Ezra 5: 1 – 17
They’re not them
5 Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2 So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them. 3 At the same time Tattenai the governor of the region beyond the River and Shethar-Boznai and their companions came to them and spoke thus to them: “Who has commanded you to build this temple and finish this wall?” 4 Then, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were constructing this building. 5 But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them cease till a report could go to Darius. Then a written answer was returned concerning this matter. 6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai sent: The governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and his companions, the Persians who were in the region beyond the River, to Darius the king. 7 (They sent a letter to him, in which was written thus.) To Darius the king: All peace. 8 Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judea, to the temple of the great God, which is being built with heavy stones, and timber is being laid in the walls; and this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands. 9 Then we asked those elders, and spoke thus to them: “Who commanded you to build this temple and to finish these walls?” 10 We also asked them their names to inform you, that we might write the names of the men who were chief among them. 11 And thus they returned us an answer, saying: “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed. 12 But because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and carried the people away to Babylon. 13 However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build this house of God. 14 Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem and carried into the temple of Babylon—those King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon, and they were given to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor. 15 And he said to him, ‘Take these articles; go, carry them to the temple site that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its former site.’ 16 Then the same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem; but from that time even until now it has been under construction, and it is not finished.” 17 Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the king’s treasure house, which is there in Babylon, whether it is so that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send us his pleasure concerning this matter.
We want answers. Over my life on earth I have witnessed sometimes good and then sometimes bad that we have a drive in our being that we want to know the answers. Part of an innocent desire for knowledge to questions relates to prophecy. We want to know or guess who the Antichrist is. Another interest is what is the abomination that makes desolate? Today, we will look at the Two Witnesses who will arrive on the scene at the rebuilt Temple.
People love to argue on who they think the two witnesses will be.
Now who are these two ‘witnesses’? For those of you who have done your own research I am sure that you have run across a lot of different teachings. Some of the people that have been bantered about are; Moses, Elijah, Enoch, John the Baptist, and Joshua the High Priest and Zerubbabel the Prince who returned from the captivity of Babylon.
Well, you may be in for quite a surprise. I do not believe after reviewing all the Scripture that any of the ones I just listed will be the ‘Two Witnesses’. In a little while I will tell you who I think they are, so stay with me.
Some of you who have followed along with us in our study of the book of Revelation might consider that chapter 11 seems to be out of place. It somehow does not seem to properly go after chapter 10. I strongly believe that there is a logical reason for why the content of chapter 11 follows chapter 10. The strong angel announced the end of God’s "delay" in punishing the living earth-dwellers responsible for the death of His faithful followers. We were told the "what," but not the "why." Why ‘is the end of God’s "delay"’ suddenly and dramatically announced following the sixth trumpet, just before the seventh trumpet sounds?
Chapter 11 will explain that the announcement of God’s suspension of His "delay" is neither sudden nor unexpected. In fact, it comes at God’s precisely intended point in the sequence of end-time events. In step with the rest of the NT, the sequence of the end time events in the Revelation is known, but the exact timing when these events will occur is not known. Chapter 11 explains why John must prophesy against nations, tongues, peoples and kings.
It is significant that these events take place within the second ‘woe’ when wholesale death pervades the Middle East. They describe God’s final plea to both physical Israel and those of the nations in Jerusalem to turn to Him in the final days of the age, a plea which meets with at least partial success. John knows that before the end God will show special concern for His rejected people Israel as the times of the Gentiles end.
From our study we see that the Jewish people are going to rebuild the altar and a Temple. However, there will not be a Temple complex. If you go back to the book of Ezra when the Jews came back from Babylon the first thing they set up was an altar. That was it. In the book of Haggai you read about the prophet’s encouragement for the people to rebuild a Temple.
We read that the Gentiles will overrun Jerusalem ‘For forty-two months. It should be noted that John gives the time in months when dealing with the enemies of God and in days when dealing with the people of God. Thus, months are used in Revelation 9.5, 10; 11.2; 13.5 while days are used in 2.10; 11.3, 9, 11; 12.6. The forty-two months are the same as the 1260 days, taking 30 days to the month, a regular approximation used in ancient days. ‘A time and times and half a time’ means a similar thing here (12.14). The reason for the difference in usage is to emphasize that God watches over His own day by day.
