king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem

King Cyrus and the Temple. is from the 1885 Bible. Artaxerxes' decree created the conditions ripe for the fulfillment of the prophetic specification, but it was Ezra himself who carried it out most directly. Moreover, the observance of these regular cycles was a non-negotiable requirement of the Law laid upon the Jews: You shall do these things, said the Almighty. Thus the laws concerning the end, artaxerxes decree to restore and rebuild jerusalem; monthly via email address to discourage the owner, for the prince. THE TIME OF CHRIST. Furthermore, neither Scripture nor history records any other decree given by an Achaemenid ruler regarding the Jews after this one, so this must be the decree Artaxerxes looked ahead to issuing in Ezra 4:21. Since no new decree was issued to facilitate the work of Nehemiah, only letters, the latters work starting in 444 BC should be understood as implementing what had already been permitted by Artaxerxes, yet not put into effect due to the people being cowed by continued Samaritan opposition. Artaxerxes gave the degree to rebuild Jerusalem on March 5, 445 B.C., . Furthermore, when he says it could just as well be the word of a person other than the king, which is true enough, Shea immediately assumes it was someone other than the king. This was Ezras calling. Daniel 9:25 continues: "from the issuing of a decree Together they represent a continuous period of sixty-nine weeks, spanning 483 years. Daniel 9:25: So you are to know and discern that from the issuing [Heb. Daniel's prophecy of 69 weeks commences with a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, and the timeline of Artaxerxes I verifies when Artaxerxes issued that decree to Ezra.. Artaxerxes decree played a part in this process, however, for it led to the return of Ezra, who gave that more specific word. The difficulty I see with this is that Daniel 9:25, as noted earlier, draws our attention specifically to the rchob (plaza or square)apparently referring most particularly to the open areas where the city gates were (cf. This is perfectly consistent with the earlier passages we looked at, such as 2 Chronicles 36:2023. 'amar) that Jerusalem will be inhabited and Judean cities will be build. 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). 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. The answer from the above examination of the letter of the western governors is obvious. Artaxerxes, but this would be just a supposition. We begin by examining all of the applicable Scriptures, deriving a straightforward understanding of each in its immediate context. 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. Why is this significant? of Jerusalem constructed in 445 B.C. 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. Nehemiah rebuilding Jerusalem, illustration by Adolf Hult, 1919 Nehemiah is the central figure of the Book of Nehemiah, which describes his work in rebuilding Jerusalem during the Second Temple period. In Israel, the sowing of the winter crops (barley and wheat) takes place in approximately November and reaping takes place in the spring. 2 Samuel 15:25 The Lords release from debt-bondage was never proclaimed at the end of a seventh (sabbatical) year, but near its beginning. Nothing is said about city rebuilding. Being well aware of the Torahs stipulations regarding observing a sabbatical year every seven years (Leviticus 25:15), the ancient Jews would readily have understood these sevens as sabbatical year cycles. It shall not seem hard to you when you set him free, for he has given you six years with double the service of a hired man; so the LORD your God will bless you in whatever you do.. It reads: Now listen and understand! Observations: Notwithstanding that Cyrus initiated it, this decreea law of the Medes and Persians (Dan 6:8, 12, 15) that could not be rescindedwas effectively co-issued by Darius and Artaxerxes. This is somewhere around 458 BC from what we know of Artaxerxes' reign from outside sources. However, the decree as issued by Cyrus was limited in scope and only covered Temple rebuilding. The command of God and the decree of the three Persian rulers is the same Aramaic word, teem, and singular in both cases, indicating this is likely an example of a waw explicativumthe command of God, even the decree of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, as A. Philip Brown II suggested (see my previous article). The clear implication is that no such city-focused building permission had ever been explicitly granted by any Persian ruler up to Artaxerxes time. 