Teks -- Ezra 8:27-36 (NET)

8:27 20 gold bowls worth 1,000 darics, and two exquisite vessels of gleaming bronze, as valuable as gold. 8:28 Then I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord, just as these vessels are holy. The silver and the gold are a voluntary offering to the Lord, the God of your fathers. 8:29 Be careful with them and protect them, until you weigh them out before the leading priests and the Levites and the family leaders of Israel in Jerusalem, in the storerooms of the temple of the Lord.” 8:30 Then the priests and the Levites took charge of the silver, the gold, and the vessels that had been weighed out, to transport them to Jerusalem to the temple of our God. 8:31 On the twelfth day of the first month we began traveling from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from our enemy and from bandits along the way. 8:32 So we came to Jerusalem, and we stayed there for three days. 8:33 On the fourth day we weighed out the silver, the gold, and the vessels in the house of our God into the care of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest, and Eleazar son of Phinehas, who were accompanied by Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui, who were Levites. 8:34 Everything was verified by number and by weight, and the total weight was written down at that time. 8:35 The exiles who were returning from the captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel– twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven male lambs, along with twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord. 8:36 Then they presented the decrees of the king to the king’s satraps and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, who gave help to the people and to the temple of God.

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per frasa)

Wesley: Ezr 8:35 - Sin offering

For it is the atonement that secures every mercy to us, which will not be truly comfortable, unless iniquity be taken away, and our peace made with God. They offer twelve bullocks, twelve he - goats, and ninety six rams, (eight times twelve) signifying the union of the two kingdoms. They did not any longer go two tribes one way, and ten tribes another; but all the twelve met by their representatives at the same altar.

JFB: Ezr 8:24-32 - Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests . . . and weighed unto them the silver, &c.

The custody of the contributions and of the sacred vessels was, during the journey, committed to twelve of the chief priests, who, with the assistance of ten of their brethren, were to watch closely over them by the way, and deliver them into the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. The treasures in silver and gold, according to the value of the Babylonian talent, amounted to about £515,000 sterling.

JFB: Ezr 8:27 - two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold

Almost all commentators agree in maintaining that the vessels referred to were not made of copper, but of an alloy capable of taking on a bright polish, which we think highly probable, as copper was then in common use among the Babylonians, and would not be as precious as gold. This alloy, much esteemed among the Jews, was composed of gold and other metals, which took on a high polish and was not subject to tarnish [NOYES].

JFB: Ezr 8:31 - we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month

Computing from the time of their setting out to the period of their arrival, they occupied about four months on the way. Their health and security were marvellous during so long a journey. The pilgrim-caravans of the present day perform long journeys through the wildest deserts of the East under the protection of a firman from the Porte, and an escort of soldiers. But for a large body, composed as that of Ezra--of some thousands of men, women, and children, unaccustomed to travel, undisciplined to order, and without military strength, and with so large an amount of treasure tempting the cupidity of the marauding, plundering tribes of the desert--to accomplish a journey so long and so arduous in perfect safety, is one of the most astonishing events recorded in history. Nothing but the vigilant care of a superintending Providence could have brought them securely to their destination.

JFB: Ezr 8:33-36 - Now on the fourth day was the silver . . . weighed in the house of our God

The first three days after their arrival in Jerusalem were undoubtedly given to repose; on the next, the treasures were weighed and handed over to the custody of the officiating priests of the temple. The returned exiles offered burnt offerings, and Ezra delivered the royal commission to the satraps and inferior magistrates; while the Levitical portion of them lent all the assistance they could in performing the additional work which the arrival of so many new worshippers occasioned.

Clarke: Ezr 8:35 - Twelve bullocks for all Israel

Twelve bullocks for all Israel - Though of tribes there were only Judah and Benjamin, yet they offered a bullock for every tribe, as if present. There can be little doubt that there were individuals there from all the twelve tribes, possibly some families of each; but no complete tribe but those mentioned above.

Clarke: Ezr 8:36 - The king’ s lieutenants

The king’ s lieutenants - אחשדרפני achashdarpeney : this is generally understood to mean lieutenant or deputy, and is probably of Persian origin, though here greatly corrupted. The Vulgate renders it regis satrapis , to the satraps of the king, which is the Persian satrab . A viceroy in Persian is soubah -dar ; viceroys, soubahdaran . Darafreen signifies a person in whom one has confidence; and achi is an epithet of a vizir. These two words conjoined will make nearly that of the text. But I do not give any of these etymologies with confidence. Other words might be proposed as candidates, but where there is so little certainty, conjecture is useless. Were it necessary a dissertation might be written on the Persian words, and Persian forms of speech, in this and the two following books; but probably after my toil few of my readers would thank me for my pains.

Defender: Ezr 8:31 - he delivered us

As a testimony to his confidence that God would protect them Ezra deliberately declined to request a military escort for the journey (Ezr 8:22). They would be carrying a great amount of material wealth with them (Ezr 7:15-23; Ezr 8:25-30), and there was real danger of robbery along the way. Ezra, therefore, proclaimed a time of fasting and prayer before beginning the long journey (Ezr 8:21-23), and God did indeed protect them all the way."

