Annotations upon the remaining historicall part of the Old Testament. The second part. to wit, the books of Joshua, Judges, the two books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, and the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther : wherein first, all such passages in the text are explained as were thought likely to be questioned by any reader of ordinary capacity : secondly, in many clauses those things are discovered which are needfull and usefull to be known ... and thirdly, many places that might at first seem to contradict one another are reconciled ... / by Arthur Jackson.

CHAP. I.

NOw in the first yeare of Cyrus king of Persia, &c.] That this book of Ezra was alwayes acknowledged by the Jews a part of the sacred Canon of Scripture, I find not questioned by any: indeed who was the penman and writer of it we cannot absolutely say, yet generally it is held that it was written by Ezra whose name is set as the title of the book, and it is the more probable, because he was of the chief stock of the priests, the sonne, that is, the grandchild of Seraiah, chap. 7.1. who was the chief priest in the dayes of Zedekiah, and slain by the Chaldeans when Jerusalem was destroyed by them, 2. Kings 25.18.21. and withall, because he lived when these things were done which are related in this book, to wit, in the time of the peoples return from Babylon, and was a ready scribe, as is expressely no∣ted of him, chap. 7.6. and so the more likely to continue the history of the common∣wealth of the Jews in his times, as the prophets that lived in the former ages had se∣verally done in their times. The first two verses are word for word the same that we have in the close of the foregoing book of the second of Chronicles (which hath mo∣ved some Expositours to think that the books of the Chronicles were also written by Ezra) and therein we are told, that in the first yeare of Cyrus king of Persia, that is, in the first yeare of his Empire, the first yeare of his reigne over Babylon (for he had then been king of Persia above twenty years) he gave the Jews libertie to return a∣gain into their own countrey: we must know that Nebuchadnezzar after the taking of Jerusalem had subdued all the nations round about, as was prophesied of him; yea even Egypt amongst the rest, the greatest and strongest of all those bordering nati∣ons, Jer. 25.9, 10, 11. Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the Lord, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon my servant; and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these na∣tions round about, &c. And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonish∣ment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years, Isa. 20.4. So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians cap∣tives, young and old, naked and barefoot: see also Jer. 43.10, 11. and 44.30. and thus was the Babylonian Empire raised by Nebuchadnezzar, which he left to Evil∣merodach his sonne, and he to Belshazzar his sonne, according to that, Jer. 27.7. All nations shall serve him, and his sonne, and his sonnes sonne: But then in Bel∣shazzars time this great Empire was ruined by the Medes and Persians, who be∣sieged Babylon, took it, and destroyed it utterly, and slew Belshazzar, and so fulfilled what was prophesied, Isa. 47.1. Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daugh∣ter of Babylon, sit on the ground, there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans, &c. and so Jer. 50.1, 2, 3. and thus the Empire was translated from the Babyloni∣ans to the Persians: indeed in this warre against Babylon, the Medes had the chief

stroke for Darius Medus (or Cyaxares) did command in chief in this warre, and the army consisted most of his people, Isa. 13.17. Behold, I will stirre up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver, &c. and Jer. 51.11. The Lord hath rai∣sed up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, &c. and therefore when Balthazar or Belshazzar was slain he was made king, Dan. 5.30, 31. In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain, and Darius the Median took the kingdome, being about threescore and two years old: but yet withall, first, because Cyrus (who was then absolute king of Persia, or Viceroy thereof under Darius the Mede) did joyn with Darius in this expedition against Ba∣bylon, and by his valour and policie chiefly the citie was taken, as being the man preordained and forenamed by God himself for this great action: secondly, because Darius it seems stayed not in Babylon, but returned into Media, and left Cyrus as his Viceroy in his room: and thirdly, because (Darius who was Cyrus his great uncle, and as some think his father in law also) lived not full two years after, but left all to Cyrus his heir: therefore even from the first Cyrus was esteemed the Mo∣narch of those parts, and however in truth till the death of his uncle Darius the Mede, he was absolute Monarch, but held also under him as his Viceroy, as is evi∣dent, Dan. 6.28. This Daniel prospered in the reigne of Darius, and in the reigne of Cyrus the Persian: yet the very first yeare after the conquest of Babylon was re∣ckoned as the first yeare of Cyrus reigne, as we see here, where it is said that in the first yeare of Cyrus king of Persia God stirred up his spirit to let the Jews go home to their own countrey, &c. that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, to wit, the promise concerning the deliverance of the Jews out of their captivitie at the end of seventy years, through the favour of Cyrus, Jer. 29.10. After seventy years be accomplished at Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word towards you, in causing you to return this place.