Three and a half years is looked on in Scripture as a period of trial and testing under the protection of God. Elijah the prophet prayed for God to withhold rain and this occurred for three years as we read in the book of 1 Kings 18.1 with 17.1 which, following the six months of dry weather preceding the drought (the Mediterranean summer) brought it to three years and six months. So, three and a half years had come to signify a time of judgment, persecution and want. During this period Elijah was guided by God to places where he would be provided for.
Years ago, I had the pleasure of going to Israel and checking out a lot of sites for three weeks. One site of interest was the Jewish Temple museum in Jerusalem. We were blessed to have a group session with the Director of the museum. He showed us that they have all the items necessary to furnish a new Temple. They have found ancestors of the tribe of Levi to serve as priests. In spurring our interest the Director informed us was that a Temple could be up and running within a month. All that is needed is permission to start.
3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”
The statement ‘They will prophesy’ explains the two witnesses' ministry. The two witnesses are specially called prophets in verse 10. These prophets will function as Old Testament prophets functioned. They will speak for God to the people and judge those who refuse to obey. Over the period (three and a half years) when the Holy City is trodden down by the Gentiles ‘two witnesses will arise to testify on God’s behalf. Please note that they arrive without introduction.
It is interesting that focus of being the Two Witnesses is on Joshua The High Priest and Zerubbabel, a descendent of king David and leader of the returned Israelites. What we need to be aware of is that there were two prophets operating currently being Haggai and Zechariah. You do not have anyone listing these two men as candidates of being the Two Witnesses.
The ministry and death of the two Jewish witnesses is another example and reason for John’s prophetic ministry against peoples, nations, tongues and kings. Specifically, the abuse the two Jewish witnesses will experience justifies God’s wrath against the living earth-dwellers (peoples, nations, tongues, and kings
The word ‘Authority’ it is not in the original text. The translators have added it to give the reader a sense of what John intended. John indicates his audience’s familiarity with the witnesses, not their specific names and identity, but their specific roles.
As mentioned earlier there have been some wild and unnecessary speculations about the identity of these two witnesses have filled many pages. Enoch and Elijah are by far the leaders in this theological guessing game. It says in the bible that is accounted for all men to die. Both Enoch and Elijah did not die as you know our Holy Master took them alive to Heaven. However, given the fact that both Two Witnesses are murdered and savagely treated, it is highly unlikely that the two witnesses are historical figures from Israel’s past who our Holy Lord has saved just to send back to earth to be brutally killed. In fact, as you know Elijah and Moses already did come back. Remember, that they were the ones who were with our Lord Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration.
Therefore, some teachers try to link the 2 witnesses as Moses and Elijah. Equally, given that these two witnesses are murdered, it is extremely unlike God to send back to earth faithful giants like Moses, Elijah, Enoch or any other great figure from the OT only to have them murdered in the streets of Jerusalem.
Another point that argues against past historical figures, concerns the ministry of the two witnesses. The ministry of Elijah is specifically defined. Malachi 4:5-6 states, ‘Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.
What exactly is Malachi predicting here? The Lord Jesus helps us understand the meaning of this text. He states in Matthew 17:11, "Elijah is coming and will restore all things…." Literally, "Indeed, Elijah is coming, and he will restore all things." This demands that John the Baptist was in a figurative sense, Elijah. The point about ‘restoring all things’ refers to how our Great Lord and Savior restored again our right to come to the Father. The curtain in the Temple restricting access was torn from the top to the bottom. Thank you, Lord Jesus.
Then the next verse of chapter 11 has people guessing that the Two Witnesses must be Joshua the High Priest and Zerubbabel the Prince.
4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth.
