Ezra 6:12

Ezr 6:12 And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all kings and people, that shall put to their hand to alter [and] to destroy this house of God which [is] at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be done with speed.

Ver. 12. And the God that hath caused his name] i. e. His word and true worship, Act 9:15 Psa 138:2 Mic 4:5 1Ki 5:3; 1Ki 5:5.

Destroy all kings and people] A dreadful curse, and such as God saith Amen to. Let all persecutors and church robbers look to themselves. God’s hand hath ever been very heavy upon such and their posterity. See Pro 20:25, with the note.

Let it be done with speed] It hath been too much retarded and delayed already; let it now be expedited. David made haste, and delayed not to keep God’s commandments, Psa 119:60. And Austin crieth out, Nimis sere te amavi, Domine. Too late I loved you, God. It was a great burden to his good soul that he began no sooner to love God. He resolveth therefore to redeem time, and to redouble his diligence; not leaving till his soul was turned into a lump of love. Morus novissime omnium germinat; et tamen parit inter primas; the mulberry tree buds last, but fruits with the first.

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 6:12. The God that hath caused his name to dwell there — Who hath willed that a temple should be built there, called the temple or house of Jehovah. Destroy all kings and people that shall put to their hand to alter, &c. — Darius was touched with such a sense of the greatness of the God of the Jews, that he prays, that He who had all power in heaven and earth, and was King of kings, would not only punish all those kings who went about to obstruct this work, but destroy both them and their people. Though this temple was at length most justly destroyed by the righteous hand of God, yet perhaps the Romans, who were the instruments of that destruction, felt the effects of this curse. For that empire sensibly declined ever after, till it was wholly destroyed.

Here let us admire, how the divine providence overruleth every thing according to its purpose, to bring about all its wise designs. The great men, we here find, stood up against the poor and shattered remnant of Judah; they took counsel together how to oppress them, and keep them down. They laid their plans, exhibited their complaints against them, and thought to overturn them: but, quite contrary to their thoughts, the steps they took for this purpose operated the contrary way, and proved the means of exalting and raising those whom they intended to ruin to a higher pitch of power and pre-eminence. The king, whose governors these men were, and to whom, undoubtedly, they represented how much it was for his interest to put a stop to the rise of Judah, instead of hearkening to their complaints, as was natural, and acting accordingly, sent back a decree, not only forbidding them to molest the Jews in any way, but also granting them the most extraordinary privileges and encouragements, as to the greatest favourites. To what can we attribute this extraordinary behaviour in the king: but to an overruling providence? which ruleth even the hearts of kings, and turneth them as it seemeth best to his sovereign wisdom.

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

Who hath appointed that place to have his Name called upon there.

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

12. And the God that hath caused his name, &c.] A Hebrew phrase (see Deu_12:11; 1Ki_8:29; Neh_1:9; Jer_7:12) introduced by the Jewish Compiler into his paraphrase of Darius’s decree.

destroy all kings and people] R.V. overthrow all kings and peoples. The word rendered ‘destroy’ here by the A.V. differs in the Aramaic from that rendered ‘destroy’ at the close of the verse. It is used in the Targum of 2Ki_9:33 for the words ‘throw her down’, of Psa_119:139 ‘my zeal hath consumed me’.

that shall put to their hand] R.V. put forth their hand.

to alter and to destroy this house] R.V. to alter the same, to destroy this house; i.e. alter the decree and to destroy the Temple. These words illustrate the latitude that should be given to the expression ‘alter’

with speed] R.V. with all diligence, cf. Ezr_6:8, and Ezr_5:8.

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.

Then Tatnai, governor on this side the river, Shetharboznai, and their companions,.... Having received and read the above letter:

according to that which Darius the king had sent, so they did speedily; acquainted the Jews with what the king had written; were so far from hindering the work going forward, that they encouraged it; and made disbursements to them out of the king's tribute, and furnished them with everything necessary for sacrifice: and this they did immediately, without delay.

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

Destroy all - A similar malediction is found at the end of the great inscription of this same king Darius at Behistun: If anyone injures the tablet which he has set up, he prays that Ormazd will be their enemy, and that they may have no offspring, and that whatever they do, Ormazd may curse it for them.

To alter and to destroy this house - i. e., to alter the decree, and then proceed to destroy the house.

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

12. God… destroy all kings — Compare the similar execrations in Darius’s Behistun inscription, especially the following: “if seeing this tablet, and these images, thou injurest them, and preservest them not as long as my seed endures, may Ormazd be thy enemy, and mayest thou have no offspring, and whatever thou doest may Ormazd curse it for thee.”

