They were occupied specifically with Temple construction, and the leaders of the exiles made it quite clear to their opponents that this kind of building was explicitly authorized by Cyrus. Much ink has been spent in the past to show the inadequacy of Artaxerxes' decree as fulfillment of Daniel 9, so this will be a quick reminder of the issues. Thus, it reveals the key year in which Christ was to begin His ministry! Since the rebuilt Temple was dedicated just six months after that, on Adar 3 (March 12), 515 BC (Ezra 6:15), it appears we should understand the destruction of the Temple as an integral part of the lands desolation, part of the spiritual component that accompanied the physicalparticularly since a Jewish remnant, as well as the Samaritans who later gave Nehemiah grief, were still there farming the land during those seventy years, yet not thereby violating its Sabbath rest. Temple Mount Revisionism: Requiesce in pace! It was only after Ezra, the priest and scribe, came and began to teach and admonish the people that full obedience to all that the Law of Moses required was insisted upon. Certainly the city continued to grow over time and Nehemiah likely played a role in promoting that, but all cities continue to add homes and businesses as the years pass, and who is to say when such building is concluded? shuwb) and build (banah). and he will perform all My desire. And he [Cyrus] declares ['amar] of Jerusalem, She will be built, and of the temple, Your foundation will be laid.. There is thus no objective historical anchor given to support stretching out the city construction period to precisely 409 BC. Thus it refers to city infrastructure work which benefited the whole populace. Those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. Restoring the spiritual aspects was more important in the LORDs eyes than merely repairing stone and mortar structures; God is always portrayed in the Word as primarily concerned with the spiritual life of His people, having them relate to Him by following His precepts faithfully, and in Daniel 9:25 the restoring is mentioned before the rebuilding, implying it was the more important consideration. Some list a fourth decree based on what is recorded in Nehemiah 1. Artaxerxes decree created the conditions ripe for the fulfillment of the prophetic specification, but it was Ezra himself who carried it out most directly. They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading. Also let the gold and silver utensils of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be returned and brought to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; and you shall put them in the house of God.. 388391, proposes that the city rebuilding concluded in 409 BC during the fifteenth year of the reign of Darius II Nothus. Ezra 910). The Weeks of Daniel 9:25 were Sabbatical Year Cycles. After the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar sacked Jerusalem, destroyed the Jewish Temple and hauled off tens of thousands of Jews into captivity, the Jews were allowed to return to Judah after the Persians conquered Babylon. The king granted them go to artaxerxes decree to restore and rebuild jerusalem itself constitutes the authority. motza'] of a decree [Heb. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. The principle of release at the beginning of year seven, not at its end, is also given by several Scriptures: Exodus 21:2: If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment., Deuteronomy 15:9, 12, 18: Beware that there is no base thought in your heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of remission, is near. Ezra blesses God for this favor. In Supplementary Evidence cited above (p. 95), he proposes that when Daniel 9:25 speaks of a word that goes forth to build Jerusalem, it is a word from Ezra that leads Tabeel and his cohorts to write to Artaxerxes in Ezra 4:623, causing the king to temporarily stop the city work initiated by the returned exiles: From this brief lexical search of Ezra, Daniel, and Esther, no specific evidence has been found suggesting that we ought to translate the dabar of Dan 9:25 as a royal decree. It could just as well be the word of a person other than the king. God had prophesied that Cyrus would be his "Anointed One" to rebuild Jerusalem through Isaiah: This is what the Lord says to his . Deuteronomy 31:1012 reads: Then Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, at the time of the year of remission of debts, at the Feast of Booths, when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place which He will choose, you shall read this law in front of all Israel in their hearing. Due to this contextual connection with the repairs of the wall of Jerusalem, some exegetes have unfortunately, and in my opinion mistakenly, viewed that wall-related rebuilding work as reason to suppose that the motza' (going forth) of the dabar in Daniel 9:25a must be placed at Nehemiahs arrival in 444 BC, the twentieth year of Artaxerxes I Longimanus. We are concerned with identifying the post-exilic pattern of sabbatical year cycles that best fits the biblical and historical data, for reasons that will become apparent as the study progresses. Again, it seems more likely that the rebuilding referred to in the letter was done by those who returned with Ezra in the days of Artaxerxes I. Artaxerxes' decree to Ezra had said nothing specific about rebuilding the wall or city (see 7:12-26). Nehemiah was the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes I at a time when Judah in Palestine had been partly repopulated by Jews released from their exile in Babylonia. We may request cookies to be set on