The two olive trees appear in Zechariah 4.3 and are ‘the sons of oil (anointed ones) who stand by the Lord of the whole earth’ (4.14). There they refer to Joshua the High Priest and Zerubbabel the Prince, both anointed for their roles in accordance with the laws of Israel. So here are two similar leaders set apart by God as His servants in a time of crisis.
Joshua had his filthy garments removed and was clothed with rich apparel and had a fair turban set on his head as indicated in the book of Zechariah 3.3-5. This turban is described in Exodus 28.36-38. It bears the words ‘holy to the Lord’ on a plate of gold and means that the High Priest is, especially through the sacrificial system, bearing the iniquity of the people in such a way as ensures the acceptability of their gifts and offerings
Zerubbabel is the one who will prevail ‘not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord’ as the prophet Zechariah informs us in chapter 4.6. He has laid the foundations of the house of the Lord and he will finish it because he has the Holy Spirit to assure its completion.
They are thus two selected men of God whose purpose is to establish the house of God as a witness to the nations.
The imagery in Zechariah is remarkably like imagery in Revelation, where what is applied to the individuals in Zechariah is applied to all the redeemed. In Revelation the redeemed washed their garments and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (7.14), compared with the removal of Joshua’s filthy apparel, and the over comer will receive a crown (2.10) similarly to Joshua, and will be arrayed in white garments (3.5). In Revelation white always replaces the jeweled splendor of the Old Testament. Wisdom and virtue are far above rubies. Thus, the robes are white and the stone containing the name is white.
So, Joshua is a ‘type’ of the redeemed. Furthermore, as the New Testament constantly makes clear, it is the redeemed who receive the power of the Spirit.
Taking this information to heart and mind we thus see the Two Witnesses in Revelation as two representatives of the people of God in Jerusalem, yet representing in themselves the whole church, whose responsibility it is to establish the sanctuary of God (the church of Christ) as a witness to Jerusalem and to the nations.
The witnesses are also ‘two lamp stands.’ In Revelation 1 the seven lamp stands represent the seven churches, which speak of the complete church. In Zechariah 4 the sevenfold lamp stand represents the God of Israel feeding the two sons of oil and Israel with its function to rebuild the Temple, again as a witness to the world. The Temple has been rebuilt and the Two Witnesses prophecy for the last 3- and one-half years before our Lord’s 2nd Coming.
The lamp stands therefore represent the whole true people of God. So, the two witnesses stand at the forefront as fulfilling the witness of the church and of true Israel. That the two witnesses can be both leaders of the church and the whole church compares with how Daniel could speak of kings while including in the word the nations that lay behind the kings.
‘I ‘WILL GIVE’ to my two witnesses’ - this remarkable change of expression from ‘it was given’ emphasize God’s deep personal concern for His witnesses. Again, and again in Revelation we have seen the term ‘there was given’. To these two witnesses God gives directly. God Is actively involved. This brings out the vital nature of their ministry. And what will He give? He will provide them with all that they need to complete their task, including the Spirit’s power [as He did with Zerubbabel].
Please note why there will be ‘Two witnesses.’ We learn in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 19.15 that the testimony of two witnesses was required before a legal verdict could be given. These witnesses therefore are symbolic of a satisfactory and complete witness. Mankind cannot blame God for not warning them of the destruction that is about to happen to the world.
So, the ‘two witnesses’ here are all those who bear testimony to God and bear witness against the sins of men, especially as represented by two effective leaders or ‘prophets’ (verse 10).
5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. 6 These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.
If anyone wants to harm them is curious to say the least. Why would anyone want to harm them? To harm means to hurt or to harm, with the implication of doing something that is wrong and undeserved. This is what we Christians currently must deal with also. You try to share the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ and you get many times hostile responses.
So the church and its leaders will give its testimony in these final days in the face of persecution and will suffer opposition and tribulation. John is again seeking to bolster up the church in the face of tribulation to come.
These Two Witnesses will be easy to spot. They will be ‘Clothed in sackcloth’. This was the rough garment of hair associated with prophets. It also signified grief and distress.