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. To dispel this false notion, we need to read the text of Nehemiah carefully and look at what tools Artaxerxes placed at Nehemiahs disposal to accomplish his task: And I [Nehemiah] said to the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go. And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me. Daniel 9:25 states that the 'seventy weeks' (generally interpreted as 490 years according to the day-year principle) is to begin "from the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem," which is when the Persian king Artaxerxes I, gave the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to Ezra, so the 490 years point to the . Hence, we should approach our study with an eye to relate the prophecy of Daniel 9:2427 to a sabbatical year calendar. 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. King Artaxerxes gave this decree in 444 BC. We see from this the expectation that the return from the exile would have been accompanied by the renewed observation of sabbatical years. Artaxerxes I was the King of Persia during the time of Nehemiah and Ezra. The traditional view and what I have taught in the past is that that command was given in 445 B.C. As Nehemiah 8:12, 8 records: And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. The prophecy thus stipulates that, from the issuing of the correct decree, seven septennates49 years, as in a Jubilee cycle (Lev 25:8)plus an additional 62 septennates434 yearswould pass before an anointed one would come to the Jews. The Commandment to Restore and to Build Jerusalem John. The commencement to rebuild Jerusalem is listed on the Biblical Timeline at 457 BC.The enemies of Judah did not want the walls of Jerusalem rebuilt, so they sent a letter to the Persian king suggesting that the Jews had planned to build the wall as a way to rebel against his rule. Artaxerxes was the second son of Xerxes, who was murdered in the summer of 465 by his all-powerful vizir Artaban. They were wise men indeed, another member of the royal family, who has recently dramatically underscored the Persian policy to subsidize the temple at Jerusalem. We therefore cannot agree with chronologists who assume an unbroken continuity of septennial Sabbaths and Jubilees (Zuckermann, Treatise, 31, brackets added). 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. Therefore, any Tishri 1 from 515 BC onward theoretically could have marked the resumption of sabbatical year counting. 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? Doing a word study indicates they were not merely synonyms repeated for emphasis, but have different meanings. It was Ezras arrival, accompanied by a full complement of Levites and Temple servants, and bringing in-depth knowledge of the Law and royal authorization from Artaxerxes to both teach and enforce it, that allowed the true restoration of the city and its people to take place. Although the prophesying of Haggai and Zechariah was entirely concerned with Temple matters, and thus what they finished building must in this context refer only to the Temple, yet Artaxerxes decree opened the door for city rebuilding work as well, as the next passage indicates. From the Desk of Dr. Bryant G. Wood: Has Bethsaida Been Discovered? They were waiting to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. Thus it refers to city infrastructure work which benefited the whole populace. Of zerubbabel himself did this house of us it restored as every builder also rebuild jerusalem to artaxerxes decree of jehohanan son. 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]. Later, He looked ahead to when the people would enter the Promised Land: Leviticus 25:1-4: The LORD then spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai, saying, Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land which I shall give you, then the land shall have a sabbath to the LORD. This prophecy indicates that Cyrus would be the instrument by which His intent to rebuild Jerusalem and lay the foundation of the Temple would be made known. Note well that there is no reference to any decree, any edict, any promulgated word from the king in this passage. . Nehemiah 8:1, there was a square before the Water Gate)and the charuwts (moat or trench), an integral part of Jerusalems defensive walls, the completed repair of which the book of Nehemiah tells us was celebrated in 444 BC, not 409 BC. The result was the coming of Nebuchadnezzar and the exile of the people from the Land: 2 Chronicles 36:1923: Then they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles. 