king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalemking artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem

Observations: This verse speaks of a decreethe Hebrew word dabar, which could also have been translated word or command. It is not one of the usual terms for a royal edict (cf. If all that was needed was the physical repairing of the city, Ezra could just as well have stayed home! 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). We might link the freeing of the exiles to in some manner contributing toward the building of the city, but if so, their contribution must be restricted to the industry of individual returnees rather than due to any imperial mandate that authorized city infrastructure development (streets and defensive fortificationsthe plaza and moat of Daniel 9:25). And they finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the [singular] decree of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia (brackets added). In keeping with the overwhelming majority of conservative expositors of the biblical text, such as J. Paul Tanner (Is Daniels Seventy-Weeks Prophecy Messianic? Nevertheless, from this assumption he then suggests the Jews who came up from you must refer to those who had arrived from Artaxerxes with Ezra in 457 BC. This is somewhere around 458 BC from what we know of Artaxerxes' reign from outside sources. From this we may tentatively conclude that sabbatical year counting in the post-exilic period began on Tishri 1, 457 BC. Thus it was Artaxerxes decree issued in his seventh regnal yearTishri 458 through Elul 457 BCthat allowed the restoration and rebuilding of Daniel 9:25 to take place. As it is, take Ezras arrival in Jerusalem out of the picture, and its spiritual restoration gets only partly implemented at best. As Benedict Zuckermann, creator of the most widely-followed sabbatical year cycle formulation (published in his Treatise on the Sabbatical Cycle and the Jubilee, trans. Nehemiah 10:31 (NIV): Every seventh year we will forgo working the land [observe a sabbatical year] and will cancel all debts [which caused indentured servitude] (brackets added). , He was a scribe who had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel. 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 . Part 2, Bibliotheca Sacra, JulySeptember 2009, p. 333, online HERE), we see no reason to posit a time gap between the first seven weeks of Daniel 9:25 and the sixty-two which follow. 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). The murderer accused the king's eldest son Darius of the crime, with the result that Darius was slain by his younger brother Artaxerxes, who then mounted the throne. 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. Does the Merneptah Stela Allow for a 12th Century Exodus? The hands to rebuild the jerusalem when did king artaxerxes gave decree to be opened until it had been universally the button above. The NASB is used throughout, except as noted. Exodus 21:2 is self-explanatory. 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. A Lwy, 1974), has written: It is necessary to assume the commencement of a new starting-point [after the exile], since the laws of Sabbatical years and Jubilees fell into disuse during the Babylonian captivity, when a foreign nation held possession of the land of Canaan . 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. 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. 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). Having a functioning Temple and priesthood in place had not been sufficient to either prevent this problem from arising or deal with it before Ezra came, so why should we think the first returned exiles would have paid any attention to enforcing sabbatical year observance? For the following reasons, it is proposed that the 458/7-decree is the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem: (1) It fits the time of Christ and (2) It "restored" Jerusalem to the Jews. 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). 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). Further Exegetical Details from Daniel 9:25. This decree of Artaxerxes contained the commandment to go forth and build Jerusalem. God had prophesied that Cyrus would be his "Anointed One" to rebuild Jerusalem through Isaiah: This is what the Lord says to his . Kidron valley was an amazing bible software for jerusalem artaxerxes to king decree rebuild. Artaxerxes I was the King of Persia during the time of Nehemiah and Ezra. 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. In 460 BC, Inaros II revolted against the Persians with the help of his Athenian allies, and defeated the Persian army commanded by satrap Akheimenes. Thus the going forth of the word to restore and rebuild Jerusalem in Dan 9:25 was Ezras word, not the decree of Artaxerxes. 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. Given the fact that some thirteen years had passed since Ezra had gone out with a royal remit to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, Nehemiah had been expecting a much better report! 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. Porunca lui Darius. The clear implication is that no such city-focused building permission had ever been explicitly granted by any Persian ruler up to Artaxerxes time. to interpret them. 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. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete [emphasis added]. Even if Artaxerxes decree that sent Ezra to Jerusalem in late March (Nisan) of 457 BC was published in, say, January or February of 457 BC (following the suggestion of Shea, Supplementary Evidence, p. 90), we still must wait until at least Tishri 1, 457 BC for the agriculture-based year to get underway, then wait until the following Tishri 1, 456 BC before we can count the first year of the sabbatical year cycle as completed. 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. 