Remember the king of Nineveh had everyone put on sackcloth – even the animals. Also, remember when David sinned by taking the census, he clothed himself and the people in sackcloth when he was seeking to divert God’s judgment
Thus, it denotes humility, earnestness in prayer and grief over sin. These witnesses through physically wearing sackcloth, are examples of humility, earnestness in prayer and grief over sin.
5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner.
The fact that John emphasizes by restatement, "if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way," argues strongly for a literal interpretation here. In the tradition of the Old Testament, particularly Elijah, the miraculous use of literal fire in judgment has precedent. In addition, John describes the death of the enemies of the two witnesses as devouring. Incineration by fire would be an effective means of disposing of your enemies.
So, we are told that the words of these witnesses will be effective and powerful against those who oppose them.
Please notice how the statement ‘If any man desires to hurt them, is repeated. The first is actual, the second prospective. These two individuals are continually preserved by God. I believe the point to be made is that both prophets succeed with their assignment against all odds.
6 These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.
It is not said that they do this. These examples are given to demonstrate that these witnesses are prophets in the mold of Elijah and Moses, and if necessary can call on similar powers. It was Elijah who prayed and shut the heavens. It was Moses who turned water into blood and smote the earth with plagues.
These have the power to shut up the sky is the first of three prerogatives of the two witnesses. Power is better translated authority. This prerogative is assigned to both witnesses. While Elijah is typically pictured, as the one shutting up the heavens, both witnesses will have this authority. Interestingly, Elijah did in fact shut the heavens of rain for three and a half years during his earthly ministry
So that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying is the result of a shut-up sky. "Rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying" is a severe judgment. The fact that Israel experienced a three and a half-year period without rain means it is possible to survive, but with great difficulty. Water will be an expensive commodity. Given the trumpet and bowl judgments that deal with salt and fresh water sources, it is clear that the two witnesses will limit their influence on specific geographical areas—Jerusalem and its environs will be one of them.
They have power [authority] over waters to turn them into blood is the second prerogative of the witnesses. Not only will they stop the rain from heaven, but they will also ruin water sources on earth. Turning water into blood is reminiscent of the prophet Moses. However, both witnesses will have this prerogative.
[They have authority] to strike the earth with every plague defines the third prerogative of this group. They both have this ability. The witnesses have an unlimited range of possible plagues; are unlimited as to how many times they strike; and the total earth surface can be their victim. This does not bode well for the world.
As often as they desire indicates that God has given these witnesses the choice concerning how often they strike. This indicates a tremendous amount of trust on God’s part in these witnesses.
James points this out in his letter when he states firmly that the church is powerful through prayer. ‘The supplication of a righteous man avails greatly in its working’, he says, and gives this very example of the withholding of rain by Elijah. The early church was not as afraid of such miracles as we are. Thus, there is no difficulty in John seeing a future church in Jerusalem effectively having such powers available for use, especially through their anointed leaders, and possibly although not necessarily using them.
However, it is noteworthy that there have been rare times when miracles of one sort or another have abounded. The time of Moses was one, the time of Elijah and Elisha another and the time of our Lord Jesus and His apostles a third. Miracles do not just happen at random. So, these words in Revelation may suggest that in the end days the same will apply. But even then, they will not be at random. The witnesses will not misuse their powers. They will only use them as God commands. Unlike the beast, their aim is not wholesale slaughter.
So, as I said in the beginning of this study I would tell you who I think the Two Witnesses are. I believe that these two are newly selected men Who God chooses and anoints. Our Holy God has quite a few people in the world to pick from. He does not have to bring back others who have finished their ministry on earth. When the time is right those who are still around will know them by their works.
So, today we are going to go back to the time of Joshua the Hight Priest and Zerubbabel the leader of the Israelites.
5 Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them.
