The Return From Exile Of A Portion Of The Babylonian Exiles Together With The Temple Vessels (Ezra 1:5-10). .
We are informed of the return of the Babylonian exiles mainly because it was with them that the Temple vessels were restored to Jerusalem, but they were probably not the only exiles who returned. It must be considered questionable whether, in view of the widespread nature of the proclamation, there would have been no other returnees from among the large number who had been carried into exile over the previous two hundred years. But such probably returned in small numbers. Nor did all the returnees from Babylon necessarily return as one party.
‘Then rose up the heads of fathers (houses) of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, even all whose spirit God had stirred to go up to build the house of YHWH which is in Jerusalem.'
Once again, as with Cyrus in Ezra 1:2, God ‘stirs up the spirit' of men in the carrying forward of His purposes, in this case the building of the house of YHWH in Jerusalem. This need not mean that all who were stirred went at one time. In view of the widespread nature of the proclamation (see Ezra 1:1-3) we can be sure that there were a series of groups which made their way to Jerusalem over a period from different parts. But the concentration here is on those who were entrusted with the Temple vessels. They consisted of priests, Levites, and members of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, whose leaders were stirred in their spirits to respond to the call of God, presumably from among the exiles settled in Babylonia, some of whom had been ministered to by Ezekiel.
‘And all those who were round about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with domestic animals, and with precious things, besides all which was willingly offered.'
‘All those round about' probably signifies Jews who were remaining, those whose spirits had not been stirred up. Many would have settled and become prosperous, and would have no desire to return. Compare in this respect Ezra 1:4 where, among other gifts, the freewill offering to the Temple is mentioned, something which would be given by Jews.
But it is probably worded in this way in order to indicate a deliberate parallel with Exodus 11:2-3; Exodus 12:35-36, the writer seeing this as a new Exodus. (There is, however, in this case no reason why non-Jews should have given financial support, unless they did so in response to Cyrus' decree). Note how the list of things also largely parallels Ezra 1:4, although here there is a mention of ‘vessels of silver'. This may suggest the memory of an eyewitness, for while the parallels in Exodus 3:22; Exodus 11:2-3; Exodus 12:35-36 may be in mind, if that were the case we would expect here ‘vessels of gold' as well as ‘vessels of silver'. ‘Precious things' are introduced additionally, whilst ‘the freewill offering for the house of God' are rather expressed as ‘all which was willingly offered'. The differences are against the idea that this verse was simply the composition made by a later writer based on Cyrus' decree. They rather indicate a contemporary writer who remembers the excitement of the occasion as wealth poured in.
‘Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of YHWH, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put in the house of his gods, even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.'
In the case of the Jews Cyrus was unable to return their gods to them, for they had no images of gods. He therefore rather bestowed on them the vessels of the house of YHWH that Nebuchadnezzar had appropriated from Jerusalem in order to place them in the house of his gods. He would have seen them as evidence that his gods had triumphed. These were produced ‘by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer', who counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the ‘prince' (recognised tribal head) of Judah. Mithredath (‘given by Mithra') is a good Persian name, being connected with Mithra, the Persian god of light. The term ‘treasurer' is a Persian one.
‘Numbered them to Sheshbazzar.' The Persian treasurer counted out the Temple vessels to Sheshbazzar, the leader of the returning party, no doubt on the basis of an inventory, a copy of which was probably given to Sheshbazzar, who would no doubt have added his seal to both copies as evidence of having received them. They were valuable items and strict account would be kept.
The use of the title ‘prince of Judah' here (compare Numbers 1:14, ‘the princes of the tribes of their fathers'; Numbers 2:3 ‘prince of the children of Judah') indicates Sheshbazzar's position before he was appointed ‘governor' (Ezra 5:14) and probably Tirshatha (Ezra 2:63; Nehemiah 7:65; Nehemiah 7:70; compare Nehemiah 8:9; Nehemiah 10:1 where it is used of Nehemiah). He was appointed as ‘governor' because he was the recognised tribal leader of the main secular tribe who made up the number of the returnees. This description again hints at the reminiscence of a contemporary. Sheshbazzar (like Zerubbabel) is a good Babylonian name (Sassu-aba-usur - ‘may Sassu protect the father'). Many Jews had taken Babylonian names, especially if they had gained positions of authority.
‘And this is the number of them: thirty platters of gold, a thousand platters of silver, nine and twenty censers, thirty bowls of gold, silver bowls of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand.'
The details of the Temple vessels are now given. The terms used would appear to be technical ones, with some unknown to us, but there is no good reason for doubting that these details were taken from an official inventory, something which the use of loan words confirms. The word translated ‘platters' is a unique one, and with its five root consonants would appear to be a loan-word. There is no certainty as to its meaning. ‘Platters' is simply a guess. It could equally be another type of vessel.
The word translated ‘censers' (macalaphim) appears to be derived from the root ‘to change', or alternatively, ‘to pierce'. LXX translates ‘changes'. It may indicate ‘varieties'. 1EEsther 2:13 suggests ‘censers'. It will be noted that there is no indication of them being made of metal, e.g. gold or silver, which counts against a type of vessel, even though it is strange as to why knives should be introduced among the vessels. On the other hand it may be that the intention was that ‘silver' should also apply to these. If these were a special type of type of silver vessel or bowl (seen as of the first sort) it would explain the use of ‘a second sort' in relation to the silver bowls in contrast. The phrase ‘of a second sort' translates misnim, which means ‘double' or ‘second'. Some, however, see this word as indicating that something has dropped out of the text (reading it, for example, as ‘two thousand'). What is apparent is that there were ‘vessels' of various kinds which were on the whole strictly enumerated.
‘All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred.'
It is immediately apparent that this total is far higher than the sum of the figures give. But this is not unusual in such ancient lists where the important items are enumerated with the remainder not being mentioned although included in the total (compare the Alalakh texts). Furthermore we must bear in mind that the use of ‘a thousand' (occurring twice) may simply indicate ‘a large number', the common significance of ‘a thousand' when standing by itself in the Scriptures. Compare ‘the cattle on a thousand hills' (Psalms 50:10); ‘to a thousand generations' (Deuteronomy 7:9; 1 Chronicles 16:15; Psalms 105:8); ‘a thousand years' (Psalms 90:4; Ecclesiastes 6:6; 2 Peter 3:8; Revelation 20:2-7). This being so we do not necessarily have to look for scribal errors, although such may have occurred.
‘All these did Sheshbazzar bring up, when they of the captivity were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.'
The chapter ends triumphantly. All these vessels were brought up to Jerusalem by Sheshbazzar at the same time as the exiles returning from Babylon were brought up. ‘From Babylon to Jerusalem.' It was the reversal of the exile. It may be that it was because Sheshbazzar was the one who ‘brought up' the exiles to Jerusalem that he is not mentioned in the list of those who were so brought up in chapter 2.