TSK: Ezr 8:27 - fine copper // precious

fine copper : Heb. yellow, or shining brass, The Syriac renders, nechosho korinthyo tovo , ""good Corinthian brass;""so called from the brass found after the burning of Corinth by Lucius Mummius, which was, as is generally supposed, brass, copper, silver, and gold, melted together. Sir J. Chardin, however, in a manuscript note, cited by Harmer, mentioned a factitious metal used in the East, and highly esteemed there, which might probably be of an origin as ancient as Ezra. He says, ""I have heard some Dutch gentlemen speak of a metal in the island of Sumatra, and among the Macassars, much more esteemed than gold, which royal personages alone are privileged to wear. It is a mixture, if I remember right, of gold and steel, or copper and steel.""He afterwards added, ""calmbac is the name of this metal, which is composed of gold and copper."

precious : Heb. desirable, Lam 4:2

TSK: Ezr 8:28 - Ye are holy // the vessels

Ye are holy : Lev 21:6-8; Deu 33:8; Isa 52:11

the vessels : Ezr 1:7-11; Lev 22:2, Lev 22:3; Num 4:4-15, Num 4:19, Num 4:20, Num 7:13, Num 7:84-88; 1Ki 7:48-51; 1Ch 23:28; 2Ch 24:14

TSK: Ezr 8:29 - Watch ye // until ye weigh them before

Watch ye : 1Ch 26:20-26; Mar 13:34, Mar 13:35; Act 20:31; 2Ti 4:5

until ye weigh them before : Ezr 8:33, Ezr 8:34

TSK: Ezr 8:30 - the house of our God

the house of our God : Ezr 8:22; 1Ch 29:2, 1Ch 29:3; Psa 122:9; Isa 60:13

TSK: Ezr 8:31 - the river of Ahava // the hand // and he delivered

the river of Ahava : Ezr 8:15, Ezr 8:21

the hand : Ezr 8:22, Ezr 7:9, Ezr 7:28; Job 5:19-24; Psa 91:9-14; Isa 41:10-14; Act 25:3, Act 26:22

and he delivered : Ezra and his company had now entered upon a journey of several hundred miles through the desert, which they were nearly four months in completing, encumbered with families and possessions, and carrying large treasures with them, which would invite the attempts of the Arabian hordes, and others, that infested that neighbourhood; yet, having declared to the king, ""that the hand of God was upon all them for good that seek him, and that his power and wrath were against all them that forsook him,""(Ezr 8:22), he determined to travel without a guard, except that of the Almighty, being ashamed to ask any other, after his former avowed confidence in Him! Having, therefore, humbled themselves before the Lord, and besought his guidance and protection, he was intreated by them, their enemies were restrained or disabled, and they arrived unmolested at Jerusalem.

TSK: Ezr 8:32

Ezr 7:8, Ezr 7:9; Neh 2:11

TSK: Ezr 8:33 - weighed // Meremoth // Uriah // Jozabad // Binnui

weighed : Ezr 8:26, Ezr 8:30; 1Ch 28:14-18; 2Co 8:20, 2Co 8:21

Meremoth : Neh 10:5

Uriah : Neh 3:4, Urijah

Jozabad : Neh 8:7

Binnui : Neh 10:9

TSK: Ezr 8:35 - offered burnt // twelve bullocks

offered burnt : Lev. 1:1-7:38; 2Ch 29:31, 2Ch 29:32; Psa 66:10-15, Psa 116:12-19; Luk 1:74, Luk 1:75

twelve bullocks : Ezr 6:17; Num 7:27

TSK: Ezr 8:36 - the king’ s commissions // lieutenants // they furthered

the king’ s commissions : Ezr 7:21-24

lieutenants : Ezra 4:7-23, Ezr 5:6-17

they furthered : Ezr 6:13; Isa 56:6, Isa 56:7; Act 18:27; Rev 12:16

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per Ayat)

Poole: Ezr 8:27

Heb. desirable as gold not that it was of equal price and worth with it, but for its incomparable excellency in its kind, and for its great rarity, for which cause there were only two vessels of that sort.

Poole: Ezr 8:31

To wit, in the direct way; whereby it may be conjectured, that God directed them to fetch a little compass, and to go a more uncouth and unsuspected way, as they had begged of God, Ezr 8:21 .

Poole: Ezr 8:35 - Which were come out of the captivity

Which were come out of the captivity to wit, these new comers, whom God had safely conducted hither.

Poole: Ezr 8:36

In the adorning and furnishing of it with these vessels and other conveniences; and in promoting God’ s worship and service therein.

Haydock: Ezr 8:35 - Israel

Israel. Some of the different tribes certainly returned, chap. vi. 17.

