Commentari biblici

Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon.

Then Darius the king — DARIUS HYSTASPES, who succeeded Cambyses, being chosen by the princes of the Persians, as saith Herodotus. Plato commendeth him for a restorer of the Persian monarchy, much defaced under Cambyses. Howbeit he discommends him for this, that he bred not his son Xerxes so well as he might have done, and further testifieth, that to him it might be said: O Darius, how little care hast thou taken to shun Cyrus’s slackness! for thou hast bred Xerxes every whit as ill as he did Cambyses, W Dαρειε ως του Kυρου κακον ουκ εμα- Yες ..

In the house of the rolls — So called, because rolled up together, volumes rolled up, like the web upon the pin.

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And there was found at Achmetha, in the palace that [is] in the province of the Medes, a roll, and therein [was] a record thus written:

And there was found at Achmetha — Or Ecbatana. This was occasioned by the malice of the Jews’ adversaries, and proved a great furtherance to the finishing of the temple. Sic canes lingunt ulcera Lazari. So dogs licked the sores of Lazarus. All things work together for good to them that love God, Romans 8:28 . Venenum aliquando pro remedio fuit, At length a poison will be for a medicine. saith Seneca.

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In the first year of Cyrus the king [the same] Cyrus the king made a decree [concerning] the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, [and] the breadth thereof threescore cubits;

The height thereof threescore cubits — Yet was it less than Solomon’s temple, Haggai 2:3 Ezra 3:12 . Solomon’s cubits therefore were longer (likely) than these here mentioned.

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[With] three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber: and let the expenses be given out of the king’s house:

Out of the king’s house — i.e. Out of the royal revenue in those parts, Ezra 7:20 . Herodotus testifieth that Cyrus and Darius (who married his daughter Atossa, and made him his pattern for imitation) were highly honoured among the Persians for their kingly munificence; God hath threatened that the nation and kingdom that will not serve the Church shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted, Isaiah 60:12 Ezra 6:12 .

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And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which [is] at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the temple which [is] at Jerusalem, [every one] to his place, and place [them] in the house of God.

And also let the golden and silver vessels — This was decreed, and this was done accordingly, Ezra 1:7-8 . Let good resolutions be put in execution; purpose without performance is like a cloud without rain; and not unlike Hercules’s club in the tragedy, of a great bulk, but stuffed with moss and rubbish.

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Now [therefore], Tatnai, governor beyond the river, Shetharboznai, and your companions the Apharsachites, which [are] beyond the river, be ye far from thence:

Be ye far from thence — i.e. Come not at them, to hinder them at all. Thus, though the Church’s enemies bandy together and bend all their forces against her; yet are they bounded by Almighty God (who saith unto them, Be ye far from thence), as is the raging sea, Jeremiah 5:22 . Surely, saith the psalmist, the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain, Heb. gird, that is, keep it within compass, as with a girdle. The Septuagint render it thus, The remnant of wrath shall keep holy day to thee, that is, it shall rest from working, or acting, how restless soever it be within.

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Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in his place.

Let the work of this house of God alone — Meddle not, make no disturbance; this was doubtless a hard task to them, for their spirits were irked, as Moab, Numbers 22:3 , and their fingers even itched at these builders. They sleep not, except they may do mischief, Proverbs 4:16 .

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Moreover I make a decree what ye shall do to the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God: that of the king’s goods, [even] of the tribute beyond the river, forthwith expenses be given unto these men, that they be not hindered.

Moreover I make a decree — So did some of the heathen emperors for the persecuted Christians, Charles V for the Lutherans (at the motion of Albertus, archbishop of Mentz, and Ludovicus, palatine of Rhine), and Henry III of France for the Protestants; which yet was but sorrily observed though sworn to. It is written by an Italian (no stranger to the court of Rome) that their proverb is, Mercatorum est, non regum stare iuramentis, that it is for merchants, and not for kings, to keep to their oaths.

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