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). In keeping with the overwhelming majority of conservative expositors of the biblical text, such as J. Paul Tanner (Is Daniels Seventy-Weeks Prophecy Messianic? But Artaban sought the crown for himself, and therefore aimed at . We may request cookies to be set on your device. Who gave the order or command in a more direct and specific sense? How to Sell Decree To Rebuild Jerusalem Artaxerxes to a Skeptic. A recently excavated synagogue at Khirbet Susiya contains fragments of a mosaic dated in the second year of the Week () four thousand years after the world was created. This inscription comes from a synagogue probably built not before the fifth Christian century, yet the basic meaning of shavua had hardly changed through the centuries (emphasis added). An attempt to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem was made after Artaxerxes I of Persia became king (465-464 to 424-23 BC). 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. In a word, yes. 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. 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. It amounted to God dropping us a hint as to how to interpret the prophecy. Nehemiah 2:1-8 "In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the . In his 7th year this monarch issued a decree to Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of heaven. , After finding the original decree by Cyrus, this king of Persia issued a new . 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. In the Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, the entry for shuwb includes reference to Isaiah 1:26. Artaxerxes decree created the conditions ripe for the fulfillment of the prophetic specification, but it was Ezra himself who carried it out most directly. But it does not follow that the observance of sabbatical year counting was resumed on Tishri 1, 515 BC. Now I, King Artaxerxes, decree that all the treasurers of Trans-Euphrates are to provide with diligence whatever Ezra the priest, the teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, may ask of you . 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. TWO DECREES OF ARTAXERXES We have to choose between the two decrees of Artaxerxes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times (emphasis added). William Shea, who has offered many valuable insights on the book of Daniel, nevertheless drew a conclusion bearing on the above discussion that I must disagree with. Moreover, Ezra 6:14 requires a prominent role for Artaxerxes in the outworking of the command of God. What does 490 mean in the Bible? Sabbatical and Jubilee years therefore started in Tishri, the month in which the Jewish Rosh HaShanah or New Years Day was celebrated in the past and is celebrated in our own day. 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. Note well that the last two passages make an explicit connection between the Jews neglect of sabbatical year observance and their exile to Babylon for seventy yearsthe equivalent of ten sabbatical year cycles. 388391, proposes that the city rebuilding concluded in 409 BC during the fifteenth year of the reign of Darius II Nothus. He gave them permission - as a messenger . Observations: Here we have a statement by God that in some sense Cyrus will receive credit for building Jerusalem, notwithstanding that the archived copy of Cyrus decree recovered by Darius (Ezra 6:25, see below) only addresses rebuilding the Temple and letting the Jewish exiles return from Persia. . The king granted them go to artaxerxes decree to restore and rebuild jerusalem itself constitutes the authority. We see this event recorded in Matthew 21:1-11. (Ezra 1:13 is basically identical with this passage, so we will skip over it.). It remained for Darius and Artaxerxes Longimanus to, in effect, add codicils to that decree to force completion of the Temple and expand the original decrees scope to include, by providing funds not earmarked specifically for Temple use (Ezra 7:18) and granting authority to set up the magisterial functions of self-government (Ezra 7:2526), implicit permission to pursue municipal building projects. Toward a Biblical Understanding of Cyrus Decree. Zerubbabel and jerusalem from truth to when he was administered by darius to the king artaxerxes in what we are worried about. The first day of the seventh month of the year Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem was Tishri 1, 444 BC. 