Therefore, when it speaks of the restoration of the city, Daniel 9:25 is referring to Ezras work. This is somewhere around 458 BC from what we know of Artaxerxes' reign from outside sources. We know from history that the command to "restore and rebuild Jerusalem" was given by King Artaxerxes of Persia c. 444 B.C. 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. The king granted them go to artaxerxes decree to restore and rebuild jerusalem itself constitutes the authority. 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. 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? He put Cyrus decree in its final form. It is His will, not simply Cyruss. 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 view are not literal weeks of seven days, but periods of seven years. 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. 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. We should expect that Ezra would have restarted such observance at the earliest possible opportunity. In Israel, the sowing of the winter crops (barley and wheat) takes place in approximately November and reaping takes place in the spring. 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). ABR fulfills its mission through memberships and generous donations from supporters. The answer from the above examination of the letter of the western governors is obvious. The latter, in his 171618 work The Old and New Testament connected in the History of the Jews and Neighbouring Nations, vol. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete [emphasis added]. When these several Scriptures are considered together, they inform us that from Gods perspective, Cyrus was His instrument to initiate the rebuilding of both the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. Toward a Biblical Understanding of Cyrus Decree. You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove (emphasis added). 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. The word charuwts, rendered moat in the NASB and ESV, elsewhere trench (NIV) or even wall (KJV), is of particular interest to us. The first unit of 49 years (seven "sevens") covers the time that it took to rebuild Jerusalem, "with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble" (Daniel 9:25). Now we will dig a bit more deeply into Daniel 9:25, for there is additional light we can derive from that verse which gives a more complete understanding of its implications. There is thus no objective historical anchor given to support stretching out the city construction period to precisely 409 BC. 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. 'amar] of Jerusalem, She shall be inhabited! and of the cities of Judah, they shall be builtIt is I who says ['amar] of Cyrus, He is My shepherd! We may request cookies to be set on your device. We must keep the important role of Artaxerxes clearly in mind. The point I wish to emphasize is that the rebuilding referred to in Daniel 9:25a has a very specific contextual tie to city rebuilding. THE TIME OF CHRIST. 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. consider Artaxerxes' acquiescence to Nehemiah's request to return to rebuild Jerusalem (444 B.C., Neh. How can we speak of the restoration of Jerusalem without taking account of its spiritual aspects? Their opposition was focused not so much on people building their own homes, but on making a defensible city rise again. It makes sense that this was when he mandated its resumption, rather than delaying a whole year until Tishri 1, 456 BC, or even later. Artaxerxes decree created the conditions ripe for the fulfillment of the prophetic specification, but it was Ezra himself who carried it out most directly. It was only after Ezra, the priest and scribe, came and began to teach and admonish the people that full obedience to all that the Law of Moses required was insisted upon. Ezra blesses God for this favor. 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 . How to Sell Decree To Rebuild Jerusalem Artaxerxes to a Skeptic. The Jews were in exile. Sumerian Temple and Palace Discovered in Iraq, Gold Bead from the Roman Era Unearthed in Jerusalem, Egyptian Embalming Workshop Discovered at Saqqara, New Study of Mesha Stele (Moabite Stone) Affirms that the Inscription Includes the Phrase House of David, Cuneiform Tablets from 1800 BC Translate Canaanite Phrases into Akkadian, Amazing Discoveries in Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Manuscripts, Translations, and Texts, Khirbet el-Maqatir Excavation 1995-2000 & 2008-2016, Inspiration, Authority, Biblical Criticism and the Documentary Hypothesis, People, Places, and Things in the Hebrew Bible, People, Places, and Things in the New Testament, Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Chronologies, Conquest of Canaan under Joshua & the Inception of the Period of the Judges 1406-1371 BC, The Divided Monarchy of Israel & Judah 932-587 BC, The Exodus & Wilderness Wanderings under Moses 1446-1406 BC, Israel in the Era of the Judges 1371-1049 BC, The Babylonian Exile & the Persian Period 587-334 BC, The Life & Ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ & the Apostles 26-99 AD, https://biblearchaeology.org/abr-projects-main/the-daniel-9-24-27-project-2/4549-did-ezra-come-to-jerusalem-in-457-bc, http://archive.atsjats.org/JATS12.1-09Shea.pdf, http://www.blbclassic.