Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/3_100_t.lzh/3_107.TXT

Text File | 1994-08-18 | 6KB | 122 lines

Ver. 66, 67. Their horses were 736, their mules 245,
their camels 435, their asses 6,720.] So that the far
gi'eatest part of them must walk on foot, since these
can be thought to be little more than sufficient to carry
their goods. or baggage; some copies of the Vulgate
Latin read 636 horses {c}.
Ver. 68. And some of the chief of the fathers, when
they came to the house of the Lord that is at Jerusalem,
&c.] That is, when they came to the place where it
formerly stood, and where were still the ruins of it:
offered freely for the house of God, to set it up in its
place; to rebuild it upon the spot where it formerly
stood; this they did besides the free-will offerings they
brought with them from Babylon.
Ver. 69. They gave after their ability unto the trea-
sure of the worlc 61,000 drachms of gold, &c.] These
dareemons or darics were a Persian coin; one of
which, according to Brerewood {k}, was of the value of
fifteen shillings of our money, and so this quantity o
them amounted to 45,750 pounds; but according to
Bishop Cumberland ' they were of the value of twenty

shillings and four-pence of our money, and so came to
upwards of 61,000 pounds; these every one, according
to his ability, put into the common stock or treasury
for the work of building the temple; the Vulgate
Latin {m} reads 40,000: and 5,000 pound of silver; and
an Hebrew mina, or pound, being of our money seven
pounds, ten shillings,according to Brerewood", amount-
ed to 31 ,250 pounds: but others°, reckoning a drachm of
gold at 10 shillings, and a mina or pound of silver at 9
potrods, make the whole to amount only to 75,500
pounds of our money: and 100 priests' garments; which,
as they were laid up among treasures, so were necessary
for the service of the temple.
Ver. 70. So the priests and the Levites, and some of
the people, and the singers, and the Nethinim, dwelt in
their cities, &c.] Which were assigned to them out of
the several tribes, and in which they or their forefathers.
had dwelt before the captivity: and all Israel in their
cities; as those of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, so
of the other ten, as many as returned and joined those
who were left in the land.

This chapter relates how that the people of Israel
returned from captivity, gathered to Jerusalem, and set
up the altar, where sacrifices were offered, ver. 1, 2, 3.
and kept the feast-of tabernacles, and offered the sacri-
fices of that, besides the daily sacrifice, and of other
festivals; and contributed to the workmen that pre-
pared for the building of the temple, vet. 4--7. and
began it by laying the foundation of it; which to some
was matter of joy, to others of grief, on different ac-
counts, ver. 8--13.
Vet. 1. And when the seventh month was come, &c.']
The month Tisri, which answers to part of September
and October; or when it was approaching P, for before
it was actually come some following things were done,
the people met, and an altar was built; for on the first
day of it sacrifices were offered, ver. 6. and the children
of Israel were in the cities; their respective cities, set-
tling their domestic afihirs: the people gathered them.
selves together as one man to Jerusalem; the thing was
universal, and done with as much dispatch as if only
one man was concerned; and it seems to denote as if
they were under a divine impulse, and came together
without any consultation, or knowledge of each other's
designs, and without summons.
Ver. 2. Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, &c.]
Who was the high-priest, and the proper person to give
the lead in the following work: and his brethren the
priests; the common priests, very tit to join him, and
assist him in it: and Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel;
the prince and governor of Judah, whose presence was
necessary to give countenance to the work, and animate
to it: and his brethren; the princes and heads of the
people, particularly those mentioned ch. ii. o.. and
builded the altar of the God of Israel; the altar of burnt.
offering, gave orders for the building of it, and direc-
tions about it: to offer burnt-offerings thereon, as it is
written in the law of Moses the man of God; or prophet
of God, as the Syriac version; see Lev. i. 1--17.
Ver. 3. And they set the altar upon his bases, &c.]
Which might remain of the old altar; or the meaning
is, that it was fixed and settled on the same spot where
it stood before: for fear was upon them, because of the
people of those countries; and therefore they hastened
to erect an altar, and offer sacrifices to the Lord, in
hope that he would appear for them, and help them
against their enemies; or rather, as some render the
words {q} though fear was upon them, &c. yet they were
not deterred from the work, worship., and service of
God: and they offered burnt-offerings unto the Lord,
even burnt-offerings, morning and evening; the daily
sacrifice, as directed to Exod. xxix.
Ver. 4. They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is.
written, &c.] According to the rules prescribed for
the observation of it in Lev. xxiii. 34---42. this began
on the 15th day of the seventh month: and offered the
daily bUrnt-offerings by number, accordng to the custom,
as the duty of every. day required; for on all ,he eight
days of the feast there was a certain number of sacri-
fices fixed for every day; and exactly according to the
law concerning them did they offer them at thin time
see Numb. xxix. 12--38.
Vet. 5. And afterwards offered the continual burnt-.
offering, &c.'] Not after the feast of tabernacles, as if
they then began to offer the daily sacrifice; for that
they did as soon as the altar was set up, and on the first
day of the month, ver. 3, 6. rather the sense is, that.


{c} Ed. of Sixtus V. and the Lovain in James's Contrariety of Popish
Bibles, p. 295.
{k} De Pret. & Ponder. Vet. Num. ch. iii. v.
{l} Scripture Weights & Measures, ch. 4. p. 115.
{m} Sixtus V. Lovain & MSS. in James ut supra.
{n} Ut supra, c. iv. v.
{o} Universal History, vo|. 1o. p. 183, marg.
{p} \^egyw\^ cum appropinquaret, Piscator.
{q} \^yk\^ quamvis, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Patrick.