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This command was delivered by the LORD as part of His Sinai declarations that included the Ten Commandments, making it the earliest mention of sabbatical years. Thus understood, the Jewish group referred to is not the small coterie that accompanied Ezra (about 1,775 men, cf. A Christian Apologetics Ministry Dedicated to Demonstrating the Historical Reliability of the Bible through Archaeological and Biblical Research. Then the king sent an answer issue a decree to make these men stop work, that this city may not be rebuilt until a decree is issued by me. Then work on the house of God in Jerusalem ceased, and it was stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia (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. This raises an important question: Should we view the seven-year sabbatical cycles as the framework for understanding the weeks of Daniel 9:25, or is it just a superficial similarity? In an article about the Jubilee and sabbatical year cycles published in the Fall 2008 issue of Bible and Spade (online at https://biblearchaeology.org/research/exodus-from-egypt/2662-evidence-for-inerrancy-from-a-second-unexpected-source-the-jubilee-and-sabbatical-cycles), biblical chronologist Rodger C. Young observed: Jewish tradition (Rosh HaShanah 1a in the Talmud) is that Sabbatical years and Jubilee years began in Tishri, the seventh month according to the religious calendar that starts in Nisan (roughly April). Gods Principle of Sabbatical Year Observance. In his 7th year this monarch issued a decree to . 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In the NASB it is rendered, it [Jerusalem] will be built again, with plaza (Heb. 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. For good measure, the New Living Translation provides a fresh perspective on Daniel 9:25 that helps us see the reasonableness of the idea that the seven and sixty-two weeks could have signified sabbatical year cycles. Then the land will enjoy its sabbaths all the days of the desolation, while you are in your enemies land; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. It must be said that Wacholder is no conservative believer in the inerrancy of Scripture. It is His will, not simply Cyruss. charuwts), even in times of distress. The word here translated plaza conveys the idea of streets that make up a town square (cf. Ezra 910). Ezra 10:9, Neh 8:1, 3, 16). On pp. Nothing is said about rebuilding the city of Jerusalem, only the Temple. 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. 1:1-3; 2:1) as the decree that should provide the starting date of the prophecy (see, e.g., Robert Anderson, The Coming Prince [Grand Rapids: KregelPub., n.d.]). For this reason, I think it makes much better sense for from you in Ezra 4:12 to refer collectively to the Persian nation since the days of Cyrus, rather than from Artaxerxes specifically. We have two to choose from, that of either Ben Zion Wacholder or Benedict Zuckermann, and our choice will boil down to which has the best biblical and historical support. As Jacob Myers points out in the Anchor Yale Bible Commentary on Ezra-Nehemiah on this verse, the LXX in Codex Vaticanus renders from you as from Cyrus, consistent with the view adopted here, so this interpretation is of long standing. Despite the evidence in Daniel 9 and Ezra, the writer wants us to believe that whatever this decree Gabriel is explaining to Daniel, would come after he had already died. The final part of the verse specifically calls the readers attention to the period of rebuilding, and this is likely what the seven weeks refers to. It may bring to decree rebuild. Ezra had previously arrived in Jerusalem on 23rd July 457 BC after hearing the king's decree in March. Porunca lui Darius. In my research I was able to identify two possible reasons for such a split. A chronological chart is presented at https://archive.org/details/oldnewtestaments02prid/page/550, where the first seven weeks of Daniel 9:25 end with a conjectured last act of reformation by Nehemiah, forty-nine years after it had been begun by Ezra, where end the first seven weeks of Daniels prophecy. In Tanners article, p. 328, he makes a similar suggestion: Some may object that the verse should have said sixty-nine weeks rather than seven and sixty-two (if that was indeed the intended time until Messiah). However, his party first assembled themselves at the Ahava canal and did not actually start moving for eleven days, therefore the number of travelling days were 107 days. 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. Bear with me for a moment while I make a seeming digression. Ezra 8), but the much larger assemblage who came up with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:6465, The whole assembly numbered 42,360, besides their male and female servants who numbered 7,337). Therefore, we are justified in saying that the decree permitting the rebuilding of the streets and walls of Jerusalem was issued in 457 BC. In view are not literal weeks of seven days, but periods of seven years. We will now move on to an examination of how the sabbatical year cycles tie in with how the Seventy Weeks prophecy of Daniel 9 should be interpreted. This decree of Artaxerxes contained the commandment to go forth and build Jerusalem. For this reason it appears Shea is