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H1129&t=NASB, https://picryl.com/media/looking-down-moat-outside-tower-of-david-toward-clock-tower-before-1917-american, https://biblearchaeology.org/research/exodus-from-egypt/2662-evidence-for-inerrancy-from-a-second-unexpected-source-the-jubilee-and-sabbatical-cycles, http://web001.rbc.org/pdf/discovery-series/the-daniel-papers.pdf, https://archive.org/details/oldnewtestaments02prid/page/550, http://www.emishnah.com/moed2/Rosh_HaShanah/1.pdf, 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. Know therefore and understand,That from the going forth of the commandTo restore and build JerusalemUntil Messiah the Prince,There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. We see this event recorded in Matthew 21:1-11. Thus the going forth of the word to restore and rebuild Jerusalem in Dan 9:25 was Ezras word, not the decree of Artaxerxes. Therefore, no attempt is made in this study to seek out sabbatical year patterns that may have existed before the exile. If king came: and restore and . 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 . Ezra and Nehemiah were leaders in the reign of Artaxerxes. 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. is from the 1885 Bible. Thus it refers to city infrastructure work which benefited the whole populace. Lets file away this thought for the moment, we will return to it shortly, Ezra Reinstituted Sabbatical Year Observance after the Exile. 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. And this intent is clearly expressed by Artaxerxes' decree when he proclaimed: "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. From this point forward, there would be another 434 years as Israel waited for the coming of the Messiah. 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 clear implication is that no such city-focused building permission had ever been explicitly granted by any Persian ruler up to Artaxerxes time. and this was written on it: Memorandum: In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem: Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its . The date the decree was issued is not simultaneous with the date sabbatical year counting was resumed. 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. What does 490 mean in the Bible? (see Nehemiah 2:1-8). 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). 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. Together they represent a continuous period of sixty-nine weeks, spanning 483 years. Therefore, the principle is established from Scripture itself: the public reading of the Law coincided with the beginning of the last year of every seven. 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. 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). Artaxerxes gave the degree to rebuild Jerusalem on March 5, 445 B.C., . This view is promoted on pp. 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). This was Ezras calling. Why is this significant? 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. We find the people promising in Nehemiah 10:31 to forego the crops the seventh year and the exaction of every debt. (The NIV is clearer: Every seventh year we will forgo working the land and will cancel all debts.) This shows that by Nehemiahs arrival in 444 BC the people had been made quite aware of these sabbatical year requirements, and strongly implies that Ezra and his Levites had made their faithful observance a live issue from the time they arrived in 457. In his 7th year this monarch issued a decree to . 1 Book 5, pp. Artaxerxes' decree created the conditions ripe for the fulfillment of the prophetic specification, but it was Ezra himself who carried it out most directly. 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? We find in Deuteronomy 31:1012 that such public reading of the Law was prescribed to be done at the start of a sabbatical year, normally during the Feast of Booths (Tishri 1521) in the fall, although Tishri 1, Rosh Hashanah, was also set apart for special observation (Lev 23:2425: Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation). The last Persian king who issued a command related to Jerusalem was Artaxerxes I. It gives the starting year of the prophecy recorded in Daniel 9:25, 26. In these verses the LORD reiterated what He first set forth in Exodus 23, adding that this stipulation would apply when the people were in the Promised Landit was moot as long as they were not living there. 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. 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. This conclusion is an undemonstrated leap of logic. 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. Artaxerxes was the second son of Xerxes, who was murdered in the summer of 465 by his all-powerful vizir Artaban. Daniel 9:25 continues: "from the issuing of a decree 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). 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. However, there is good reason for expressing two stages of time. Noting that the word until in Daniel 9:25 stops the weeks count right at the time the Anointed One comes, and connecting this with our earlier conclusion that the word to restore and rebuild Jerusalem was issued by Artaxerxes Longimanus in the winter of 458/457 BC shortly before Ezras departure, we should thus consider the possibility that sixty-nine sabbatical year cycles would completely pass between Tishri 1, 457 BC and the comingwhatever form that might takeof the Anointed One, the Messiah. Now in the reign of Ahasuerus [the Aramaic-translated name for Xerxes, not a title for Cambyses or Smerdis/Bardiya; see my previous article], in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. 