Ezra
This book details the events of a very interesting period of the Sacred History, when, according to the decree of Providence, the Jewish people were to be delivered from their captivity, at the expiration of seventy years, and restored to the land of their fathers. This book informs us how the Divine goodness accomplished this most gracious design, and the movers and agents He employed on the occasion. Ezra was undoubtedly the chief agent under God in effecting this arduous work; and his zeal, piety, knowledge, and discretion, appear here in a most conspicuous point of view, and claim our utmost admiration. Descended from Seraiah, in a direct line from Aaron, he seems to have united all the requisites of a profound statesmen with the functions of the sacerdotal character. He appears to have made the Sacred Scriptures, during the captivity, his peculiar study; and, perhaps assisted by Nehemiah and the great synagogue, he corrected the errors which had crept into the Sacred Writings, through the negligence or mistake of transcribers; he collected all the books of which the Sacred Scriptures then consisted, disposed them in their proper order, and settled the canon of Scriptures for his time; he occasionally added, under the dictation of the Holy Spirit, whatever appeared necessary for the purpose of illustrating, completing, or connecting them; he substituted the modern for the ancient names of some places, which had now become obsolete; and transcribed the whole of the Scriptures into the Chaldee character. He is said to have lived to the age of 120 years, and, according to Josephus, was buried in Jerusalem; but the Jews believe he died in Persia, in a second journey to Artaxerxes, where his tomb is shown in the city of Zamusa. Though not styled a prophet, he wrote under the Divine Spirit; and the canonical authority of his book has never been disputed. It is written with all the spirit and fidelity that could be displayed by a writer of contemporary times; and those parts which chiefly consist of letters, decrees, etc., are written in Chaldee, because it seemed more suitable to the fidelity of a sacred historian to give these official documents, as they may be termed, in the original language, especially as the people, recently returned from the captivity, were familiar, and perhaps more conversant with the Chaldee, than with the Hebrew.
Ezra 1
Overview
1:1 The proclamation of Cyrus for the building of the temple;
1:5 The people provide for their return;
1:7 Cyrus restores the vessels of the temple to Sheshbazzar. Verse 1 Now in the 2 Chronicles 36:22, 36:23 CyrusCyrus is said to have been the son of Cambyses, king of Persia, and Mandane, daughter of Astyages, king of Media: he was born about 600 years before Christ, and died at the age of 70, after a reign of 30 years. He was mentioned by name, and his conquests foretold, by the prophet Isaiah, about a century before his birth. Josephus states the partiality he evinced towards the Jews, arose from the circumstance of these prophecies being shown him, probably by Daniel.by the mouth Jeremiah 25:12-14, 29:10, 33:7-13 the Lord Ezra 5:13-15, 6:22, 7:27; Psalm 106:46; Proverbs 21:1; Daniel 2:1 made a proclamationHeb. caused a voice to pass, Matthew 3:1-3; John 1:23 Reciprocal Deuteronomy 30:3 - gather thee; 1 Kings 8:34 - forgive the sin; 11:23 - God; 2 Chronicles 6:25 - forgive the sin; 18:31 - God moved them; 21:16 - the Lord; 36:20 - until the reign; Ezra 1:5 - whose spirit; 4:3 - king Cyrus; 6:3 - the first year; 6:14 - Cyrus; 9:9 - in the sight; 10:7 - they made; Nehemiah 1:11 - grant; Psalm 102:13 - the set; 126:1 - turned again; Isaiah 13:3 - them that; 40:9 - General; 41:27 - I will give; 44:28 - saying; 45:1 - to subdue; Jeremiah 27:22 - until; 50:9 - I will raise; 51:11 - the Lord hath; Ezekiel 37:12 - and bring; Daniel 6:25 - king; 6:28 - and in; 10:1 - Cyrus; Micah 4:10 - there shalt; Haggai 1:14 - stirred; Matthew 1:22 - that; 21:3 - straightway; Acts 7:23 - it came; Philippians 2:13 - to will Verse 2 Lord God 1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chronicles 2:12; Isaiah 66:1; Jeremiah 10:11; Daniel 2:21, 2:28, 5:23 hath given Jeremiah 27:6, 27:7; Daniel 2:37, 2:38, 4:25, 