Ezra 3:7

Ezr 3:7 They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.

Ver. 7. They gave money also unto the masons and carpenters] Who usually get it and eat it, laying up little; their life is called the life of their hands, because maintained by the labour of their hands, Isa 57:10; Isa 57:14; day wages they must have, or they cannot subsist; and these good Jews spared for no cost, but gave money out of the bag freely to these workmen. Idolaters care not what cost they cast away upon their dumb idols: Drum alienum dotant, so some read that text, Psa 16:4. The Turkish stately mosques, and Popish Basilicae, stuffed with vowed presents and memories, as they call them, are things known to all. When the famous artificer Phidias advised the Athenians to make the statue of Minerva rather of marble than of ivory, 1. Because more durable, this passed with allowance; 2. Because less chargeable, this they abhorred, and bade him say no more of such a matter.

And meat, and drink, and oil] More prized by the Tyrians and Sidonians than money, because their country was nourished by this country, Act 12:20, as being barren, and not bringing forth provision enough for themselves. Diogenes deeply taxed the folly of his Athenians, that prized money so much and bread grain so little; when as the life of man could be without that, but not without the other.

To bring cedar trees] Smooth and durable, and every way fit for fair buildings; and, therefore, made choice of by God himself, 2Sa 7:7, by Solomon for the first temple, 1Ki 5:6, and by these Jews for the second. The temple of Diana at Ephesus was likewise built of cedar; as the devil affecteth to be God’s ape.

To the sea of Joppa] This was a harbour, Jos 19:46 Act 9:43 Jon 1:3, and hath its name, a pulchritudine et elegantia, from its beauty and bravery, such as draweth love and liking. It might have been called The Fair Havens, as well as that place nigh unto the city of Lasea, Act 27:8, which retaineth the same name unto this day.

According to the grant] Or licence, which they took in the largest extent, as we also ought to do God’s gracious promises. Promissa sunt amplianda; and we must labour to see our own names written in them.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Ezr 3:7. Meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon and Tyre — The inhabitants of those towns wanted provisions more than money, as appears by the history of Solomon’s building, 1Ki 5:10. To bring cedar- trees from Lebanon — Tyre and Zidon now, as of old, furnished them with workmen, and Lebanon with timber, orders for both which they had from Cyrus. What God calls us to we may depend upon his providence to furnish us with.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

3:7 Tyre and Sidon: Few tall and straight trees grew in the dry climate of Judah, and those that had grown in Israel had already been cut down. Therefore, skilled laborers were hired in countries that had tall trees (see also 1 Chr 22:1-5; 2 Chr 2:7-16).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Or, Joppa.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

They gave . . . meat . . . drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon--They opened negotiations with the Tyrians for workmen, as well as for timber, on the same terms and with the same views as Solomon had done (Kg1 5:11; Ch2 2:15-16).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 7. They gave money also] They copied the conduct of Solomon while he was building his temple; see 1Kg 5:11. He employed the Tyrians, gave them meat and drink, c. and this permission they now had from Cyrus.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(7) They gave money.—Their own workmen were paid in money; the Phoenicians, as in Solomon’s days (1 Kings 5; 2 Chronicles 2), were paid in kind. This illustrates and is illustrated by Act_12:20.

The sea of Joppa.—The Jewish port to which the cedar-trees were sent by sea, and thence thirty-five miles inland to Jerusalem.

The grant.—The authority of Cyrus over Phœnicia seems not to have been doubtful.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

7. First steps taken towards the Rebuilding of the Temple

the masons] The stone for the Temple was excavated from the hill on which Jerusalem stood.

It is possible that the word rendered ‘masons’ may include the rougher workmen for both stone and wood, i.e. quarrymen and wood cutters, while the word rendered ‘carpenters’ may mean the skilled artificers for working up the wood and stone.

meat] The old English expression for ‘something to eat’. Cf. Luk_24:41, ‘Have ye here any meat?’ (R.V. ‘anything to eat?’).

oil] One of the necessities of life for the inhabitants of a hot country, applied externally: classed here with meat and drink, and apparently also in Psa_23:5; Psa_104:15; Mic_6:15.