Haydock: Ezr 8:36 - Lords // Furthered

Lords, ( satrapis. ) 3 Esdras, "to the royal officers and governors of Cœlosyria and Phenicia; and they glorified," &c. ---

Furthered, by their assistance (Haydock) and praise. They formed their sentiments, as is usual, by those of the king. (Calmet)

Gill: Ezr 8:27 - Also twenty basins of gold, of a thousand drams // and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold

Also twenty basins of gold, of a thousand drams,.... Which were upwards of 1000 pounds of our money; for Bishop Cumberland says ^e, the Persian "daric", "drachma", or "drachm", weighed twenty shillings and four pence; and, according to Dr. Bernard, it exceeded one of our guineas by two grains; see Gill on 1Ch 29:7.

and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold; which perhaps is the same with the Indian or Persian brass Aristotle ^f speaks of, which is so bright and pure, and free from rust, that it cannot be known by its colour from gold, and that there are among the cups of Darius such as cannot be discerned whether they are brass or gold but by the smell: the Syriac version interprets it by Corinthian brass, which was a mixture of gold, silver, and copper, made when Corinth was burnt, and which is exceeding valuable; of which Pliny ^g makes three sorts, very precious, and of which he says, it is in value next to, and even before silver, and almost before gold; but this sort of brass was not as yet in being: Kimchi ^h interprets the word here of its colour, being next to the colour of gold.

Gill: Ezr 8:28 - And I said unto them, ye are holy unto the Lord, the vessels are holy also // and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the Lord God of your fathers

And I said unto them, ye are holy unto the Lord, the vessels are holy also,.... As they were dedicated and set apart to holy service, so the vessels were sacred to holy uses, and therefore not to be converted to any other:

and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the Lord God of your fathers: and therefore not to be made use of but in his service.

Gill: Ezr 8:29 - Watch ye, and keep them // until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord

Watch ye, and keep them,.... The vessels, the gold, and the silver, that they be not hurt and diminished:

until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord: that is, until they had delivered them in full weight, as they had received them, in the presence of those persons as witnesses, and into their hands, in order to be laid up in the chambers and treasuries of the temple.

Gill: Ezr 8:30 - So took the priests and the Levites // the weight of the silver and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the house of our God

So took the priests and the Levites,.... The twelve priests and twelve Levites, mentioned in Ezr 8:24,

the weight of the silver and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the house of our God; this they undertook to do, and did.

Gill: Ezr 8:31 - Then we departed from the river of Ahava, on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem // and the hand of our God was upon us // and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way

Then we departed from the river of Ahava, on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem,.... The month Nisan, answering to part of March and part of April; this was two days before the passover began:

and the hand of our God was upon us; guiding, directing, and protecting them by his providence:

and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way; either by intimidating them, that they dared not attack them, or by directing them to take a different road, whereby they escaped them, see Ezr 8:22.

Gill: Ezr 8:32 - And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days.

And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days. Before they went about any business, delivered what was committed to them for the use of the temple, and the commissions to the king's officers; as it was but proper they should have some rest after such a fatiguing journey.

Gill: Ezr 8:33 - Now on the fourth day // was the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, weighed in the house of our God // this was done by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas // and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites

Now on the fourth day,.... After their arrival at Jerusalem:

was the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, weighed in the house of our God; the temple, that it might be seen and known that the exact weight which had been deposited with them was now faithfully delivered:

this was done by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; these were priests:

and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites; two priests and two Levites; for since there were of both that were charged with the above things, it was proper there should be some of both, when weighed, that they might be witnesses of their fidelity.

Gill: Ezr 8:34 - By number and by weight of everyone // and all the weight was written at that time

By number and by weight of everyone,.... They were delivered in by tale and weight, which exactly agreed to the number and weight in which they received them:

and all the weight was written at that time; an account was taken in writing, and laid up, that it might not only be known hereafter what freewill offerings had been made in Babylon, but that it might be a voucher for the fidelity and integrity of those that brought them, should it ever be called in question.

Gill: Ezr 8:35 - Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity // offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel // twelve bullocks for all Israel // ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs // twelve he goats for a sin offering // all this was a burnt offering unto the Lord

Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity,.... Namely, those that now came along with Ezra:

offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel; by way of thankfulness for their deliverance from captivity, and for their safe journey:

twelve bullocks for all Israel: according to the number of the tribes; and there might be some of every tribe that now came up:

ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs; these and the bullocks were burnt offerings:

twelve he goats for a sin offering; according to the number of the twelve tribes, also to make atonement for sins they had been guilty of:

all this was a burnt offering unto the Lord; excepting the twelve he goats, which were a sin offering.

Gill: Ezr 8:36 - And they delivered the king's commissions unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river // and they furthered the people, and the house of God

And they delivered the king's commissions unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river,.... The governors of the provinces of Syria, Palestine, and Judea, which were on that side of Euphrates the land of Israel was:

and they furthered the people, and the house of God; or "lifted them up" ⁱ, eased them of all burdens, and freed them from all impediments, and assisted them and furnished them with everything, as the decree of Artaxerxes enjoined them; and provided everything as they required for ornamenting the temple, and for the sacrifices of it; all which is to be understood of the king's lieutenants and governors, who obeyed his commands.