PART II.
SECOND RETURN OF THE ISRAELITES FROM CAPTIVITY UNDER EZRA.
1. DECREE OF ARTAXERXES, AND RETURN UNDER EZRA, WITH THE NUMBERS OF THOSE WHO RETURNED, AND THE NAMES OF THE CHIEF MEN.
EXPOSITION
FIFTY-SEVEN years after the completion of the temple and its dedication, when the long and eventful rein of Darius was over, and his son Xerxes, probably the Ahasuerus of Esther, had also lived and reigned and passed away, and the grandson of Darius, known generally as Artaxerxes Longimanus, occupied the Persian throne, a further return of Israelites from Babylon, on a tolerably large scale, took place. Ezra, a member of the high priest's family, a descendant of Seraiah, the "chief priest" at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:18), and probably a third cousin of the existing high priest, Eliashib, having access to Artaxerxes, and, apparently, a certain influence with him, asked (Ezra 7:6) and obtained the royal permission to reinforce the colony in Judaea by a fresh body of emigrants, and at the same time to convey to Jerusalem a sum of money, which the Babylonian Jews had subscribed towards the temple service (ibid. verse 16). Artaxerxes appears to have had a high respect for Ezra; he recognised in him one possessed of wisdom from on high (verse 25), and readily granted him, not only the request that he had made, but an important commission, which was mainly one of inquiry (verse 14), but which made him for a time paramount civil ruler of the province, with power of life and death over its inhabitants (verse 26); and also conferred upon the Jewish people certain valuable gifts and privileges. The terms of the decree are set forth in Ezra 7:12-26, where the Chaldee version of the text, as published by Artaxerxes, is probably given verbatim et literatim. After reciting it, Ezra breaks out into a brief but earnest burst of thanksgiving and acknowledgment of God's goodness, which concludes Ezra 7:1-28; occupying the last two verses. He then proceeds, in Ezra 8:1-36; to give an account of the number of the Jews who returned with him, with the names of their leaders, whom he calls "chief of the fathers." Having completed his list in Ezra 8:14, he goes on (Ezra 8:15-31) to describe the circumstances of the journey from Babylon to Jerusalem, which occupied exactly four months, commencing on the first day of the first month and terminating on the first day of the fifth month (Ezra 7:9). In conclusion, he tells us how, after a rest of three days, he discharged himself of the most pressing of the commissions intrusted to him, delivering over to the priests in charge of the temple the gifts sent by Artaxerxes, and making known to the various Persian officials of the district the terms of the royal decree so far as they were affected by it (Ezra 8:32-36). This section may be subdivided into seven parts:—
1. The genealogy of Ezra (Ezra 7:1-5);
2. The fact of his journey, with its dates (Ezra 7:6-10);
3. The decree of Artaxerxes with respect to Ezra (Ezra 7:11-26);
5. The numbers of those who accompanied him to Jerusalem, with the names of the chiefs (Ezra 8:1-14);
6. The circumstances of the journey from Babylon to Jerusalem (Ezra 8:15-31); and
7. The three days' rest at Jerusalem and execution of the more pressing commissions (Ezra 8:32-36).