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The Histories · Old Testament

Ezra 1

Ezra 1: Cyrus's proclamation and the return of the temple vessels

General context

The narrator opens in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia and says the Lord stirs up the king's spirit so that the word spoken by Jeremiah might be fulfilled. Cyrus makes a proclamation throughout his kingdom and puts it in writing. In it he says the Lord God of heaven has given him all the kingdoms of the earth and has charged him to build a house at Jerusalem. He invites any of the Lord's people to go up to Jerusalem and build, and tells those who remain behind to help the travellers with silver, gold, goods and beasts, beside the freewill offering. The chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, the priests, the Levites and all whose spirit God has raised rise up to go. Those around them strengthen their hands with vessels of silver, gold, goods, beasts and precious things. Cyrus also brings out the vessels of the house of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods. Cyrus brings them out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer and numbers them to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah: thirty gold chargers, a thousand silver chargers, twenty-nine knives, thirty gold basons, four hundred and ten silver basons of a second sort and a thousand other vessels. The narrator gives the total as five thousand four hundred, and says Sheshbazzar brings them up with the returning captives from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Cited passages: Ezra 1:1, Ezra 1:2, Ezra 1:3, Ezra 1:4, Ezra 1:5, Ezra 1:6, Ezra 1:7, Ezra 1:8, Ezra 1:9, Ezra 1:10, Ezra 1:11

Ezra 1 (KJV)

1Now 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,

2Thus 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 an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

3Who 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.

4And 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.

5Then 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.

6And 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.

7Also 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;

8Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.

9And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives,

10Thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand.

11All 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.

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Historical context

The chapter names the occasion as the first year of Cyrus king of Persia and gives no further date. The narrator connects the proclamation to a word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah but does not quote that word or say which one is meant. Two voices need separating: the narrator says the Lord stirred up Cyrus, while the claim that the Lord has charged him to build a house is Cyrus's own statement in the proclamation. Sheshbazzar is introduced only as the prince of Judah who receives the vessels and brings them up. The chapter does not relate him to Zerubbabel, who leads the returning company in the next chapter, and does not say what became of him afterward. Mithredath is called the treasurer; a Mithredath also appears among the letter writers of Ezra 4, and the text does not say whether the two are the same man. The itemized vessels, added together, come to far fewer than the stated total of five thousand four hundred, and the text offers no explanation. The returnees are identified with Judah and Benjamin, together with priests and Levites; the chapter names no other tribes. Nothing is said about how long the journey took or who governed Jerusalem when they arrived.

Cited passages: Ezra 1:1, Ezra 1:2, Ezra 1:8, Ezra 4:7, Ezra 2:2, Ezra 1:9, Ezra 1:11, Ezra 1:5

Literary context

The chapter moves in three steps: a royal proclamation, the people's response, and an inventory. The narrator's phrase about the Lord stirring up the king's spirit is answered by the description of those whose spirit God had raised, so the same divine action is said to lie behind the king's decree and the people's departure. Cyrus's command that neighbours help with silver, gold, goods and beasts is echoed almost word for word when the narrator reports that those around them did exactly that. The refrain which is in Jerusalem, or which is in Judah, recurs through the proclamation, fixing the destination each time the house is mentioned. The vessels form a reversal: Nebuchadnezzar had brought them forth out of Jerusalem into the house of his gods, and now Cyrus brings them forth to be carried back. The closing list of counted objects slows the pace and gives the return a concrete, itemized form before the long register of people in chapter 2.

Cited passages: Ezra 1:1, Ezra 1:5, Ezra 1:4, Ezra 1:6, Ezra 1:2, Ezra 1:3, Ezra 1:7, Ezra 1:8, Ezra 1:9

Key moments

  1. The Lord stirs up Cyrus (Ezra 1:1). In his first year Cyrus makes a written proclamation throughout his kingdom.
  2. An open invitation to go up (Ezra 1:3). Cyrus invites any of the Lord's people to go to Jerusalem and build the house.
  3. Judah and Benjamin rise (Ezra 1:5). The chief of the fathers, priests and Levites whose spirit God raised prepare to go.
  4. The vessels brought out (Ezra 1:7). Cyrus brings out the temple vessels Nebuchadnezzar had taken to the house of his gods.
  5. Sheshbazzar carries them home (Ezra 1:11). The prince of Judah brings the counted vessels up from Babylon with the returning captives.

For reflection

Cyrus says the Lord has charged him to build the house, and the narrator says the Lord stirred him up. What does it mean for the rebuilding to begin with a foreign king's proclamation rather than with the people's own initiative?

People in this chapter

Also indexed here:

  • Mithredath