TRV
Translation
King James Version
¶ Then Tatnai, governor on this side the river, Shetharboznai, and their companions, according to that which Darius the king had sent, so they did speedily.
Complete Jewish Bible
Then Tatnai the governor of the territory beyond the [Euphrates] River, Sh'tar-Boznai and their colleagues obeyed strictly; because Daryavesh the king had given the order to do so.
Berean Standard Bible
In response, Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates diligently carried out what King Darius had decreed.
American Standard Version
Then Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their companions, because that Darius the king had sent, did accordingly with all diligence.
World English Bible Messianic
Then Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, Shetharbozenai, and their companions, because Darius the king had sent a decree, did accordingly with all diligence.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Then Tatnai the captaine beyond the Riuer, and Shethar Boznai and their companions, according to that which Darius had sent, so they did speedily.
Young's Literal Translation
Then Tatnai, governor beyond the river, Shethar-Boznai, and their companions, according to that which Darius the king hath sent, so they have done speedily;
See on the biblical-era map
In the KJVVerse 12,165 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on Ezra 6 verses 13–22
13 ¶ Then Tatnai, governor on this side the river, Shetharboznai, and their companions, according to that which Darius the king had sent, so they did speedily.
14 And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.
15 And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.
16 And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy,
17 And offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
18 And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses.
19 And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month.
20 For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure, and killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
21 And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, did eat,
22 And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the LORD had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
Here we have, I. The Jews' enemies made their friends. When they received this order from the king they came with as much haste to encourage and assist the work as their predecessors had done to put a stop to it, Ezr 4:23. What the king ordered they did, and, because they would not be thought to do it with reluctance, they did it speedily, Ezr 6:13. The king's moderation made them, contrary to their own inclination, moderate too.
II. The building of the temple carried on, and finished in a little time, Ezr 6:14, Ezr 6:15. Now the elders of the Jews built with cheerfulness. For aught I know, the elders themselves laboured at it with their own hands; and, if they did, it was no disparagement to their eldership, but an encouragement to the other workmen. 1. They found themselves bound to it by the commandment of the God of Israel, who had given them power that they might use it in his service. 2. They found themselves shamed into it by the commandment of the heathen kings, Cyrus formerly, Darius now, and Artaxerxes some time after. Can the elders of the Jews be remiss in this good work when these foreign princes appear so warm in it? Shall native Israelites grudge their pains and care about this building when strangers grudge not to be at the expense of it? 3. They found themselves encouraged in it by the prophesying of Haggai and Zechariah, who, it is likely, represented to them (as bishop Patrick suggests) the wonderful goodness of God in inclining the heart of the king of Persia to favour them thus. And now the work went on so prosperously that, in four hears' time, it was brought to perfection. As for God, his work is perfect. The gospel church, that spiritual temple, is long in the building, but it will be finished at last, when the mystical body is completed. Every believer is a living temple, building up himself in his most holy faith. Much opposition is given to this work by Satan and our own corruptions. We trifle, and proceed in it with many stops and pauses; but he that has begun the good work will see it performed, and will bring forth judgment unto victory. Spirits of just men will be made perfect.
