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Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
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Matthew Henry |
E Z R A
CHAP. I.
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,
II. The return of many thereupon,
III. Orders given for the restoring of the vessels of the temple,
And this is the dawning of the day of their deliverance.
| The Proclamation of Cyrus. | B. C. 536. |
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1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word
of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD
stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a
proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in
writing, saying,
2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath
given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to
build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
3 Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with
him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and
build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,)
which is in Jerusalem.
4 And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let
the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and
with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the
house of God that is in Jerusalem.
It will be proper for us here to consider,
1. What was the state of the captive Jews in Babylon. It was upon many
accounts very deplorable; they were under the power of those that hated
them, had nothing they could call their own; they had no temple, no
altar; if they sang psalms, their enemies ridiculed them; and yet they
had prophets among them. Ezekiel and Daniel were kept distinct from the
heathen. Some of them were preferred at court, others had comfortable
settlements in the country, and they were all borne up with hope that,
in due time, they should return to their own land again, in expectation
of which they preserved among them the distinction of their families,
the knowledge of their religion, and an aversion to idolatry.
2. What was the state of the government under which they were.
Nebuchadnezzar carried many of them into captivity in the first year of
his reign, which was the fourth of Jehoiakim; he reigned forty-five
years, his son Evil-merodach twenty-three, and his grandson Belshazzar
three years, which make up the seventy years. So Dr. Lightfoot, It is
charged upon Nebuchadnezzar that he opened not the house of his
prisoners,
Isa. xiv. 17.
And, if he had shown mercy to the poor Jews, Daniel told him it would
have been the lengthening of his tranquillity,
Dan. iv. 27.
But the measure of the sins of Babylon was at length full, and then
destruction was brought upon them by Darius the Mede and Cyrus the
Persian, which we read of,
Darius, being old, left the government to Cyrus, and he was employed as
the instrument of the Jews’ deliverance, which he gave orders for as
soon as ever he was master of the kingdom of Babylon, perhaps in
contradiction to Nebuchadnezzar, whose family he had cut off, and
because he took a pleasure in undoing what he had done, or in policy,
to recommend his newly-acquired dominion as merciful and gentle, or (as
some think) in a pious regard to the prophecy of Isaiah, which had been
published, and well known, above 150 years before, where he was
expressly named as the man that should do this for God, and for whom
God would do great things
&c.), and which perhaps was shown to him by those about him. His name
(some say) in the Persian language signifies the sun, for he
brought light and healing to the church of God, and was an eminent type
of Christ the Sun of righteousness. Some was that his name
signifies a father, and Christ is the everlasting Father. Now
here we are told,
I. Whence this proclamation took its rise. The Lord stirred up the
spirit of Cyrus. Note, The hearts of kings are in the hand of the
Lord, and, like the rivulets of water, he turneth them which way soever
he will. It is said of Cyrus that he knew not God, nor how to serve
him; but God knew him, and how to serve himself by him,
God governs the world by his influence on the spirits of men, and,
whatever good is done at any time, it is God that stirs up the spirit
to do it, puts thoughts into the mind, gives to the understanding to
form a right judgment, and directs the will which way he pleases.
Whatever good offices therefore are, at any time, done for the church
of God, he must have the glory of them.
II. The reference it had to the prophecy of Jeremiah, by whom God had
not only promised that they should return, but had fixed the time,
which set time to favour Sion had now come. Seventy years were
determined
and he that kept the promise made concerning Israel’s deliverance out
of Egypt to a day
was doubtless as punctual to this. What Cyrus now did was long
since said to be the confirming of the word of God’s servants,
Isa. xliv. 26.
Jeremiah, while he lived, was hated and despised; yet thus did
Providence honour him long after, that a mighty monarch was influenced
to act in pursuance of the word of the Lord by his mouth.
III. The date of this proclamation. It was in his first year, not the
first of his reign over Persia, the kingdom he was born to, but the
first of his reign over Babylon, the kingdom he had conquered. Those
are much honoured whose spirits are stirred up to begin with God and to
serve him in their first years.
