EZRA.
PART FIRST.
THE CAPTIVITY ENDED AND THE TEMPLE REBUILT.
i. 1-vi. 22.
§ I. A
CARAVAN OF THE
CAPTIVES
RETURN.
i. 1-ii. 70.
1. The Decree of Cyrus.
i. 1-4.
- Who was Cyrus?
1.
- What word by Jeremiah?
1.
- How had Jehovah charged him?
2,
cf. Is. xliv. 24-xlv. 7.
- How had he obtained his accurate information? Cf.
Dan. ix. 2, 3.
- Who permitted to go?
3, 4.
- Why expect his subjects to make offerings?
4.
2. A Caravan Formed and Presents Given Them.
5-11.
- Why men of Judah, Benjamin and Levi, first to move?
5.
- Meaning of, "they that were round about them"?
6.
- How had the holy vessels been preserved so long?
7.
- Why so many of them?
- Who was Sheshbazzar?
8, cf. v. 2.
- Do the figures agree?
11, cf. 9, 10.
3. The Families Named and Numbered.
ii. 1-67.
- Why these given?
- The care as to genealogies?
59-63.
- Whole number of persons?
64, 65.
- Why the preponderance of asses among their animals?
66, 67.
- How does the number of persons compare with numbers previously given?
- Cause of the discrepancy? [124]
4. They Make Offerings for the Temple, and Return to Their
Former Cities.
68-70.
- What is a daric?
6, cf. I. Chron. xxix. 7.
- What is a pound?
- How able to make such offerings?
- Why go at once to their cities?
70.
- Who the Nethinim?
70.
§ II.
WORSHIP
RENEWED AND THE
TEMPLE
BEGUN.
iii. 1-13.
1. The Offerings and Festivals Renewed.
iii. 1-7.
- Why wait till the seventh month?
1, cf. ii. 70.
- Who the chief priest?
2.
- What altar?
3, cf. 2.
- How could they conduct the services without a temple?
2. The Foundation of the Temple Laid.
8-13.
§ III.
THE
WORK
SUSPENDED.
iv. 1-24.
1. A Proposal from the Samaritans Rejected.
iv. 1-6.
- Why the proposal rejected?
- Why the subsequent enmity?
- Why their appeal to Ahasuerus ineffectual?
6.
2. The Adversaries Appeal to Artaxerxes.
7-17.
- Who was this king? See Rawlinson, cf. Bible Commentary,
Ezekiel, IV.
- Meaning of, "eat the salt of the palace"?
14.
- Was it true that the Jews were building the city?
12.
- What [125]
truth in their account of the city?
15.
- Meaning of, "no portion beyond the river"?
16.
3. An Order for Suspension.
18-24.
- How long the suspension? See Rawlinson.
- What inferred as to national records?
§ IV.
THE
WORK
RESUMED AND
COMPLETED.
v. 1-vi. 22.
1. The Prophets Exhort and the Work Is Resumed.
v. 1-5.
2. A Letter of Inquiry Sent to Darius.
6-17.
- Who was Tatnai?
6.
- Difference from the letter to Artaxerxes? Cf.
vi. 7-16.
3. The King's Reply.
vi. 1-12.
- Meaning of, "house of the archives"?
1.
- Where was Achmetha? and why was the roll there?
2.
- Why was Darius so favorable to the Jews?
4. The House Completed and Dedicated.
13-18.
- What Artaxerxes? and what had he to do with it?
14, cf. vii. 22.
- How long since the foundation was laid?
15, cf. iii. 8.
[Cyrus; 7 y's. - 2 y.'s = 5 y's. + Cambyses; 7½ y's. + Gomates;
½ + Darius; 6 y's. = 19 y's.]
5. The Passover Kept.
19-22.
[126]
- Why did the priests and Levites now kill the passover?
20.
- What two classes of Israelites took part?
21.
- Why is Darius here called, "the king of Assyria"?
22, cf. iv. 22.
PART SECOND.
THE RETURN OF EZRA, AND HIS PUBLIC LABORS.
vii. 1-x. 44.
§ I.
HE
IS
COMMISSIONED TO
RE-ESTABLISH THE
LAW IN
JUDAH.
vii. 1-28.
1. An Account of Ezra and His Journey.
vii. 1-10.
- Is the genealogy full?
1-5,
cf. I. Chron. vi. 50-52; iv. 15.
- What of Seraiah?
1,
cf. II. Ki. xxv. 18-21.
- Meaning of, "ready scribe in the law of Moses"?
6.
- How long this after finishing the temple?
7.
[See note under vi. 15, and add Darius, 30 y's.
+ Xerxes, 21 y's. + Artaxerxes, 6 ys. = 57 y's.]
- How long on the journey?
9.
- His special purpose in returning?
10.
- Meaning of, "seek the law of Jehovah"?
10.
HAGGAI AND
ZECHARIAH
(1.) Haggai's First Message.
Hag. i. 1-11.
- Was this before or after the decree of Darius?