Solomon hired workmen from Tyre and Sidon and paid them in the same way, when the first Temple was erected. It is noteworthy that whereas 1Ki_5:11 states that Solomon gave Hiram’s household wheat and oil, we are told in 2Ch_2:10 that he promised to give Hiram’s servants ‘wheat and barley and wine and oil’. On this occasion similar payment in kind was given—a heavy tax upon the resources of the young community—to the Zidonians and Tyrians, engaged in felling trees on Lebanon and floating them to Joppa.

from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa] R.V. from Lebanon to the sea, unto Joppa. The mountain of Lebanon from which cedars were obtained and sent into every country far and near (e.g. 2Sa_5:11; 2Sa_7:2; 1Ki_5:6; 1Ch_14:1, &c.). Cf. Jer_22:23, ‘O inhabitant of Lebanon that makest thy nest in the cedars’.

The Tyrian workmen conveyed the trunks of cedar-trees from the hills to the nearest coast and then floated them in enormous rafts as far as Joppa, the nearest seaport to Jerusalem. Compare 2Ch_2:16, ‘And we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need: and we will bring it to thee in floats by sea to Joppa (marg. Heb. Japho); and thou shalt carry it to Jerusalem.’

‘To the sea of Joppa’, the A.V. rendering, preferred by some, is most unnatural.

Joppa—the modern Jaffa—was included in the tribe of Dan (Jos_19:46), but was never taken from the Philistines. Famous from the story of Jonah. In the Græco-Syrian period largely occupied by Jews, and included within Jewish territory by Jonathan and Simon, the brothers of Judas the Maccabee (see 1Ma_10:75). Peter at Joppa restored Tabitha (Act_9:36-43), and was summoned thence by Cornelius (Act_10:5). Now a small seaport, but of considerable importance. With certain improvements to the harbour it would become an important place. Distance 30 miles from Jerusalem.

according to the grant that they had &c.] The ‘grant’ or permit seems to be the probable rendering of the Hebrew word, which does not occur elsewhere in the Old Testament.

of Cyrus king of Persia] What is the grant referred to? It appears from Herodotus (iii. 34; see Rawlinson’s note on Herod. iii. 19) that Cyrus was not master of Phœnicia, and was not therefore in a position to give a grant to the Jews to obtain cedar from Lebanon. Nor is it probable that the ‘grant’ means royal permission to enter into treaty with the Tyrians and Zidonians.

We must understand the word quite generally. The action of the Jews in procuring wood and stone and hiring workmen was in accordance with the wish of Cyrus, under whose favour they had undertaken the task of rebuilding the Temple.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

They gave money also to the masons, and to the carpenters,.... To buy stone and timber with for the building of the temple:

and meat and drink and oil unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre; which were more agreeable to them than money, because there was not plenty of such things in their country, as in the land of Israel:

to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa; as they did at the first building of the temple by Solomon; they cut down cedars at Lebanon, which belonged to them, and sent them by sea to Joppa, the nearest seaport to Jerusalem, about forty miles from it: see Ch2 2:16,

according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia; for Tyre and Zidon being under his dominion as well as Judea, he not only gave leave to the Jews to get cedar wood from Lebanon, but gave orders to the Zidonians and Tyrians to furnish them with it, paying a valuable consideration for it; and so some (a) render the word, "according to the commandment of Cyrus".

(a) "juxta praeceptum", Vatablus; "juxta quod praeceperat", V. L. So Ben Melech.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

According to the grant - i. e., in accordance with the permission granted them by Cyrus to rebuild their temple Ezr 1:1-4.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Meat, in imitation of Solomon, 3 Kings v. 11. --- Orders. Hebrew, "permission." (Calmet) --- Protestants, "grant." (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

7. They gave money also — The feast of tabernacles was made also an occasion of contributing to the fund necessary to rebuild the temple.

Cedar trees from Lebanon — The same kind of wood, from the same place Solomon had used in the first temple. 1Ki_5:6; 1Ki_5:9.

To the sea of Joppa — Or, to the sea at Joppa. The transportation was to be done as in the time of Solomon. See note on 1Ki_5:9.