Things came to a head when two prophets arose and prophesied to them in the Name of the God of Israel. Their names were Haggai and Zechariah, and their prophecies were to all those who were in Judah and Jerusalem, that is to the returnees and those who supported them. Haggai is always called ‘Haggai the prophet’ (compare 6.14) even in his own writings. This may well be because his antecedents were unimportant. Zechariah’s family was clearly more distinguished. He was the ‘son of Iddo’, a well-known priestly ancestor. We have here a reminder that God takes people from all backgrounds for the carrying out of His purposes. It was Haggai who was the more direct, speaking with great bluntness (see his prophecy), while Zechariah was more visionary, although nevertheless at times speaking equally directly. We have a record of both their messages in the books of Haggai and Zechariah.
‘The God of Israel (Who was) over them.’ This may indicate ‘over the prophets’ or it may signify ‘over the people’. In the first case it would emphasize the position of the prophets as servants of YHWH. In the second it would be a reminder of what the people owed to their God as their Sovereign Lord.
2 So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them.
The consequence of the preaching of the prophets was that the Jewish leaders, Zerubbabel the governor, and Jeshua the High Priest, spurred on the people to recommence the building of ‘the house of God which was at Jerusalem’, whilst the two prophets continued with their urging, stirring them up and encouraging them to carry on, giving them every assistance by their words. The fact that this continued activity of the prophets had to be mentioned brings out the strength of the opposition to the project. It took all the authority of Zerubbabel and Jeshua, both political and religious, together with all the urgings of the prophets, to ensure that the work carried on. And the problems were exacerbated when the opposition dropped a word in the ear of the Persian the Governor of the Province of Beyond the River, no doubt with deceptive inferences, in order to force him to look into what they were doing. A report of people who were building with ‘massive stones’ would be enough in itself to force him to take an interest.
3 At the same time Tattenai the governor of the region beyond the River and Shethar-Boznai and their companions came to them and spoke thus to them: “Who has commanded you to build this temple and finish this wall?”
We can well imagine the consternation of the returnees when no less a person than Tattenai, Governor of the Province of Beyond the River, arrived, supported by a group of Persian inspectors, enquiring as to who had given them the order to commence this work and what were the names of the persons involved. It appears to have been a genuine enquiry rather than an accusation, as is evidenced by the fact that the work could continue while a decision was reached. He could see that they were building a Temple. The ‘material’ was probably the cedar wood from Sidon and Tyre which had presumably arrived a considerable time before, together with timber from the local forests (3.7; Haggai 1.8). This would have been piled up in readiness for use, although there may also be in it a reference to the blocks of stone which would also have been needed.
4 Then, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were constructing this building.
The ‘we’ is emphasizing that ‘all of us’ were involved in the reply, not just the elders. It was thus a declaration of faith, for giving their names might easily have turned against them. But their confidence was in God, and so they were not afraid. The idea would appear to be that in response to the question in verse 3 the whole party of builders attempted to hide nothing, but boldly and personally took responsibility for what they were doing.
5 But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them cease till a report could go to Darius. Then a written answer was returned concerning this matter.
Credit is given to the God of the elders of the Jews for the fact that they were not made to stop working while the matter was being referred to Darius. While the eye of Persia may have been upon them in the person of the inspectors, the eye of God was also upon them too, overruling the eye of the inspectors. And the consequence was that the inspectors did not interfere with the work but allowed them to continue their work until they had received a reply from Darius. For as Zechariah had made clear, ‘the eyes of YHWH run to and fro throughout the whole earth’ (Zechariah 4.10) ensuring the fulfilling of His purposes, and this in the direct context of the completing of the building of the Temple.
6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai sent: The governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and his companions, the Persians who were in the region beyond the River, to Darius the king. 7 (They sent a letter to him, in which was written thus.) To Darius the king: All peace.
The name of the addressee is given with a wish for his total wellbeing, something typical of such letters.
8 Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judea, to the temple of the great God, which is being built with heavy stones, and timber is being laid in the walls; and this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.
The reason for writing is now given. They wish to make known to the king that they have been fulfilling their responsibilities of being the eye of the king, in this case by going into the district of Judah to check out a report that the Jews were engaged in building something with massive stones. The first years of Darius, as so often when kings first came to the throne, had been a signal to disaffected factions to rebel against him. The report that they had received of the use of ‘massive stones’, very naturally therefore had aroused their suspicions.
