And the children of the captivity held the passover upon the fourteenth of the first month.
The exiles had just finished and dedicated the temple. Weeks later they gathered for Israel's oldest feast, on the exact day the law set for it. Why did this small, powerless community reach past the glories of the kingdom to the night Israel left Egypt? What does that choice say about where they thought they stood with God?
The order matters: the house first, then the Passover. One writer sees the feast as the remnant tracing everything they had back to its source.
The connection is very beautiful. The house of their God is finished, and now His people celebrate the memorial of their redemption from the land of Egypt. So they remind themselves, to the praise of Jehovah, of the ground on which they stood. They remind themselves that the foundation of all their blessing, of all God's acting in grace towards them, was the blood of the slain Lamb… They passed by the glories of the kingdom. They travelled upward until they reached the charter of all they had, whether in title or in prospect, and there confessed God as the God of their salvation.
Another writer names what the Passover remembered, and what it matches for Christians now:
The Passover was the memorial of the sacrifice that preserved Israel from the judgment of God on the one hand, and set them free from slavery in Egypt on the other. For us Christians, this feast matches the memorial of the death of Christ, of our deliverance, and of the blessings of the new covenant in His blood.
The date matters. Israel had kept Passovers late before, when the people were not ready. This one stands against that record.
At last a Passover could be kept in Jerusalem. The last Passover recorded before this is Josiah's, which must have taken place over 100 years earlier (2 Chronicles 35:1-19). This one was kept on the proper day too. It was not like the Passover in Hezekiah's time (2 Chronicles 30:1-3), which was held in the second month because many were not purified in the first month.
The verse names them by where they had been. ESV calls them "the returned exiles"; older translations read "the children of the captivity." One writer shows why faith can carry such a name.
Ah, the humbling fact: "the sons of the province, that went up out of the captivity!" Pride forgets such things and hides them. But faith, cleared and cheered by grace, can afford in the darkest day to own the truth: however Israel may change, Jehovah does not change. Therefore the sons of Jacob are not consumed.
That small company also refused to shrink its prayers to its own size. It kept the feast on behalf of people who were not even there.
Notice how this remnant clings to the written word. The city is in ruins, the wall unbuilt, enemies all around. Most of the people of Israel are not with them, but are still scattered through the vast dominions of the king of Persia. Yet they offer the sin-offering for all Israel, and kill the Passover for all the children of the captivity who are absent — not with them, but still remembered and prayed for.
Being purified was the difference between a feast on time and a feast delayed. Commentators carry that over to the Lord's table now.
They realise that defilement cannot be allowed at the Lord's table, and that the world has no place there. They also realise that the supper cannot take place without self-judgment: "Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup" (1 Corinthians 11:28).
Passover never stood alone. The seven days of unleavened bread that followed carry the point forward.
The moment we are redeemed God claims us, and He wants us to answer His claims by holy lives — separation from evil, and separation to Himself. The feast lasted seven days. That is a complete period — a picture of the whole span of our lives. So in the Old Testament as in the New, all God's claims on His people rest on redemption. "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price."
- Foundation. With the house finished, they went back to the blood of the lamb. That was the charter of everything they held and everything they hoped for.
- Memory. Passover recalled two rescues: from God's judgment, and from slavery in Egypt. It answers now to the memorial of Christ's death.
- Timing. Kept on the proper day, unlike Hezekiah's delayed feast — readiness, not convenience, set the date.
- Honesty. "Children of the captivity" is a humbling name; faith can own the ruin because the Lord does not change.
- Continuation. Seven days of unleavened bread follow the lamb. Redemption comes first, then a whole life claimed for God.
For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves as one [man] they were all pure; and they killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
With the temple finished and dedicated, the returned exiles kept the Passover — and the priests and Levites first made themselves clean as one body. Why this feast now, what does it mean that all of them were clean, and why kill the lamb for people who were not even there?
The order of events carries the point. With the house finished, the people looked back to the night of their rescue from Egypt.
The connection is beautiful. With the house of their God finished, His people celebrate the memorial of their redemption from the land of Egypt. In this way they remind themselves, to the praise of the Lord, of the ground on which they stood. They also remind themselves that the foundation of all their blessing, of all God's acting in grace towards them, was the blood of the slain Lamb… Passing by the glories of the kingdom, they travelled back up to the charter of all they had, whether in title or in prospect. There they confessed God as the God of their salvation.
The feast came back as soon as everything else was back in place.
They again find the order of the feasts God set up. This happens as soon as complete order is back: the altar, the temple, the gathering and unity of the people, and the presence of the Lord among them… The Passover was the memorial of the sacrifice that kept Israel safe from the judgment of God on the one hand, and set them free from slavery in Egypt on the other. For us Christians, this feast matches the memorial of the death of Christ, of our deliverance, and of the blessings of the new covenant in His blood. We keep this memorial on the first day of the week, the day of resurrection, which is "the beginning of months" (Exodus 12:2).