4:32, 5:19-21 all the kingdomsAccording to the testimony of ancient writers, Cyrus, at this time, reigned over the Medes, Persians, Hyrcanians, Syrians, Assyrians, Indians, etc., and all lesser Asia.he hath charged Isaiah 44:26-28, 45:1, 45:12, 45:13 Reciprocal Genesis 24:7 - Lord; Deuteronomy 2:24 - behold; Ezra 5:8 - the great God; 5:15 - let the house; Esther 1:3 - of Persia; Psalm 145:6 - And men; Isaiah 14:17 - opened not the house of his prisoners; 40:9 - General; 41:2 - gave; 41:25 - shall he call; 41:27 - I will give; 44:8 - ye are; 45:3 - that thou; 45:5 - I girded thee; 46:11 - the man; 49:23 - kings; Jeremiah 25:12 - when; 27:5 - and have; 29:10 - after; 50:9 - I will raise; Daniel 6:25 - king; 6:28 - and in; 8:3 - one; 10:1 - Cyrus; Jonah 1:9 - the God; Micah 4:10 - there shalt; Revelation 16:11 - the God Verse 3 his God Joshua 1:9; 1 Chronicles 28:20; Matthew 28:20 he is the God Deuteronomy 32:31; Psalm 83:18; Isaiah 45:5; Jeremiah 10:10; Daniel 2:47, 6:26; Acts 10:36 Reciprocal Leviticus 25:10 - proclaim; Ezra 5:3 - Who hath commanded you; 5:8 - the great God; 7:13 - minded; 7:14 - thy God; Esther 3:4 - he had told; Isaiah 41:25 - shall he call; 45:13 - he shall build; Jeremiah 51:50 - remember; Daniel 3:28 - Blessed Verse 4 let the men Ezra 7:16-18; Acts 24:17; 3 John 1:6-8 help himHeb. lift him up, Ecclesiastes 4:9, 4:10; Galatians 6:2 the freewill Ezra 2:68-70; 1 Chronicles 29:3, 29:9, 29:17 Reciprocal 29:5 - General; 2 Chronicles 29:31 - and as many; 31:14 - the freewill; Ezra 1:6 - willingly offered; Psalm 28:9 - lift; Ezekiel 46:12 - a voluntary Verse 5 whose spirit Ezra 1:1; 2 Chronicles 36:22; Nehemiah 2:12; Proverbs 16:1; 2 Corinthians 8:16; Philippians 2:13; James 1:16, 1:17; 3 John 1:11 Reciprocal Exodus 35:21 - General; 1 Samuel 10:26 - whose hearts; 1 Chronicles 5:26 - stirred up; 2 Chronicles 21:16 - the Lord; Ezra 4:2 - Zerubbabel; 8:1 - the chief; Psalm 102:14 - General; Isaiah 49:17 - children; 51:14 - captive; Jeremiah 31:6 - Arise; 31:16 - they; Ezekiel 45:17 - the prince's; Haggai 1:14 - stirred; Matthew 21:3 - straightway; Acts 7:23 - it came Verse 6 strengthened their handsthat is, helped them, Ezra 7:15, 7:16, 8:25-28, 8:33 willingly offered 1:4; Psalm 110:3; 2 Corinthians 9:7 Reciprocal Genesis 24:53 - precious; Exodus 25:2 - willingly; 35:21 - General; 2 Kings 12:4 - and all the money; 2 Chronicles 35:8 - his princes; Ecclesiastes 10:19 - but; Acts 18:23 - strengthening; 2 Timothy 2:20 - vessels Verse 7 Also Cyrus Ezra 5:14, 6:5 Nebuchadnezzar 2 Kings 24:13, 25:13-16; 2 Chronicles 36:7, 36:10, 36:18; Jeremiah 27:21, 27:22, 28:3-6; Daniel 1:2; 5:2, 5:3, 5:23 Reciprocal Judges 17:5 - an house of gods; 2 Chronicles 4:19 - all the vessels; Ezra 8:28 - the vessels; 9:9 - in the sight; Isaiah 52:11 - be; Jeremiah 50:2 - her idols; 51:44 - I will bring; Daniel 10:1 - Cyrus Verse 8 Sheshbazzar Ezra 1:11, 5:14, 5:16; Haggai 1:1, 1:14, 2:2-4; Zechariah 4:6-10 Reciprocal Ezra 6:5 - the golden; 8:25 - weighed; Daniel 10:1 - Cyrus Verse 9 chargers of gold Numbers 7:13, 7:19-89; 1 Kings 7:50; 2 Chronicles 4:8, 4:11, 4:21, 4:22, 24:14; Matthew 14:8 nine 10:29-31 Reciprocal Exodus 25:29 - the; 2 Kings 12:13 - bowls; 25:15 - and such things Verse 10 Reciprocal Numbers 7:13 - charger; Jeremiah 52:18 - bowls Verse 11 the vessels Romans 9:23; 2 Timothy 2:19-21 five thousandInstead of 5,400, the enumeration of the articles in 2:9, 2:10, only amounts to 2,499; but in the account, Esdras 2:13, 2:14, the amount is 5,469, as will be evident from the following statements:

In Ezra | In Esdras
Gold chargers | 30 | Gold cups | 1,000
Silver chargers | 1,000 | Silver cups | 1,000
Knives | 29 | Silver censers | 29
Gold basons | 30 | Gold vials | 30
Silver basons | 410 | Silver vials | 2,410
Other vessels | 1,000 | Other vessels | 1,000
Said to be | 5,400 | Total | 5,469
But only | 2,499 |  |
Deficiency | 2,901 | Surplus | 69

It is supposed that they actually amounted to 5,400, but that only the chief of there specified, the spoons, etc. being omitted.captivityHeb. transportation, Matthew 1:11, 1:12 Reciprocal Ezra 1:8 - Sheshbazzar; 2:2 - Zerubbabel; 4:1 - children of the captivity; 5:14 - Sheshbazzar; Psalm 85:1 - thou hast; Jeremiah 27:22 - then