American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
Ezra 3
1
And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.
Reference
2
Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brothers, and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.
Reference
People
3
And they set the altar on his bases; for fear was on them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon to the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ezra 4:4
4
They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required;
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 23:16
5
And afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering to the LORD.
Reference
Sacrifice
Numbers 29:39
6
From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings to the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid.
7
They gave money also to the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, to 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.
Reference
8
Now in the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity to Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the LORD.
Reference
9
Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brothers, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brothers the Levites.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ezra 2:40
10
And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.
Reference
References Lord
Zechariah 4:10
11
And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks to the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endures for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.
Reference
Grace
1 Chronicles 16:34
Psalm 106:1
Psalm 107:1
Psalm 103:17
Jeremiah 33:11
Psalm 118:1
2 Chronicles 7:3
References Israel
Isaiah 12:6
Resurrection
Psalm 135:3
Nehemiah 12:24
12
But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:
Reference
Parallel theme
Haggai 2:3
13
So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Samuel 4:5
Summary of Ezra 3
zra Chapter 3 describes the first major steps toward restoring worship and rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem after the Jewish exiles returned from Babylon. Once the people had settled in their towns, they gathered together in Jerusalem during the seventh month. Although the Temple was still destroyed, they recognized that worship needed to be restored immediately. Jeshua the high priest and Zerubbabel, the leading political figure, therefore began rebuilding the altar.
The decision to restore the altar was significant because it allowed sacrifices and worship to resume before the Temple itself was rebuilt. The people were concerned about the surrounding populations, but they continued anyway. They celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles and resumed the regular sacrifices required by the Law of Moses. Daily offerings, Sabbath offerings, New Moon offerings, festival sacrifices, and freewill offerings were restored. In this way, the returning community began rebuilding its spiritual life before completing the physical rebuilding of Jerusalem.
The people then gathered the resources necessary for Temple construction. They hired masons and carpenters and obtained cedar timber from Lebanon, receiving it through the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon. The timber was transported to Joppa, just as materials had been brought from Lebanon during the construction of Solomon's Temple centuries earlier.
In the second year after their arrival, the construction project became organized. Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the priests and Levites appointed workers and supervisors. Levites who were at least twenty years old were given responsibilities for overseeing the work. Eventually, the builders laid the foundation of the Second Temple.
The foundation ceremony was filled with worship. Priests dressed in their sacred garments played trumpets, while Levites used cymbals. The people praised God and declared that His goodness and faithful love toward Israel endure forever. There was tremendous joy because something that had seemed impossible after the destruction of Jerusalem was finally beginning to happen.
However, the celebration was also deeply emotional. Many older priests, Levites, and family leaders had personally seen Solomon's Temple before its destruction in 586 BC. When they saw the foundation of the new Temple, they wept because they remembered the former glory of Jerusalem. Younger members of the community shouted with joy, while older survivors mourned what had been lost. The two sounds became impossible to distinguish.
The chapter therefore captures an important moment of renewal mixed with grief. The Temple was not yet complete, Jerusalem was still recovering from destruction, and the community faced uncertainty. Yet worship had returned, the altar had been restored, the foundation had been laid, and the people once again had a shared spiritual center. Ezra 3 shows that restoration does not erase the pain of the past, but it allows hope and worship to grow again from the ruins.
The decision to restore the altar was significant because it allowed sacrifices and worship to resume before the Temple itself was rebuilt. The people were concerned about the surrounding populations, but they continued anyway. They celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles and resumed the regular sacrifices required by the Law of Moses. Daily offerings, Sabbath offerings, New Moon offerings, festival sacrifices, and freewill offerings were restored. In this way, the returning community began rebuilding its spiritual life before completing the physical rebuilding of Jerusalem.
The people then gathered the resources necessary for Temple construction. They hired masons and carpenters and obtained cedar timber from Lebanon, receiving it through the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon. The timber was transported to Joppa, just as materials had been brought from Lebanon during the construction of Solomon's Temple centuries earlier.
In the second year after their arrival, the construction project became organized. Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the priests and Levites appointed workers and supervisors. Levites who were at least twenty years old were given responsibilities for overseeing the work. Eventually, the builders laid the foundation of the Second Temple.
The foundation ceremony was filled with worship. Priests dressed in their sacred garments played trumpets, while Levites used cymbals. The people praised God and declared that His goodness and faithful love toward Israel endure forever. There was tremendous joy because something that had seemed impossible after the destruction of Jerusalem was finally beginning to happen.
However, the celebration was also deeply emotional. Many older priests, Levites, and family leaders had personally seen Solomon's Temple before its destruction in 586 BC. When they saw the foundation of the new Temple, they wept because they remembered the former glory of Jerusalem. Younger members of the community shouted with joy, while older survivors mourned what had been lost. The two sounds became impossible to distinguish.
The chapter therefore captures an important moment of renewal mixed with grief. The Temple was not yet complete, Jerusalem was still recovering from destruction, and the community faced uncertainty. Yet worship had returned, the altar had been restored, the foundation had been laid, and the people once again had a shared spiritual center. Ezra 3 shows that restoration does not erase the pain of the past, but it allows hope and worship to grow again from the ruins.