When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men, to pray before the LORD,
Ver. 2. When they had sent] They? who? Not the princes of Persia, that were now proselyted, as the vain glorious Jews (and after them Haymo and Hugo) would have it, for the honour of their nation, nor the Samaritans (as some in Theodoret held), as seeming to Judaize in part, to join Jewish ceremonies with heathenish rites; but either the Jews yet remaining in Babylon, as Calvin conceiveth (blaming them for their sloth in not returning when they might, and yet commending them for this, that they had not cast off all care of God's sincere service), or else the whole body of the Jews returned, as Junius determineth; or, lastly, some particular man not named, who is brought in, Zechariah 7:3, saying, "Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself," &c. But that may be an ordinary analogy, the singular for the plural; especially since the embassy was sent in the name of the whole congregation.
Unto the house of God] Not to Bethel, as the Septuagint translateth here, nor from Bethel (as the Chaldee), though that is better than the former, and more likely; but, to the house of God, that is, to the temple, which was now well nigh finished; and that gave occasion to the question here propounded.
Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men] That is, their train: for they were men of rank and fashion; as it was fit they should be in such a weighty employment. And here the Septuagint, by their corrupt translating of the text, have caused a strange coil among those that strive to defend them. It is said that they translated against their will; and therefore what can we expect from them but slippery doing? It is most sure that the translation of theirs which we now have, is full of errors; and that they pervert various clear prophecies concerning Jesus Christ, and have occasioned many mistakes, being themselves many times grossly mistaken, as here; unless they did it wilfully. Some learned men think that the Septuagint that we have now, is not theirs. It was burned by Dioclesian (as some hold) in the library of Alexandria, or (as others) by Julius Caesar, when he burnt Serapion.
To pray before the Lord] Heb. to entreat the face of the Lord, sc. by prayers and sacrifices in the most solemn sort. The Hebrew properly signifieth to weary the Lord with prayers, to seize upon him with utmost importunity, to give him no rest until he yield, to urge him (as they did the prophet, 2Ki 2:17) until he be ashamed to deny, till we put him to the blush, or leave a blot in his face (as she, Luk 18:5), unless we may prevail. This must be done, especially when we are to converse with prophets about soul businesses, cases of conscience.