IV. The publication of it, both by word of mouth (he caused a voice
to pass throughout all his kingdom, like a jubilee-trumpet, a
joyful sabbatical year after many melancholy ones, proclaiming liberty
to the captives), and also in black and white: he put it in writing,
that it might be the more satisfactory, and might be sent to those
distant provinces where the ten tribes were scattered in Assyria and
Media,
V. The purport of this proclamation of liberty.
1. The preamble shows the causes and considerations by which he was
influenced,
v. 2.
It should seem, his mind was enlightened with the knowledge of
Jehovah (for so he calls him), the God of Israel, as the only
living and true God, the God of heaven, who is the
sovereign Lord and disposer of all the kingdoms of the earth; of
him he says
(v. 3),
He is the God, God alone, God above all. Though he had not known
God by education, God made him so far to know him now as that he did
this service with an eye to him. He professes that he does it,
(1.) In gratitude to God for the favours he had bestowed upon him:
The God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth.
This sounds a little vain-glorious, for there were many kingdoms of
the earth which he had nothing to do with; but he means that God
had given him all that was given to Nebuchadnezzar, whose dominion,
Daniel says, was to the end of the earth,
Dan. iv. 22; v. 19.
Note, God is the fountain of power; the kingdoms of the earth are at
his disposal; whatever share any have of them they have from him: and
those whom God has entrusted with great power and large possessions
should look upon themselves as obliged thereby to do much for him.
(2.) In obedience to God. He hat charged me to build him a house at
Jerusalem; probably by a dream or vision of the night, confirmed by
comparing it with the prophecy of Isaiah, where his doing it was
foretold. Israel’s disobedience to God’s charge, which they were often
told of, is aggravated by the obedience of this heathen king.
2. He gives free leave to all the Jews that were in his dominions to go
up to Jerusalem, and to build the temple of the Lord there,
v. 3.
His regard to God made him overlook,
(1.) The secular interest of his government. It would have been his
policy to keep so great a number of serviceable men in his dominions,
and seemed impolitic to let them go and take root again in their own
land; but piety is the best policy.
(2.) The honour of the religion of his country. Why did he not order
them to build a temple to the gods of Babylon or Persia? He believed
the God of Israel to be the God of heaven, and therefore obliged
his Israel to worship him only. Let them walk in the name of the
Lord their God.
3. He subjoins a brief for a collection to bear the charges of such as
were poor and not able to bear their own,
v. 4.
“Whosoever remaineth, because he has not the means to bear his charges
to Jerusalem, let the men of his place help him.” Some take it
as an order to the king’s officers to supply them out of his revenue,
as
But it may mean a warrant to the captives to ask and receive the alms
and charitable contributions of all the king’s loving subjects. And we
may suppose the Jews had conducted themselves so well among their
neighbours that they would be as forward to accommodate them because
they loved them as the Egyptians were because they were weary of them.
At least many would be kind to them because they saw the government
would take it well. Cyrus not only gave his good wishes with those that
went (Their God be with them,
v. 3),
but took care also to furnish them with such things as they needed. He
took it for granted that those among them who were of ability would
offer their free-will offerings for the house of God, to promote
the rebuilding of it. But, besides that, he would have them supplied
out of his kingdom. Well-wishers to the temple should be well-doers for
it.
5 Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin,
and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit
God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which
is in Jerusalem.
6 And all they that were about them strengthened their hands
with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts,
and with precious things, beside all that was willingly
offered.
7 Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of
the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of
Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods;
8 Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand
of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar,
the prince of Judah.
9 And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a
thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives,
10 Thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a second sort four
hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand.
11 All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand
and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them
of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto
Jerusalem.
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,
v. 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,
Zech. iv. 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. l. 5);
for they, being a new generation, went out like their father Abraham
from this land of the Chaldees, not knowing whither they went,
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,
Luke iv. 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,
v. 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,
Ps. cx. 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,
v. 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,
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
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
(v. 8),
and he took care for their safe conveyance to Jerusalem,
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.
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