Chapter 3

1 The altar is set up. 4 Offerings frequented. 7 Workmen prepared. 8 The foundations of the temple are laid in great joy and mourning.

1. The seventh month. Shortly after their arrival in Palestine, probably in the summer of 536 b.c., the newly returned exiles assembled at Jerusalem to inaugurate the new Temple service. This gathering took place at the end of the 6th month, as a comparison of v. 1 with v. 6 shows. The 7th month (Tishri) was one of the most sacred months of the entire Jewish religious year. The 1st day of that month was New Year’s Day of the civil calendar (see Vol. II, p. 110). The month began with a blowing of trumpets and a holy convocation (Lev. 23:24; see Vol. II, p. 106). Ten days later came the solemn Day of Atonement (Lev. 23:27), followed almost immediately by the Feast of Tabernacles, from the 15th to the 22d day of the same month (Lev. 23:34–36).

The people gathered. The people were prepared to stay long enough to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (v. 4), one of the three great feasts every Jew was required to observe in Jerusalem (Ex. 23:14; Lev. 23:2; Deut. 16:16).

2. Jeshua. Concerning Jeshua and Zerubbabel, see on ch. 2:2.

Builded the altar. The old Temple area must have been surveyed, and the place ascertained where the altar of burnt offering had originally been located. On that sacred spot a new altar was built. The altar was the center of Jewish worship, and services could not be carried on without it. The altar must have been completed by the last day of the 6th month (see v. 6).

As it is written. Under the leadership of men like Daniel and Ezekiel the exiles had determined to start from the beginning to worship God according to His expressed will, and not again fall into the sins of indifference and idolatry, on account of which they and their fathers had had to suffer so much. Reference is probably here made to Lev. 17:2–6 and Deut. 12:5–7, where God explicitly commands the Israelites to offer their sacrifices only at the place He would select for that purpose. That place was Jerusalem (1 Kings 9:3).

3. His bases. Rather, “its place” (RSV), meaning that the altar was erected on the exact spot where Solomon’s altar of burnt offering had stood.

Fear was upon them. Although the people had but recently returned from Babylonia, they were already aware of the hostility of their neighbors, who were not a little displeased that the Jews had now returned to their homeland. The surrounding people may have occupied some parts of Judea during the Exile, and were now asked to return these to their rightful owners. Naturally, they looked with suspicion upon the Jews, who made it plain that henceforth no other worship than that of Jehovah would be tolerated. This hostility may already have been revealed in threats. Hence, the returning exiles assembled in Jerusalem in a state of fear. Though they had permission from Cyrus to raise up both their altar and their Temple, it was not at all certain that this could be accomplished without encountering serious opposition from the neighboring peoples. Cyrus had only recently come into possession of these areas, which had belonged to the Babylonian Empire, and he may have exercised only nominal control over them.

Burnt offerings. As the law required (Ex. 29:38, 39; Num. 28:3, 4).

4. Feast of tabernacles. The festival requirements of Lev. 23:33–42 were carefully observed. To live in tents or booths had a real and appropriate meaning this time. The feast was originally established as a memorial of the 40 years of desert wandering. Once more the people of God had been led back to their homeland from a foreign country, where they had been in exile; once more they were living in tents, until more permanent places of abode could be built.

Daily burnt offerings. These offerings are not those mentioned in vs. 3 and 5, but pertained to the Feast of Tabernacles. The regulations concerning them are found in Num. 29:12–40. All particulars there enjoined were now carefully observed, as may be concluded from the record here given of the celebration.

5. Continual burnt offering. This was doubtless the daily morning and evening sacrifice (Ex. 29:38–42; Num. 28:3–6).

Both of the new moons. Literally, “and those of the new moons.” The reading in the KJV gives the impression that the continual burnt offerings pertained to the newmoon festival and the other set feasts, but this is not the meaning of the Hebrew text. The regulations for the feast of the new moon are found in Num. 28:11–15.

The set feasts. See on Lev. 23:2. These were the other feasts such as the Passover, Feast of Weeks, and the Day of Atonement.

Freewill offering. The custom of bringing freewill offerings was also reinstituted (see Lev. 1–3). Thus provision was made for all that was most essential in the practice of the Jewish religious ritual, although the Temple itself remained unbuilt for the time being.

6. Seventh month. See on v. 1.

7. Gave money. During the festive assembly discussions were held concerning the rebuilding of the Temple, and contracts were closed with artisans able to carry out the plans there laid. Many of the exiles had doubtless been employed by the Babylonians in building their palaces, temples, and fortifications. During the time of the Exile, particularly under Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon had witnessed tremendous activity, as the texts excavated there have shown. The professional skill acquired in Babylon now proved to be a great asset, and Zerubbabel set the masons and carpenters to work at their respective tasks, paying them regular wages in money.

Meat. Literally, “food.”

Zidon. The purchase of cedars from the Lebanon Mountains was made by contract with the Sidonians and Tyrians, with compensation in kind. Phoenicia was a narrow strip of coastland and had to import foodstuffs (see Acts 12:20; see also Vol. II, p. 68). Solomon had paid for the materials received from Hiram of Tyre with wheat, barley, wine, and oil (2 Chron. 2:15), and similar arrangement was now made by Zerubbabel. From the most ancient times the Lebanon region had furnished cedarwood for building palaces, temples, and other public buildings throughout the civilized countries of the Near East.

