“And some of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the house of the LORD which is at Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in his place:”
My Notes
What Does Ezra 2:68 Mean?
"And some of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the house of the LORD which is at Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in his place." The returning exiles arrive at the Temple site — now ruins — and immediately offer freewill contributions to rebuild it. The response to seeing the destroyed house of God is not despair but generosity. The ruins inspire giving, not paralysis.
The phrase "offered freely" (hitnadvu — from nadav, to volunteer, to give willingly) means the contributions were spontaneous and voluntary, not commanded or coerced. The sight of what was destroyed produced voluntary generosity. Nobody had to mandate the giving. The need itself motivated the response.
The purpose — "to set it up in his place" — means to re-establish the Temple on its original foundation. The rebuilding isn't relocation. It's restoration. The house of God goes back where it was. The place God chose remains God's place, even after destruction. The ruins don't change the address.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What ruins are you standing before — and is your first response generosity or paralysis?
- 2.How does 'offered freely' — voluntary, uncoerced giving — differ from obligatory contributions?
- 3.What does 'set it up in his place' teach about God's purposes surviving destruction?
- 4.What would giving toward rebuilding look like before the blueprint is even drawn?
Devotional
They saw the ruins — and they gave. The chief of the fathers arrived at the destroyed Temple site and their immediate response was freewill offerings. Not mourning committees. Not feasibility studies. Generosity. The destruction they saw produced the giving that would fund the restoration.
The 'offered freely' is the key detail: nobody commanded this. The giving was voluntary — springing from hearts moved by what they saw. The ruins of God's house moved them more than any sermon could. Sometimes the most powerful motivator for generosity is simply seeing the need clearly. The destruction was the sermon. The offering was the response.
The 'to set it up in his place' carries enormous theological weight: the Temple goes back where it was. The place hasn't changed. The address God chose before the exile is still the address God claims after the exile. Destruction didn't relocate God's purpose. The ruins sit on holy ground that remains holy ground. The rebuilding isn't finding a new place — it's restoring the original one.
The returning exiles model the first response to destruction: give toward rebuilding. Before the plans are drawn, before the foundation is laid, before the construction begins — the giving starts. The generosity precedes the architecture. The willingness precedes the blueprint.
What ruins in your life are you standing before — and is your first response to give toward rebuilding or to stand paralyzed by the destruction?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Here is, I. The sum total of the company that returned out of Babylon. The particular sums before mentioned amount not…
This passage is given in greater accuracy of detail in Neh 7:70-72.
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture