Ezra 6:22

“And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy, etc.] Which immediately followed upon the passover, (<021218>Exodus 12:18,19), for the Lord had made them joyful; the building of the temple being finished, and the service of it restored to its original purity; and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel; by giving them leave to go on in building the temple, and by encouraging and assisting them in it till they had finished it; this was Darius Artaxerxes, who, though called king of Persia, was also king of Assyria, being possessed of the Assyrian monarchy, as his predecessors were upon the…”

“kept the feast . . . with joy: for the Lord . . . turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them--that is, king of the Persian empire, which now included the possessions, and had surpassed the glory, of Assyria. The favorable disposition which Darius had evinced towards the Jews secured them peace and prosperity and the privileges of their own religion during the rest of his reign. The religious joy that so remarkably characterized the celebration of this feast, was testified by expressions of lively gratitude to God, whose overruling power and converting grace had produced so marvellous a change in the hearts of the mighty potentates, and disposed them, pagans though they were, to aid…”

“The king of Assyria - i. e., Darius. Assyria had so long been the great monarchy of western Asia that the sacred writers continue the title to those who had inherited the old Assyrian power, as first to the Babylonians 2 Kings 23:29, and secondly to the Persians. With similar inexactness we find Herodotus calling Cyrus “king of the Medes.” return to 'Top of Page' Footnotes: Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Bibliographical Information Barnes, Albert. "Commentary on Ezra 6". "Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/bnb/ezra-6.html. 1870. StudyLight.org &copy;&#160;2001-2026 Powered by Lightspeed Technology”

“Joyful - He had given them both cause to rejoice, and hearts to rejoice. God is the fountain whence all the streams of true joy flow. Of Assyria - Of the king of Persia, who was now king of Assyria also, here so called emphatically, to note the great power and goodness of God in turning the hearts of these great monarchs, whose predecessors had been the chief persecutors and oppressors of God's people. Next: Ezra Chapter 7”

“6:22 Passover was the beginning of the seven-day Festival of Unleavened Bread (see Exod 12:15-20; Lev 23:6-8), a time of feasting in remembrance of the unleavened bread eaten when Israel left Egypt. • the Lord had caused: Although Darius I was the powerful king of a vast empire, God directed his heart to help rebuild the Temple of God.”

“the feast: Exo 12:15-20, Exo 13:6, Exo 13:7; Ch2 30:21, Ch2 35:17; Mat 26:17; Co1 5:7, Co1 5:8 turned: Ezr 7:27; Pro 16:7, Pro 21:1; Joh 19:11 the king: Darius, as reigning over the country of Assyria, is here called "the king of Assyria." Ezr 6:6-12, Ezr 1:1; Kg2 23:29; Ch2 33:11; Zac 10:10, Zac 10:11 Next: Ezra Chapter 7”