John Gill Commentary Ezra 3

And when the seventh month had come
The month Tisri, which answers to part of September and October; or when it "was approaching" ^F16 , for before it was actually come some following things were done, the people met, and an altar was built; for on the first day of it sacrifices were offered, (Ezra 3:6) ,

and the children of Israel were in the cities ;
their respective cities, settling their domestic affairs:

the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem ;
the thing was universal, and done with as much dispatch as if only one man was concerned; and it seems to denote as if they were under a divine impulse, and came together without any consultation, or knowledge of each other's designs, and without summons.

FOOTNOTES:

• F16: (egyw) "cum appropinquaret", Piscator.

Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak Who was the high priest, and the proper person to give the lead in the following work:

and his brethren the priests ; the common priests, very fit to join him, and assist him in it:

and Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel ; the prince and governor of Judah, whose presence was necessary to give countenance to the work, and animate to it:

and his brethren ; the princes and heads of the people, particularly those mentioned (Ezra 2:2)

and builded the altar of the God of Israel ; the altar of burnt offering, gave orders for the building of it, and directions about it:

to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God ; or prophet of God, as the Syriac version; see (Leviticus 1:1–17) .

And they set the altar upon his bases
Which might remain of the old altar; or the meaning is, that it was fixed and settled on the same spot where it stood before:

for fear was upon them, because of the people of those countries ;
and therefore they hastened to erect an altar, and offer sacrifices to the Lord, in hope that he would appear for them, and help them against their enemies; or rather, as some render the words ^F17 "though fear was upon them" yet they were not deterred from the work, worship, and service of God:

and they offered burnt offerings unto the Lord, even burnt offerings,
morning and evening ;
the daily sacrifice, as directed to (Exodus 29:38Exodus 29:39) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F17: (yk) "quamvis", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Patrick.

They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written
According to the rules prescribed for the observation of it in (Leviticus 23:34–42) this began on the fifteenth day of the seventh month:

and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the
custom, as the duty of every day required ;
for on all the eight days of the feast there was a certain number of sacrifices fixed for every day; and exactly according to the law concerning them did they offer them at this time; see (Numbers 29:12–38) .

And afterwards offered the continual burnt offering
Not after the feast of tabernacles, as if they then began to offer the daily sacrifice; for that they did as soon as the altar was set up, and on the first day of the month, (Ezra 3:3Ezra 3:6) , rather the sense is, that after the daily burnt offering of the morning, they offered the other sacrifices peculiar to the several days of the feast of tabernacles; they never neglected that, yea, always began with it; all the rest were after it, and so on other festivals:

both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the Lord that were
consecrated ;
to the service of the Lord, and the honour of his name, as every first day of the month, and every other appointed festival, they offered the sacrifices appropriate to each; but not to the neglect of that sacrifice, and always after it:

and of everyone that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the
Lord ;
these they were careful also to offer in their proper time.