oftho twolfth month of his sixth yc11r. This a,ccompanied (Exod. xx:ix. • 40, 41 ; Lev. ii. was a, spaco of four years nnd a half. The 13, &c.). Let it be given them day by day. temple of Solomon, o.fter ft long term of pre- Since sacrifice was offered every day. Ver. 10.-Thftt they may offer sacrifices paration, occupied in its construction seven of sweet savo1ll's, Either incense as in years ftnd f1 he.lf (1 Kings vi 37, 38). Dan. ii. 46, or "sacrifices that are pleasing and acceptable" (see Gen. viii. 21 • Num. Ver. 6.-lfow therefore, Tatnai. It is xxviii. 2). And pray for the life of the king. hardly to be supposed that Darius was as The Jews have always maintained the practice 11.brupt as this. Apparently the author has of praying for the civil ruler of any country in not thought it necessary to put on record the which they have had their abode. J eremiah's whole royal letter ; but only the most essen- exhortation to "seek the peace" of Babylon tial parts of it-the recitation of the decree (xxix. 7) was understood in this way, and of Cyrus, and the further decree of Darius the tradition has been handed down even to himself. The address of the letter, the open- the present day. Under monarchs so favour- ing words, ftnd the passage by which the two able to them as the Achremenian Persians main portions were linked together, are either the duty would certainly not have been omitted or greatly abbreviated. Be ye far neglected. And of his sons. In Persia. '' the from thence. Keep away from the Jews- royal house" was the special object of regard. do not go near them to trouble them. Individual kings must die, but the house Ver. 8.-Moreover, I make a decree. would go on (see the speech of Artemisia to Literally, "By me too is a decree made." Xerxes in' Herod.,' viii. 102; and compare The decree of Cyrus is not enough. I add to the references to the " gods of the royal it, and require you (1) to pay the wages of house" in the Inscriptions). Kings took the workmen employed out of the royal special care of their sons. Thus Cyrus sent revenue, and (2) to supply the temple per- Cambyses back to Persia when he was about petually with all that is needed for the regular to attack the Massagetre ('Herod.,' i. 208), sacrifices (see ver. 9). What ye shall do to and Xerxes gave several of his sons into the the elders. Not, '' Lest ye do anything to charge of Artemisia, to convey them by ship the elders " (LXX.) ; much less, '' What must to Asia, while he himself took the long and be done by the elders" (Vulg.) ; but, as in the perilous journey by land (ibid. viii. 103). A. V., " What ye shall do to them" -how ye Ver. 11.-Whoever shall alter this word. sha.11 act towards them. Of the tribute Rather, "this edict." To alter the terms of beyond the river forthwith e:r.pences be given a royal decree would in any country be a to these men. The Persian satraps had to heinous offence. In Persia, where the mon- collect from their provinces a certain fixed arch was absolute, !1Ild where decrees were sum as the royal tribute, and had to remit regarded e.s "altering not" (Dan. vi. 8, 12), this sum annually to the court. De.rius it was e. crime of the deepest dye. Hence orders the.t the expenses of the men employed the severity of the punishment threaten ed. on the temple shall be paid by the satrap The punishment he.s been explained as cm- of Syria. out of the royeJ tribute of his pro- cifi.xion, impalement, and " whipping at a vince, e.nd only the be.1!1Ilce remitted. Thus post ; " but there seems to be no real doubt no additional burthen was le.id upon the tax- that crucifixion is intended. Great crimi- payers. nals were al.most always crucified by the Ver. 9.-Both young bullocks, and rams, Persians (see Brisson, 'De Regno Persa- and le.mbs. These were the chief sacrificial rum,' ii. pp. 327-329; and comp. 'Behist. e.nimals of the Jews-a le.mb being required Insc!'. ,' col. ii. par. 14 ; col. iii. par. 8). every morning e.nd evening, two more on the Let his house be me.de e. dunghill. Somo sabbath, seven e.t each of the gree.t feasts e.nd render "be confiscated," but wrongly. The e.t the beginning of each month, e.nd fourteen best Hebraists agree with our transl11- on every day during the feast of te.berne.cles, tors. e.ltogether more the.n a thouse.nd in the course The practice of concluding important docu- of the yee.r ; e.nd re.ms and bullocks being ments with maledictions was common to the joined with the le.mbs on the more solemn Persians, with thE Assyrians, Babylonians, occasions. The only other ordinary sacrificial and others (see ' Records of the PMt,' vol. e.nimal we.s "ft kid of the goe.ts." Whef1t, i. pp. 53, 105, 126 ; voL v. p. 26 ; voL vii salt, wine, and oil were needed for the "mee.t pp. 19, 20, 56 ; vol. ix. pp. 35, 36, 96, 100 offerings" 'by which every burnt offering was 107, &c.).
HOMILETICS. Vere. 1-12.-0pposition silenced. The letter of Tatnai and his c.ump11t1ions to Darius, the contents of which are given ue in eh. v. 7-17, seems to have led to some dise.ppointment 11t first spe"king, i. e., from the point of view of the EZRA ~ 82 THE BOOK OF EZRA. [CH. VI, l'..__12,