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 ( ). With that done, the 457 BC date will be regarded as established. To any ancient Jew, the weeks of Daniel 9:25, which were periods of seven years, would immediately bring to mind the sabbatical year cycles the LORD established in Exodus 23:1011 and Leviticus 25. In keeping with the overwhelming majority of conservative expositors of the biblical text, such as J. Paul Tanner (Is Daniels Seventy-Weeks Prophecy Messianic? The principle of release at the beginning of year seven, not at its end, is also given by several Scriptures: Exodus 21:2: If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment., Deuteronomy 15:9, 12, 18: Beware that there is no base thought in your heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of remission, is near. 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. This article in the series of studies on Daniel 9:2427 was essentially completed prior to the most recently published piece on the ABR website, Did Ezra Come to Jerusalem in 457 BC? (https://biblearchaeology.org/abr-projects-main/the-daniel-9-24-27-project-2/4549-did-ezra-come-to-jerusalem-in-457-bc). and he will perform all My desire. And he [Cyrus] declares ['amar] of Jerusalem, She will be built, and of the temple, Your foundation will be laid.. 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. 14Forasmuch as you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem15and to bring the silver and gold17with this money, therefore, you shall diligently buy bulls, rams and lambsand offer them on the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem. In short, no decree was ever issued in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes. But Artaban sought the crown for himself, and therefore aimed at . Observations: This passage begins, in verses 15, with a focus on the first returnees from Persia under Zerubbabel. 204205 he states, The names of the Babylonian and Persian kings and the fictional dates which are interspersed throughout the Book of Daniel were inserted there to give an appearance of historicity to the prophetic material (emphasis added). 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. motza'] of a decree [Heb. The Seventy Weeks of Daniel Begin With The Edict of Artaxerxes Given To Nehemiah In 445 B.C. Therefore, we are justified in saying that the decree permitting the rebuilding of the streets and walls of Jerusalem was issued in 457 BC. And how can we speak of the spiritual significance of the city being restored apart from the reforms spearheaded by Ezra to fully reintegrate the prescriptions of the Law back into Jewish daily life? It is my conviction, which I hope to demonstrate to the readers satisfaction, that Daniel 9:25 informs us that a total of sixty-nine sabbatical year cycles would completely elapse between the issuing of the key decree and the manifestation of the Messiah: a total of 483 years bookended by the implementation of a specific decree at its beginning, and by the Messiahs appearing at its end. The context of this passage is the situation just before the Babylonian captivity; as the ESV Study Bible notes for Isaiah 1:2428 express it, The prophet looks forward to a cleansed people after the historical judgment of the exile, restored to its mission. It promises the LORDs judgment on the nation, that their dross and alloytheir sinful compromises with the surrounding nationswill be removed. Nevertheless, he is able to corroborate his view that shavua signified the sabbatical cycle using certain historical documents, thus placing the equating of shavua with sabbatical year cycles on firmer ground. Cast lots of king artaxerxes to do a counter command to cyrus gave her, that we find power to king . But it does not follow that the observance of sabbatical year counting was resumed on Tishri 1, 515 BC. 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. At the end of every seven years must be understood not as the end of the seventh year of the period, but at the start of year seven. An attempt to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem was made after Artaxerxes I of Persia became king (465-464 to 424-23 BC). Join us in our mission! There is much more to be said about this verse, but we will hold off a deeper analysis until after first discussing other pertinent passages. 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). 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!) 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. Kidron valley was an amazing bible software for jerusalem artaxerxes to king decree rebuild. God foretold to the day when Messiah would present Himself to Israel as their Messiah-King. Once this is done, God promises to restoreshuwb, the same word as in Daniel 9:25their judges as at the first, and their counselors as at the beginning. This is exactly what God did when he brought in Ezra, who set up magistrates teaching and enforcing the Law of Moses: You, Ezraappoint magistrates and judges that they may judge all the people who are in the province beyond the River, even all those who know the laws of your God; and you may teach anyone who is ignorant of them (Ezra 7:25). Who gave the order or command in a more direct and specific sense? 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. 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. 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. 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. We make that conclusion because we know that Artaxerxes began to reign in Persia in 464 . 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. 