An unscheduled assembly in Jerusalem. Three times each year, all the people of Israel were to gather in Jerusalem: Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. The unscheduled meeting in 10:9 took place in early winter, when it would have… Read More »An unscheduled assembly in Jerusalem
How long was the journey from Babylon to Jerusalem? It took Ezra and the caravan he was traveling with four months to traverse the nearly 900 miles (1,448 km) from Babylon to Jerusalem. An army could have traveled much faster,… Read More »How long was the journey from Babylon to Jerusalem?
How long did it take to rebuild the temple? The Jews returning from exile faced many obstacles in rebuilding the temple. The non-Jewish people now living in the land resisted their efforts, and the returned exiles often lacked the motivation… Read More »How long did it take to rebuild the temple?
The Behistun Inscription. This 50-by-80-foot (15-by-24 m) inscription was carved into the face of a cliff in western Iran. Using various languages, it provides an autobiography of Darius’s life, lineage, and victories as king of Persia.
Beyond the River was the name given by Persian rulers to their province that included Judah and Israel (4:11). The “River” refers to the Euphrates River, running through present-day Iraq. From the perspective of people living in Persia, Israel was… Read More »Beyond the River
Joppa was 35 miles (56 km) northwest of Jeru-salem on the Mediterranean Sea and was a major seaport. Joppa had the only natural harbor in all of Palestine. Though the surrounding reefs made it dangerous for ships to enter the… Read More »Joppa
Darics (2:69) were gold coins used throughout the Persian Empire. These coins were often called “archers” because of the image of an archer stamped on the face. When one particular king remarked that 30,000 archers had run him out of… Read More »Darics
Cyrus the Great was the founder of the largest empire the ancient Near East had seen thus far. He conquered much of Southwest and Central Asia, and reigned for 30 years. He was a strong military leader and a shrewd… Read More »Cyrus the Great