That the Sidonians are mentioned before the Tyrians accords with the actual political situation under the Persian rule. Herodotus (vii. 96, 98; viii. 67) claims that in the time of Xerxes the king of Sidon possessed a higher rank than the king of Tyre. This condition probably existed before Xerxes’ time, and was due to the long siege of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar. The result was a marked weakening of the economic strength and prestige of Tyre. Sidon profited by this situation and thereafter took the lead among the Phoenician city states (see Vol. II, p. 69).

According to the grant. A special grant of Phoenician timber made by Cyrus seems to be intended. Although outside of this remark we have no written evidence of such a grant, the provision made in the official decree, as later found in Ecbatana, to have the cost of the Temple paid from royal funds, apparently included the purchase of building material with public money. The food, drink, and oil must have been provided by the Persian administration, because the newly arrived Jews could hardly have found enough foodstuffs even for their own needs in the half-deserted country to which they had come.

8. The second year. If the year of the Jews’ return was 536 b.c. (see on ch. 1:1), the second month of the second year would have fallen in the spring of 535 b.c. The months were numbered beginning with Nisan, the 1st month of the ecclesiastical year, even though the months so designated referred to the civil calendar, which began in the fall with Tishri, the 7th month (see Vol. II, p. 108). The phrase, “of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem,” shows clearly that the second year of their return is meant, and not the second year of Cyrus’ reign, as some commentators have thought.

The second month. Called Iyyar in the postexilic calendar. Some commentators think that this month was chosen for the beginning of building activities in order to coincide with the date chosen by Solomon for beginning the erection of the first Temple (1 Kings 6:1).

Zerubbabel. In v. 2 Jeshua, the high priest, is mentioned before Zerubbabel, the governor, because reference is made to a purely ecclesiastical affair, the beginning of the sacrificial service, in which the high priest naturally had primary authority. In connection with the rebuilding of the Temple, Zerubbabel, representing the authority of the state, is mentioned first. He was the official representative of the Persian king, who had issued the decree to rebuild the Temple; therefore it was his privilege and duty to lead out in the measures to be taken in carrying out the decree.

Appointed the Levites. The few Levites who had returned (see on ch. 2:40) were appointed by the governor to supervise the workmen employed in rebuilding the Temple.

From twenty years. In conformity with a custom that had existed at least since the time of David, that the Levites could serve only after reaching the age of 20 (1 Chron. 23:24, 27; 2 Chron. 31:17). In Moses’ time they were not permitted to serve until the age of 25 (Num. 8:24).

Set forward. That is, “supervised” or “had the oversight.”

9. Jeshua. The supervision of the work was under three groups, probably arranged according to the population of the new province of Judea. Jeshua was the head of the priesthood, Kadmiel was spokesman for the tribe of Judah, and Henadad was apparently the leader of the lower rank of Temple personnel.

10. Priests in their apparel. The priestly garments which the people had recently provided (ch. 2:69) were designed “for glory and for beauty” according to the Mosaic law (Ex. 28:40).

With trumpets. The blowing of trumpets was a priestly prerogative (Num. 10:8; 31:6; Joshua 6:4; 1 Chron. 15:24; 16:6; 2 Chron. 5:12), while cymbals were the musical instruments played by Levites (1 Chron. 15:16, 19; 16:5; 2 Chron. 5:12, 13; 29:25).

After the ordinance of David. This ordinance is given in 1 Chron. 15:16–24. However, Zerubbabel’s musical service fell short of the “ordinance of David,” since it failed to provide for several instruments that were an essential part of David’s system. Apparently, the musical training of the Levites had been neglected during the Exile (see Ps. 137:2–4).

11. They sang together by course. Or, “they sang responsively” (RSV), literally, “they replied [to each other].” The choir was divided into two groups that sang alternately, or antiphonally.

Shouted. Shouting has always characterized occasions of joy and triumph, but is seldom mentioned in connection with religious affairs. One such exceptional occasion occurred when the ark of the covenant was taken to the Israelite camp near Aphek (1 Sam. 4:5), another when David brought it up from Kirjath-jearim to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:15). Pious shouting is also mentioned in Ps. 47:5 and Zech. 4:7.

12. Ancient men. It was only 50 years since the Temple of Solomon had been destroyed (586 b.c.) and 70 since the first captivity, and there were “many” older men in the congregation who had seen it in their youth, or childhood, and vividly remembered its grandeur and glory. They could not help crying when they thought of the modest plans for rebuilding the Temple. It was a “day of small things” (Zech. 4:10), and the new house, in comparison with the old one, appeared to be “nothing” (Haggai 2:3). Solomon had been able to employ the best workmen of his own country, which reached from the border of Egypt to the Euphrates, and the skill of neighboring lands, like that of the Tyrians. Zerubbabel had to depend on his own subjects, the few citizens of the small province of Judea.

13. Noise of the weeping. Weeping in the Orient is not done silently, but with the utterance of shrill cries.

Ellen G. White comments

1–6PK 560

11, 12  PK 563

12   GC 23

12, 13  PK 564