Charles Ellicott Commentary Ezra 1:5-11

"Then rose up the heads of fathers` [houses] of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, even all whose spirit God had stirred to go up to build the house of Jehovah which is in Jerusalem. And all they that were round about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered. Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of Jehovah, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put in the house of his gods; even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. And this is the number of them: thirty platters of gold, a thousand platters of silver, nine and twenty knives, thirty bowls of gold, silver bowls of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand. All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up, when they of the captivity were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem." — Ezra 1:5-11 (ASV)

Immediate result of the decree.

(5) With all them whose spirit God had raised. — Namely, all is the more exact rendering. The same influence that prompted the decree of Cyrus was necessary to overcome the inertness of the captives, as many preferred to remain in Babylon. The people were enumerated as tribes, families, and fathers’ houses; the second and third orders of classification are not distinguished from each other here.

Precious things. —The Hebrew equivalent is a rare word, which, when it occurs, is connected only with the precious metals.

Willingly offered. —Although it is not so stated, the people of Cyrus were "stirred up" like himself: how much he gave, and how much he valued the worship of the Temple, we will see later.

His gods. —Rather, his god. Merodach, that is, whom he called “his lord” (Daniel 1:2). From 2 Kings 25:13–17, it appears that much had been taken away which Cyrus had not been able to find.

Mithredath. —This name means “Dedicated to Mithra,” the sun god of the Persians, whose worship among the Vedic Indians had reached Persia so early.

Sheshbazzar. —This is the Chaldean name of Zerubbabel, whose title, however, as Prince of Judah is given to him from the Hebrew side. He was the legal heir of Jehoiachin, being the son of Pedaiah (1 Chronicles 3:19), who possibly married the widow of Salathiel or Shealtiel. The title “Prince of Judah,” or “Prince of the captivity,” was specially given to him along with a very few others.

Chargers and knives. —These are rare words in the original, perhaps on the whole best rendered as they are here.

Of a second sort. —Meaning, of inferior quality.

Five thousand and four hundred. —The total of the several sums should be in round numbers (such as are frequently used): two thousand five hundred. Obviously, therefore, the writer, whom we must suppose to have had his own previous numbers before him, here includes vessels not previously enumerated as chargers and basins.

Bring up. —These vessels were not, as is sometimes said, the freewill offering of Cyrus. Sheshbazzar brought these rich vessels “with them of the captivity,” and they were sent as already belonging to God, who, by His judgment on Babylon, vindicated their desecration at Belshazzar’s feast.