According to the grant… of Cyrus — All Syria and Phoenicia was subject to Cyrus, and this grant had doubtless been given to gratify the Jews in their desire to have the second temple built as nearly as possible after the manner of the first one.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

PREPARATION OF MATERIALS FOR THE REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE (ver. 7). When the restoration of religion had pro-greased thus far, the civil and ecclesiastical rulers turned their attention to that object which had been specially mentioned in the "decree of Cyrus", (Ezr_1:2, Ezr_1:3) the rebuilding of the temple. And, first of all, it was necessary to collect building materials, wood and stone, which were the chief materials of the first temple, and which Cyrus had particularized in a supplementary decree (Ezr_6:4) as those to be employed in the construction of the second.

They gave money also unto the masons. The exiles had no doubt been employed by the Babylonian monarchs to a large extent in building, as their ancestors had been during their sojourn in Egypt. (Exo_1:2) Consequently, among those who returned there were many masons and carpenters. These were now set to work by Zerubbabel, and received their wages in money. And meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre. The Phoenicians, on the other hand, received their wages in kind. As Phoenicia was a narrow strip of country, and grew but little corn, it had always to depend mainly for its supplies of food on its neighbours, and generally drew the greater part from Palestine. (Act_12:20) Hiram had furnished materials to Solomon for the first temple on condition of receiving wheat, barley, wine, and oil. (2Ch_2:15) Zerubbabel made a similar arrangement at the present time with the Tyrians and Sidonians. To bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa. Having cut the timber in the mountains, the Phoenicians conveyed it to the coast, perhaps sometimes letting it pass down the rivers, and, collecting it on the coast into large rafts or "flotes", (2Ch_2:16) took these by sea to the roadstead of Joppa (Jaffa). Hence it was conveyed by land a distance of thirty-five miles to Jerusalem. Lebanon cedar was in great request in the East, and appears to have been cut and carried off both by the Egyptians and the Assyrians. The forests must in the ancient times have been far more extensive than at present. According to the grant that they had of Cyrus. A special grant of Phoenician timber, made by Cyrus, seems to be intended. Though Cyrus had not conquered Phoenicia ("Herod.," 3:34), he might regard his conquest of Babylon as involving the submission of what had for some time been a Babylonian dependency.

HOMILIES BY W. CLARKSON. Vers. 7-13.

Thought, work, and feeling.

We have in this passage

I A TRUE THOUGHT (ver. 8). "Now in the second year of their coming," etc. We can easily imagine any orator among the company of the returned Jews making out a strong case for leaving the building of the temple till better days should dawn. The sufficiency of the altar already reared for the practical purposes of devotion; the readiness of God to accept any offering that came from the heart, however mean the outward circumstances might be; the insecurity of their present state; their incompetence to build a temple which would compare with that of Solomon; the imperative necessity that existed to spend all their strength in consolidating their new-gained liberty; the wisdom of waiting till they could do something worthy of the God they worshipped, etc. all this might have been made plausible enough, perhaps was so made. But if so, it was overruled by the true thought that to the God who had redeemed them from bondage, and given back to them their old liberties and their beloved land, they owed the very best they could offer, and that at the earliest moment. The first-fruits, they had long learnt, belonged to him who gave them everything. It was meet and fitting that as soon as ever they were established in their own old land they should build to him, the Source of all their blessings, the best house they could rear. This was a true thought of theirs, and should find a home in our minds now. Not anything that will do, but the very best that can possibly be done, for God. We should not be content that "the ark of the covenant of the Lord should remain under curtains" while we dwell in a "house of cedars". (1Ch_17:1) Whatever, in the affairs of his kingdom, is improvable should be improved. The slain lamb is to be "without blemish." The building should be without disproportion; the singing without discord; the service without mistakes. Let worthiness, excellency, beauty, grace be offered to him who has given us not only the necessary and indispensable, but the exquisite, the delightful, the glorious. Let nothing detain us from the immediate service of Christ.