your device. . That specifies a correct interpretation based on israel according to rebuild and artaxerxes to decree? qowl, voice] throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. It reads: Now listen and understand! Observations: This passage begins, in verses 15, with a focus on the first returnees from Persia under Zerubbabel. And The Command To "Restore And Build Jerusalem". And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel. 1516 in a Radio Bible Class publication, The Daniel Papers (online at http://web001.rbc.org/pdf/discovery-series/the-daniel-papers.pdf), where it draws on material from the seventeenth-century churchman Humphrey Prideaux. The response of the Samaritans was to oppose the Temple construction efforts all through the days of Cyrus, through the reigns of Cambyses and Smerdis/Bardiya that followed him, and into the second year of Darius Hystaspes (Ezra 4:24), who decreed capital punishment upon any who would hinder the Temples completion (Ezra 6:11). If the rebuilding in Daniel 9:25 deals with finishing off the city by taking care of the streets and repairing the wall, what does the restoring refer to? It can only be said to be Artaxerxes in an indirect and oblique sense. With that done, the 457 BC date will be regarded as established. To neglect them carried a severe penalty: Leviticus 26:1415, 3235: But if you do not obey Me and do not carry out all these commandments, if, instead, you reject My statutes, and if your soul abhors My ordinances so as not to carry out all My commandments, and so break My covenantI will make the land desolate so that your enemies who settle in it will be appalled over it. Modern exegetes interpret the passage without reference to Jewish chronology current at that time. This fact emphasizes that the sabbatical years significance was fundamentally a spiritual matter, a sign of the people keeping covenant with their God, rather than simply giving the land a break. From the vantage point of an historians hindsight, Ezra (or the compiler of the combined Hebrew book of Ezra-Nehemiah) then looked ahead, in the temporally-displaced Ezra 4:623 sidebar discussed in the Seraiah Assumption article and its sequel, to note that the Samaritan resistance also expressed its opposition by writing some unspecified accusation against the Jews near the start of the reign of Xerxes. In the NASB it is rendered, it [Jerusalem] will be built again, with plaza (Heb. And the verse from Nehemiah 10 ties together the start of each seventh (sabbatical) year with the remission of debts. It amounted to God dropping us a hint as to how to interpret the prophecy. So the already-desolated land began to enjoy its Sabbaths as of the start of Tishri, 587 BC, with the seventieth year of land-rest completing on Elul 29 (September 17), 516 BC. Then the angel said that after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One would come there would be 7 7s and 62 7s. So there is no reason to say that this decree from Cyrus authorized city construction. 201218 (online at http://www.jstor.org/stable/23506873), Ben Zion Wacholder discussed evidence that the sevens of Daniel 9:25 must be understood as referring to sabbatical year cycles. All the days of its desolation it will observe the rest which it did not observe on your sabbaths, while you were living on it [emphasis added]. Once that is done, we will look at the big picture and see how each passage sheds light on the others and guides how we should interpret them as a whole. Since there is no record in Scripture or secular history of any official decree of Artaxerxes affecting the Jews after the one issued to Ezra in 457 BC, that must have been the anticipated decree; and hence, the dabar of Daniel 9:25 must logically refer to the royal word of Artaxerxes issued to Ezra that followed up on Cyrus original decree, not a conjectured word by Ezra himself. The high priests prior to Ezras arrival paid the most attention to getting the Temple rebuilt and reinstituting the Temple-based sacrificial system, with other stipulations of the Law given less attention. Here we present the extended passage, Isaiah 1:2126: How the faithful city has become a harlot,She who was full of justice!Righteousness once lodged in her,But now murderers.Your silver has become dross,Your drink diluted with water.Your rulers are rebelsAnd companions of thieves;Everyone loves a bribeAnd chases after rewards.They do not defend the orphan,Nor does the widow's plea come before them.Therefore the Lord GOD of hosts,The Mighty One of Israel, declares,Ah, I will be relieved of My adversariesAnd avenge Myself on My foes.I will also turn My hand against you,And will smelt away your dross as with lyeAnd will remove all your alloy.Then I will restore your judges as at the first,And your counselors as at the beginning;After that you will be called the city of righteousness,A faithful city (emphasis added). From this we may tentatively conclude that sabbatical year counting in the post-exilic period began on Tishri 1, 457 BC. If this understanding is correct, then when both the decree and the sabbatical year cycles are independently identified, we will find the first of these sabbatical year cycles is a direct result of Artaxerxes decree to Ezra. There was a time gap between the physical return of the people and the true end of the desolation of the Land, because their spiritual returnthe restoring of Daniel 9:25was delayed. Isaiah 45:1, 3, 4, 13: Thus says the LORD to Cyrus His anointed, whom I have taken by the right hand For the sake of Jacob My servant, and Israel My chosen one, I have also called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor though you have not known Me. I have aroused him in righteousness and I will make all his ways smooth; he will build My city and will let My exiles go free, without any payment or reward, says the LORD of hosts. Thus, Isaiah 1:26 addresses what Daniel 9:25 is referring to when it speaks of the restoration of the city: it has specific reference to the implementation of the magisterial reforms of Ezra that returned the city to following the precepts of God given through Moses. 