Ezra 1

The first chapter of Ezra marks the beginning of the return from exile following the Babylonian captivity. Verses 1–3 are nearly identical to the close of 2 Chronicles 36 (verses 22–23), so the final scene of Chronicles continues in this chapter.

Outline

• Verses 1–4: In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, the LORD stirs up the spirit of Cyrus to fulfill the word spoken through Jeremiah. Cyrus issues a decree allowing the people of Judah to go up to Jerusalem and build the house of the LORD, and he commands the people of the places where they have been living to help them with silver and gold, goods and beasts, and freewill offerings.
• Verses 5–6: The chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, the priests, and the Levites prepare to depart, and others whose spirit God had raised rise up with them. The people round about assist them with vessels of silver, with gold, and with precious things.
• Verses 7–11: Cyrus brings out the vessels of the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away. Mithredath the treasurer counts them out to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. The list includes 30 chargers of gold, 1,000 chargers of silver, 29 knives, 30 basons of gold, 410 basons of silver, and 1,000 other vessels, and the total is given as 5,400. Sheshbazzar brings these vessels to Jerusalem along with the exiles.

Key Verses

• Ezra 1:1 "That the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled" — presents the return as the fulfillment of prophecy.
• Ezra 1:3 "Go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel" — this command introduces the theme of the entire book, the rebuilding of the temple.
• Ezra 1:5 "All them whose spirit God had raised" — records that both the king's heart and the people's hearts were moved by God.

People and Places

• Cyrus, Jeremiah, Nebuchadnezzar
• Mithredath: Cyrus's treasurer (keeper of the storehouse).
• Sheshbazzar: the prince (leader) of Judah who received the returned vessels.
• Persia, Babylon, Jerusalem

Points for Reflection

• The prophecy in verse 1 is commonly linked to Jeremiah 29:10 and Jeremiah 25:11–12, which speak of seventy years of captivity. Cyrus is also named in Isaiah 44:28 and 45:1.
• Interpretations differ regarding the passage in which Cyrus speaks in the name of the LORD. Some read it as revealing God's providence, while others regard it as the policy language of the Persian Empire, which acknowledged the gods of various peoples. That Cyrus permitted conquered peoples to restore their temples is also attested in an extrabiblical record, the Cyrus Cylinder, although it does not mention Judah directly.
• The items listed in verses 9–10 add up to 2,499, which does not match the total of 5,400 in verse 11. Proposed explanations include errors in scribal transmission and the view that only the principal items were listed.
• Some identify Sheshbazzar with Zerubbabel, while others regard them as two different people.
• The scene of neighbors assisting with silver and gold is sometimes compared to the Egyptians' giving of silver and gold at the time of the Exodus (Exodus 12:35–36), and the return is thus read as a "second exodus."