Ezra1

In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, the LORD stirred his spirit to fulfill Jeremiah's prophecy, prompting him to issue a proclamation. This decree permitted the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple, encouraging others to provide aid. Consequently, the leaders of Judah and Benjamin, priests, and Levites prepared to depart, receiving substantial support and the return of sacred temple vessels from Cyrus.
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Cyrus' Proclamation to Rebuild the Temple

1
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows: ​
2
“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at Jerusalem in Judah. ​
3
Whoever among you belongs to His people, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the LORD, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem. ​
4
And let every survivor, wherever he lives, be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with a freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.’” ​

The Exiles Prepare to Return

5
So the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone whose spirit God had stirred—prepared to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD in Jerusalem. ​
6
And all their neighbors supported them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuables, in addition to all their freewill offerings.

The Restoration of the Temple Vessels

7
King Cyrus also brought out the articles belonging to the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the temple of his gods. ​
8
Cyrus king of Persia had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. ​
9
This was the inventory: 30 gold dishes, 1,000 silver dishes, 29 silver utensils,
10
30 gold bowls, 410 matching silver bowls, and 1,000 other articles.
11
In all, there were 5,400 gold and silver articles. Sheshbazzar brought all these along when the exiles went up from Babylon to Jerusalem. ​

Study Notes for Ezra 1

Verse 1

This verse establishes God's sovereign control over world history. The seventy-year Babylonian exile (c. 605–536 BC) was ending exactly as predicted by the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 29:10), demonstrating that the LORD uses even pagan kings (like Cyrus) to fulfill his covenant promises.

Verse 2

Cyrus' decree acknowledges 'the LORD God of heaven,' a standard title used by the Jews. While Cyrus was a polytheist, the language here likely reflects either the influence of Jewish advisors (like Daniel) or a diplomatic recognition of the God of the people he was addressing.

Verse 3

The specific command to 'go up' (a technical term for traveling to Jerusalem) and 'build the house' highlights the priority of restoring the covenant community's relationship with God, centered geographically in Jerusalem.

Verse 4

This mandate ensures the returnees are not impoverished upon arrival and mirrors the support given to the Israelites when they left Egypt (Exod. 12:35-36). The required financial aid shows that the rebuilding was a joint effort between those returning and those remaining.

Verse 5

The response is not merely human initiative but divine intervention. God 'stirred up the spirit' of the leaders and the people, mirroring how he stirred Cyrus (v. 1), emphasizing that the success of the return depended entirely on God’s active involvement.

Verse 7

The return of the sacred vessels, which Nebuchadnezzar had desecrated and displayed as trophies of Babylonian dominance (2 Kings 25:13-17), symbolizes the reversal of the exile and the restoration of God's honor over the gods of Babylon.

Verse 8

Sheshbazzar is identified as the 'prince of Judah' and the initial leader of the first wave of returnees. He was appointed by Cyrus to oversee the journey and the transfer of the valuables, serving as the first governor.

Verse 11

The meticulous counting and return of the 5,400 vessels validated the legitimacy of the returning community and ensured the continuity of proper Temple worship rituals, reinforcing God’s faithfulness to his people.

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