Ezra 3:4

3:1-7 From the proceedings of the Jews on their arrival, let us learn to begin with God, and to do what we can in the worship of God, when we cannot do what we would. They could not at once have a temple, but they would not be without an altar. Fear of danger should stir us to our duty. Have we many enemies? Then it is good to have God our Friend, and to keep up communion with him. Our fears should drive us to our knees. The sacrifices for all these solemnities were a heavy expense for so poor a company; yet besides those expressly appointed, many brought free-will offerings to the Lord. And they made preparation for the building of the temple without delay: whatever God calls us to do, we may depend upon his providence to furnish us with the needful means.

They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written,.... According to the rules prescribed for the observation of it in Leviticus 23:34 this began on the fifteenth day of the seventh month: and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required; for on all the eight days of the feast there was a certain number of sacrifices fixed for every day; and exactly according to the law concerning them did they offer them at this time; see Numbers 29:12.

Ezra 3:4 . They kept also the feast of tabernacles — This seems to be mentioned for all the solemnities of the month, whereof this was the most eminent; otherwise it is not probable that they would neglect the day of atonement, which was so solemnly enjoined, ( Leviticus 23:27-29 ,) and was so exceeding suitable to their present condition.

Verse 4. - As it is written . According to the mode of celebration prescribed in the law; i.e. for seven consecutive days, from the fifteenth to the twenty-second of Tisri, with burnt offerings every day, and a holy convocation on the first day and the last, and a "dwelling in tents" during the whole period (see Leviticus 23:31-42 ). The daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom . The offerings for each day of the festival are carefully laid down in Numbers 29:13-38 . We must understand that all the particulars there enjoined were carefully observed. PERMANENT ESTABLISHMENT OF THE DAILY SACRIFICE, THE SET FEASTS, AND THE OFFERING OF FREE-WILL OFFERINGS (vers. 5, 6). Having set up the altar, and celebrated the particular festival which the revolving year happened to have brought round, and which it would have been wrong to neglect, the exiles re-established permanently three things: - 1. The daily sacrifice; 2. The celebration of the new moons and other regular feasts; and 3. The practice of allowing the people to bring offerings whenever they pleased, to be offered on the great altar by the priest or priests in attendance. The first of these was for atonement; the second for public thanksgiving and acknowledgment of God's mercies; the third for private devotion, the payment of vows, and the like. Ezra 3:4

The feast of tabernacles seems to be mentioned synecdochically for all the solemnities of this month, whereof this was the most eminent and most lasting. Otherwise it is not probable that they would neglect the day of atonement, which was so severely enjoined, Leviticus 23:27-29 , and was so exceeding suitable to their present condition: See Poole "Ezra 3:6" . The daily burnt-offerings, Heb. burnt-offerings day by day , i.e. every day of that feast they offered as many sacrifices as were prescribed; of which see Numbers 29:13 , &c.

4–7 . The Feast of Tabernacles 4 . They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written ] The manner of keeping the feast of tabernacles is described in Leviticus 23:34-42 ; Deuteronomy 16:13-15 . It was the autumn or vintage feast, the most joyous of all the great annual festivals. It commemorated the wanderings in the Desert. It would henceforth commemorate also the return from the Exile. At this festival Solomon dedicated his Temple, 1 Kings 8:65 ; and with this festival was connected the reading of the Law by Ezra under Nehemiah ( Nehemiah 8:14-16 ). ‘As it is written’, a shorter phrase for that which occurs in Ezra 3:2 . Cf. 2 Chronicles 30:5 ; 2 Chronicles 30:18 . by number, according to the custom , R.V. ordinance ] The words in the original are clearly a reference to the passage in Numbers 29. where the sacrifices for the feast of tabernacles are detailed, i.e. 13 young bullocks &c. on the first day, 12 &c. on the second, 11 &c. on the third, and so on. It is to be regretted that the same English words ‘according to their number, after the ordinance’, which occur as a kind of refrain in that chapter ( Numbers 29:18 ; Numbers 29:21 ; Numbers 29:24 ; Numbers 29:27 ; Numbers 29:30 ; Numbers 29:33 ; Numbers 29:37 ), were not either exactly reproduced here by the R.V., or altered there to ‘by their number, according to ordinance’.

The attention of the reader would then have been drawn to the echo given by this phrase to the phraseology of the Pentateuch. (Yet another rendering of the same phrase appears 1 Chronicles 23:31 ‘ in number according to ordinance’.) as the duty of every day required ] because the number of the sacrifices altered every day during the Feast of Tabernacles. Literally, ‘the thing of the day in its day’: the same phrase is rendered ‘every day a portion’, 2 Kings 25:30 ; Jeremiah 52:34 : ‘as every day’s work required’, 1 Chronicles 16:37 .

They kept the feast of tabernacles as prescribed in the law, Leviticus 23:34 . "The burnt-offering day by day, according to number," means the burnt-offering day by day, according to number," means the burnt-offerings commanded for the several days of this festival, viz., on the first day thirteen oxen, on the second twelve, etc.; comp. Numbers 29:13-34 , where the words כּמשׁפּט בּמספּרם, Numbers 29:18 , Numbers 29:21 , Numbers 29:24 , etc., occur, which are written in our present verse כּם בּמספּר, by number, i.e., counted; comp. 1 Chronicles 9:28 ; 1 Chronicles 23:31 , etc.