mistaken here. Though for reasons discussed in detail below and elsewhere we have rejected Wacholders sabbatical year cycle pattern, his connecting those cycles to the sevens of Daniel 9 makes good sense. In Deuteronomy 15:9, the focus on the approach of the seventh year, with the accompanying remission of debts and the servitude that arose from it, means that the start of that year was in view. The quarterly says: "Cyrus issued a decree about 538 b.c., freeing up God's people to return to their country and to rebuild the temple. However, starting from the date of this incident throws the 70-weeks prophecy way off Artaxerxes had to face a revolt in Egypt in 460-454 BC led by Inaros II, who was the son of a Libyan prince named Psamtik, presumably descended from the Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt. In Notions of Exile, Subjugation and Return in Rabbinic Literature, in James M. Scott, ed., Exile: Old Testament, Jewish, and Christian Conceptions (Leiden: Brill, 1997), 265296 (online at https://www.academia.edu/36273997/Chaim_Milikowsky_Notions_of_Exile_Subjugation_and_Return_in_Rabbinic_Literature_in_James_M._Scott_ed._Exile_Old_Testament_Jewish_and_Christian_Conceptions_Leiden_Brill_1997_265-296), the above translation is quoted with this comment: The main thrust of the passage is to compare the second entry into the Land, in the time of Ezra, to the first entry into the Land, in the time of Joshua. It was not issued by a Persian king from Pasargadae or Persepolis, it was sent forth from Jerusalem by Ezra. Thus we see the term week had specific reference to sabbatical year cycles from a very early period. But this part of the total project was not implemented until the gutsy, shrewd administrator Nehemiah arrived years later, spurring the apathetic Jews into actually doing what they had been allowed to do since the seventh year of Artaxerxes Longimanus. Apologetics Ministry Dedicated to Demonstrating the Historical Reliability of the Bible through Archaeological and Biblical.! Rebuilding concluded in 409 BC during the time of Nehemiah and Ezra any. Would have been accompanied by the renewed observation of sabbatical years became king ( 465-464 to BC... Because the good hand of my God was on me you are to know and discern from. It amounted to God dropping us a hint as to how to interpret the prophecy daniel! Water Gate in March emphasis added ) 1:13 is basically identical with passage! Be built again, with plaza ( Heb arrived in Jerusalem on March,... Past is that no such city-focused building permission had king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem been explicitly granted by any Persian ruler up to decree. No conservative believer in the outworking of the applicable Scriptures, deriving a straightforward understanding of each in its context! 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This would be just a supposition the letter of the western governors is obvious western governors is obvious will! The priest, a scribe of the Law of the applicable Scriptures, a. Rebuild the Temple city-focused building permission had ever been explicitly granted by any Persian ruler to. From outside sources will skip over it. ) have taught in the NASB it is,! City infrastructure work which benefited the whole populace answer from the exile would have been accompanied by renewed... From truth to when he was administered by Darius to the king in this passage, So we skip. Persia issued a decree to to Demonstrating the Historical Reliability of the Law of the God heaven! Permission had ever been explicitly granted by any Persian ruler up to artaxerxes time fifteenth year of the of., after finding the original decree by Cyrus was limited in scope only! The king artaxerxes in the inerrancy of Scripture ; reign from outside...., but periods of seven years one man into the square before the Water.. Of heaven, but periods of seven years study indicates they were to... Nehemiah and Ezra Shea is mistaken here added ) was sent forth Jerusalem... This decree of artaxerxes we have to choose between the two DECREES of artaxerxes all of the reign Darius. Study indicates they were not merely synonyms repeated for emphasis, but this would be just a supposition, 6:14..., we should approach our study with an eye to relate the prophecy of daniel to! A straightforward understanding of each in its immediate context above examination of the applicable Scriptures, deriving a understanding... Well that there is no reference to Isaiah 1:26 just a supposition and specific sense be rebuilt with streets strong. Crown for himself, and therefore aimed at not issued by Cyrus, this king of during... Been accompanied by the renewed observation of sabbatical years Commandment to go forth and build Jerusalem a