“They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.”
My Notes
What Does Ezra 3:7 Mean?
"They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia." The returned exiles begin rebuilding the temple by paying workers and commissioning materials — the same supply chain Solomon used (cedar from Lebanon, shipped through Tyre and Sidon to Joppa). The parallel with Solomon's temple construction is deliberate: they're rebuilding using the same methods and materials, retracing the footsteps of the original builders.
The phrase "according to the grant of Cyrus" shows the rebuilding operating under Persian authorization. The same empire that conquered Babylon now funds the temple's reconstruction. God uses the very system that held Israel captive to finance Israel's restoration.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What 'temple' in your life is God rebuilding using resources from unexpected sources?
- 2.How does the Persian-funded restoration of a Babylonian-destroyed temple demonstrate God's sovereignty over empires?
- 3.What does rebuilding with the 'same supply chain' (same materials, same route) teach about God's restoration methods?
- 4.Where are you seeing God use the very systems that caused your captivity to fund your restoration?
Devotional
Cedar from Lebanon. Shipped from Tyre to Joppa. Paid for with money authorized by a Persian king. The exiles are rebuilding the temple using the exact same supply chain Solomon used — same wood, same ports, same route. Three generations after Nebuchadnezzar demolished it.
The parallels with Solomon's construction are intentional and emotional. These returned exiles knew the stories. They knew Solomon hired Tyre's craftsmen and floated cedar down the coast. And now they're doing the same thing — on a smaller scale, with fewer resources, under foreign authority, but with the same raw materials and the same route. The rebuilding retraces the original building.
The grant of Cyrus means the Persian Empire is funding the reconstruction of the very temple Babylon destroyed. Think about that: the superpower that conquered the superpower that destroyed the temple is now paying to rebuild it. God uses the conquering empire to reverse the conquered empire's damage. The money that flows from Persia to Jerusalem is reparations processed through divine sovereignty.
This is how God works in history: patiently, through political systems, using the resources of the powerful to restore what the powerful destroyed. Cyrus doesn't know he's fulfilling prophecy (Isaiah 44:28). He thinks he's making good policy. And he is — but the policy serves purposes he can't see.
Every cedar beam floating from Lebanon to Joppa is a declaration: what was destroyed is being rebuilt. What was lost is being restored. And the money for the rebuilding is coming from the very system that once held God's people in chains.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
They gave money also to the masons, and to the carpenters,.... To buy stone and timber with for the building of the…
According to the grant - i. e., in accordance with the permission granted them by Cyrus to rebuild their temple Ezr…
They gave money also - They copied the conduct of Solomon while he was building his temple; see Kg1 5:11. He employed…
Here is, I. A general assembly of the returned Israelites at Jerusalem, in the seventh month, Ezr 3:1. We may suppose…
First steps taken towards the Rebuilding of the Temple
the masons The stone for the Temple was excavated from the hill…
Cross References
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