II SYSTEMATIC WORK (vers. 8, 9). They set about accomplishing their design with great carefulness and method. They committed it to the Levites, who were most interested and best instructed to those of them who were of a suitable age (ver. 8); they sent to Tyre and Sidon and to Lebanon for the best workmen and the best materials that could be had for money (ver. 7); while, for love, the high priest and the priests overlooked and directed the work, and saw that all was according to the book of the law of the Lord. The work was quickly begun, but it was not hurriedly and slovenly dispatched. Each part was wrought by those who were specially adapted for it. No amount of zeal in the cause of God will make up for lack of intelligence and adaptation. We must build up the spiritual house of the Lord the Church of Christ not only inspired by consecration of spirit, but guided by a wise and intelligent adoption of the best means and appliances. Generous impulses must be sustained by sound methods, or the cause we have at heart will suffer, and instead of joy and exultation will come sorrow and shame.

III MINGLED FEELING (vers. 10-13). No more touching and pathetic picture can be found even in the Bible itself that book of tenderest pathos and truest poetry than the scene recorded in the closing verses of this chapter. The Jews, pure in heart and godly in spirit, have ever been capable of the most profound emotion. Here was an occasion to call forth the fullest joy and at the same time the tenderest grief. Once more, on the ruins of the ancient sanctuary, the new temple was about to rise. It was the hour from which a new era in their nation"s history should date. It was an act from which the devotion of a reverent people for many a long century should spring. Patriotism and piety lent their strong and hallowed influences to ennoble and consecrate the scene. Feeling touched its deepest and rose to its highest note. And when the aged fathers, the ancient men, remembering the perished glories of the temple.on which the eyes of their youth once rested with such pride and joy, wept as they looked on its ruins; and when their tears and lamentations mingled with the shouts of gladness, resounding far and wide, that came from all the younger men, who rejoiced with great joy at the sound of the sacred songs celebrating the goodness and mercy of Jehovah, there was such a scene as can never have been forgotten by any of that goodly throng while life and memory remained. Thus hand in hand go joy and sorrow, inseparable companions, along the path of life. Thus do they stand together round the same altar, under the same roof. Thus do they mingle their smiles and tears at the same hour and scene. "Shadow and shine is life, little Annie, flower and thorn," says the aged grandmother in one of our poems; and in another we read most truly that

There"s not a string attuned to mirth But has its chord in melancholy.

"We thank thee more that all our joy is touched with pain," sighs another tender spirit. That which forms so constantly recurring a strain in our poetry must be, and m, a prevalent and abiding feature of our life. Ill is it for those who have no other portion than the pleasures of the present, no other heritage than the satisfactions of earth and time. Well is it for those who thankfully accept earthly joy and the shaded brightness of the present time as flowers that spring at the touch of God"s finger along the path of duty and devotion, intended to help us onward in that goodly way, speaking to us of the fuller blessedness which the future holds in its folded hand for them that are faithful unto death. C.

HOMILIES BY J.A. MACDONALD

Vers. 7-13.

The founding of the temple.

The worship of Israel during the first year of the restoration from Babylon was such as could be conducted around an altar in the open. The people naturally felt how imperfectly they could fulfil the law of Moses without a temple, with its courts, its veil, and its sacred furniture. They did not let discouragement paralyse them, but taxed their energies and resources. These words bring under our notice

I THE PREPARATORY WORK.

1. What was required (see ver. 7)?

(1) Here we read of "masons." These suggest the quarrying and cutting of stones, and their transportation to the site. (comp. 1Ki_6:16-18)

(2) "Cedars of Lebanon" are mentioned. These suggest also other kinds of timber. The trees had to be felled, transferred to Tyre or Zidon, thence floated to Joppa, and conveyed across the country to Jerusalem. (comp. 1Ki_6:5-10) Other preparations suggested by these hints.

2. How did they meet the demand?

(1) Indirectly, by the gifts and sacrifices offered in connection with their worship at the altar. These were required for the support of that worship. But the" spirit of the worship thus encouraged animated them to further efforts. So it operates still under the gospel.

(2) Directly, in their additional subscriptions of cash and kind (ver. 7). These gifts rewarded the workmen of Tyre and Zidon. (comp. 2Ch_9:10) Also workmen of their own nation. (comp. 1Ki_6:13-15) How anticipative of the wide spirit of the gospel that Jews and Gentiles should be jointly concerned in this typical work!

(3) Do not these efforts shame those of Christian congregations? Here were under 50, 000 persons, all told, (see Ezr_2:64, Ezr_2:65) equal to about fifty out of the many thousands of our Christian congregations, undertaking this great work! What are we, each individual, doing towards the building of the spiritual temple?