III. The dedication of the temple. When it was built, being designed only for sacred uses, they showed by an example how it should be used, which (says bishop Patrick) is the proper sense of the word dedicate. They entered upon it with solemnity and probably with a public declaration of the separating of it from common uses and the surrender of it to the honour of God, to be employed in his worship. 1. The persons employed in this service were not only the priests and Levites who officiated, but the children of Israel, some of each of the twelve tribes, though Judah and Benjamin were the chief, and the rest of the children of the captivity or transportation, which intimates that there were many besides the children of Israel, of other nations, who transported themselves with them, and became proselytes to their religion, unless we read it, even the remnant of the children of the captivity, and then, we may suppose, notice is hereby taken of their mean and afflicted condition, because the consideration of that helped to make them devout and serious in this and other religious exercises. A sad change! The children of Israel have become children of the captivity, and there appears but a remnant of them, according to that prediction (Isa 7:3), Shear-jashub - The remnant shall return. 2. The sacrifices that were offered upon this occasion were bullocks, rams, and lambs (Ezr 6:17), for burnt-offerings and peace-offerings; not to be compared, in number, with what had been offered at the dedication of Solomon's temple, but, being according to their present ability, they were accepted, for, after a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy, and their deep poverty, abounded to the riches of their liberality, Co2 8:2. These hundreds were more to them than Solomon's thousands were to him. But, besides these, they offered twelve he-goats for sin-offerings, one for every tribe, to make atonement for their sins, which they looked upon as necessary in order to the acceptance of their services. Thus, by getting iniquity taken away, they would free themselves from that which had been the sting of their late troubles, and which, if not removed, would be a worm at the root of their present comforts. 3. This service was performed with joy. They were all glad to see the temple built and the concerns of it in so good a posture. Let us learn to welcome holy ordinances with joy and attend on them with pleasure. Let us serve the Lord with gladness. Whatever we dedicate to God, let it be done with joy that he will please to accept of it. 4. When they dedicated the house they settled the household. Small comfort could they have in the temple without the temple service, and therefore they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their courses, Ezr 6:18. Having set up the worship of God in this dedication, they took care to keep it up, and made the book of Moses their rule, to which they had an eye in this establishment. Though the temple service could not now be performed with so much pomp and plenty as formerly, because of their poverty, yet perhaps it was performed with as much purity and close adherence to the divine institution as ever, which was the true glory of it. No beauty like the beauty of holiness.
IV. The celebration of the passover in the newly-erected temple. Now that they were newly delivered out of their bondage in Babylon it was seasonable to commemorate their deliverance out of their bondage in Egypt. Fresh mercies should put us in mind of former mercies. We may suppose that they had kept the passover, after a sort, every year since their return, for they had an altar and a tabernacle. But they were liable to frequent disturbances from their enemies, were straitened for room, and had not conveniences about them, so that they could not do it with due solemnity till the temple was built; and now they made a joyful festival of it, it falling out in the next month after the temple was finished and dedicated, Ezr 6:19. Notice is here taken, 1. Of the purity of the priests and Levites that killed the passover, Ezr 6:20. In Hezekiah's time the priests were many of them under blame for not purifying themselves. But now it is observed, to their praise, that they were purified together, as one man (so the word is); they were unanimous both in their resolutions and in their endeavours to make and keep themselves ceremonially clean for this solemnity; they joined together in their preparations, that they might help one another, so that all of them were pure, to a man. The purity of ministers adds much to the beauty of their ministrations; so does their unity. 2. Of the proselytes that communicated with them in this ordinance: All such as had separated themselves unto them, had left their country and the superstitions of it and cast in their lot with the Israel of God, and had turned from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, both their idolatries and immoralities, to seek the Lord God of Israel as their God, did eat the passover. See how the proselytes, the converts, are described. They separated themselves from the filthiness of sin and fellowship with sinners, joined themselves with the Israel of God in conformity and communion, and set themselves to seek the God of Israel; and those that do so in sincerity, though strangers and foreigners, are welcome to eat of the gospel feast, as fellow-citizens with the saints and of the household of God. 3. Of the great pleasure and satisfaction wherewith they kept the feast of unleavened bread, Ezr 6:22. The Lord had made them joyful, had given them both cause to rejoice and hearts to rejoice. It was now about twenty years since the foundation of this temple was laid, and we may suppose the old men that then wept at the remembrance of the first temple were most of them dead by this time, so that now there were no tears mingled with their joys. Those that are, upon good grounds, joyful, have therefore reason to be thankful, because it is God that makes them to rejoice. He is the fountain whence all the streams of our joy flow. God has promised to all those who take hold of his covenant that he will make them joyful in his house of prayer. The particular occasion they had for joy at this time was that God had turned the heart of the emperor to them, to strengthen their hands. If those that have been, or who we feared would have been, against us, prove to be for us, we may rejoice in it as a token for good, that our ways please the Lord (Pro 16:7), and he must have the glory of it.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 13–22. Public domain.