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

HOMILIES BY W. CLARKSON. Vers. 12-15.

Overthrow and upbuilding.

The end of this mission brings to our view

I THE OVERTHROW OF EVIL. "Then Tatnai, Shethar-boznai, and their companions, according to that which Darius had sent, so did they speedily "( ver. 13). With deepest mortification and chagrin must they have received these tidings from the Babylonian court. Their failure was complete and conspicuous. Not only had they not done what they wanted to do, but they bad been compelled to aid and prosper that to which they were implacably opposed. "According to that which Darius the king had sent, so they did speedily;" they paid the expenses (ver. 8) and presented the offerings (vers. 9, 10), and thus contributed to the cause they set out to demolish. In the end we shall see evil overthrown by the power of God, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. By faith we may say what our Master said by Divine prevision, "I saw Satan as lightning fall from heaven". (Luk_10:18) And sometimes God gives us to see evil overthrown before our eyes, its designs upset, its fabric brought down to the ground. It is a pleasing and cheering sight when we see it simply defeated, as when, after long and hard struggle, a good cause succeeds in establishing itself despite the utmost efforts of iniquity to hinder it. Still more gratifying is it to see it suffer such an utter rout as on this occasion, when its forces are not only arrested, but made to serve the cause it bad assailed. Then God not only restrains man"s wrath, but makes it to praise him and to serve us. (Psa_76:10) Let us be encouraged under oppression and persecution. Our Divine Leader can not only deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, but he may even, as here, and as often since in the history of the Church, compel those who are hating us, and maligning and misrepresenting us, and seriously injuring us, to bring us their tribute and aid us in offering our sacrifice of prayer and praise unto the Lord our Saviour.

II SPIRITUAL BUILDING. "And the elders of the Jews builded" (ver. 14), "and they builded and finished" (ver. 15). Then the Jews, under their elders (in order, giving rank and direction to those who were men of experience and capacity), builded the house

1. For God: for his worship and praise; that offerings might be presented unto him which should be acceptable to him; and

2. With God: they gladly availed themselves of the help accorded them by the prophets of the Lord. These men (ver. 14) "prophesied," i.e. they spake in the name of the Lord, urging all to do their work diligently and faithfully, and therefore speedily and Soundly; also obediently, "according to commandment" (ver. 14); and thus they brought their work

3. To its completion: "they finished it;" it stood strong and fair and well furnished, from foundation to top-stone. We, too, are building for God; not, perhaps, a material fabric, but that which is more precious in his sighta Christian character or a Christian cause. We are engaged in "building up ourselves in our most holy faith", (Jud_1:20) adding to our faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, etc.. (2Pe_1:5, 2Pe_1:6, 2Pe_1:7) And we are (or ought to be) engaged in building up the temple of some good cause. Some work of God is occupying our time, is engaging our strength and skill. We are laying the foundation in some small beginnings, or, on the foundation another has laid, we are building up the imperishable "gold, silver, precious stones," rejecting (as far as possible) the "wood, hay, and stubble," which the fires of God would consume. (1Co_3:12) Let us see to it that, in building up both our own character and the cause of God, we build

1. For God; doing all things mainly and chiefly unto him; as "unto the Lord," and not as unto ourselves. Let the glory of Christ be the mainspring of our action. Whatever toil, patience, forbearance, charity may be required, let us gladly yield all because "Jesus is worthy to receive," etc.

2. With God; accepting all the help God offers us through the varied means of grace he has supplied notably the preaching (or "prophesying") of his servants; consulting his word to know his will, that all our building may be according to commandment." We must do what we do in the way, i.e. in the spirit and after the method, in which he would have us work.

3. Unto completion. Learning, growing, ripening until death; sympathising, giving, striving, co-operating till the work is done and the fabric is finished. C.

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

Destroy - Tho' this temple was at length most justly destroyed by the righteous hand of God, yet perhaps the Romans, who were the instruments of that destruction, felt the effects of this curse. For that empire sensibly declined ever after, 'till it was wholly destroyed.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

And God, Who caused His name to rest there [as translated,] and God, Who caused His name to rest there.

will cast down will cast down and destroy any such king and any such people that will stretch forth a hand to lay waste and destroy His house that is in Jerusalem.

have issued an edict I have issued a command concerning this matter, that the building be constructed swiftly. Until here is Darius’s reply.

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.