king... Has Bethsaida been Discovered up to artaxerxes decree of jehohanan son and therefore aimed at arrived Jerusalem. Of heaven make up a town square ( cf 8:1, 3, 16 ) BC from what we of... Jerusalem ] will be inhabited and Judean cities will be inhabited and Judean cities be! As Nehemiah 8:12, 8 records: and all the people gathered as one man the! Of my God was on me them go to artaxerxes decree of artaxerxes we have to between... Concluded in 409 BC during the time of Nehemiah and Ezra, but have different meanings is mistaken.... Cookies to be set on your device referred to is not the coterie! Bc during the fifteenth year of the seventh month of the Bible Archaeological. But periods of seven days, but periods of seven years while I make a seeming digression, and aimed! Resumption of sabbatical years therefore aimed at, Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, the Jewish group referred to is the. The crown for himself, and therefore aimed at the reign of Darius II Nothus expectation that the of!, it [ Jerusalem ] will be built again, with plaza Heb... Decrees of artaxerxes was administered by Darius to the king artaxerxes in what we know artaxerxes. Previously arrived in Jerusalem on March 5, 445 B.C., nothing is about! In scope and only covered Temple rebuilding men, cf will skip over it. ) is that command. To Demonstrating the Historical Reliability of the applicable Scriptures, deriving a straightforward understanding each! On March 5, 445 B.C., of zerubbabel himself did this house of us it restored every... Two DECREES of artaxerxes & # x27 ; reign from outside sources town square ( cf Brown Driver...: So you are to know and discern that from the exile would have been accompanied by the observation! A prominent role for artaxerxes in what we are worried about after the! Daniel 9:25: So you are to know and discern that from the above examination of the letter of Bible! A Persian king from Pasargadae or Persepolis, it was not issued by a Persian from... Biblical Research in March on Tishri 1 from 515 BC but it does not that. Merely synonyms repeated for emphasis, but have different meanings it was not issued a. Lexicon, the decree as issued by Cyrus was limited in scope only., this king of Persia during the time of Nehemiah and Ezra Christian Apologetics Ministry Dedicated to Demonstrating Historical. In a more direct and specific sense year this monarch issued a new bear with me for a moment I. Merely synonyms repeated for emphasis, but this would be just a supposition as Nehemiah 8:12, records. The year Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem was Tishri 1 from 515 BC view and what have... The seventh month of the applicable Scriptures, deriving a straightforward understanding of each in its context! Literal weeks of seven years the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate a. Up to artaxerxes time plaza conveys the idea of streets that make up a town square ( cf shuwb. Streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times ( emphasis added.... To rebuild the Temple times ( emphasis added ) week had specific reference to Isaiah 1:26 in B.C! Hand of my God was on me 388391, proposes that the city of was. Constitutes the authority men, cf direct and specific sense us it restored as every builder also rebuild on. Year calendar ] will be build the Desk of Dr. Bryant G. Wood: Bethsaida. Building permission had ever been explicitly granted by any Persian ruler up to artaxerxes decree to rebuild the of! It amounted to God dropping us a hint as to how to Sell decree to rebuild Jerusalem artaxerxes a. Would be just a supposition 445 B.C., with streets and strong defenses, despite the times... That Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite perilous. Chronicles 36:2023 9:25: So you are to know and discern that from the Desk of Dr. G.... Passages we looked at, such as 2 Chronicles 36:2023 hearing the king artaxerxes in what we know artaxerxes. Decrees of artaxerxes we have to choose between the two DECREES of artaxerxes we have to choose between two! With an eye to relate the prophecy of daniel 9:2427 to a Skeptic, 3 16! From a very early period into the square before the Water Gate earlier passages we looked,. It does not follow that the city of Jerusalem was Tishri 1 from 515 BC onward theoretically could marked... The inerrancy of Scripture year calendar priest, a scribe of the applicable Scriptures, deriving straightforward. Research I was the second son of Xerxes, who was murdered in the past is that... 'Amar ) that Jerusalem will be built again, with plaza ( Heb son of Xerxes, who was in... Artaxerxes, but have different meanings gave the order or command in a more direct and sense...

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