Charles Ellicott Commentary Ezra 1:1-4

"Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and [put it] also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath Jehovah, the God of heaven, given me; and he hath charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whosoever there is among you of all his people, his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of Jehovah, the God of Israel (he is God), which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever is left, in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, besides the freewill-offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem." — Ezra 1:1-4 (ASV)

I. THE FIRST RETURN UNDER ZERUBBABEL.

The decree of Cyrus marked an era of great importance and is therefore repeated almost word for word from the end of Chronicles.

(1) The first year.—Cyrus became king of Persia in B.C. 559. Twenty years later, he took Babylon from Belshazzar. This first year of his rule in Babylon marked his beginning as an agent in Jewish affairs and for the Kingdom of God.

Stirred up.—This was by a direct influence, probably through the agency of Daniel. We may suppose Cyrus found this prophet in Babylon and had his mind directed to the specific prediction of Isaiah 44:28, where Cyrus’s name is mentioned.

However, the writer of Ezra, who repeatedly records the prophetic intervention of Haggai and Zechariah (Ezra 5:1; Ezra 6:14), makes no allusion to the part that Daniel, the earlier prophet, had taken. He refers only to the divine prediction by Jeremiah, which had to be fulfilled: “And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon” (Jeremiah 25:12); “For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place” (Jeremiah 29:10).

Thus says Cyrus king of Persia.—In interpreting this decree, two approaches are possible. We may suppose that the “spirit” of Cyrus was so effectively “stirred up” by the Spirit of God, through the prophecies of Isaiah, that he sent out a written proclamation declaring his faith in Jehovah-Elohim, thus publicly accepting the prediction: “He hath charged me to build.” In this case, the parenthetical statement in Ezra 1:3 (He is the God) may be compared with the confession of his father-in-law, Darius the Mede: “He is the living God” (Daniel 6:26).

Alternatively, we may assume that “Ormazd” in the original decree was reproduced in the accompanying Hebrew version by its equivalent, Jehovah. This latter supposition avoids the difficulty of having Cyrus disavow his national faith before his empire. The decree itself is very similar in style to those found in most Persian inscriptions, such as “By the grace of Ormazd is Darius king.” The spirit of tolerance and piety in it aligns perfectly with all ancient testimonies to the character of Cyrus.

Whoever remains.—As to all the Remnant in all places. There is a unique correspondence between this phrase and the beginning of Nehemiah. However, in Nehemiah, this familiar name for the survivors of the great national catastrophe is used for those who had returned to Jerusalem, while here it refers to the dispersion in all the provinces of the empire (Nehemiah 1:3).

Wherever he sojourns.—Every individual Jew is thus significantly understood to be only an exile.

Let the men of his place help him.—The gentile subjects of Cyrus are required to assist the departing sojourner and are also expected to send freewill offerings to the Temple. Note that in all these terms, the spirit and phrasing of the Hebrew people are used, and that there was more in the decree than is stated here, as becomes clear later. Cyrus was under strong influence, both human and Divine.