Copy as
BedeAD 735
Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah
Therefore, Thathannai, the governor of the region beyond the river, and his associates executed it diligently, etc. And now also, with people flocking to the faith, and sometimes even from those who are outside, favoring its peace, the elders of the Jews, that is, those who are worthy of the seat of teaching, build and prosper their Church daily either by word or by example; for even if the ancient enemy attacks occasionally, nevertheless the word of God finds some in whom it may prevail and, with the adversaries driven away, may construct the walls of truth.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
Copy as
Continue studying Ezra 6:13 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Ezra 6:13 records the swift and complete obedience of the Persian officials, Tatnai, Shetharboznai, and their colleagues, to King Darius's comprehensive decree concerning the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. This pivotal moment marks a dramatic shift from initial scrutiny and potential obstruction to immediate cooperation and active support, powerfully highlighting God's sovereign hand in orchestrating events and turning the hearts of even pagan rulers to accomplish His divine purposes for His people.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Ezra 6:13 serves as the narrative culmination of a significant imperial confrontation and resolution. It immediately follows King Darius I's comprehensive and definitive decree, detailed in Ezra 6:1-12. This decree was issued in response to a formal inquiry by Tatnai, the governor of Trans-Euphrates, and his colleagues, who had previously challenged the Jews' authority to rebuild the Temple (Ezra 5:3-5). The verse marks the turning point from imperial scrutiny and potential obstruction to full imperial endorsement and financial support, thereby clearing the way for the Temple's completion. It underscores the theme of divine intervention in the face of human obstacles, leading directly to the successful completion of the Temple as narrated in Ezra 6:14-15.
Historical & Cultural Context: The events of Ezra 6:13 are set within the vast administrative framework of the Persian Empire, specifically during the reign of Darius I (522-486 BC), a period known for its meticulous record-keeping and efficient governance. Tatnai was the governor (satrap) of the province "on this side the river," referring to Trans-Euphrates (Abar-Nahara in Aramaic), the region west of the Euphrates River, which included Judah. Persian imperial decrees, once issued by the king, carried absolute authority and were expected to be executed without question or delay. The "speedy" compliance of Tatnai and his companions reflects not only their respect for royal authority but also the potential severe penalties for disobedience, as explicitly warned in Darius's decree (Ezra 6:11-12). This historical context illuminates the immense power wielded by the Persian monarchy and how God providentially used this system to facilitate the restoration of His people and their worship.
Key Themes: This verse powerfully illustrates several key themes central to the book of Ezra and the broader biblical narrative. Firstly, it highlights Divine Providence and Sovereignty, showcasing God's ability to work through pagan rulers and secular systems to achieve His purposes. The very officials who initially questioned the Temple's rebuilding are now compelled to facilitate it, even with royal funding, demonstrating that the Lord can indeed turn the heart of the king wherever He wills. Secondly, it emphasizes Obedience to Authority, as the swift action of Tatnai and his companions underscores the absolute power of the Persian Empire's decree and the officials' readiness to obey it. This compliance, even if motivated by fear, ultimately aligns with God's divine plan. Thirdly, the verse contributes to the theme of Fulfillment of Prophecy regarding the restoration of Jerusalem and its Temple after the Babylonian exile, a foundational element in the post-exilic books. The obedience of these officials directly contributed to the realization of God's promises for His people, as seen in the broader narrative of Ezra.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs several literary devices to convey its powerful message. There is clear Narrative Irony, as the very officials who initially sought to impede the Temple's construction are now compelled to facilitate it, even providing resources. This ironic twist underscores the overarching theme of God's sovereignty. The emphasis on "speedily" functions as a form of Hyperbole or Emphasis, highlighting the dramatic and immediate shift in the officials' behavior, leaving no doubt about the king's absolute authority and their complete submission to it. The narrative also uses Foreshadowing, as the swift and unhindered execution of the decree sets the stage for the successful completion of the Temple, indicating that God's plan will prevail despite initial opposition.