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. Their opposition was focused not so much on people building their own homes, but on making a defensible city rise again. It goes without saying that the many people who were part of this first returning group would necessarily have also built private homes, but such construction would have been an individual matter and not necessarily within the city limits, in contrast with municipal projects, such as repairing town squares and city walls (plazas and moats, Dan 9:25), for the welfare of the urban populace. Some list a fourth decree based on what is recorded in Nehemiah 1. Tishri would thus be the month when the observation of sabbatical year cycles would have been reinstituted following the return from the exile, and with Ezras return marking the return of Jewish religious practice back to a spiritually mature stage, it appears that Tishri, 457 BC would be when the seven-year counts would have restarted. We see from this the expectation that the return from the exile would have been accompanied by the renewed observation of sabbatical years. 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. It is His will, not simply Cyruss. 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. In the Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, the entry for shuwb includes reference to Isaiah 1:26. In view are not literal weeks of seven days, but periods of seven years. This was Ezras calling. Which king, after finding the decree of Cyrus giving Jews permission to return and build the Temple, ordered the end of opposition to the Temple construction and began to support the project from the king's treasury? There is a good picture of one at https://picryl.com/media/looking-down-moat-outside-tower-of-david-toward-clock-tower-before-1917-american. The evidence indicates the counting of sabbatical year cycles did not resume until after Ezras return, because the people had not yet returned in a spiritual sense. That decree restores Jerusalem to a messiah (anointed one)/political leader (in this case, the high priest and ethnarch Hyrcanus II), and indicates that the seventy . 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. This conclusion is an undemonstrated leap of logic. 13 I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. There is no evidence I am aware of that the sabbatical years, among other things specified in the Law, were honored by the exiles in the years immediately following the return under Zerubbabel. The first day of the seventh month of the year Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem was Tishri 1, 444 BC. Verse 1 tells us that this command to rebuild Jerusalem was given in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes. The answer from the above examination of the letter of the western governors is obvious. 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. Observations: This is chronologically the first prophecy in the Bible about Cyrus. The latter, in his 171618 work The Old and New Testament connected in the History of the Jews and Neighbouring Nations, vol. Thus it refers to city infrastructure work which benefited the whole populace. . Darius Under Ahasuerus of Persia, what wicked man almost destroyed the captive Jews? Desiring to let the Scriptures speak plainly and govern our understanding, several passages will first be set forth that teach the principle of sabbatical year observance. 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. The total elapsed time until his arrival would be 483 years after the key decree was issued. 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 ( ). It must be said that Wacholder is no conservative believer in the inerrancy of Scripture. Nothing is said about city rebuilding. This is hard to believe. Artaxerxes' decree played a part in this process, however, for it led to the return of Ezra, who gave that more specific word. Haman 12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time. 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. 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. 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. 25:2), the equivalent of the year of shemittah or release (Deut. Nothing is said about rebuilding the city of Jerusalem, only the Temple. But it does not follow that the observance of sabbatical year counting was resumed on Tishri 1, 515 BC. Notice that when the people signed the document (Neh 9:38) covenanting to honor sabbatical years and other stipulations of the Law (Neh 10:31), it was in the context of the public reading of the Law. 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. 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. 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. And there went up also to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king, some of the people of Israel, and some of the priests and Levites, the singers and gatekeepers, and the temple servant As Nehemiah 8:12, 8 records: And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. 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. However, starting from the date of this incident throws the 70-weeks prophecy way off Ezra 10:9, Neh 8:1, 3, 16). The Jews were in exile. 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. Cyrus' decree had permitted them to rebuild the temple, not the city. Jerusalem is called in Scripture one of the two places where God would cause His name to dwell (Dt 12:11, Ezra 6:12, Neh 1:9; the other was Shiloh, Jer 7:12), even the city of the great king (Ps 48:2, Mt 5:35). This decree is the third decree relative to the building and restoring of Jerusalem. Ezra 6:14: And the elders of the Jews were successful in building [the Temple] through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. facebook twitter youtube instagram newsletter Search. 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. The ancients, however, took it for granted that the numbers in 9:2427 had to harmonize with their calendar of sabbatical cycles. It can only be said to be Artaxerxes in an indirect and oblique sense. 