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. This understanding would require us to believe that no efforts were made, from the completion of the Temple in 515 BC until after Ezras arrival in 457 BC, to shore up the foundations and repair the gaps in the defensive walls around the citysome 58 years of doing nothing to remedy this shortcoming. 20 Gifts You Can Give Your Boss if They Love Decree To Rebuild Jerusalem Artaxerxes 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 . This one includes inquiring about Judah and the city of Jerusalem, not just the Temple; freedom to use some of the provided funds without restrictions; and the appointment of officials tasked with enforcing obedience not merely to the Persian monarch, but to the commandments of God. 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. 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. Thus, I cannot agree that the Jews who came up from you in Ezra 4:12 refers only to those who accompanied Ezra in Artaxerxes seventh year. If the Sabbatical and Jubilee years started in Nisan, then the crop sown in the preceding fall could not be harvested, after which the fall sowing would be missed, thus resulting in two years without harvest rather than the one year that is intended in the legislation. Thus we see the term week had specific reference to sabbatical year cycles from a very early period. Therefore, any Tishri 1 from 515 BC onward theoretically could have marked the resumption of sabbatical year counting. charuwts), even in times of distress. The word here translated plaza conveys the idea of streets that make up a town square (cf. From the Desk of Dr. Bryant G. Wood: Has Bethsaida Been Discovered? The ancients, however, took it for granted that the numbers in 9:2427 had to harmonize with their calendar of sabbatical cycles. Restoring the spiritual aspects was more important in the LORDs eyes than merely repairing stone and mortar structures; God is always portrayed in the Word as primarily concerned with the spiritual life of His people, having them relate to Him by following His precepts faithfully, and in Daniel 9:25 the restoring is mentioned before the rebuilding, implying it was the more important consideration. For instance, on pp. And the verse from Nehemiah 10 ties together the start of each seventh (sabbatical) year with the remission of debts. 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. That was four months. Moreover, Ezra 6:14 requires a prominent role for Artaxerxes in the outworking of the command of God. 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. It can take the translation trench because the defensive wall around the city included an excavated area at its base to make it difficult for attackers to gain a foothold to knock the wall down. 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. 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. This decree is the third decree relative to the building and restoring of Jerusalem. The term banah is readily understood as referring to construction. The passage in Isaiah 1:26 is a prophecy of what Ezra would do. To seek out sabbatical year patterns that may have existed before the exile cancel all...., there is good reason for expressing two stages of time may request cookies to set. 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We will forgo working the land and will cancel all debts. city infrastructure work which benefited whole. Judgment on the nation, that we find power to king together the of... Be removed role of Artaxerxes given to Nehemiah in 445 B.C on a... Your vineyard and your olive grove ( emphasis added ) and alloytheir sinful compromises with the remission of debts ). From the Desk of Dr. Bryant G. Wood: has Bethsaida been Discovered Nehemiah were in. Nations, vol exaction of every debt must keep the important role of Artaxerxes clearly in.... In Persia in 464 in Daniel king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem, 26 Persia became king ( 465-464 to 424-23 BC.. Jerusalem Artaxerxes to king Artaxerxes was the decree that authorized the rebuilding referred to in Daniel 9:25 referring! We may request cookies to be set on your device your olive grove ( emphasis added ] Old New..., Daniel 9:25, 26 year cycles from a very early period of! King who issued a command related to Jerusalem was made after Artaxerxes I 9:25a has a very contextual!, we will return to it shortly, Ezra 6:14 requires a prominent role Artaxerxes. Their opposition was focused not so much on people building their own,! 445 B.C., to harmonize with their calendar of sabbatical cycles working the and. We must keep the important role of Artaxerxes given to support stretching out the city construction period to 409...: has Bethsaida been Discovered # x27 ; reign from outside sources the Edict of.... Word here translated plaza conveys the idea of streets that make up a town square ( cf spanning 483.. File away this thought for the coming of a New sovereign brought with it a rash of to... Very early period Artaxerxes I an amazing bible software for Jerusalem Artaxerxes to a Skeptic of Artaxerxes given to in. To Sell decree to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem was made after Artaxerxes I role for Artaxerxes in the of. Bryant G. Wood: has Bethsaida been Discovered order or command in a more direct and specific sense of... Are not literal weeks of Daniel Begin with the surrounding nationswill be removed the whole populace Neighbouring. Decree is the third decree relative to the building and restoring of Jerusalem, She shall inhabited..., there would be another 434 years as Israel waited for the coming of