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ezra 6:13 provides a profound theological insight into the nature of God's sovereignty and His ability to work through unexpected channels. It demonstrates that God's purposes are not contingent upon the cooperation of His people alone, but that He can sovereignly influence the hearts and actions of even pagan rulers and secular authorities to accomplish His divine will. This principle, often referred to as common grace or God's providential governance, assures believers that no human obstacle or political power can ultimately thwart God's plans. The immediate and complete obedience of Tatnai and his colleagues, though likely motivated by fear of the king, ultimately served God's redemptive purposes for Israel, ensuring the restoration of proper worship in Jerusalem. This illustrates that God's hand is at work in all spheres of life, orchestrating events for the good of His people and the advancement of His kingdom.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ezra 6:13 offers profound encouragement and practical lessons for believers today. It reminds us that when we are engaged in God's work, even in the face of significant opposition or bureaucratic hurdles, God remains sovereign and active. He possesses the power to turn adversaries into allies, or at least into instruments of His will, often in surprising and unexpected ways. This verse calls us to trust in God's timing and methods, even when circumstances seem bleak or human efforts appear insufficient. It also subtly reinforces the biblical principle of respecting and obeying governing authorities, recognizing that God often works through them to maintain order and even to advance His kingdom, whether they acknowledge Him or not. Our task is to remain faithful in our calling, knowing that God will clear the path for His purposes to be fulfilled.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Who were Tatnai and Shetharboznai, and why is their action significant?
Answer: Tatnai was the governor of the Persian province of Trans-Euphrates, and Shetharboznai was one of his colleagues. They were initially the officials who questioned the Jews' authority to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem and sent a formal inquiry to King Darius (Ezra 5:3-5). Their action in Ezra 6:13 is significant because it marks a dramatic reversal: upon receiving Darius's definitive decree, they immediately and completely complied with the king's command to not only cease hindering the work but to actively support it, even with royal funds (Ezra 6:6-12). This demonstrates the absolute power of the Persian monarchy and, more importantly, God's sovereign ability to turn the hearts of rulers and use them to accomplish His divine will.
How does Ezra 6:13 demonstrate God's sovereignty?
Answer: This verse powerfully illustrates God's sovereignty by showing His ability to orchestrate events and influence human actions, even those of powerful pagan rulers, to fulfill His purposes. Despite the initial opposition from Tatnai and his colleagues, God moved King Darius to issue a decree that not only affirmed the rebuilding of the Temple but also mandated imperial support and protected the workers. The "speedy" obedience of these officials underscores that God can turn the hearts of those who might be adversaries into instruments for His plan, ensuring that His will is accomplished regardless of human resistance. It is a clear example of God working behind the scenes in secular affairs to advance His kingdom, as seen in Proverbs 21:1.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ezra 6:13, though set in the context of the physical Temple's rebuilding, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in the establishment of God's spiritual Temple, the Church, with Jesus Christ as its cornerstone. Just as God sovereignly moved a pagan king and his officials to facilitate the construction of the Old Testament Temple, so too does He sovereignly work through all authorities and circumstances to build His eternal kingdom through Christ. The authority of King Darius, which compelled immediate obedience from Tatnai and his companions, foreshadows the ultimate and supreme authority of Jesus Christ, to whom all authority in heaven and on earth has been given. The physical Temple, which was restored through God's providential hand, pointed forward to the true dwelling place of God among humanity, which is found in Christ and His body, the Church, composed of living stones built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-5). God's unwavering commitment to His people's restoration in Ezra ultimately culminates in the complete redemption and spiritual rebuilding offered through the finished work of Christ, demonstrating His supremacy over all creation and His ongoing work in history to bring all things under His headship (Colossians 1:16-17).