4 They kept the feast of tents, as it is written, and [offered] the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the ordinance, as the duty of every day required;
On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no servile work, and you shall keep a feast to Yahweh seven days: and you shall offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor to Yahweh; thirteen young bulls, two rams, fourteen he-lambs a year old; they shall be without blemish; and their meal-offering, fine flour mixed with oil, three tenth parts for every bull of the thirteen bulls, two tenth parts for each ram of the two rams, and a tenth part for every lamb of the fourteen lambs; and one male goat for a sin-offering, besides the continual burnt offering, the meal-offering of it, and the drink-offering of it. On the second day [you shall offer] twelve young bulls, two rams, fourteen he-lambs a year old without blemish; and their meal-offering and their drink-offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; and one male goat for a sin-offering; besides the continual burnt offering, and the meal-offering of it, and their drink-offerings. On the third day eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen he-lambs a year old without blemish; and their meal-offering and their drink-offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; and one male goat for a sin-offering; besides the continual burnt offering, and the meal-offering of it, and the drink-offering of it. On the fourth day ten bulls, two rams, fourteen he-lambs a year old without blemish; their meal-offering and their drink-offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; and one male goat for a sin-offering; besides the continual burnt offering, the meal-offering of it, and the drink-offering of it. On the fifth day nine bulls, two rams, fourteen he-lambs a year old without blemish; and their meal-offering and their drink-offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; and one male goat for a sin-offering, besides the continual burnt offering, and the meal-offering of it, and the drink-offering of it. On the sixth day eight bulls, two rams, fourteen he-lambs a year old without blemish; and their meal-offering and their drink-offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; and one male goat for a sin-offering; besides the continual burnt offering, the meal-offering of it, and the drink-offerings of it. On the seventh day seven bulls, two rams, fourteen he-lambs a year old without blemish; and their meal-offering and their drink-offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; and one male goat for a sin-offering; besides the continual burnt offering, the meal-offering of it, and the drink-offering of it. On the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly: you shall do no servile work; but you shall offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor to Yahweh: one bull, one ram, seven he-lambs a year old without blemish; their meal-offering and their drink-offerings for the bull, for the ram, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the ordinance: and one male goat for a sin-offering, besides the continual burnt offering, and the meal-offering of it, and the drink-offering of it.
They found written in the law, how that Yahweh had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month; and that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth to the mountain, and get olive branches, and branches of wild olive, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written. So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, everyone on the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the broad place of the water gate, and in the broad place of the gate of Ephraim. All the assembly of those who were come again out of the captivity made booths, and lived in the booths; for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the children of Israel had not done so. There was very great gladness.
It will happen that everyone who is left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, Yahweh of Hosts, and to keep the feast of tents. It will be, that whoever of all the families of the earth doesn't go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, Yahweh of Hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt doesn't go up, and doesn't come, neither will it rain on them. This will be the plague with which Yahweh will strike the nations that don't go up to keep the feast of tents. This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations that don't go up to keep the feast of tents.
"Speak to the children of Israel, and say, 'On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of tents for seven days to Yahweh. On the first day shall be a holy convocation: you shall do no regular work. Seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh. On the eighth day shall be a holy convocation to you; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh. It is a solemn assembly; you shall do no regular work.
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Commentary on Ezra 3 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 3
Ezr 3:1-13. The Altar Set Up.
1. when the seventh month was come—The departure of the returning exiles from Babylon took place in the spring. For some time after their arrival they were occupied in the necessary work of rearing habitations to themselves amid the ruins of Jerusalem and its neighborhood. This preliminary work being completed, they addressed themselves to rebuild the altar of burnt offering. As the seventh month of the sacred year was at hand—corresponding to the latter end of our September—when the feast of tabernacles (Le 23:34) fell to be observed, they resolved to celebrate that religious festival, just as if the temple had been fully restored.
2. Jeshua—the grandson of Seraiah, the high priest, put to death by Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah (2Ki 25:18-21). His father, Josedech, had been carried captive to Babylon, and died there, some time before this.
Zerubbabel—was, according to the order of nature, son of Pedaiah (1Ch 3:17-19); but having been brought up by Salathiel, he was called his son.
builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon—This was of urgent and immediate necessity, in order, first, to make atonement for their sins; secondly, to obtain the divine blessing on their preparations for the temple, as well as animate their feelings of piety and patriotism for the prosecution of that national work.
3. they set the altar upon his bases—They reared it upon its old foundation, so that it occupied as nearly as possible the site on which it had formerly stood.
they offered burnt offerings … morning and evening—Deeming it their duty to perform the public rites of religion, they did not wait till the temple should be rebuilt and dedicated; but, at the outset, they resumed the daily service prescribed by the law (Ex 29:38, 39; Le 6:9, 11), as well as observed the annual seasons of solemn observance.
Ezr 3:4-7. Offerings Renewed.
4, 6. They kept also the feast of tabernacles … From the first day of the seventh month—They revived at that time the daily oblation, and it was on the fifteenth day of that month the feast of tabernacles was held.
7. 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 (1Ki 5:11; 2Ch 2:15, 16).
Ezr 3:8-13. The Foundation of the Temple Laid.
8. appointed the Levites … to set forward the work—that is, to act as overseers of the workmen, and to direct and animate the laborers in the various departments.
9. Jeshua with his sons—not the high priest, but a Levite (Ezr 2:40). To these, as probably distinguished for their mechanical skill and taste, the duty of acting as overseers was particularly committed.
12. But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers … wept with a loud voice—Those painful emotions were excited by the sad contrast between the prosperous circumstances in which the foundations of the first temple had been laid and the desolate, reduced state of the country and city when the second was begun; between the inferior size and less costliness of the stones used in the foundations of the second (1Ki 7:9, 10), and the much smaller extent of the foundation itself, including all the appurtenances of the building (Hag 2:3); between the comparative smallness of their present means and the immense resources of David and Solomon. Perhaps, however, the chief cause of grief was that the second temple would be destitute of those things which formed the great and distinguishing glory of the first; namely, the ark, the shekinah, the Urim and Thummim, &c. Not that this second temple was not a very grand and beautiful structure. But no matter how great its material splendor was, it was inferior in this respect to that of Solomon. Yet the glory of the second far outshone that of the first temple in another and more important point of view, namely, the receiving within its walls the incarnate Saviour (Hag 2:9).
13. the people could not discern the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people—Among Eastern people, expressions of sorrow are always very loud and vehement. It is indicated by wailing, the howl of which is sometimes not easily distinguishable from joyful acclamations.