←Ezra 3→BSB

In This Chapter 20 people 12 places 42 terms 3 resources

People

Israel 7 Jozadak (Jehozadak) 4 Zerubbabel 4 Shealtiel 4 Jeshua (Joshua) 3 Moses 2 Cyrus 2 Jeshua 2 Judah (Hodaviah) 2 Henadad 2 Asaph (Son of Berechiah) 2 Jacob (Patriarch) Jeshurun (Israel) Joshua Jehozadak Sheshbazzar (Zerubbabel) Kadmiel Hodaviah (Ezra 2:40) Hodevah (Hodaviah) David

Places

    Key Terms

    Burnt Offering 17 New Moon Festival 5 Voluntary Offering 3 Instruction 3 Kindness (Solidarity) 3 Terror 2 Feast of Tabernacles 2 Appointed Feast 2 Be Holy 2 To Acknowledge 2 Offering Gift (Tribute) Sin Offering Peace Offering Offering Made by Fire Offering (Contribution) Drink-Offering Guilt-Offering Sacrifice (Offering) Wave-Offering Gift (Offering) Dedication (Ceremony) Offer Sacrifice Sacrifice (Act) Sacrifice (Ritual) Whole Burnt Offering Offering (Special) Offering (Voluntary) Sin Offering (Guilt Removal) Holy Holy (Pure) Holy Thing Most Holy Place Holiness Holy (Devout) Hallow Sanctuary Praise Be Kind Kindness (Benevolence) Kindness (Graciousness) Kindness (Affection)

    Resources

    Haggai Book Overview Nehemiah Book Overview Temple Articles

    Sacrifices Restored

    ⓘ After resettling in various towns in Judah, the...

    After resettling in various towns in Judah, the community focused on restoring the worship of God in Jerusalem. They quickly rebuilt the altar and began regular sacrifices in time to celebrate the Jewish festivals (Ezra 3:4). Then, they started the more challenging task of rebuilding the temple itself (Ezra 3:8). Soon, they faced opposition from local foreigners (Ezra 4:1–5).

    1By the seventh month, the Israelites had settled in their towns, and the people assembled as one man in Jerusalem.

    2Then Jeshua son of Jozadak† and his fellow priests, along with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates, began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. 3They set up the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD—both the morning and evening burnt offerings—even though they feared the people of the land.

    4They also celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles† in accordance with what is written, and they offered burnt offerings daily based on the number prescribed for each day.

    ⓘ The list of sacrifices, offered even before the...

    • The list of sacrifices, offered even before the temple's foundation was laid, showed the people's eagerness to worship God faithfully at every chance. They followed the law's instructions precisely.

    • The new moon celebrations occurred on the first day of each Hebrew month. The sacrifices and trumpet blasts reminded the people of God's covenant with them (Numbers 10:10; 28:11–15).

    • Voluntary offerings included gifts like money for building the temple (Exodus 35:29; 36:3). The Hebrew term can also refer to peace offerings of meat or bread, eaten to celebrate fellowship with God (Leviticus 7:11–21).

    5After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings and those for New Moons and for all the appointed sacred feasts of the LORD, as well as all the freewill offerings brought to the LORD.

    6On the first day of the seventh month, the Israelites began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, although the foundation of the temple of the LORD had not been laid. 7They gave money to the masons and carpenters, and food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to Joppa by sea, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.

    Temple Restoration Begins

    8In the second month of the second year after they had arrived at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their associates including the priests, the Levites, and all who had returned to Jerusalem from the captivity, began the work. They appointed Levites twenty years of age or older to supervise the construction of the house of the LORD. 9So Jeshua and his sons and brothers, Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Yehudah),† and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together to supervise those working on the house of God.

    ⓘ The music at this dedication ceremony was similar...

    • The music at this dedication ceremony was similar to the singing when Solomon first brought the ark into the temple (2 Chronicles 5:12–13). Both events led the worshipers to give praise and thanks to the Lord for his faithful covenant love and goodness.

    • as David king of Israel had prescribed: See 1 Chronicles 25:1–7.

    10When the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their positions to praise the LORD, as David king of Israel had prescribed. 11And they sang responsively with praise and thanksgiving to the LORD:

    “For He is good;for His loving devotion† to Israel endures forever.”

    Then all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD had been laid.

    12But many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads who had seen the first temple wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple. Still, many others shouted joyfully. 13The people could not distinguish the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people were making so much noise. And the sound was heard from afar.