Charles Ellicott Commentary


Charles Ellicott Commentary
"Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let a beam be pulled out from his house, and let him be lifted up and fastened thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this:" — Ezra 6:11 (ASV)
Alter this word seems to mean “violate this command,” since the alteration of a decree was a thing unheard of.
Hanged is literally crucified. Among the Persians crucifixion was generally the nailing of a body to a cross after decapitation; among the Assyrians it was transfixion or impalement. Here the “being set up” refers of course to the man, and not to the beam.