The cleansing was not the work of a few. They acted as one, just as they had in the building work.
The priests and Levites had purified themselves as one man; they were all pure, and so in a proper condition to celebrate the Passover. They realized that they could not bring impurity to this holy, commemorative meal. Just as they had been unanimous in building the altar, in overseeing the work, and in laying the foundations of the temple, so they are now unanimous in purifying themselves.
Earlier generations had not managed this.
Here the zealous care of the priests and the Levites is remarkable: they had purified themselves as one man, and were all pure. It had not been so even during Hezekiah's earnest reform, when they had to fall back on the second month, the provision given for the wilderness, because many in the congregation could not keep the feast in the first month… Now the right order was kept.
The faithfulness here was real. So was what had gone missing.
The priests are set in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, according to the law of Moses. Here we find more faithfulness than in the best days of the kings (compare chapter 6:20 with 2 Chronicles 29:34). But we hear nothing of the ordinances of David. Their celebration of the feast of dedication shows a still greater lack… Fire no longer came down from heaven to show that God accepted the sacrifice.
They killed the lamb not only for those present, but for a scattered people who could not be there.
And here notice how this remnant clings to the written word. The city is in ruins, the wall unbuilt, enemies all around. Most of the people of Israel are not with them, but still scattered across the vast empire of the king of Persia. Yet they offer the sin offering for all Israel, and kill the Passover for all the children of the captivity. Those people are absent — not with them, but still remembered and interceded for.
The feast was long overdue, and the cleansing it called for still speaks today.
They could finally keep a Passover in Jerusalem. The last one on record was Josiah's, over 100 years earlier (2 Chronicles 35:1-19)… On this occasion the priests and Levites had purified themselves. That speaks not only of personal cleansing, but of being kept clear of any link with evil, just as today those who eat the Lord's supper should be free from evil associations.
- Foundation. With the temple finished, they went back to the blood of the lamb — the ground of everything they had, in title and in prospect.
- Purity. They purified themselves together — unanimous and complete, with no priest or Levite left out.
- Standard. The first Passover on record in over 100 years was kept at the right time — unlike Hezekiah's, which waited for the second month because the people were not clean.
- Reach. They killed the lamb for absent brothers still scattered abroad, so the feast remembered and interceded for people who could not be there.
- Table. The same care belongs to the Lord's Supper: cleansing from personal sin, and from every link with evil.
And the children of Israel that were come back out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves to them from the filthiness of the nations of the land, to seek Jehovah the God of Israel, did eat;
The temple is finished and dedicated, and the returned exiles keep the Passover. But the verse names a second group at the table: people who had joined them after breaking with the uncleanness around them. Two questions follow: who were these newcomers, and why were they welcome?
The chapter names two groups who ate: those who came back from exile, and those who came over to them. One writer sees the first group as a blessing to the second:
Now comes the feast, and two classes keep it. First, the children of Israel, who had come again out of captivity. Second, all those who had separated themselves to them from the filthiness of the land. Notice, these returned ones, the first class, have been a blessing to the second class. Together they eat and keep the feast of unleavened bread with joy, for the Lord had made them joyful.
One writer names what opened the door, and the ground the whole company stood on:
Grace welcomed all who had separated themselves to them from the filthiness of the nations of the land to seek Jehovah the God of Israel. The strangers are no less welcome than the remnant. It is of all importance to stand on the ground of God's people. That means not pretending to be Israel, when in truth they were a feeble few. It means standing there not in the pride that forgets sin and ruin, but in the faith that holds to the ground which grace gives and keeps, refusing every substitute for it.
Commentators differ on the identity of this second group. One reads them as Jews, not converts from the nations:
Those who had separated themselves from the filthiness of the heathen were not proselytes — that is, Gentiles who turned to Israel. They were Jews who had married heathen women (10:11). They were true to the written Word.
Another traces them to the people who were never deported at all:
Jeremiah 52:16 tells us that when the great captivity took place, "certain of the poor of the land" were left behind, so that they might be farmers and work the soil. Some of these, or their descendants, cleansed themselves from the evils they had become involved in. They joined in this time of revival and blessing, and so could take part in the feast of unleavened bread.
The move here has two halves: away from defilement, and toward the God of Israel.
Some of the people had stayed in the land through the captivity. Among them, "all who had separated themselves to them from the filthiness of the nations of the land, to seek Jehovah the God of Israel" (v. 21) took part in this solemn feast. They did not form part of the testimony in the strict sense, yet they came to associate themselves with true practical holiness. And so they had part in the memorial and the feast.
The meal itself explains the requirement:
All of the priests and the Levites purified themselves (v. 20). Those who had separated themselves "from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the Lord God of Israel" ate of the Passover. Nothing that dishonours God was to have a place in this feast. It reminded them of that night when God spared those who sheltered under the blood of the Passover lamb (Exodus 12).
