Ezra 3:8-10

3:8 In the second year after they had come to the temple of God in Jerusalem, ¹  in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak initiated the work, ²  along with the rest of their associates, ³  the priests and the Levites, and all those who were coming to Jerusalem from the exile. They appointed ⁴  the Levites who were at least twenty years old ⁵  to take charge of the work on the Lord’s temple. 3:9 So Jeshua appointed both his sons and his relatives, ⁶  Kadmiel and his sons (the sons of Yehudah ⁷ ), to take charge of the workers in the temple of God, along with the sons of Henadad, their sons, and their relatives ⁸  the Levites. 3:10 When the builders established the Lord’s temple, the priests, ceremonially attired and with their clarions, ⁹  and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with their cymbals, stood to praise the Lord according to the instructions left by ¹⁰  King David of Israel. ¹¹ 

Zakharia 4:6-9

4:6 Therefore he told me, “These signify the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength and not by power, but by my Spirit,’ ¹²  says the Lord who rules over all.”

Oracle of Response

4:7 “What are you, you great mountain? ¹³  Because of Zerubbabel you will become a level plain! And he will bring forth the temple ¹⁴  capstone with shoutings of ‘Grace! Grace!’ ¹⁵  because of this.” 4:8 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me as follows: 4:9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundations of this temple, ¹⁶  and his hands will complete it.” Then you will know that the Lord who rules over all has sent me to you.

[3:8]  ¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:8]  ² tn Heb “began”; the phrase “the work” is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[3:8]  ³ tn Heb “their brothers.”

[3:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “stood.”

[3:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “from twenty years and upward.”

[3:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “brothers.”

[3:9]  ⁷ sn The name יְהוּדָה (Yehudah; cf. KJV, ASV, NASB “Judah”) is probably a variant of Hodaviah (see Ezra 2:40; cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

[3:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “brothers.”

[3:10]  ⁹ sn This was a long, straight, metallic instrument used for signal calls, rather than the traditional ram’s horn (both instruments are typically translated “trumpet” by English versions).

[3:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “according to the hands of.”

[3:10]  ¹¹ sn See Ps 107:1; 118:1, 29; 136:1. Cf. 2 Chr 5:13; 7:3; 20:21.

[4:6]  ¹² sn It is premature to understand the Spirit here as the Holy Spirit (the third Person of the Trinity), though the OT prepares the way for that NT revelation (cf. Gen 1:2; Exod 23:3; 31:3; Num 11:17-29; Judg 3:10; 6:34; 2 Kgs 2:9, 15, 16; Ezek 2:2; 3:12; 11:1, 5).

[4:7]  ¹³ sn In context, the great mountain here must be viewed as a metaphor for the enormous task of rebuilding the temple and establishing the messianic kingdom (cf. TEV “Obstacles as great as mountains”).

[4:7]  ¹⁴ tn The word “temple” has been supplied in the translation to clarify the referent (cf. NLT “final stone of the Temple”).

[4:7]  ¹⁵ sn Grace is a fitting response to the idea that it was “not by strength and not by power” but by God’s gracious Spirit that the work could be done (cf. v. 6).

[4:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “house” (so NAB, NRSV).