Cyrus allows the exiles to return—this kingdom stretched all the way from India to Ethiopia. The first year of his reign was BC 538. The Lord fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah and stirred the heart of Cyrus to issue a public notice and it was posted in all 127 provinces. The notice begins by saying that God was behind the project and that he was acting in his behalf. He empties the museum and crates up the entire artifact collection and lets Ezra take it back to its rightful owner. Then God stirred the hearts of priests, Levites, and tribal leaders to pack for moving. Cyrus was a "hands on king" and orders his treasurer to turn over to Sheshbazzar (the new governor appointed by the king) all 5,400 items. Keep reading for more details as I explore this book verse by verse, chapter by chapter.
Discover How God Stirred the Heart of Cyrus
The Proclamation of Cyrus
Ezra 1:1
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing:
Cyrus had been ruling over Persia for 20 years, but this is the 1st year of his reign after conquering Babylon. His reign began in March BC 538; in 2 Chronicles 36:22 we have the same wording as this verse. Isaiah calls Cyrus his "Shepherd and his anointed" (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1). Jeremiah had foretold the length of the captivity (Jeremiah 25:11,12; 29:10). The Jews had been taken to Babylon as war slaves in BC 606, so 70 years later would make it BC 536. The proclamation of Cyrus would have been carried by postmen to all parts of the province and posted for public reading.
Ezra 1:2
"This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: " 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.
The phrase "God of heaven" occurs 22 times in the Old Testament and seventeen times here in this book. Cyrus says that "the God of heaven" had given him this kingdom (Daniel 2:38-40).
Ezra 1:3
Anyone of his people among you—may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem.
Cyrus is benevolent to the Jews and lets them return to their homeland.
Ezra 1:4
And the people of any place where survivors may now be living are to provide him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.' "
The survivors are the remnant that was left from the massacre by the Babylonians.
The Response of the People
Ezra 1:5
Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.
Family heads simply meant that they represented all the branches of the family. God had moved the heart of the remnant ones to pack up and move to their homeland.
Ezra 1:6
All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.
When God calls you to do something, He will equip you for the task. In this verse, we see the neighbors assisting them with cash, supplies, and livestock, and then a freewill offering for the temple treasury.
Restoration of the Temple Articles
Ezra 1:7
Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god.
Cyrus has all the temple articles inventoried and catalogued so they can be sent back to the temple that God has told him to build.
Ezra 1:8
Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.
This verse tells us the name of the treasurer. These valuables had been kept in the house of the gods of the Babylonians for public display.
Ezra 1:9
This was the inventory:
- Gold dishes: 30
- Silver dishes: 1,000
- Silver pans: 29
Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel were probably the same person—Sheshbazzar was the probable Persian name and Zerubbabel was the Jewish name. (Remember that Daniel was called Belteshazzar by the Babylonians). Here is my reason for believing that they are the same person: Both were Governors (Ezra 5:14, Haggai 1:1; 2:2), and both laid the foundation (Ezra 3:2-8; 5:16; Haggai 1:14,15; Zechariah 4:6-10). Josephus identifies Sheshbazzar as Zerubbabel.
Historical Context from Josephus
Over 1900 years ago, Josephus wrote the following regarding the events that occurred during the reign of Cyrus. This is a quote from his book, Antiquities of the Jews, Book 11, Chapter 1, Articles 1-3:
- IN the first year of the reign of Cyrus which was the seventieth from the day that our people were removed out of their own land into Babylon, God commiserated the captivity and calamity of these poor people, according as he had foretold to them by Jeremiah the prophet, before the destruction of the city, that after they had served Nebuchadnezzar and his posterity, and after they had undergone that servitude seventy years, he would restore them again to the land of their fathers, and they should build their temple, and enjoy their ancient prosperity. And these things God did afford them; for he stirred up the mind of Cyrus, and made him write this throughout all Asia: "Thus saith Cyrus the king: Since God Almighty hath appointed me to be king of the habitable earth, I believe that he is that God which the nation of the Israelites worship; for indeed he foretold my name by the prophets, and that I should build him a house at Jerusalem, in the country of Judea."
- This was known to Cyrus by his reading the book which Isaiah left behind him of his prophecies; for this prophet said that God had spoken thus to him in a secret vision: "My will is, that Cyrus, whom I have appointed to be king over many and great nations, send back my people to their own land, and build my temple." This was foretold by Isaiah one hundred and forty years before the temple was demolished. Accordingly, when Cyrus read this, and admired the Divine power, an earnest desire and ambition seized upon him to fulfill what was so written; so he called for the most eminent Jews that were in Babylon, and said to them, that he gave them leave to go back to their own country, and to rebuild their city Jerusalem, and the temple of God, for that he would be their assistant, and that he would write to the rulers and governors that were in the neighborhood of their country of Judea, that they should contribute to them gold and silver for the building of the temple, and besides that, beasts for their sacrifices.
- When Cyrus had said this to the Israelites, the rulers of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with the Levites and priests, went in haste to Jerusalem; yet did many of them stay at Babylon, as not willing to leave their possessions... Cyrus also sent back to them the vessels of God which king Nebuchadnezzar had pillaged out of the temple, and had carried to Babylon. So he committed these things to Mithridates, the treasurer, to be sent away, with an order to give them to Sanabassar, that he might keep them till the temple was built...
The Total Inventory
Ezra 1:10
gold bowls 30 matching silver bowls 410 other articles 1,000
This verse identifies more of the inventory.
Ezra 1:11
In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along when the exiles came up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
The above inventory adds up to 2,499, but when all the other articles that are not mentioned by name are counted we have 5,400.