No doubt the report, suitably embellished, had come from Judah’s enemies (4.1). But when the Persian representatives had arrived they had discovered that what was being built was a Temple to ‘the great God’. It was being built with massive stones, and with timber laid in the walls (as with Solomon’s Temple - 1 Kings 6.36). These courses of timber would provide the flexibility needed if an earthquake struck. Here was the explanation for the massive stones. And the work was going on with thoroughness and was prospering. In other words, they were making a good job of it, and making proper use of the materials. These words confirm that Tattenai was seeking to be fair to the builders and did not see them as a threat. But the question then was, did they have proper authorization?
9 Then we asked those elders, and spoke thus to them: “Who commanded you to build this temple and to finish these walls?”
So the writer of the letter then made clear to the king that they had asked the Jewish elders who it was who had given the authorization for the building of the house, and the use and shaping of this expensive building material. They wanted the king to recognize that they had done their own job thoroughly as well.
10 We also asked them their names to inform you, that we might write the names of the men who were chief among them.
They also confirmed that they had demanded the names of those who were responsible for the work, so that they could report them to Darius. This may have been in order that, if he felt it necessary, he could take suitable action against them, or it may have been so that he would know that the men doing the work were not subversive, but reliable. He was no doubt confident that Darius’ system of spies would have provided him with the names of any who appeared to be subversive. The kings of Persia had an efficient spy system which reported back directly to him. Thus, a quick check of the list would confirm whether there was anything reported against these men.
11 And thus they returned us an answer, saying: “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed.
The writer then reported on the answer that they had received. The Jewish elders had declared that they were the servants of the God of heaven and earth. We have seen previously that the ‘God of Heaven’ was the Name by which YHWH was known outside Palestine, and which Cyrus had used in his decree (see 1.2). Here the elders were also emphasizing another relevant fact about Him. He was not only concerned with heaven but also with earth. And it was as His servants that they were rebuilding the house, a house which had been built many years before by a great king of Israel. It was thus not something new, but the establishing of something which had existed for centuries. There was nothing subversive about it.
‘A great king of Israel.’ The elders would have known the name of the great king of Israel, but they recognized that Tattenai would not, and they wanted to get over the idea of how great he was.
12 But because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and carried the people away to Babylon.
And the elders had explained that the reason why the Temple had needed rebuilding was not because of the powerlessness of their God, the God of Heaven. It was because their fathers had provoked the God of Heaven to anger. Therefore, He had given them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who had destroyed the house and carried the people away to Babylon. The reference to Nebuchadnezzar as ‘the Chaldean’ distinguishes him from the current King of Babylon, who was a Persian. It was making clear that this destruction had not been the work of a Persian.
13 However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build this house of God.
But then had come a new change in the situation, for on Cyrus the Persian becoming king of Babylon he had made a decree that the house of God on which they were now working should be rebuilt. (They did not need to spell out that Cyrus was a Persian, for it was something that everyone knew, most of all Darius). Thus what they were doing was actually at the command of the king of Persia.
This is an almost unique reference to Cyrus as king of Babylon outside records which relate to Babylon (where it is used regularly), but the reason for it is clear. He took over the reins from the Chaldean kings of Babylon. Cyrus was in fact seen as king of Persia, king of Babylon, king of Egypt, as well as many other titles, depending on who was in mind in the record being made (‘king of Assyria’ in 6.22).
14 Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem and carried into the temple of Babylon—those King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon, and they were given to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor.
Furthermore as proof of his generosity, and his reverence for the God of the Jews, Cyrus had taken out of the temple of Babylon the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the house of God in Jerusalem, and had delivered them to Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed as governor over the returnees, so that they might eventually be restored to their rightful place, the house of God in Jerusalem.
15 And he said to him, ‘Take these articles; go, carry them to the temple site that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its former site.’