1, cf. Ez. v. 1-3.
- Why rebuke the delay, when the king had ordered them to stop?
4, cf. Ez. iv. 24.
- Why should the drought put them to [127]
building?
4-6.
- Meaning of reference to a bag with holes.
6.
(2.) Effect on the People.
12-15.
- How long after the prophet's message?
15, cf. 1.
- Had they yet heard from Darius?
(3.) A Second Message, Predicting the Superior Glory of This
House.
ii. 1-9.
(4.) A Third Message Promising Abundance.
10-19.
- What the interval?
10, cf. 1.
- What the condition of the crops?
16.
- Why the people unclean?
11-14.
- Meaning of
16?
(5.) A Fourth Message the Same Day.
20-23.
(6.) Zechariah's First Message.
Zech. i. 1-6.
(7.) Eight Visions to Encourage the Building.
i. 7-vi. 8.
((1.)) Vision of horses, showing peace in the earth, and mercy
toward Jerusalem.
i. 7-17.
((2.)) Vision of four horns, and four smiths.
18-21.
((3.)) Vision of a man with a measuring line.
ii. 1-13.
[128]
- Zechariah's age?
4.
- Figure of, "apple of his eye"?
8.
((4.)) Vision of Joshua and Satan.
iii. 1-10.
((5.)) Vision of the lamps and olive trees.
iv. 1-14.
((6.)) Vision of a flying roll.
v. 1-4.
- Why this especial warning of thieves and perjurers?
((7.)) Vision of the ephah.
5-11.
- How could the woman sit in the ephah?
7.
- Why taken to the land of Shinar?
11.
((8.)) Vision of the four chariots.
vi. 1-8.
2. Ezra's Letter of Authority.
11-26.
- The language of this letter?
12,
cf. margin.
- Whence had he obtained the law of God?
14.
- How did the king know so much about the ritual of the temple?
vii. 27, 24,
cf. viii. 22.
- What prompted his liberality?
21, 22, cf. 23.
- Why the exemption from taxation?
24.
- How could he risk the enforcement of God's law?
25, 26.
3. Ezra's Thanksgiving.
27, 28.
- What does this indicate as to the authorship of this book?
- What gather "chief men" to go with him?
28.
[129]
§ II.
HIS
CARAVAN AND
HIS
JOURNEY.
viii. 1-36.
1. The Families of His Caravan.
viii. 1-14.
- How many males? [Ans. One thousand four hundred and ninety-six.]
2. Some Levites Enlisted.
15-20.
- How many? [Thirty-eight Levites and two hundred and twenty Nethinim.]
- Why slow to move?
- Where was Ahava? and why the halt?
15, 21.
[It was eighty miles up the river.]
3. A Fast, and Prayer for a Prosperous Journey.
21-33.
- Why did they fast?
21.
- Did he reason correctly about the military escort?
22.
4. Twelve Treasurers Appointed.
24-30.
5. The Journey Completed, and the Accounts Rendered.
31-36.
- How did God deliver them?
31.
- How was the account tested?
33, 34.
- Purpose of the offerings?
35.
- How was Israel regarded by neighboring rulers?
36.
§ III.
EZRA
SUPPRESSES
UNLAWFUL
MARRIAGES.
ix. 1-x. 44.
1. Unlawful Marriages Are Reported to Him.
ix. 1-4.
- What class of princes made the report?
1, cf. 4.
- Why Ezra's desperation?
3.
2. Ezra's Confession of the People's Guilt.
5-15.
- Why no petition in the prayer? [130]
3. A Reformation Proposed by Shechaniah.
x. 1-5.
- Why so ready a response from the people?
1, 4.
4. The Reformation Effected.
6-17.
- Why the great rain?
9.
- Why did all tremble?
9.
- Why must the elders and judges come?
14.
- Why did four oppose the movement?
15.
- How long to complete the work?
16.
5. The Names of Those Who Put Away Their Wives.
18-44.
- Could this reform have been effected, had the law been newly
devised by Ezra?
REVIEW.
EZRA.
- Into what parts is the book divided? and what interval of time between them?
- What circumstances led to the movement of the first caravan?
- How long was this after the captivity of Jehoiachin?
- What given to them by Cyrus? and why?
- Number in the caravan?
- What was first done toward the restoration of the worship?
- Describe the laying of the foundation of the temple.
- What the machinations of the Samaritans, and their success?
- What led to the renewal of the work?
- What, to the royal approval?
- Time occupied in building?
- When was the passover renewed?
- Who was Ezra?
- With what purpose? and under what [131]
commission did he return to Jerusalem?
- Was it the religious, or the civil code of Moses, which he came to
re-establish?
- How did his caravan compare in numbers with that under Zerubbabel?
- How did he reason in regard to safety on the journey?
- What precaution did he take in regard to the treasures which he brought?
- What was the first violated law that he enforced?
- What distress in regard to it? and why?
- Why did the people consent? [132]
[CNSH2 124-132]
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