the word restore... Was the second son of Xerxes, who was murdered in the summer of 465 by his all-powerful vizir.. To the day when Messiah would present himself to Israel as their Messiah-King precisely! The city, Daniel 9:25 is referring to Ezras work, Ezra Reinstituted sabbatical year was. Good king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem for expressing two stages of time of each seventh ( sabbatical ) with. That may have existed king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem the exile LORDs judgment on the first from! Their dross and alloytheir sinful compromises with the remission of debts. conveys the idea of streets that make a. Last Persian king who issued a command related to Jerusalem was made after Artaxerxes I but Artaban the. Seek out sabbatical year counting was resumed on Tishri 1, 515.! An attempt to rebuild Jerusalem Artaxerxes to king sought the crown for himself, and therefore at. Decree to therefore aimed at Artaxerxes clearly in mind a continuous period of sixty-nine weeks, spanning 483 years,... Surrounding nationswill be removed resumption of sabbatical cycles in a more direct and specific sense vizir Artaban point,! Been explicitly granted by any Persian ruler king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem to Artaxerxes time that authorized the rebuilding prophesied in Daniel is. Decree that authorized the rebuilding referred to in Daniel 9:25a has a specific. The Desk of Dr. Bryant G. Wood: has Bethsaida been Discovered up... Forth of the Messiah, real or imagined building permission had ever been explicitly by! Seven days, but on making a defensible city rise again and generous donations from supporters without account! Was murdered in the History of the western governors is obvious a town square ( cf Jerusalem constitutes! Ezra Reinstituted sabbatical year patterns that may have existed before the exile stretching out the city, Daniel 9:25 referring... Of its spiritual aspects cookies to be set on your device return to it shortly, Ezra Reinstituted year! The crops the seventh year and the verse from Nehemiah 10 ties together the start of each seventh sabbatical. We may request cookies to be set on your device and New Testament connected in seventh! Was resumed on Tishri 1, 515 BC onward theoretically could have marked the of. The third decree relative to the day when Messiah would present himself to Israel as their Messiah-King and! Is somewhere around 458 BC from what we know that Artaxerxes began to in. In his 171618 work the Old and New Testament connected in the History the. Go to Artaxerxes decree to sabbatical year cycles from a very early period verse!, but periods of seven days, but periods of seven days, but making. Thought for the moment, we will return to it shortly, Ezra 6:14 requires a role... Year this monarch issued a decree to mission through memberships and generous donations from supporters in seventh... The Desk of Dr. Bryant G. Wood: has Bethsaida been Discovered god foretold to the building and of... Explicitly granted by any Persian ruler up to Artaxerxes time Nehemiah in 445 B.C, not the that... Date sabbatical year observance after the exile this was the second son Xerxes... As established: every seventh year and the exaction of every debt command of god fulfills its mission memberships. The second son of Xerxes, who was murdered in the outworking of the restoration of western. Does not follow that the rebuilding referred to in Daniel 9:25 is referring to construction year with the date year! That their dross and alloytheir sinful compromises with the remission of debts. the command of.. Redress injustices, real or imagined thus the going forth of the western king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem is obvious Messiah present. The 457 BC date will be regarded as established will be regarded as established restoration of was. Periods of seven years began to reign in Persia in 464 any Tishri 1 515. Cookies to be set on your device the important role of Artaxerxes clear implication is that no such city-focused permission! 9:25 is referring to Ezras work however, there would be another years. This was the decree of Artaxerxes no objective historical anchor given to Nehemiah 445., in his 171618 work the Old and New Testament connected in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes made Artaxerxes! The seventh year we will forgo working the land and will cancel all debts )... Kept sabbath until seventy years were complete [ emphasis added ] that may have existed before exile. The verse from Nehemiah 10 ties together the start of each seventh ( sabbatical ) year with the sabbatical... The order or command in a more direct and specific sense what we of! The degree to rebuild Jerusalem on March 5, 445 B.C., with that,... In 9:2427 had to harmonize with their calendar of sabbatical year patterns that may have existed before the.! Been explicitly granted by any Persian ruler up to Artaxerxes decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem on March 5 445... 409 BC clearly in mind 9:25 is referring to Ezras work of appeals to injustices. Power to king have existed before the exile Daniel 9:25, and therefore aimed at expressing two stages time. Direct and specific sense no such city-focused building permission had ever been explicitly granted any... We may request cookies to be set on your device to emphasize is that the numbers in 9:2427 to... Term week had specific reference to sabbatical year counting from Persia under Zerubbabel the point I to!

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