. 3. Judah had a prince, even in captivity. Sheshbazzar, supposed to be the same with Zerubbabel, is here called prince of Judah; the Chaldeans called him Sheshbazzar, which signifies joy in tribulation; but among his own people he went by the name of Zerubbabel - a stranger in Babylon; so he looked upon himself, and considered Jerusalem his home, though, as Josephus says, he was captain of the life-guard to the king of Babylon. He took care of the affairs of the Jews, and had some authority over them, probably from the death of Jehoiachin, or Jeconiah, who made him his heir, he being of the house of David. 4. To him the sacred vessels were numbered out (Ezr 1:8), and he took care for their safe conveyance to Jerusalem, Ezr 1:11. It would encourage them to build the temple that they had so much rich furniture ready to put into it when it was built. Though God's ordinances, like the vessels of the sanctuary, may be corrupted and profaned by the New Testament Babylon, they shall, in due time, be restored to their primitive use and intention; for not one jot or tittle of divine institution shall fall to the ground.

This chapter informs us of the proclamation of Cyrus king of Persia, for the Jews to return to their own country, and rebuild their temple, Ezr 1:1, and that, upon it, the chief of them rose up for that purpose, whose hands were strengthened and supplied by those about them, Ezr 1:5 and particularly by Cyrus, who gave orders that the vessels belonging to the temple should be delivered to them, Ezr 1:7.

Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin,.... Princes of these tribes, and heads of families in them, and of some other tribes too, though chiefly of these, as appears from Ch1 9:3, and the priests and the Levites: whose presence was necessary both to direct in the building of the temple, and to animate to it, and to set the vessels in their proper places; and particularly to assist in the setting up of the altar, and to offer sacrifices on it, which was the first thing done when come to Jerusalem, Ezr 3:2 with all them whose spirit God raised to go up, to build the house of the Lord, which is in Jerusalem; God, who "works" in men "both to will and to do", wrought powerfully by his Spirit on their hearts, inclined their minds, and made them willing to go up, and set about this work; and such a divine, powerful, and efficacious operation upon them, was necessary to engage them in it, since the embarrassments, difficulties, discouragements, and objections, were many: some of them were well settled, and had contracted a pleasing acquaintance with many of their neighbours, and indeed to most of them it was their native place; and as for Judea and Jerusalem, they knew nothing of but what their fathers had told them; the way to it unknown, long, and dangerous, at least fatiguing and troublesome to their wives and children; and Judea and Jerusalem desolate and in ruins, and in the hands of enemies, from whom they had reason to expect trouble.

And the leaders of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin rose up, etc. Cyrus indeed, having proclaimed his voice, and having sent letters throughout his kingdom, permitted, nay commanded, from the whole people of Israel, which consisted of twelve tribes, those with whom God was, to go up to Jerusalem to build the house of the Lord. Nevertheless, of the entire people, only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and the priestly and Levitical tribe, to whom Jerusalem itself and the temple of the Lord previously belonged, wanted to ascend. For the other ten tribes had long since under King Jeroboam been alienated from the temple of the Lord and the worship of piety, and for the merit of such a great transgression had been taken captive by the kings of Assyria, and deported beyond the mountains of the Medes, and are not said to have ever been collectively returned to their homeland. Moreover, the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who held Jerusalem and the surrounding regions of Judah, together with the priests and Levites to whom the ministry of the temple belonged, although they had imitated the sins of the ten tribes, never abandoned the habitation of the city of Jerusalem and the ceremonies of the temple. Hence they were the last to be captured by the Chaldeans and the first, under Persian rule, to be permitted to return home; and rightly so, because our Lord arose from the tribe of Judah, and his mother Mary was also connected by consanguinity to the tribe of Levi. Hence Elizabeth, the wife of the priest Zechariah, is called her cousin by the angel (Luke 1). The tribe of Benjamin also joined them in devout faith, particularly because the city of Jerusalem was within its lot, and therefore it deserved to share in the mercy granted to them. It is beautifully said that the leaders of the fathers from the aforementioned tribes rose to go up to build the temple of the Lord. For it is the duty of the leaders and fathers, that is, of the teachers, by work and doctrine of preaching, to take on the laborious task of exhorting, reproving, correcting, and striving in the pursuit of good works, to build the mind of the erring. They are said to rise well to go up to Jerusalem, because they seem to lie down with a weak and inert mind who shirk the care of their own or their brother's salvation. But they rise when they hear the king's edict, and indeed, the Lord stirring their spirit, so they ascend to build the house of the Lord when, admonished by the words of the holy Scriptures, and kindled by the grace of their Creator, they shake off the sloth of their previous negligence; and having taken up the intention of a better way of life, by daily advancements in good works, like certain steps of ascent, they strive to reach the highest virtues, which are in the vision of eternal peace. In these steps, the first are those who restrain their own life from vices by living well. The second are those who, by well teaching, convert their neighbors from their errors or negligences. The highest are those who, after good works and teaching, await the joys of perpetual reward. But that those who thus ascended to build the house of the Lord were helped by all who were around them with silver and gold, substance and cattle; we have briefly previously discussed how it is mystically to be understood; namely, that the abundance of believing rich should support the poverty of preachers. This can also justly be taken thus; that the hands of the builders of the temple should be aided by their companions who cannot build, by giving money; when secular men entrust their children or family to holy preachers to be brought up for the Lord; so that what they themselves cannot do, they offer to the Lord through those who can complete it. They give silver vessels, when they present men brilliant in eloquence; they give gold ones, when they present those illustrious in natural talent; they give beasts of burden, when they present those slower in mind but meek and accommodating to carry the light and gentle yoke of the Gospel; they give cattle, when they present those humble in spirit and mild, who usually give freely to the poor from their substance, as from milk or wool. They also give substance and various utensils when they commend men or women distinguished by the manifold flowers of good works to the holy teachers of the Lord, by whom they are consecrated to the Lord and progress in the building of His house. For there are many who are naturally chaste, patient, modest, liberal, abstinent, kind, spurning worldly honors and pleasures alike, lovers of justice no less than of wisdom, and perhaps like Cornelius, devoted to prayers and alms-giving; of whom the Apostle says: “For when the Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things contained in the law” (Romans 2). These are offered to holy preachers to be reborn in Christ, or to be more firmly confirmed in the faith, as varied utensils to be contributed to the building of the house of the Lord, given to the leaders of the fathers.