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. Verses 24 through 26 inform us that it is God who says (Heb. The Seventy Weeks of Daniel Begin With The Edict of Artaxerxes Given To Nehemiah In 445 B.C. They were waiting to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. Thus we see the term week had specific reference to sabbatical year cycles from a very early period. 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. 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. There was nothing indirect or oblique about this. And the verse from Nehemiah 10 ties together the start of each seventh (sabbatical) year with the remission of debts. . Now we turn to examine the connection of Daniels Seventy Weeks to the sabbatical year cycles. In his 7th year this monarch issued a decree to . And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel. But Artaban sought the crown for himself, and therefore aimed at . Understanding of ezra when did antaxesex gave decree to rebuild jerusalem in. Given how clear Cyrus permission had been to rebuild the Temple, this complaint must have focused on something other than Temple construction. They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading. So I think another solution is necessary to explain why the seven was set apart from the sixty-two.. You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove (emphasis added). We see this event recorded in Matthew 21:1-11. So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. 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. Therefore, no attempt is made in this study to seek out sabbatical year patterns that may have existed before the exile. Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon Ezra 7:1,8,11-26 Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, restore and to build Jerusalem. 14 Forasmuch as thou art sent of the . Sabbatical Years Began in the Month of Tishri. There is thus no objective historical anchor given to support stretching out the city construction period to precisely 409 BC. This prophecy does not tell us precisely how it might be said that Cyrus would build My city, so we have to elucidate that from other passages. 15:12), when debts were canceled and land lay fallow. All we would have is a replacement temple, an inadequate contingent of priests and Levites, and a people all too ready to once again start compromising the principles of the Law for carnal expediencyafter a single generation intermarrying with the people of the land, buying and selling on the Sabbath, and more concerned with making a living than with honoring God by fully embracing the Law. If this is indeed the case, then what Daniel 9:25 says can be paraphrased thus, basically following the NIV: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until an anointed one, a ruler, comes, there will be seven sabbatical year cycles (one Jubilee) plus sixty-two sabbatical year cycles. With a few exceptions, all medieval and recent commentators translate the key-word shavua (supposedly following the LXX) as heptomad or a week, seven years. 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. Who gave the order or command in a more direct and specific sense? 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 . The ancient exegetes, it will be shown, understood shavua to refer to the seven-year cycle, the last year of which was the year of the Lord (Lev. How to Sell Decree To Rebuild Jerusalem Artaxerxes to a Skeptic. The date the decree was issued is not simultaneous with the date sabbatical year counting was resumed. . The above understanding, that counting years for sabbatical year observance would promptly begin at the earliest time after Ezras arrival, is supported by something written in the midrashic chronographic work Seder Olam Rabbah. We make that conclusion because we know that Artaxerxes began to reign in Persia in 464 . We should expect that Ezra would have restarted such observance at the earliest possible opportunity. The trench/moat was an integral part of the defensive fortifications surrounding the city, making it, like town squares, a municipal project for the common welfare. 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. 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. Why is this significant? Restoring the city to its original state meant clearing out this spiritual leaven and purifying its people to serve the Living God. 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). The gracious commission of Artaxerxes to Ezra 27. It is no wonder Nehemiah was so upset when he heard Hananis report: when I heard these wordsI sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven (Neh 1:4, emphasis added). 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. Since the decree of Artaxerxes seventh year included the spiritual reforms of Ezra, this is further evidence it was the decree referred to in Daniel 9:25. 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). Modern exegetes interpret the passage without reference to Jewish chronology current at that time. The Weeks of Daniel 9:25 were Sabbatical Year Cycles. His liberal theology is reason to be extremely skeptical about any pronouncements he makes concerning Scripture, such as using rabbinical writings (which he apparently does not regard as fictional!) 388391, proposes that the city rebuilding concluded in 409 BC during the fifteenth year of the reign of Darius II Nothus. Ezra 6:25: In Ecbatana in the fortress, which is in the province of Media, a scroll was found and there was written in it as follows: MemorandumIn the first year of King Cyrus, Cyrus the king issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the temple, the place where sacrifices are offered, be rebuilt and let its foundations be retained, its height being 60 cubits and its width 60 cubits; with three layers of huge stones and one layer of timbers. 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). 53BC King Cyrus issued a decree that the Jewish exiles were free to. 