Vers. 2. Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdomes of the earth, &c.] It seems that by Daniel or some other of the Jews, that it was discovered to Cyrus that many years before the Lord had told them by his prophets, that one Cyrus should vanquish Babylon with other nations, and then should freely deliver the Jews out of their captivitie, and cause their citie and Temple to be again built, all which for his better satisfaction they might shew him in the writings of the Prophet Isaiah, Isa. 44.1. —13. And hence it was that he ac∣knowledged that God had charged him to build the Temple, and confessed that those kingdomes which he had subdued were given him of God; using these high terms, The Lord God hath given me all the kingdomes of the earth, either out of an affectati∣on of the universall Monarchy of the whole world; or out of an hyperbolicall ostenta∣tion of the largenesse of his Empire, to which all the kingdomes in those parts of the world were subdued: according to those expressions we meet with elsewhere, Luke 2.1. There went out a decree from Cesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed; and Acts 2.5. And there was dwelling at Jerusalem Jews devout men out of every nation.

Vers. 4. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, &c.] That is, whosoever abideth as a stranger or sojourner in any place of my dominion and hath a mind to go up to Jerusalem,

let the men that dwell in that place furnish him with all provisions requisite for his journey, beside that which they shall send by them as a free-will-offering for the building or service of the Temple: the transporting of silver, and gold, and other commodities is in many places severely forbidden, and so happely it was there; the king therefore gives licence to the Jews by his proclamation, for the carrying away of these things, and withall encourageth the people to afford them what help they could, by letting them know that his desire was they should be plentifully furnished with all things necessary.

Vers. 5. Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised to go up, &c.] To wit, both of these and the other tribes also: some even of Judah and Benjamin went not, as being well settled where they were, and loth to remove; or desirous to see first how these will speed; but those whose spirits God had stirred up went, not of these tribes onely, but of others also, 1. Chron. 9.3. And in Jerusalem dwelt of the children of Judah, and of the children of Benjamin, and of the children of Ephraim and Manasseh; and therefore some conceive that at this time that prophe∣sie of Ezekiel was fulfilled, Ezek. 37.16, 17.21, 22. Sonne of man, take thee one stick and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions. And joyn them one to another into one stick, and they shall become one in thy hand: and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land. And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdomes, any more at all.

Vers. 7. Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord, &c.] Though the most of them were cut and defaced, and onely laid up in the trea∣sury of the house of their gods (of which Bel was the chief, Esay 46.1. Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, &c. Jer. 51.44. I will punish Bel in Babylon, &c. and that as a monument of the taking of Jerusalem, 2. Kings 24.13. And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasure of the kings house, &c. or else that place in the kings must be meant of the vessels which Solomon made, which being old and worn with age were cut in pieces, there being others also made afterwards for the use of the Temple, which were carried away whole, and now restored: at this time also the king sent letters with them to command his de∣puties in Syria to afford them all necessaries, chap. 6.1.

Vers. 8. And numbred them unto Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.] That is, Zerubbabel; for he that laid the foundation of the Temple is called Zerubbabel, chap. 3.8. In the second moneth began Zerubbabel the sonne of Shealtiel, &c. to set for∣ward the work of the house of the Lord: and elsewhere Shebazzar, chap. 5.16. Then came Shebazzar and laid the foundation of the house of God: he was the chief prince of the tribe of Judah, and of the bloud royall, the sonne of Salathiel, and grandchild of Jechoniah, Matth. 1.12. and so was by Cyrus made ruler of those that now went up to Jerusalem, chap. 5.14. Those did Cyrus the king take out of the

Temple of Babylon, and they were delivered unto one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he made governour: and thus the government was still in the tribe of Ju∣dah according to that prophecy of Jacob, Gen. 49.10. The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, &c.

Vers. 9. Nine and twenty knives.] These knives were such doubtlesse as were used by the priests in killing the sacrifices, and being it seems trimmed richly with gold and silver, are therefore reckoned here amongst the plate that was carried out of the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar, and now restored by Cyrus.

Vers. 10. Silver basons of a second sort, foure hundred and ten.] That is, of an∣other size, or of another kind and fashion, happely those of the first sort were for the service of the Temple, these of the second sort for the courts and chambers.

And other vessels a thousand.] That is, other vessels of the chief sort: for this is not the number of all the other vessels, great and small, not before mentioned, as is evident in the following verse.

Vers. 11. All the vessels of gold and of silver, were five thousand and foure hundred.] That is both of those before mentioned, and those that are here particu∣larly expressed.