The proclamation of Cyrus for the rebuilding of the temple, Ezr 1:1-4. The people provide for their return, Ezr 1:5, Ezr 1:6. Cyrus restores to Sheshbazzar the vessels taken by Nebuchadnezzar out of the temple of Solomon, Ezr 1:7-11. In the introduction to this book the reader will find the history of Ezra detailed at considerable length. It is only necessary to say here that he is generally allowed among the Jews to have been of the sacerdotal family, and therefore he is called ὁ ἱερευς, the priest by the Septuagint. Among the rabbins he passes for a most extraordinary critic, Divinely authorized to collect and arrange the different portions of the sacred writings, and digest them into a system. How far all they say on this subject is true, we cannot tell; he was, beyond all controversy, a very eminent man; and in all that he did, acted under the immediate direction and inspiration of the Almighty. This history contains the transactions of about eighty-two years; from the first year of Cyrus in Babylon, according to Archbishop Usher, A.M. 3468, to the nineteenth year of Ardsheer Diraz Dest, or Artaxerxes Longimanus, who sent Nehemiah to Jerusalem, about A.M. 3550. For all other particulars, see the introduction.

PROCLAMATION OF CYRUS FOR BUILDING THE TEMPLE. (Ezr 1:1-6) in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia--The Persian empire, including Persia, Media, Babylonia, and Chaldea, with many smaller dependencies, was founded by Cyrus, 536 B.C. [HALES]. that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled--(See Jer 25:12; Jer 29:10). This reference is a parenthetic statement of the historian, and did not form part of the proclamation.

Then rose up the chief of the fathers, &c.--The paternal and ecclesiastical chiefs of the later captivity, those of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with some also from other tribes (Ch1 9:3), who retained their attachment to the pure worship of God, naturally took the lead in this movement. Their example was followed by all whose piety and patriotism were strong enough to brave the various discouragements attending the enterprise. They were liberally assisted by multitudes of their captive countrymen, who, born in Babylonia or comfortably established in it by family connections or the possession of property, chose to remain. It seems that their Assyrian friends and neighbors, too, either from a favorable disposition toward the Jewish faith, or from imitation of the court policy, displayed hearty good will and great liberality in aiding and promoting the views of the emigrants.

I. The Return of the Jews from Babylon under Cyrus. Restoration of the Temple and of the Worship of God at Jerusalem - Ezr 1:1 When the seventy years of the Babylonian captivity had elapsed, King Cyrus, by an edict published in the first year of his rule over Babylon, gave permission to all the Jews in his whole realm to return to their native land, and called upon them to rebuild the temple of God at Jerusalem. The execution of this royal and gracious decree by the Jews forms the subject of the first part of this book - Ezr 1:1-11 and 2 treating of the return of a considerable number of families of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi, under the conduct of Zerubbabel the prince and Joshua the high priest, to Jerusalem and Judaea; the remaining chapters, Ezra 3-6, of the restoration of the worship of God, and of the rebuilding of the temple.

In consequence of this royal summons, the heads of the houses of Judah and Benjamin, of the priests and Levites, - in short, all whose spirit God stirred up, - rose to go up to build the house of God. The ל in לכל serves to comprise the remaining persons, and may therefore be rendered by, in short, or namely; comp. Ewald, 310, a. The relative sentence then depends upon כּל without אשׁר. The thought is: All the Jews were called upon to return, but those only obeyed the call whom God made willing to build the temple at Jerusalem, i.e., whom the religious craving of their hearts impelled thereto. For, as Josephus says, Antt. xi. 1: πολλοὶ κατέμειναν ἐν τῇ Βαβυλῶνι τὰ κτήματα καταλιπεῖν οὐ θέλοντες. Ezr 1:6 All their surrounders assisted them with gifts. The surrounders are the people of the places where Jews were making preparations for returning; chiefly, therefore, their heathen neighbours (Ezr 1:4), but also those Jews who remained in Babylon. חזּקוּ בידיהם is not identical in meaning with יד חזּק, to strengthen, e.g., Jer 23:14; Neh 2:18; but with החזיק בּיד, the Piel here standing instead of the elsewhere usual Hiphil: to grasp by the hand, i.e., to assist; comp. Lev 25:34. על לבד, separated to, besides; elsewhere joined with מן, Exo 12:37, etc. התנדּב connected with כּל without אשׁר, as the verbum fin. in Ezr 1:5, Ch1 29:3, and elsewhere. האלהים לבית must, according to Ezr 1:4, be supplied mentally; comp. Ezr 2:68; Ezr 3:5; Ch1 29:9, Ch1 29:17.