II THE STONE-LAYING. The arrangements were

1. The appointment of officers for the building (vers. 8, 9).

(1) Zerubbabel had supreme command. (see Zec 4) This he had as of the seed royal, and representing David and Solomon.

(2) Jeshua the son of Josadak, as high priest, was associated with Zerubbabel.

(3) The priests of the courses were his seconds in command captains of the hosts of workmen.

(4) The Levites were made foremen over the workmen. "And appointed the Levites," etc. (vers. 8, 9). There should be order in everything connected with the work of God.

2. The presence of all things essential to the ceremony.

(1) The stone itself was there. This was a type of Christ, the Foundation of the living temple. (see Psa_118:22, Psa_118:23; comp. with Mat_21:42-44; Eph_2:20-22; Isa_28:16 Isa_8:14; comp. with 1Pe_2:6-8)

(2) Zerubbabel was there to lay the stone. In this he, too, typified Christ. (Zec_4:6-10) This language has unmistakable reference to the triumphs of the Messiah.

(3) Jeshua the son of Jozadak was there to witness it. (see Zec_3:9) In this he, too, was a type of Christ, our great High Priest. (see Zec 3, and Zec_6:9-15) Essentials in religion are those things which concern Christ. These should be held as fundamentals.

3. The provision for the celebration of praise.

(1) There were the trumpeters. These were the priests, distinguished by their apparel. (see Num_10:8, Num_10:10)

(2) The Levites, sons of Asaph, struck the cymbals. This was "after the ordinance of David". (see 1Ch_16:4 1Ch_16:6) The Levites also led the singing. This was responsive. The burden was "Praise and thanksgiving be unto the Lord;" the response, "Because he is good, and his mercy endureth for ever towards Israel." The leaders of praise in Christian congregations should be godly persons.

III THE EFFECT OF THE PROCEEDINGS. This was various.

1. There was the emotion of the people.

(1) Excitement was so strong that it vented itself in shouting.

(2) Ours should be intense as we realise the glorious things foreshadowed.

2. There was the emotion of the ancients.

(1) While "all" shouted "because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid," yet on the part of many the shouting was mingled with wailing. These were the ancients who looked on the ruins of the temple of Solomon, which they remembered in its splendour. They saw a mere handful of people, the relics of a great nation as they remembered it. They looked upon their chief magistrate, a dependent upon the Persian king, in contrast with what they remembered of the earlier representatives of David and Solomon.

(2) The passion of the weepers was such that it rivalled that of the exulters. No interests are so vital as those of religion. None should move us so deeply.

3. The outsiders heard the sound.

(1) Those "afar off" were the Gentiles. (see 2Ki 27:6)

(2) The nations of the world should be made to hear the sounds of Christian exultation. J.A.M.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

to the Zidonians and to the Tyrians the people of Tyre and Zidon, who were the artisans who built the Temple.

to the sea of Jaffa By way of the sea they would bring them.

according to the sanction of Heb. כְּרִשְׁיוֹן as the sanction of the king was upon them to build the Temple. כְּרִשְׁיוֹן is an expression of permission (רְשּׁוּת) derived from רשּׁה; since from אבה to want, he says [i.e., derives] אֶבְיוֹן, a needy person; and from צבה, to desire, צִבְיוֹן, desire; and from חזה to see, חִזָיוֹן, a vision; and from רעה, רַעְיוֹן, thought; from חבה, חֶבְיוֹן, hiding; and from רשּׁה, he says רְשּׁוּת, permission; like from, ענה, עֱנוּת, affliction; and from שּׁבה, שְּׁבוּת,captivity; and from ראה, רְאוּת, a sight; and from זנה, זְנוּת, harlotry. The result is that רְשּׁוּת and רִשְׁיוֹן are derived from the same root according to the gauge of grammar, and they are the same expression. Menahem, (p. 34) however, associated it with (Ps. 21:3): “and the speech of his lips (וַַַַַאֲרֶשֶּׁת),” but he was not exact with its root. Nevertheless, these two manners [of defining words] are close to each other in their meanings.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.