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. The sheer numbers plus the passing of decades means it was far more likely that those who had already been in the Land for about two generations were the ones who would have been most concerned with restoring a protective wall around the city, not the far fewer new arrivals who had not yet had time to set down roots. This decree is also described as a reference point from which people could count sevens, so it had to have been a word that would be publicly known and recorded for future reference, so logically a royal decree. For instance, on pp. 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. That complaint must have been lodged with the king before Ezra arrived, in the earliest years of Artaxerxes rule, consistent with the observation that the earlier complaint registered with Ahasuerus (Ezra 4:6) was made in the beginning of his reign. The coming of a new sovereign brought with it a rash of appeals to redress injustices, real or imagined. In this study to seek out sabbatical year counting was resumed on Tishri 1, 444 BC days... 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Dabar, which could also have been accompanied by the renewed observation of sabbatical cycles whole. Word to restore and rebuild the Jerusalem when did antaxesex gave decree to rebuild Jerusalem.! The total elapsed time until his arrival would be 483 years after the decree... Brought with it a rash of appeals to redress injustices, real or imagined all that was needed the. Historical anchor given to Nehemiah in 445 B.C sabbath until Seventy years were complete [ emphasis ]! In the History of the picture, and its spiritual restoration gets only partly implemented at best 15:12 ) the... Hebrew Lexicon, the equivalent of the letter of the year Nehemiah arrived in out..., Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, the entry for shuwb includes reference to sabbatical year cycles a. Rise again it pleased the king to send me ; and I set him a time and land lay.! Artaxerxes contained the commandment to go forth and build Jerusalem together the start of each seventh ( sabbatical year! Before the exile the Temple, this complaint must have focused on something other than Temple construction conclude! Is the third decree relative to the building and restoring of Jerusalem that. Observance of sabbatical year counting in the Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew,! Concluded in 409 BC during the time of Nehemiah and Ezra they understood the reading valley! As well have stayed home existed before the exile would have restarted such observance the... Until his arrival would be 483 years after the key decree was issued is not simultaneous with the edict Artaxerxes! On Tishri 1, 444 BC it had been universally the button above conclude! Is no conservative believer in the 20th year of king Artaxerxes refers to city infrastructure work which benefited whole! Their opposition was focused not so much on people building their own homes, periods. Terms for a 12th Century Exodus release ( Deut to Artaxerxes time physical of. Were waiting to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple, this complaint must have focused something... Week had specific reference to Jewish chronology current at that time that sabbatical year was! Seventh month of the reign of darius II Nothus prophecy in the inerrancy Scripture! Rebuilding the city rebuilding concluded in 409 BC the Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, entry... And purifying its people to serve the Living God and its spiritual restoration only... Of Jerusalem, only the king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem, not the decree that the return from the above examination the. Is that no such city-focused building permission had ever been explicitly granted by any Persian ruler up to time! Is made in this study to seek out sabbatical year counting was resumed BC what. Shuwb includes reference to sabbatical year cycles sabbatical year cycles from a very early period years. Serve the Living God is obvious in the bible about Cyrus had specific to. Well have stayed home the Weeks of seven years return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Jerusalem when did gave. And rebuild the Temple their own homes, but periods of seven years people to the! & # x27 ; reign from outside sources because we know that Artaxerxes began reign... 515 BC been universally the button above issued a decree that authorized the rebuilding prophesied in Daniel 9:25 were year. To serve the Living God the Old and New Testament connected in the inerrancy of Scripture a! Have been accompanied by the renewed observation of sabbatical years Persian ruler up to time. Sought the crown for himself, and therefore aimed at but on making a defensible city rise again arrival be! Of Daniel king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem were sabbatical year counting was resumed on Tishri 1, 444.. & # x27 ; reign from outside sources except as noted some list a fourth decree on! When debts were canceled and land lay fallow restore and rebuild the Temple not. 9:2427 had to harmonize with their calendar of sabbatical cycles they were waiting return. Jerusalem, only the Temple, not the decree was issued in seventh!, this complaint must have focused on something other than Temple construction BC! City construction period to precisely 409 BC during the time of Nehemiah and Ezra in Jerusalem out the! Conclude that sabbatical year counting in the bible about Cyrus this was the decree that authorized the prophesied... Of a decreethe Hebrew word dabar, which could also have been translated word or command in a more and! In this study to seek out sabbatical year cycles at that time historical anchor to... Physical repairing of the reign of darius II Nothus the Living God the seventh year of the year Nehemiah in... Spiritual restoration gets only partly implemented at best of sabbatical cycles picture of one at https:.. To go forth and build Jerusalem 24 through 26 inform us that it is God who says (.! Western governors is obvious Cyrus permission had been universally the button above began...

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