And what was more it was his command that the house of God be rebuilt in Jerusalem, and that those vessels then be put within it. This command envisaged both the rebuilding of the Temple, the task that the elders were now engaged in, and the restoration to that Temple of the gold and silver vessels which had been stolen from the previous Temple. Cyrus was concerned to get all the gods in his empire on his side, as indeed Darius would be too (6.7-12).
16 Then the same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem; but from that time even until now it has been under construction, and it is not finished.”
The elders had then explained that this same Sheshbazzar had obeyed the king’s command and had laid the foundations of the house of God which is in Jerusalem, and since then it had been in process of being built, but was not yet completed, which was why they were now working on it.
This was a slightly artificial description of what had happened, for as we know after the foundations were laid, the work had ceased for a good number of years, until recently recommenced. But the Jews would have understood they might well be asked why they had not carried out Cyrus’ decree immediately. They thus tried to give the impression of a long process which had not yet been completed. So while what they said was not untrue, it was certainly deceptive. But they would not have dared to say otherwise. To suggest that they had deliberately not obeyed the king’s command could have been gross disobedience.
This is the only mention of the fact that Sheshbazzar laid the foundations of the Temple. In 3.10 we were informed that it was Zerubbabel and Jeshua who had caused the foundations of the Temple to be laid. Can they both be correct?
Sheshbazzar commenced laying foundation stones in obedience to the charge given him by Cyrus, but that this was interrupted by his early death so that the completion of the laying of the foundations was carried out by his successor. It must be recognized that the laying of the foundations of so large a project would necessarily take a good amount of time. The ground had to be levelled, the correct material had to be obtained from sources outside Jerusalem, and it then had to be conveyed to the site and shaped so as to be suitable for their purpose, and whilst some suitable stones might be found from the previously destroyed Temple, even they would have required to be dressed ready for the project in hand. The initial laying of some foundation stones may have been achieved easily by utilizing material available on the site, but the returnees would not have had the resources immediately available which would have enabled the rest of the work to be done quickly. Building so large a building was a huge project. So laying the whole foundations would necessarily therefore have been a lengthy task, easily commenced but not so easily finished.
The Jews would mention Sheshbazzar because his was the name linked with Cyrus’ decree, but it would not necessarily indicate that he had completed the task. In our view this must be a very probable explanation. It is difficult to see how, having received the king’s command, Sheshbazzar would have dared not to have commenced the work as soon as practicable, even if only in a very limited fashion. He would want to report back to the king that the work had begun. But we can easily see how his early death might have devolved the work on Zerubbabel and Jeshua, so that it was they who really completed the task of laying the foundations. Nor would they have delayed too long. Whilst not as conscious of the king’s command as Sheshbazzar, he would have instilled into them the necessity of carrying out the work, and besides this was one of the main reasons for their return. Jeshua especially, as High Priest designate, would have been keen for the work to continue, to say nothing of the fact that the valuable gold and silver vessels that they had brought with them were for use in the Temple, and would meanwhile have to be kept safe. All this would have increased the sense of urgency.
But equally we can see how the delay necessary for the gathering of the materials, the problems of actually obtaining those materials and conveying them to the site, and the continuing hostility of those round about them which would often erupt into violence, would over time have weakened their resolve, and especially so because the task was so enormous, whilst they had their own livelihoods to consider in very difficult circumstances. It would have been so easy to find excuses for delaying the work until ‘a more suitable time’.
17 Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the king’s treasure house, which is there in Babylon, whether it is so that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send us his pleasure concerning this matter.
Having outlined what the elders of the Jews had told him Tattenai suggested to the king that if he wished to confirm that such a decree had been issued by Cyrus he should initiate a search in the king’s treasure house in Babylon, the place where such a decree, if it existed, was most likely to be found. He then asked for instructions as to how he should proceed.
As it would turn out the decree would not be found in the king’s treasure house in Babylon. Rather it was discovered at Achmetha, in a palace in the province of Media (6.2). Cyrus had in fact spent some time in Achmetha after the conquest of Babylon, and therefore at the time of his decree. There is a touch of authenticity about this. Those charged with discovering the decree would not want to return empty handed
