The Pulpit Commentary — Ezra — Section 28

high priest, though Ezra does not give him people to gather themselves together and the title. Haggai, however (eh. i 1, 14; celebrate the autumnal festival, though they ii. 2), and Zechariah (eh. iii 1, 8; vi. 11) can scarcely have made it on this occasion a distinctly assign him the office. His father, Jozadak, or Josedech, was the son of Seraiah, '' feast of ingathering." high priest at the destruction of Jerusalem Ver. 4.-As it is written. Acc,:,rding to (1 Cbron. vi. 14). The name Jeshua is a the mode of celebration prescribed in the mere variant of Jpshua, and so corresponds law; i. e. for seven consecutive days, from to Jesus, of whom Jeshua may be regarded the fifteenth to the twenty-second of Tisri as a type. His brethren the priests. As with burnt offerings every day, and a holy being all of them equally descenclecl from convocation on the first day and the last, Aaron, the priests were " brethren." and a "dwelling in tents" during the whole Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel. See note period (see Lev. xxiii. 31-42). The daily on eh. ii. 2, where Zerubbabel's actual burnt offerings by number, according to the descent is given. And his brethren. Such custom. The offerings for each day of the other members of the royal house as had festival are carefully laid down in Num returned with him. As it is written in the xxix. 13-38. We must understand that ah law. See Lev. xvii 2-6; Dent. xii. 5- the particulars there enjoined were carefully ll. It was an express command of God to observed_ the Israelites that sacrifice should be offered only at Jerusalem in the place which he PERMANENT ESTAJILISHMENT OF THE should appoint. Moses the man of God. DAILY SACRIFICE, THE SET FEASTS, AND That is, "the Prophet ; " but the phrase is THE OFFERING OF FREE-WILL OFFERINGS emphatic, and characteristic of Ezra (comp. 1 Chron. =iii. 14 and 2 Chron. x=. 16). (vers. 5, 6). Having set up the altar, and Ver. 3.-They set the altar upon his celebrated the particular festival which the bases. They built the new altar upon the revolving year happened to have brought foundations of the old one, making it exactly round, and which it would have been wrong conform to them. This was done, no doubt, to neglect, the exiles re-established perma- to indicate that the religion which the exiles orought back from Babylon was in every nently three things :-1. The daily sacrifice ; respect identical with that which they had 2. The celebration of the new moons and possessed before they were carried thither. other regular feasts ; and 3. The practice of Many modems hold the contrary; but it allowing the people to bring offerings when- has not yet been proved that the sojourn at ever they pleased, to be offered on the great Babylon modified the religious ideas of the Jews in any important particular. For fear altar by the priest or priests in attendance, was upon them. Or, " though fear was The first of these was for atonement; the ufon them." Notwithstanding their fear second for public thanksgiving and acknow- o the surrounding nations, they set up the ledgmen t of God's mercies ; the third for altar. We must remember that their neigh- private devotion, the payment of vows, and bours were not Persians, but descendants of various idolatrous nations - Hamathites, the like. Babylonians, Susianians, Elamites, Cuth1Bans, Ver. 5.-The continual burnt offering. &c.-bitterly opposed to anything like a pure This is beyond e. doubt the daily morning spiritual religion (see 2 Kings xvii. 24 ; Ezra and evenin~ sacrifice, called "the continual iv. 9, 10). Though the exiles had permission burnt offenng " in Exod. xxix. 42 and from Cyrus to raise up not only their altar, N um. xxviii. 3 - 6. The clause is not but their tem.Ple, it was not at all certain modified by the succeeding words, which nre that his nomme.l subjects would passively additional, not exegetical, and which should submit. It was as if a modern Turkish not be translated, as in the A. V., both of Sultan should decree the erection of a the new moons, but, "and those of the new Christian altar and a grand Christian cathe- moons." The returned exiles kept hence- dral at Kerbela or Bussorah, towards the forth regularly both the uaily morning and verge of his empire. Thero would be great evening sacrifice, and also thnt appointed danger in acting on such a decree. Burnt for the new moons (Num. xxviii. 11- offerings morning and evening. So the law 15), and those appointed for the other "set required (see Exod. xxix. 38, 39; Num. feasts," such as the passover and the feast xxviii. 3, 4). of Pentecost. And of every one that will- CELEDRATION OF THE FEAST OF TADER- ingly offered. Nor was this a.lL The prac- tice wns resumed .if sacrificing on the gre11t N A0LES (ver. 4). Emboldened by their altar at any time any free-will offerings that Buccessful restoration of the altar of burnt individual Israelites might bring (see Lev. aacritice, Zerubl)p.bel 1md JesJrnq Q.llowcd the i,, ii,, iii,. &c.). Thus provision was in11dt1 so THE BOOK OF EZRA. [cu. m. 1-:-'7.