LAYING OF THE FOUNDATION OF THE Ver. 8.-In the second year. In B.c. 'i'EMPLE AND CEREMONIAL ON THE OCCASION 53~, the second year of Cyrus in Babylon, which was also the second year of their (vers. 8-13). Seven months were occu- coming (i. e. after their coming) to the pied with preparations. The winter was (ruined) house of God (eh. ii. 68), began past, and the spring had arrived. It was Zerubbahel, and the others, and appointed the second month, Zif, the month of "blos- the Levites. Small as the number of the som," corresponding to our May-the same Levites who returned with Zerubbabel was, month in which Solomon had laid the to them especially was intrusted the work of the house of the Lord, i. e. the super- foundation of the first temple (1 Kings vi intendence of the workmen employed to 1)-when Zerubbabel judged that the time rebuild it (see ver. 9). had come for commencing the foundation of Ver.- 9.-J'eshua here is the head of the the second. The correspondence of the Levitical family mentioned in eh. ii 40 as month was no doubt intentional, like the "the children of J eshua," and Kadmiel is correspondence of the foundations of the the head of the other family. Judah repre- altar (ver. 3), and wos to mark that all was Bents the " Hodaviah" of that place, and is to be as before, that nothing was to be probably a corrupt reading, as Nehemiah (vii. 43) hns "Hodevah." The sons of wantonly changed. Zerubbabel and Jeshua Henadad, who are here united with the presided ; but to Zerubbabel is assigned the J eshuites and Kadmielites, constitute a third chief part in the work. " The hands of Levitical family, which (as the text stands) Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this was also engaged in superintending the work. house " nre the words of God himself to But there is some reason to suspect that the passage is an unauthorized addition to the Zachariah (Zech. iv. 9). It was arranged true text. that the work should commence with a Ver. 10.-When the builders (Zerubbabel religious ceremonial, natural piety here sug- and J eshua) laid the foundation of the temple, gesting what was not recorded of the "first they set the priests in their apparel-the house," though it may have occurred and rich apparel, designed "for glory and for not have been put on record. The cere- beauty," which the law required (Exod. monial consisted chiefly of praise, and was xxviii. 40 ; xl. 27-29), nnd which th1.> people had recently provided (Ezra ii. 69).. accompanied with sacred music, according With trumpets. To blow with trumpet~ to the pattern set by David and Solomon in was always the duty of the priests (Num. x. their sacred processions and ceremonies 8; xxxi. 6; Josh. vi 4; l Chron. xv. 24; (1 Chron. xv. 19, 24 ; xvi 6 ; 2 Chron. v. xvi. 6 ; 2 Chron. v. 12), to praise God with 12, &c.). Their special parts in it were cymbals the task of the Levites ( l Chron. xv. 16, 19; xvi. 6; 2 Chron. v. 12, 13; lll!Signed beforehand to the priests, the x.xix. 25, &c.), perhaps because the trumpet Levites and the people. was regarded ns the instrument of greater 38 THE BOOK OF EZRA [CH. Ill. 8-13.
dignity. After the ordinance of David. tion with religion. It is always indicative DaYid's ordinance on the subject is first of religious joy. expressed briefly in 1 Chron. xv. 16 ; after- Ver. 12.-Many . . . who were ancient wards, more fully, in vers. 17-21 of the men, that had seen the first house. The same chapter. The musical service of Zemb- old temple had not been destroyed so much babel fell short of the "ordinance of David," o.s fifty years. Consequently, there would t;ince it comprised neither psalteries nor be many who could remember its grandeur harps, which were an essential part of and glory. These persons, when the founda- Dand's system. Apparently, the musical tion of the (new) house was laid before their skill of the Levites had declined under the eyes, wept with a loud voice. It was "the depressing circumstances of the captivity day of small things" (Zech. iv. 10). The (see Ps. cxxxvii. 2). new house, in comparison with the old one, was '' as nothing" (Haggai ii. 3). The differ- Ver. 11.-They sang together by course. ence was perhaps not so much in the dimen- Literally, "They replied (to each other)," sions (see note on eh. vi. 3) as in the size or sang antiphonically ; the burthen of their and quality of the foundation-stones (1 Kings song being, that God was good, and his v. 17), the excellence of the masonry, and mercy towards Israel everlasting (comp. 2 the like. Solomon had employed the best Chron. v. 13 ; .-ii. 3, where the Levites of workmen of one of the greatest of the Tyrian Solomon's time are reported to have praised kings; Zerubbabel had only the arms of his God similarly). All the people shouted with own subjects to depend upon. a great shout. Shouting on occa.sions of Ver. 13.-The people could not discern secular joy and trinmph has been practised the noise of the shout of joy from the noise by most nations, both in ancient and modern of the weeping. One, it would seem, was times. But religious shouting is less com- as loud as the other ; neither predominated. mon. Still we hear of such shouting when This, which would scarcely be possible among the a.rk of the covenant was taken into the ourselves, was not unnatural in the East, Israelite camp nea.r Aphek (1 Sam. iv. 6), where those who lament utter shrill cries, and again when David solemnly brought it instead of weeping silently. Herodotus up from Kirjath-jeari.m to Jerusalem (2 Sam. describes the lament of the Persians for a "<i. 15). Shouting appears also in the Psalms lost general as "resounding throughout all (:tlvii 5) and in Zechariah (iv. 7) in connec- Breotia" (ix. 24).