The seven days that followed carried the same meaning forward:
This feast of unleavened bread is a picture of complete, perpetual sanctification, kept for seven days. Seven is the number of fullness. It stands for the whole course of our life — a life devoted to the One who delivered us by His death, and to the One we belong to.
Where they kept the feast mattered too:
They kept the passover — a proof that the redemption of the people could be remembered in the land. Happy privilege of the restored remnant!
Writers carry the pattern over to the Lord's table today:
All Christians who are separated from the world, and from the lifeless profession of Christianity around us, have the right to the Lord's table. Their brothers receive them there with joy.
And the small company must not shrink into itself:
Some believers may bear a remnant character, in keeping with what we are seeing in the book of Ezra. If so, they must always keep in view the whole Church of God. They must not become wrapped up in themselves, as though others did not count before God.
- Cleansed — the second group broke with the uncleanness of the nations around them before they ate.
- Joined — separation had a destination. They turned to the returned people and to the God of Israel, and joined themselves to real practical holiness.
- Welcomed — grace opened the feast, not ancestry. The strangers were no less welcome than the remnant.
- Fed — the Passover proved they could still remember redemption in the land. The seven days of unleavened bread picture a whole life given to the One who delivered them.
- Joyful — commentators differ on who these newcomers were, but not on the result: the Lord made them joyful. And a small company like this must keep the whole Church of God in view.
and they kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy; for Jehovah had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
The temple is built and the Passover is over. Now the chapter ends with a week-long feast, and the verse gives two reasons for it: God gave the people their joy, and God moved a foreign king to help them.
The verse names God as the source of the joy. One writer also points to what the people themselves had done:
No wonder that the feast of unleavened bread was kept, and was kept with joy (v. 22), and the king of Assyria was supportive of the work of the house of God. It is a timeless principle: obedience brings joy and blessing.
Yet much was missing that day. Another writer says the loss does not cancel the joy:
The glory of Jehovah did not appear now, and no fire from Him burned up the offerings. Neither one would have suited a day of ruin and small things. True faith would not look for them either. As things are, there is no greater privilege and no higher honour; claiming more is only the flesh at work, and it opens the door to Satan. But faith has a right to gladness of heart, whatever the sorrow over God's broken and scattered people. Let the path be narrow, and the heart large.
The New Testament takes up this feast and applies it to how believers live:
This feast came right after the Passover, and takes its special meaning from it. The apostle has explained this to us. He says, "Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven... but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:7-8). That is, the moment we are redeemed God claims us. He wants us to answer that claim by holy lives — separation from evil, and separation to Himself. The feast lasted seven days: a complete period, and a picture of the whole course of our lives.
Another writer notes that the law gave this bread a different mood:
This feast is a picture of sanctification, both shared and personal, spoken of in 2 Corinthians 6:17 to 7:1. The restored remnant keeps this feast with joy. They had done the same at the feast of tabernacles, at the dedication of the foundation, and at the dedication of the house (Ezra 3:13; Ezra 6:16, 22). Here the feast differs from the law of Moses, which called this bread "the bread of affliction — for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste" (Deuteronomy 16:3). In the middle of all these recovered blessings, there is no room for any feeling but joy.
The king in this verse is Persian, so the title puzzles readers. One writer explains it from history:
It is interesting to see at the end of Chapter 6 that the Lord had "turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them." So the king of Persia is called both "the king of Babylon" (ch. 5:13) and "the king of Assyria." Persia had conquered Babylon, and Babylon had earlier conquered Assyria. So Persia's king held authority over Assyria and Babylon.
The same writer, commenting on Proverbs, states the wider rule behind this:
It is true, not only of believing kings, but of all kings, that their hearts are in the hand of the Lord. They may think their rule answers to no one, but the Lord knows how to turn their hearts to do His will.
Commentators differ on the mood of the ending. One writer hears a note of loss in it:
They kept the Passover — a proof that the redemption of the people could be remembered in the land. Happy privilege of the restored remnant! ... And even the thing they rejoiced in showed what their condition now was. "Jehovah had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel." It was great kindness and touching grace on His part. But what a change!
- Obedience. They kept the feast God commanded. Joy and the king's support followed: obedience brings joy and blessing.
- Gift. The verse credits the joy to God, not to their circumstances. The glory and the fire were gone, but faith still has a right to gladness of heart.
- Holiness. Seven days of unleavened bread picture a whole life kept clean. Christ our Passover was sacrificed, so the redeemed belong to God.
- Reach. The "king of Assyria" is the Persian ruler who now held Assyria and Babylon. Every king's heart is in the Lord's hand, believing or not.
- Honesty. The foreign king's help was real kindness. It also showed how much had changed, so joy and honest sorrow sit in the same verse.