Ezra 1: Cyrus's proclamation and the return of the vessels
A free study, verse by verse. Text: World English Bible. Notes come from the Hebrew. How to read a study
What happens?
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, Yahweh stirs up Cyrus's spirit, and Cyrus proclaims that Yahweh, the God of heaven, has told him to build a house in Jerusalem, and that his people may go up and build it. The heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin, the priests and the Levites rise up to go, and their neighbors help them with silver, gold, goods, animals and gifts. Cyrus also brings out the vessels of Yahweh's house that Nebuchadnezzar had taken, and counts them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah, who brings them up to Jerusalem.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. No verse is in gold: God speaks no words of his own in this chapter. In verses 2 to 4 King Cyrus speaks, in the proclamation the narrator says he made and also put in writing. When Cyrus says that Yahweh, the God of heaven, has given him the kingdoms and commanded him to build a house, those are Cyrus's words about Yahweh, not Yahweh's own words. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that Yahweh’s word by Jeremiah’s mouth might be accomplished, Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
In plain English: In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, so that Yahweh's word spoken by Jeremiah (literally: from Jeremiah's mouth) would be fulfilled, Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia. Cyrus sent a proclamation all through his kingdom, and put it in writing too. It said:
The Hebrew words: "Stirred up" is ur, which the dictionary gives as "to wake (literally or figuratively)". "Spirit" is ruach, which the dictionary gives as "wind; by resemblance breath ... figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being".
How it is translated: Each word is in 2 verses of Ezra (1:1 and 1:5). The WEB says "stirred" for ur both times, and "spirit" for ruach both times.
What changes: The verse says Yahweh stirred up Cyrus's spirit and does not say how. Read as "woke", it says Yahweh woke Cyrus's spirit. Read as "breath", it says Yahweh stirred his breath. The verse does not decide between them.
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2“Cyrus king of Persia says, ‘Yahweh, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
In plain English: "Cyrus king of Persia says: Yahweh, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has also appointed me (or: commanded me) to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
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3Whoever there is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of Yahweh, the God of Israel (he is God), which is in Jerusalem.
In plain English: Whoever among you belongs to all his people, may his God be with him. Let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of Yahweh, the God of Israel (he is God), which is in Jerusalem.
Good to know: Verses 1 to 3 are also in and , the last two verses of that book. The two are almost word for word. 2 Chronicles 36:23 ends with "and let him go up". Here the proclamation goes on: go up to Jerusalem, build the house of Yahweh, the God of Israel (he is God), which is in Jerusalem, and verse 4 adds the help for those who remain.
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4Whoever is left, in any place where he lives, let the men of his place help him with silver, with gold, with goods, and with animals, in addition to the free will offering for God’s house which is in Jerusalem.’”
In plain English: And whoever is left, in any place where he is staying, let the people of that place help him with silver, gold, goods and animals, along with a freewill offering for God's house in Jerusalem."
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5Then the heads of fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin, the priests and the Levites, all whose spirit God had stirred to go up, rose up to build Yahweh’s house which is in Jerusalem.
In plain English: Then the heads of the fathers' households of Judah and Benjamin, the priests and the Levites, rose up. These were all the people whose spirit God had stirred up to go and build Yahweh's house in Jerusalem.
Good to know: The two words of verse 1 come again: God stirred up the spirit of each of them (see the note on verse 1). Here it is God who stirs, and the people named are the heads of the fathers' households of Judah and Benjamin, the priests and the Levites.
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6All those who were around them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with animals, and with precious things, in addition to all that was willingly offered.
In plain English: All the people around them strengthened their hands with silver vessels, gold, goods, animals and precious things, besides everything that was offered willingly.
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7Also Cyrus the king brought out the vessels of Yahweh’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out of Jerusalem, and had put in the house of his gods;
In plain English: King Cyrus also brought out the vessels of Yahweh's house. Nebuchadnezzar had taken them out of Jerusalem and put them in the house of his gods.
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8even those, Cyrus king of Persia brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.
In plain English: Cyrus king of Persia brought them out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.
Good to know: Sheshbazzar is named here and in , and called "the prince of Judah". Zerubbabel is named first in . The dictionary gives Sheshbazzar as "Zerubbabel's Persian name", but the text of Ezra 1 and 2 does not say that the two names belong to one man or to two, and this page does not decide it.
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9This is the number of them: thirty platters of gold, one thousand platters of silver, twenty-nine knives,
In plain English: This was their number: thirty platters (or: basins) of gold, one thousand platters of silver, twenty-nine knives,
The Hebrew word: "Platters" is agartal, which the dictionary gives as "a basin". The word is in 1 verse of Ezra, this one. "Knives" is machalaph, which the dictionary gives as "a (sacrificial) knife (as gliding through the flesh)".
How it is translated: The WEB says "platters" for agartal. The dictionary's "basin" is another English word for the same Hebrew word.
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10thirty bowls of gold, four hundred ten silver bowls of a second kind, and one thousand other vessels.
In plain English: thirty bowls of gold, four hundred and ten bowls of silver of a second kind (literally: second), and one thousand other vessels.
The Hebrew word: "Bowls" is kephor, which the dictionary gives as "properly, a cover, i.e. (by implication) a tankard (or covered goblet)". The word is in 2 verses of Ezra, this one and one later, and the WEB says "bowls" in both. "Of a second kind" is mishneh, which the dictionary gives as "a repetition ... a second (in order, rank, age, quality or location)".
What changes: The text does not say what "second" means for the silver bowls. It could mean a second order, a second kind or a second set. The verse does not decide.
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11All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand four hundred. Sheshbazzar brought all these up when the captives were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
In plain English: All the vessels of gold and silver were five thousand four hundred. Sheshbazzar brought all of them up when the exiles were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Good to know: This verse gives its own total, five thousand four hundred, for all the gold and silver vessels. Verses 9 and 10 give the separate numbers. The text does not add them up for the reader or say how the two fit, and this page does not either.
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