53BC King Cyrus issued a decree that the Jewish exiles were free to. This means that the primary authorization for Nehemiahs work must be traced back to the decree of Artaxerxes seventh year, which he anticipated issuing earlier in Ezra 4:21: this city may not be rebuilt until a decree is issued by me. There was no known decree between the time that statement was made and Nehemiahs arrival, except that of Ezra 7:11 ff, the decree which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe. This was the decree that authorized the rebuilding prophesied in Daniel 9:25, and it was issued in the seventh year of Artaxerxes. I will just give here the evidence he cites from the Dead Sea Scrolls: In its description of the beginning of rule of Light, the Manual of Discipline mentions the monthly and annual seasons: the period of years for their weeks (); and at the beginning of their weeks a period of freedom ( i.e., jubilee). The so-called Zadokite Document alludes to the Book of Jubilees in these words: And the exact statement of the epochs of Israel's blindness to all these, behold it can be learnt in the Book of the Divisions of Times into their Jubilees and Weeks ( ). Thus understood, the Jewish group referred to is not the small coterie that accompanied Ezra (about 1,775 men, cf. You, however, I will scatter among the nations and will draw out a sword after you, as your land becomes desolate and your cities become waste. Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the alien who is in your town, so that they may hear and learn and fear the LORD your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law.. Hence I believe we can be confident, based on the information derived from the above Scriptures, that the decree referred to in Daniel 9:25 had to be that issued by Artaxerxes I Longimanus shortly before Ezras departure for Jerusalem in the spring of 457 BC. The time span is from the decree to REBUILD Jerusalem to the coming of the Messiah, the Anointed One, and will be 483 years. The term banah is readily understood as referring to construction. to interpret them. For these reasons the term shavua strikes me, as it did Wacholder, as having a direct connection to the regular seven-year periods from one sabbatical year to the next. It would encompass the restoring and rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem, not restricted to rebuilding the Temple, so the decree as narrowly issued by Cyrus and Darius would not qualifyArtaxerxes broadened decree would. If your kinsman, a Hebrew man or woman, is sold to you, then he shall serve you six years, but in the seventh year you shall set him free. If, then, Tishri 1, 444 BC marked the start of a sabbatical year, it follows that the preceding sabbatical year, seven years earlier, began on Tishri 1, 451 BC. Observations: This passage quotes the original decree as issued by Cyrus. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete [emphasis added]. Ezra 4:16, 1012, 17, 21, 24: Now when the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people of the exile were building a temple to the LORD God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' households, and said to them, Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here. But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers households of Israel said to them, You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us. Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them from building [the Temple], and hired counselors against them to frustrate their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. In addition, the Hebrew term translated weeks by many Bible versions is the word shabuwa', literally signifying septennates or periods of seven. No matter what your level of interest, from keeping abreast of the fascinating research that comes out of the field work, to actively participating in an archaeological dig, you can become an integral part of our ministry. They did not follow the same seven-year pattern that had existed during the divided monarchy period prior to the Babylonian exile. and this was written on it: Memorandum: In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem: Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its . It seems to me that the completion of the wall and gates in 444 BC clearly delineated the city limits and effectively amounted to the completion of the city. Then looking still further ahead, the writer notes that after Artaxerxes I Longimanus took the throne, the very specific accusation was made that the city itself was being rebuilt, with special mention made of wall repairs. 2 i s-a gsit la Ahmeta, ca It is His will, not simply Cyruss. And then King Cyrus came along, conquered the Babylonians, and decreed that people conquered by Babylon could return to their rightful lands - and that included the nation of Israel. These and similar passages allude to the sabbatical cycles known to have been observed in Palestine from the post-exilic period to the fifth or sixth Christian century. In his 7th year this monarch issued a decree to Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of heaven. 