\\INTRODUCTION TO EZRA 5\\

This chapter relates, how that the people of the Jews were stirred up
by the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah to set about the building
of the temple again, notwithstanding the orders to the contrary from
the deputy governors of the king of Persia; nor could the present
ones cause them to cease from it; though it must be owned they
behaved towards them in a better manner than the former ones did,
\\#Ezr 5:1-5\\, and who, upon the answers received from the Jews,
wrote a letter to Darius, to know the truth of things; and in which
they seem to state fairly the case of the Jews, as they had it from
them, so far as they understood it, \\#Ezr 5:6-17\\.

\\son of Iddo\\ The grandson of Iddo; for he was the son of
Berechiah, \\#Zec 1:1\\,

\\prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name\\
\\of the God of Israel\\; this they both did in the second year of Darius;
the one began in the sixth month, and the other in the eighth month of
the year, \\#Hag 1:1 Zec 1:1\\, even "unto them"; or "against them", as De
Dieu; reproving them for their sloth and neglect of building the
temple, when they were careful enough to raise up goodly houses for
themselves to dwell in; and for being intimidated by the command of the
king of Persia, which only forbid the building of the city, that is,
the walls of it, but not the temple any more than their own houses; and
besides, there was now a new king, from whom they had not so much to
fear.
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