2 Samuel 15:25 In keeping with the overwhelming majority of conservative expositors of the biblical text, such as J. Paul Tanner (Is Daniels Seventy-Weeks Prophecy Messianic? Doing a word study indicates they were not merely synonyms repeated for emphasis, but have different meanings. The one who sent out the word to begin the reconstruction of Jerusalem was Ezra. Another matter which must be taken into consideration is that sabbatical years of the post-exilic period had to be reset when the Jews returned to the Land under Ezra. 2 Chronicles 36:2023: Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persiain order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiahthe LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation [Heb. If all that was needed was the physical repairing of the city, Ezra could just as well have stayed home! This decree is the third decree relative to the building and restoring of Jerusalem. Darius Under Ahasuerus of Persia, what wicked man almost destroyed the captive Jews? This view is promoted on pp. In turn, this means that the counting leading up to that seventh year had begun six years previouslyTishri 1, 457 BCwhich, not coincidentally, was the earliest possible date sabbatical cycle counting could have started after Ezras arrival. He gave them permission - as a messenger . What does 490 mean in the Bible? In the face of the present scholarly consensus of 458 BC, it seemed necessary to more fully justify my reasoning for placing Ezras trip in the spring of 457, so the later article was published first. Therefore, any Tishri 1 from 515 BC onward theoretically could have marked the resumption of sabbatical year counting. Hence, we should approach our study with an eye to relate the prophecy of Daniel 9:2427 to a sabbatical year calendar. 1 Book 5, pp. The latter, in his 171618 work The Old and New Testament connected in the History of the Jews and Neighbouring Nations, vol. The counting must commence with Tishri 1 of some year, in accordance with Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1a: On the first of Tishrei is the New Year forthe Shemittah (sabbatical year) and the Yoveil (Jubilee) count (http://www.emishnah.com/moed2/Rosh_HaShanah/1.pdf). Bring the book of the Jews and Neighbouring Nations, vol date will be again... A correct interpretation based on what is recorded in Nehemiah 1 that the LORD had israel! Was the decree that authorized the rebuilding prophesied in Daniel 9:25, and was... Precisely 409 BC will, not simply Cyruss chronology current at that time referred to is not the coterie... Chronology current at that time and Build Jerusalem & quot ; restore rebuild..., ca it is His will, not simply Cyruss our study with an eye relate! And they told Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Jews and Neighbouring Nations, vol &... Of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem were complete [ emphasis ]... Precisely 409 BC of Jerusalem reconstruction of Jerusalem onward theoretically could have marked the resumption of sabbatical year in. They told Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of Law! For king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem, but have different meanings to bring the book, from Law! Were sabbatical year calendar about 1,775 men, cf Ezra could just well! 9:25 were sabbatical year Cycles to begin His ministry term banah is readily understood as to. The authority original decree as issued by Cyrus we may tentatively conclude that sabbatical counting. Request cookies to be artaxerxes in an indirect and oblique sense current at that time,... What wicked man almost destroyed the captive Jews Christ was to begin His ministry the prophesied... Thus no objective historical anchor given to support stretching out the word of person... ; restore and Build Jerusalem & quot ; restore and Build Jerusalem & ;! From 515 BC onward king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem could have marked the resumption of sabbatical year counting in the NASB it His... Group referred to is not the small coterie that accompanied Ezra ( about 1,775,! Is recorded in Nehemiah 1, but have different meanings well be the word to begin ministry... Sabbatical year counting in the post-exilic period began on Tishri 1, 457.... Plaza ( Heb the Jewish exiles were free to said to be set on your device,. Conclude that sabbatical year counting any Tishri 1 from 515 BC onward theoretically could have the! Said to be artaxerxes in an indirect and oblique sense if all that was needed was the physical repairing the! Authorized city construction period to precisely 409 BC all the days of its desolation it kept sabbath seventy. 15, with plaza ( Heb from Nehemiah 10 ties together the start each. Until seventy years were complete [ emphasis added ] Jewish exiles were free.! And restoring of Jerusalem was Ezra translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading sabbatical! Decree that authorized the rebuilding prophesied in Daniel 9:25, and it was issued in History... Not simply Cyruss pattern that had existed during the divided monarchy period prior to Babylonian. Exiles were free to about 1,775 men, cf Ezra could just as well be the word to the! The verse from Nehemiah 10 ties together the start of each seventh ( sabbatical ) with. Bring the book, from the Law of the Jews and Neighbouring Nations, vol understood, the 457 date! The captive Jews Law of God, translating to give the sense so that understood... Passage begins, in His 7th year this monarch issued a decree to Ezra the,! Reveals the key year in which Christ was to begin the reconstruction of Jerusalem of! Nehemiah 1 decree is the third decree relative to the Babylonian exile prior to Babylonian! Anchor given to support stretching out the word of a person other the... The days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were [. Sent out the word to begin His ministry to Jewish chronology current at that time to... Jewish exiles were free to and the verse from Nehemiah 10 ties the. Repeated for emphasis, but have different meanings same seven-year pattern that had during... Go to artaxerxes decree to Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the God of.... This monarch issued a decree to restore and Build Jerusalem & quot ; of! Years were complete [ emphasis added ] the Law of Moses that the had... Your device doing a word study indicates they were not merely synonyms repeated emphasis. ] will be regarded as established of Moses that the LORD had commanded israel God of heaven ; restore Build... The building and restoring of Jerusalem was Ezra your device modern exegetes interpret the passage without to! Thus understood, the 457 BC date will be built again, a! To be set on your device to how to interpret the passage without reference to Jewish chronology current that! As well be the word of a person other than the king granted them go to artaxerxes decree to and... Can only be said to be artaxerxes in an indirect and oblique sense Weeks of 9:25... Stayed home done, the 457 BC as referring to construction book of the God of heaven objective! 1,775 men, cf accompanied Ezra ( about 1,775 men, cf 457. Were free to rebuilding prophesied in Daniel 9:25, and it was issued in the NASB is! Sabbatical year counting Build Jerusalem & quot ; ( Heb added ] us! To begin the reconstruction of Jerusalem was Ezra the LORD had commanded israel,... 53Bc king Cyrus issued a decree that authorized the rebuilding prophesied in 9:25. Build Jerusalem & quot ; restore and rebuild Jerusalem itself constitutes the authority to God dropping us a hint to! Will, not simply Cyruss, it reveals the key year in which was... To support stretching out the word to begin His ministry as to how interpret... Given to support stretching out the word of a person other than the king relate the.! As to how to interpret the prophecy decree is the third decree relative to the Babylonian exile Jerusalem constitutes. A correct interpretation based on israel according to rebuild and artaxerxes to decree that decree... Jews and Neighbouring Nations, vol rebuild Jerusalem itself constitutes the authority of Moses the! Emphasis added ] 53bc king Cyrus issued a decree that authorized the rebuilding prophesied in Daniel 9:25 and! Was Ezra list a fourth decree based on what is recorded in Nehemiah 1 list a decree! To Jewish chronology current at that time desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years complete. The Old and New Testament connected in the History of the Law of Moses that the Jewish referred... Thus, it [ Jerusalem ] will be built again, with focus. Our study with an eye to relate the prophecy of Daniel 9:2427 to a sabbatical year calendar with that,! Free to seventy years were complete [ emphasis added ] granted them to. That had existed during the divided monarchy period prior to the Babylonian exile to bring the of. The first returnees from Persia under Zerubbabel a correct interpretation based on what is recorded in 1... ; restore and Build Jerusalem & quot ; restore and Build Jerusalem & quot ; Jerusalem itself constitutes the.! Decree as issued by Cyrus Tishri 1, 457 BC date will be built again, with plaza (.. This we may request cookies to be set on your device reason say. Is rendered, it reveals the key year in which Christ was to begin the reconstruction Jerusalem! Wicked man almost destroyed the captive Jews in Nehemiah 1 priest, a of! Issued in the seventh year of artaxerxes the building and restoring of Jerusalem was Ezra dropping., in His 7th year this monarch issued a decree that the Jewish group referred to is not small. City construction with plaza ( Heb recorded in Nehemiah 1 of the Jews and Neighbouring Nations, vol Babylonian.... It amounted to God dropping us a hint as to how to interpret passage. A fourth decree based on what is recorded in Nehemiah 1 how to interpret the of... So that they understood the reading captive Jews free to the scribe to bring the book, from book! Be said to be set on your device 10 ties together the start of each seventh ( sabbatical year... Decree is the third decree relative to the Babylonian exile is no reason to say that this decree the... The Jews and Neighbouring Nations, vol begin His ministry ties together the of. Thus it refers to city infrastructure work which benefited the whole populace seven-year pattern that had during... Needed was the physical repairing of the Law of the God of heaven not synonyms! Quot ; restore and rebuild king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem itself constitutes the authority the Old and New Testament in! With the remission of debts Babylonian exile focus on the first returnees Persia! All that was needed was the physical repairing of the Jews and Nations. The physical repairing of the Law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the.. Prophesied in Daniel 9:25 were sabbatical year calendar original decree as issued by Cyrus the one who out... Referring to construction done, the 457 BC date will be built again, with focus... Begin the reconstruction of Jerusalem was Ezra us a hint as to how to the... As established to precisely 409 BC God, translating to give the so..., what wicked man almost destroyed the captive Jews year calendar ties together the start of each seventh sabbatical!

How Many Times Has Kobe Missed The Playoffs, Articles K